Comedies & Light Dramas: All-Time Favorite TV Series
A list of my favorite comedies and light dramas. These shows all fall under the feel good banner.
All active, ongoing series listed on top - otherwise in no particular order.
All active, ongoing series listed on top - otherwise in no particular order.
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- CreatorJemaine ClementStarsKayvan NovakMatt BerryNatasia DemetriouA look into the nightly lives of four vampires who have lived together on Staten Island for over a century.5 seasons / 50 episodes: Season 6 will be finale
I love this series. Love the characters, the situations, the conversations, the relaxed delivery - everything about this series.
A quirky, deliciously awkward comedy that I could watch all day long.
I've seen 5 seasons, 50 episodes and each episode has been as great as the episode that preceded it. - CreatorDan HarmonJustin RoilandStarsChris ParnellSpencer GrammerSarah ChalkeThe fractured domestic lives of a nihilistic mad scientist and his anxious grandson are further complicated by their inter-dimensional misadventures.7 seasons / 71 episodes: Ongoing Series
This show is crazy... crazy good!
The adventures, the gadgets, the great scripts, the alien lifeforms, the multiverse, Rick, Morty... so much more. All like candy for the brain.
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Related: The Vindicators (2022) - CreatorDavid X. CohenMatt GroeningStarsBilly WestJohn DiMaggioKatey SagalPhilip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy, is accidentally frozen in 1999 and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.11 seasons / 150 episodes: Ongoing Series
Season 12 expected 2024. - CreatorGreg DanielsStarsRobbie AmellAndy AlloAllegra EdwardsAfter his premature death, a man's consciousness is uploaded into a virtual world. As he gets comfortable with his surroundings, questions about his death arise.3 seasons / 25 episodes: Season 4 will be finale
Update, 08jan2024: Finished watching season 3.
I love this show. I love the way it handles questions about a digital afterlife that we - the viewers - have not even begun to think about.
Questions about ownership of digital memories, the rights of those in the "afterlife", the rights of the poor gaining access to this form of Virtual Reality, lots more...
I also love seeing all the little NextGen Sci-fi tweaks and gadgets. The script is smart, light and funny! I am hoping that Amazon renews this for several more seasons. - CreatorHarley PeytonStarsJacob BatalonMandela Van PeeblesEm HaineIn a world populated by beautiful, fit and vain vampires, Reginald tumbles into it as an unlikely hero who will navigate every kind of obstacle and discovers he has a few unrecognized powers of his own.1 season / 10 episodes: Ongoing Series
Great cast, good story, fun to watch, good (open-ended) closure. My actual rating is a 7.5. - CreatorGregory Thomas GarciaStarsGarret DillahuntShakira BarreraPhillip GarciaHaving been previously incarcerated, Jack moves in with his former cellmate, Rooster, and is determined to turn his life around, just at the start of a global pandemic.1 season / 9 episodes: Series (likely) Complete
Season 1 finished with strong closure for all characters. I do not think there was any intention of a season 2 but I have not read anything that indicates this was a one and done deal.
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Sprung excels within the easy going, fun, light drama genre.
The magnificent work on the layered storytelling makes each episode feel so much longer in a good way, while covering lots of story. You have actively participating multiple characters within overlapping multiple storylines. Few shows are as densely packed.
The great scripts give each character enough depth that you wind up connecting with each for different reasons.
It's from Gregory Thomas Garcia (Greg Garcia) who brought us one of the great series of all-time: My Name Is Earl (2005). If you liked 'Earl', you are going to enjoy this series too. - CreatorAwkwafinaTeresa HsiaoStarsAwkwafinaLori Tan ChinnBD WongWith help from her dad and grandmother, Nora Lum navigates young adulthood in Flushing, New York with her cousin.3 seasons / 27 episodes: Series likely Complete
Update (23jun2023): Saw the final episode of season 3 a few days ago. Everything about that episode said finale... No official word yet but I strongly feel the series is over.
