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I am sick of seeing the rich and powerful on my screen. Where are all the TV shows about normal people?

⁨415⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Skavau@lemm.ee⁩ to ⁨Television@lemm.ee⁩

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/01/i-am-sick-of-seeing-the-rich-and-powerful-on-my-screen-where-are-all-the-tv-shows-about-normal-people

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Comments

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  • Fingolfinz@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Fuck that shit, I want to watch sci fi

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    • arakhis_@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      im currently binging orville, its perfect to just forget everything and be entertained in on a silly level

      can recommend

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      • wuzzlewoggle@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I’m sooo hyped that it’s coming back with another season! Just the show we need these days.

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      • Fingolfinz@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Ooh that sounds perfect right now. Lost my pup recently and really need just some good distraction. I’ll check that out today, thank you! And with that username, I’m very excited by your suggestion :)

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    • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I’ve been rewatching the Expanse. God it’s good.

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      • Fingolfinz@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I just read the summary for that and it sounds awesome, I’ll check that out, thank you!

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  • Ledericas@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    [deleted]
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    • keepcarrot@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It is kinda bonkers how much of TV watched is copaganda

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      • Ledericas@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
        [deleted]
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    • FenrirIII@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      And medical dramas ignoring the INSANE cost of medicine in the US

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      • HollowNaught@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I remember one line in the good doctor that went something along the lines of

        “We treat the super wealthy with whatever they want so we can treat the poor with what they need”

        I don’t live in the US and even I knew that line was complete BS

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  • egrets@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Atlanta, Black Mirror, Severance, Silo, The Terror: Infamy, Slow Horses, The Bear, Black Bird. Most of what I’ve seen recently has been primarily about people who are not wealthy or privileged.

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    • happydoors@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Great list! Add in the show ‘Maid’ starring Margaret Qualley.

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  • LavaPlanet@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I read some article the other day, how they had noticed a heavy attempt, by Hollywood, to glamorise and humanise ultra rich, like Yellowstone. Is that so we just sit back and shut up and let the billionaires be. Fk that.

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    • But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Same way that tv shows glorify cops who break the rules and disregard suspects rights. It’s so that we cheer for cops who break the rules and excuse them for “doing what you need to do to catch the bad guy”.

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    • madcaesar@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      They did it for cops so why not billionaires next!

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  • papertowels@mander.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Bob’s burgers.

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    • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Bob’s Burgers breathes class consciousness. There’s an episode where the kids are forced to volunteer through school, and the rich landlord makes no secret that he’s exploiting their free child labor to clean up his beach. The concept of collective bargaining is played with when the kids decide they don’t want to do that work for free. That episode also includes the lesson that the rich will absolutely use you and screw you over to further their own desires.

      The rich landlord is frequently shown dicking around as if the people around him are playthings. In another episode, his tenants decide to hold a rent strike. The landlord uses classic divide and conquer strategy to turn the other tenants against Bob, the leader of the strike, via a water balloon contest (it makes sense in context.)

      That’s not even touching the realistic struggles that Bob, Linda, and their family have to live with day-to-day. Despite characters sometimes being, well, completely wackadoo, it’s probably the most relatable animated show I know of.

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      • FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Well put and I agree, for that same reason I really didn’t like the movie though. Its message is basically summed up as “you can commit murder but only if you’re rich enough.”

        The brothers should have drowned in that submarine is all I’m sayin

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  • MummysLittleBloodSlut@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Normal people are boring. I want to watch TV shows about wizards.

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    • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      But not the kkk wizards. And if so, be Rick and Morty chopping them into little pieces like the trash they are.

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      • blarghly@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I’d be down to watch a dark comedy about kkk wizards.

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  • veeesix@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    New Taskmaster series just dropped with Jason Mantzoukas for us plebs.

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    • Albbi@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Maximum Derek!

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    • Tautvydaxx@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Game changer new season first 2 episodes just droped and its 1000% better than task master. Thats how a game show for us normal people looks like.

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      • HeyMrDeadMan@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        “How long can you keep a cat on your lap?” 0.02s

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      • veeesix@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Ooh that’s another good show! They’re both good in their own rights.

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    • oldfart@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Speaking of, Plebs was a great comedy series

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  • VagueAnodyneComments@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    lmfao

    “why doesn’t my compliance drivel feature class consciousness”

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    • blarghly@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Right. Like, first of all, stop watching tv.

      Second of all, there is tons of TV about normal people. Like, most of it.

      Third, yes, the rich and powerful are overrepresented on tv. Why? Because people like to watch that shit. They know what their own lives are like, and they are boring - people want to watch a show that is interesting. Being rich and/or powerful is an easy way to make a story compelling, and gives writers an obvious way to make up ludicrous plot points.

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  • LovableSidekick@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I don’t keep up with current shows but here are my favorites from the last 20 years or so, not exactly about “normal” people but they aren’t rich:

    Raising Hope
    Trailer Park Boys
    Malcolm in the Middle
    The Middle
    Brooklyn Nine-Nine
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    The New Girl

    Tbh there really are a shit ton more TV shows about normal people than about rich people. Not sure how you are even having trouble finding them. And of course there are always game shows.

