Might as well be funny
Watching Widow's Bay and the return of Slow Horses makes me think about one of my frequent criticisms of all TV and films. It's just not funny. Life is inherently funny. In an absurd way if nothing else. People are funny, even in - perhaps especially in - the worst of times.
The only person in the whole world I can always rely on to get my jokes or laugh at the same things I do is my niece. Likewise, I think she is hilarious and she never fails to make me laugh. I don't know how to put it but it's an observational sort of humour, heavy on puns. Often, with both of us, other people don't realise we are actually making a joke and will just reply sensibly, correcting our mistake. Which was actually a joke. Clearly not a very funny one. But I know I can rely on her.
The funniest person I've ever known is my grandfather. When we were little he would do these skits and we'd be howling with laughter. A very quick witted humour. My grandma would always wave it off. And because he was older people would act like he was gone out when he made a joke.
Obviously there's Serious Stuff. But outside documentaries about the most hideous of crimes I don't think there's much excuse not to have a bit of levity. Widow's Bay is specifically a comedy, as is Deadloch which I've banged on about enough. Slow Horses is clearly intentionally very funny. These are horror, crime, and crime, respectively. They deal with death, grief, murder, police brutality, terrorism, corruption - all the nasty stuff.
One show that never fails to make me laugh is The West Wing, which I've been rewatching. It also makes me mad, but at least it's funny. I'm thinking very specifically of what might be some of my top funniest TV ever in Shibboleth, the Thanksgiving season two episode. It's got all this weighty stuff about faith... and a subplot about turkeys.
And another Thanksgiving one, calling the Butterball Hotline about stuffing. "If I cook it inside the turkey is there a chance I could kill my guests? I'm not saying that's necessarily a dealbreaker."