If so...I already miss this show and its cast so much. I hope we get a season 4.
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I first saw Awkwafina in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and fell in love with her comedic style and scene-stealing screen presence.
She has a quality that's equal parts charismatic, down-to-earth, funny and humble. An appeal that feels very approachable and real-world.
I started looking for anything else she may have done that might fall within my field of interest. So happy to have found this series. I watched the first 2 seasons as soon as I found them.
Loved it! Fun, relaxing, great characters and entertaining stories. Mostly... it's Awkwafina who is, in fact, Nora.
She's that really cool girl from Queens. - CreatorPaul FeigStarsTrace BeaulieuNeil CaseyEugene CorderoA young and inexperienced crew venture into space to face mysterious clouds, folds in time and the occasional alien attack, as well as more household challenges.1 season / 8 episodes: Series Complete
From 2015 and on what was called Yahoo! Screen. Lasted only a season because Yahoo closed their streaming service by January 4, 2016.
'Other Space' is one of the best Sci-fi Space Shows ever produced - comedy or otherwise. I love this show!
I find that I connect with this series, its characters and its humor in a way that keeps me coming back for more. I've seen it twice and I'd be lying if I said that was enough.
Light, enjoyable, funny, great characters. Truly a (low budget) hidden gem. - CreatorMichael SchurStarsKristen BellWilliam Jackson HarperJameela JamilFour people and their otherworldly frienemy struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good.4 seasons / 53 episodes: Series Complete
Heaven, hell, superpowers, malleable worlds (ie, perceived realities). A creative, light and funny drama with very likeable characters. - CreatorTara ButtersMichele FazekasStarsBret HarrisonTyler LabineRick GonzalezOn his 21st birthday, Sam discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil before birth and he must now be a bounty hunter for the devil until he dies.2 seasons / 31 episodes: Series Complete
There are always a few shows you feel a special fondness for. They make you feel great or that special kind of relaxed or simply put you in a good place.
This show really delivers on that front and has exceptional rewatch value for me.
Also... Ray Wise. Hands down the best portrayal of the devil in anything I've ever seen. - CreatorChris FedakJosh SchwartzStarsZachary LeviYvonne StrahovskiJoshua GomezWhen a computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, both the CIA and the NSA assign an agent to protect him and exploit his newfound skills.5 seasons / 91 episodes: Series Complete
There are a few other shows that used the same (or similar) concept (John Doe, Intelligence and to a lesser degree... Jake 2.0). Chuck's large cast, sharp writing and connection to the characters made this series the best of the bunch. - CreatorBen EdlundStarsPatrick WarburtonDavid BurkeLiz VasseyThe story of superhero The Tick, based on the popular comic book.1 season / 9 episodes: Series Complete
Patrick Warburton is 'The Tick'. I can't imagine anyone else playing this role (certainly not the corpse actor used in the 2016 series; so much miscast). Warburton was perfect. - CreatorDavid JenkinsStarsWyatt CenacLuka JonesAlice WetterlundJournalist Ozzie Graham is skeptical when he investigates a support group for oddballs who think they have been abducted by aliens -- yet the more he learns, the more confused, intrigued, and seduced he becomes.2 seasons /20 episodes: Series Complete
Fun, light, UFO/Sci-fi themed drama with light comedy. Likable characters, lots of character development and depth. - CreatorDavid GuarascioMoses PortStarsDan ByrdAdhir KalyanAmy PietzA young Muslim student from Pakistan is sent to live with a Christian family in Wisconsin as part of a foreign exchange program.1 season / 18 episodes: Series Complete
One of the great castings of all-time in Adhir Kalyan and Dan Byrd. - CreatorVictor FrescoStarsJay HarringtonPortia de RossiAndrea AndersIn an amoral science-based company, a manager tries to keep control of his scientists while being pressured by his shrewd boss.2 seasons / 26 episodes: Series Complete
Lem Hewitt (Malcolm Barrett) and Phil Myman (Jonathan Slavin) were two of the best nerds ever produced for TV. Two of my all-time favorite characters.
