Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Let’s talk about Whenevers.
What’s a Whenever? It’s a show you can watch whenever you have a little time on your hands. It’s the sort of show where you can just randomly pick, say, the 11th episode of season three – not even knowing what the episode is about – and be pretty sure you’re going to thoroughly enjoy it.
So obviously Whenever shows tend to be mostly self-contained. Oh, sure, it might be the season where Ross and Rachel are living together, or where Leslie Knope is running for office – most modern shows have ongoing storylines of some sort. But in a Whenever these storylines are generally secondary. The essence of the show carries on, and that’s what you’re there for.
A show with constantly shifting storylines that require close attention and prior knowledge probably won’t work as a Whenever. Game of Thrones, Homeland, Westworld, The Wire: All arguably great shows, but none would qualify as a Whenever. On the other hand, your Law & Orders, the CSIs, heck, old Matlock reruns, they’re totally Whenevers. The question is, do you want to waste your time on such tripe?
Maybe so, maybe not. And that’s the thing: Your personal list of Whenevers is not only a reflection of your tastes, but also a snapshot of your history and a glimpse at your psyche. Hmmm, he’s got Elementary on his Whenevers list; what does that say? She’s (gasp!) got The L Word. What does THAT mean? (Probably nothing).
Some may use Whenevers to engage, others may use them to blissfully zone out; there’s no right or wrong way to Whenever. But your Whenever choices inevitably say something about you. With that somewhat obvious admission, a list of personal Whenevers follows.
'30 Rock'
Two words: Tina Fey. Two more words: Alec Baldwin. Two more words: Peak powers. Fey and a madcap troupe of supporting characters come at you non-stop with jokes and twisted insights about corporate culture and show business in this sitcom about a weekly live sketch comedy show. The series was based on Fey’s adventures with Saturday Night Live and while it’s certainly comfort food, it’s fast-talking comfort food.
'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
Feel like cringing? Larry David’s tone-deaf, should-be-embarrassing exploits are reliably wince-worthy and invariably funny. Over eight seasons that ended in 2011 – the show returns to HBO this year – Larry is usually doing something (opening a restaurant, debuting on Broadway), but mostly this is a show (like David’s co-creation, “Seinfeld”) about nothing. Nothing, it turns out, can be pretty funny.
'Frasier'
If you’re under 30 you might not even know what Frasier is. It was a spin-off from Cheers (if you’re under 30 you probably really don’t know what that is), that ran from 1993-2004 and revolved around Seattle psychiatrist and radio talk show host Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), his neurotic brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and their retired cop father (John Mahoney). And it was/is about as well-written and acted as a sitcom can be.
'Friends'
The beauty of Friends is you’ve got six lead characters, so things rarely slow down. And face it, the familiarity of those characters make the show a broadcast equivalent of comfort food (a quality common to Whenevers). While seasons do have drifts – Jon Favreau is Monica’s beau, Rachel has a baby, etc. – the chemistry and bonds between characters are fairly constant. It doesn’t matter who’s with who, they’re all together.
'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia'
Time to get rowdy. This proudly black comedy about a gang of self-centered losers who run a bar in Philadelphia is set to tie the mark (14 years) for longest-running live action sitcom with its recent renewals. There’s a reason for that. The characters may be reprehensible, but the comedy is both sublime and skewed, often pushing the envelope. No preparation needed, dive in anywhere.
'Justified'
Wait, what? An hour-long cop show that’s not remotely a procedural? How’s that a Whenever? Well, here’s the thing: Justified – the story of a fast-shooting, white cowboy hat-wearing Kentucky lawman named Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) – had through story lines but most episodes also stand on their own. If you’re familiar with it – and if you’re not, you’re missing out – it’s easy to drift into any episode and catch on. If you’re really lucky you might catch one with Constable Bob (Patton Oswalt).
'The Mindy Project'
Cast members come and go, but Mindy Lahiri (creator Mindy Kaling) is the absolute center of this show, and has been since she first drunkenly rode a bicycle into the hearts of fans. Like many solid Whenever shows, The Mindy Project basically machine guns you with jokes while drifting along on a storyline. Yes, Mindy’s chaotic love life is a major component, but it’s easy to suss out without much context and never gets in the way of the funny.
'Seinfeld'
OK, back to classics. There’s a reason Seinfeld was one of the most popular TV shows ever. And there are very few overarching storylines, although there’s quite a bit of overarching neuroses. Yes it’s a bit dated, but most of us are.
'Parks And Recreation'
And finally, a slightly amended Whenever. Skip the first season, the show was just finding its groove. But drop in anywhere in seasons two through seven and you will find the sweetest, funniest picture of small town life and bureaucratic politics that television has ever produced. And the cast, from relentlessly upbeat lead Amy Poehler to Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, Retta and suddenly biggest movie star alive Chris Pratt, is golden.
OK, that’s one Whenevers Rorschach test. What’s yours?
Tom Long is a longtime culture critic who writes regularly for The Detroit News. He’s also an absolutely terrible guitarist.