Separately they were great characters. When they worked together as a team, they were an unstoppable force for the best kind of TV entertainment. - StarsChris O'DowdRichard AyoadeKatherine ParkinsonThe comedic misadventures of Roy, Moss and their grifting supervisor Jen, a rag-tag team of IT support workers at a large corporation headed by a hotheaded yuppie.4 seasons / 25 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorGregory Thomas GarciaStarsJason LeeEthan SupleeJaime PresslyA ne'er do well wins $100,000 in the lottery and decides to right all the wrongs from his past with his newfound realization!4 seasons / 96 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorLarry LevinStarsRon EldardGiancarlo EspositoChris MulkeyPaul Gigante leaves FBI to be a detective for rural Bakersfield, California PD But sophisticated Gigante.1 season / 17 episodes: Series Complete
I remember when this first came out. I saw the first few episodes and immediately feel in love with this series. It turns out that it was only the first few episodes I was ever going to watch in '93.
I had completely forgotten about this series until I stumbled onto it just now (24aug2023). I'm so happy I did. This time around, I'll be able to watch the entire series.
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update, first week/Dec 2023: Got around to watching the entire series for the first time ever. It was as wonderful as those first few episodes I saw about 30 years ago.
I also found it odd that this show didn't feel like it aged at all. Maybe it was the small town feel or that it was so brilliantly written. Perhaps it was the impressive acting from the entire cast.
Whatever the reasons, I would put this series up against the very best light/fun series produced today. - CreatorAlec BergBill HaderStarsBill HaderStephen RootSarah GoldbergA hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.4 seasons / 32 episodes: Series Complete
I loved the premise. The trailer, however, just didn't convince me this was a good series and so I decided to skip it. I would watch the trailer again and the occasional little snippets online from time to time and... nope... nothing.
Then one day, I decided to just start watching the series. The high ratings, great reviews were a factor. It was the interesting premise that really was the deciding factor - it kept calling to me.
I did not know what I was missing. So much better than the trailer and snippets indicated. Bingeable good, great story matched by equally great characters.
Bill Hader makes a good lead for this series. Anthony Carrigan and lots of the actors in his criminal sphere - give this series that extra something... making it a great series. - CreatorNeil GaimanStarsDavid TennantMichael SheenMiranda RichardsonThe End of the World is coming, which means a fussy Angel and a loose-living Demon who've become overly fond of life on Earth are forced to form an unlikely alliance to stop Armageddon.2 seasons / 12 episodes: Series Complete
This was originally a 'one and done' miniseries. People liked it, they got another season as a result.
Maybe this isn't a bad way to go with most series... I don't like season-ending cliffhangers. If it's a good series, I'll come back for sure. If it's badly written, I will not come back... cliffhanger or not.
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In fact, a cliffhanger makes me less likely to come back. It is a cheap ploy used by money-grubbers to fight for their third vacation home.
I am beginning to strongly dislike dangling story arcs, cliff hangers and all the other cheap hooks used to manipulate the audience in such overtly shady ways. - CreatorChris FedakStarsJack Cutmore-ScottIlfenesh HaderaLenora CrichlowA famed magician uses his skills of deception to assist the FBI in solving high-profile cases.1 season / 13 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorSteve CarellGreg DanielsStarsSteve CarellJohn MalkovichBen SchwartzThe people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services: The Space Force.2 season / 17 episodes: Series Complete
That one episode in season one about a chimpanzee in space was probably one of the worst things I have ever seen in my life. It was horrific and painful to watch.
It's like they didn't care what they were producing or worse... openly admitting that they were mostly talentless hacks in it for the money grab. Mocking both their investors and the people watching the show.
The feeling that nobody cared about the quality of the production peaked with this episode.
Lots of the episodes bordered close to this line but I hung in there for some reason. The series seemed to get better (?) or it grew on me (?). In any case... giving it a second season (which I'll watch at some point - on the back burner for now).
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Season Two, update (02jan2023): Finished binge-ing the entire 2nd season during the day. It was that good! Not many TV series can take a bad first season and come back to produce an exceptional second season.
It was a funny, comfortable, comedy that was also an emotionally engrossing light drama at times.
I just don't understand this world. It gets renewed after a bad season 1. It gets cancelled after a great season 2. - CreatorAndy BreckmanStarsTony ShalhoubJason Gray-StanfordTed LevineThe series follows Adrian Monk, a brilliant former San Francisco detective, who now consults the police as a private consultant whilst battling with an obsessive-compulsive disorder.8 seasons / 125 episodes: Series Complete
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related Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)
Premiered December 8, 2023. Monk is back again and he's as good here as the Monk we all remember.
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related Little Monk (2009)
Adventures of a young Adrian Monk and his brother, Ambrose, as they solve mysteries at school. - CreatorBrendan HuntJoe KellyBill LawrenceStarsJason SudeikisHannah WaddinghamJeremy SwiftAmerican college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team.3 seasons / 34 episodes: Series Complete
I finally decided to watch this series and it was a great experience. Great storyline, great characters and a nice optimism... - CreatorEmily KapnekStarsJeremy SistoJane LevyCarly ChaikinTessa Altman is used to the big city, but when her dad moves her away, she has to adapt to her new suburban life in Chatswin.3 seasons / 57 episodes: Series Complete
A superb cast that really deliver on their characters. A great script that keeps you engaged throughout its entire run. - CreatorJudd ApatowStarsJay BaruchelCarla GalloCharlie HunnamCollege freshman Steve Karp, his girlfriend and their fellow dormmates embark on one of the greatest experiences of their lives. Unfortunately for Steve, his lonely and recently divorced father is tagging along for the ride.1 season / 17 episodes: Series Complete
- StarsPaul KayeSharon RooneyJames BuckleyJames Buckley is transported to a parallel world featuring "psychopathic Fairies, Shell Men, seductive Demi-Fins and vicious Throcks".3 seasons / 15 episodes: Series Complete
This is an alternate dimension world that's fun, full of fantasy elements, magic and all kinds of engaging and interesting characters. Great comedy/drama, great cast. So easy to lose yourself in this series. - CreatorGreg DanielsRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsSteve CarellJenna FischerJohn KrasinskiA mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, tedium and romance.9 seasons / 201 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsRicky GervaisMartin FreemanMackenzie CrookThe story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary film crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.2 seasons / 14 episodes: Series Complete
It took a few episodes to accept this series because I had already been strongly influenced by the US version. Mostly it was the different styles Ricky Gervais brought vs Steve Carell.
Also Dwight Schrute vs Gareth Keenan was a fun comparison.
Regardless... The UK (original) version is every bit as good as the US version but different enough that you feel like you're watching different shows. - CreatorSteven LevitanChristopher LloydStarsEd O'NeillSofía VergaraJulie BowenThree different, but related, families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.11 seasons / 250 episodes, 1 special: Series Complete
- CreatorPaul FeigStarsLinda CardelliniJohn Francis DaleyJames FrancoA high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.1 season / 18 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorVictor FrescoStarsDrew BarrymoreTimothy OlyphantLiv HewsonSheila and Joel are married real estate agents who live and work in Santa Clarita, California. When Sheila dies, their lives take a dark turn.3 seasons / 30 episodes: Series Complete
One of the all-time great series. It was still going strong with no indication of a dip in quality. Great characters, great story, engaging, funny.
If you're going to be a zombie, might as well be one in this universe. Amirite?
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Cancelled because of money: a "cost-plus" funding model making each season more expensive then the previous to produce. By season 4, the costs were, apparently, astronomically prohibitive.
If you ask me (and nobody did), it seems that Netflix will always be incapable of producing an original long-running series. Three long years and just 30 episodes. The system is broken. - CreatorCurtis GwinnEric WeinbergStarsTexas BattleBryce JohnsonTania RaymondeA mockumentary following a police force as they deal with various perpetrators who are mostly supernatural in nature.1 season / 12 episodes: Series Complete
It's like The Office but with cops and monsters. Dwight Schrute would have fit right in. - CreatorDevin ClarkDavid M. SternStarsMatt ObergNatasha LeggeroKurt MetzgerTake New York City, add every horrifying beast, science-fiction freak, and fantasy faerie, shake thoroughly, and you've got Ugly Americans.2 seasons / 31 episodes: Series Complete
All manner of monsters living among humans in a funny, light animated series. - CreatorJames D. ParriottStarsDean Paul MartinKevin Peter HallMark Thomas MillerThe adventures of a team of misfit superheroes who fight crime for a scientific think tank.1 season / 16 episodes: Series Complete
Johnny B: coolest hero ever created. Gloria Dinallo: powerful, beautiful, vulnerable. El: smart, likable, geek. This trio remains one of my favorite superteams of all-time (with a nice touch of nostalgia).
I'm not a fan of Billy Hayes' frantic & fidgety forced comedy - in that 80s kinda' way that tries to force "energy" into scenes. I would have preferred a more serious superhero show.
It is Hayes' effort, however, that sets the tone for this series and puts it solidly into the (very) light drama category. As such, it qualifies for this list too. - CreatorBen EdlundStarsTownsend ColemanMicky DolenzRob PaulsenAn invulnerable, somewhat dim, superhero protects The City from all manner of evil-doers.3 seasons / 36 episodes: Series Complete
How do you even explain what made this show so magical...
It was/is so much fun to watch. Despite the obvious parody, it manages to immerse you in the story. It's nostalgic, bringing out your inner child even if you've never seen this before. It manages to pay homage to the superhero genre in a way few shows have pulled off.
Mostly its got the nigh invulnerable 'Tick' with enough 'Drama Power' to vanquish villains in a bigger than life style. - CreatorKelvin YuStarsBen WangYann Yann YeoChin HanJin Wang is an average teenager balancing high school and home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of school, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle with Chinese mythological gods.1 season / 8 episodes: Series Complete
update, 06jan2024: Series cancelled after one season.
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High School, fantasy elements, coming of age, light drama, funny, family, friendships. Lots of good stuff here. - CreatorFred Fox Jr.Brian LevantStarsDerek McGrathJerry O'ConnellWanda CannonThe adventures of a superpowered teen and his scientist friend.3 seasons / 72 episodes: Series Complete
This is a great mentor/hero, (surrogate) father/son relationship TV series. Light, relaxing, nostalgic fun.
Recommend the first season only.
The final two seasons break the mentor/hero relationship in favor of pre-teen, girl-crazy subplots. Maybe it's fun viewing at a certain really young age group but misses the mark with most other demographics. - CreatorAllan FoshkoMarty KrofftSid KrofftStarsWesley EureKathy ColemanSpencer MilliganA family finds themselves fighting to survive in a land populated by dinosaurs and otherworldly beings.3 seasons / 43 episodes: Series Complete
Few series had more sci-fi elements in it:
Time travel, alternate dimensions, dinosaurs, intelligent alien species, dangerous aliens, brilliant tech, (affable) neanderthals, (de)evolution, new age tech via pylons, a self-contained closed-loop universe, another world (three moons in the sky), resourceful family at a nexus point in time and space.
So much more - including a close connection to nature: all intermingling at the same time. They also found a way to connect with viewers in a very human way.
Possibly the most remarkable Sci-fi driven world ever created for a TV Series (or film). - DirectorMark SlutskyStarsAaron AbramsAnna HopkinsA down-on-his-luck lawyer awakes to find he's been enlisted to negotiate on behalf of the human race.11 min short film.
This film captures an alien invasion and a general Sci-fi essence in such a fun and approachable way. - CreatorLucia AnielloPaul W. DownsIlana GlazerStarsIlana GlazerPaul W. DownsKevin HeffernanCenters on two cousins who discover a time-traveling bong and ride high as they blaze through time.1 season / 3 episodes: Series Complete
Well-done, low-budget fun! I went in expecting meh, I was shocked at how well-written and fun this series turned out to be. Great lead actors! - CreatorJohn EnbomDan EtheridgePaul RuddStarsAdam ScottKen MarinoRyan HansenA group of actors move to Los Angeles to make it big, but end up working as caterers.2 seasons / 20 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorJames L. BrooksMatt GroeningSam SimonStarsDan CastellanetaNancy CartwrightHarry ShearerThe satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
- CreatorSteven LevitanStarsLaura San GiacomoEnrico ColantoniGeorge SegalHot-tempered journalist Maya got herself fired yet again. Unable to find a job anywhere else and facing eviction, she is forced to go work for Blush, her father's fashion magazine.7 seasons / 148 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorPaul SimmsStarsDavid FoleyStephen RootAndy DickThe workplace sitcom "NewsRadio" explores the office politics and interpersonal relationships among the staff of WNYX NewsRadio, New York's #2 news radio station.5 seasons / 97 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorAaron SorkinStarsJosh CharlesPeter KrauseFelicity HuffmanCasey McCall and Dan Rydell are sports anchors and best friends on "Sports Night", a nightly cable program.2 seasons / 45 episodes: Series Complete
I was (and remain) a huge fan of 'Sliders'. Sabrina Lloyd left that series and "slid" into this one. I followed her here and was not disappointed. - CreatorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsRicky GervaisAshley JensenStephen MerchantAndy Millman is an actor with ambition and a script. Reduced to working as an extra with a useless agent, Andy's attempts to boost his career invariably end in failure and embarrassment.2 seasons / 13 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorJosh BilligChris MartinStarsLiv HewsonSean DulakeJustin ChonWhat would YOU do if you fell into your favorite K-drama?2 seasons / 20 episodes: Status unknown
I have only seen season 1. Season 2 is in the queue. I don't know if season 2 did a kind of wrap up until I get a chance to watch it. - StarsConan O'BrienThe Max Weinberg 7Andy RichterConan O'Brien, a Harvard Lampoon alumnus, hosts this late-night comedy/talk-show, which is often silly and whimsical.16 seasons / 2,725 episodes: Series Complete
Maybe I saw 100 of the 2,725 episodes that aired. One thing was for certain... I was entertained and fully engaged every time. Still catch Conan occasional and he never seems to disappoint. He was/is the best of them all. - CreatorTimothy GreenbergStarsPaul RuddAisling BeaAli Akbar SepahiAn existential comedy about a man struggling in life who undergoes a new treatment to become a better person, only to find that he's been replaced by a new and improved version of himself.1 season / 8 episodes: Series Complete
Serious/Light drama. No real sci-fi in the story except for the clone. Above average entertaining series, good characters.
Season 1 was released 18oct2019. I don't see where the series was officially cancelled but after over 3 years without an update, it's clear the series is over. A shame... I would have definitely seen more seasons. - CreatorChris SheridanStarsAlan TudykSara TomkoCorey ReynoldsA crash-landed alien takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor and slowly begins to wrestle with the moral dilemma of his secret mission on Earth.1 season / 10 episodes: First season Only Recommended
Season 1 turned out to be one of the best TV series of 2021. Smart, funny, bingeable. This series makes my favorite's list based on season 1 only.
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I quit watching this series 5 episodes into season 2. It was terrible. I lasted 5 episodes only because of the momentum of season 1 and I hoped they might turn it around.
So bad. One of the the most epic falls I've ever seen.