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    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Raising Hope was great, especially the first couple seasons.

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    • DoubleSpace@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Buffy was 27 years ago…

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      • LovableSidekick@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        And thanks to the marvels of the Internet, I watched an episode last night!

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    • altphoto@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      The wonder years?

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      • DoubleSpace@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        2021 reboot

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  • Rustic_Fry@literature.cafe ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Are we due for a new fat man, hot wife sitcom?

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    • Ulrich@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Roseanne reboot?

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      • workerONE@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Do you think Roseanne was a fat man hot wife sitcom?

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      • HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Grooossss

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  • mjhelto@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Shameless: “am I a fucking joke to you?”

    Since the wealthy fund the shit, anything to do with the commoner is portrayed as trashy, just above literal refuse with regard to usefulness, while the wealthy are portrayed as the righteous and just, with money to fix all the problems they face and any moral failings related to them is the result of something outside their wealth.

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  • MimicJar@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    What really resonated with me was watching shows like Roseanne.

    The article then goes on to ignore The Connors which aired from October 2018 to April 2025.

    Yes, if you ignore all of the shows about “normal people”, you’ll suddenly find no shows about “normal people”.

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    • Albbi@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      The Connors went on that long? I’ll have to check it out. I figured with Roseanne having gone off the deep end it wouldn’t hold up much longer.

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      • figjam@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        mope, they killed her off with fent, made suing the drug company a storyline, and then did like 5 more seasons.

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    • lepinkainen@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Also Young Sheldon and the spin-off that’s still going on

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  • Cossty@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    The biggest reason I dropped Succession during first season. I have no interest in watching some rich fucks and on top of that there is not one likable character in that show.

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    • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      You missed the point of the show, they are all unlikable for a reason, and contrary to what you might think, none of them come out on top the way they wanted to. It’s a great show that highlights their petty, callous, empty little lives

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      • Cossty@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I know they are unlikable for a reason. I just don’t feel a need to watch a show about petty, callous empty little lives of rich idiots.

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  • abdominable@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Skills issue.

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  • HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    !trailerparkboys@lemmy.world

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  • phx@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    TV Broadcasters: “oh, so you want more shitty ‘reality TV’ then?”

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    • pineapplelover@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Yeah I wanna see 2 roommates working 2 jobs and still can’t afford to pay the rent for their shithole apartment

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  • figjam@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Judge Judy, Hoarders, and Cops

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    • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I dunno if you’re being sarcastic here but wow, what a low opinion of normal people!

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      • figjam@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I cast no judgment but these shows are where you can find regular people and not professional actors.

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  • XaetaCore@lemmy.xaetacore.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Japan has an incredible wealth of entertainment in their TV shows. I highly reccomend KASSO! Its ninja warrior but with skating they have English guests and translations on their YT channel.

    Usually non US shows and Movies are alot better imho. Another something you should not sleep on are UK TV shows. Like: The Responder a show about a first responder who is struggling with mental illness and the pressure of his work.

    So broaden your horizon, The industry is not as bad as you think

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    • WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      an incredible wealth of entertainment

      That is a wild way to write “a few bright spots in a sea of absolute garbage”

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      • XaetaCore@lemmy.xaetacore.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Am I honest opinion most things that come out of the United States are shit, so if you exclude the United States from your entertainment library you get left with some pretty good stuff. Just stop watching from sources that reliably produce bad content

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  • HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Why do you need a show about normal people?

    You’re surrounded by normal people

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    • DreamAccountant@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      We want to see a show about normal people that just happen to be more interesting than the normal person you are.

      Money doesn’t make people more interesting, it usually makes them far less interesting.

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      • HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        The life stories of the people around you are likely more interesting than anything a Hollywood screenwriter can come up with

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      • WanderingThoughts@europe.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Yeah. Enough of celebrities going on and on about their introspections, how this experience will grow their personality. Show the guy that spend years building a model train track in his garage.

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    • peteyestee@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Exactly… Fuck that lifestyle.

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    • brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Married with Children was super fun and about normal people.

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  • lobut@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I haven’t seen it but I’ve heard good things about Adolescence?

    I was gonna say that British TV has more realistic or normal people. However I haven’t seen much of that recently. It’s mainly Taskmaster and Black Mirror.

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  • Phen@lemmy.eco.br ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Here it is:

    www.imdb.com/title/tt0287254/

    That was a joke due to the English name, but Brazil is actually pretty good at making shows and movies about normal, ordinary people.

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    • driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Brazilian show.
      All cast is white.

      Check out.

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      • faintwhenfree@lemmus.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Depends on how you define white then, is it just skin color? Maybe you’re right, but I know plenty of Brazilians that are indistinguishable from white people. We can’t call them less Brazilian because they’re fairer than the averagei guess real crime is choosing entire cast that is fairer than average and the show being promoted about average people.

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  • OldSoulHippie@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    They have to show rich people because it’s what most people aspire to be.

    If they show working class people, then they end up telling on themselves. Homer Simpson was able to pay for a house, three kids and two cars all while being the sole income. All the working class sitcoms of the 90’s seem unrealistic because the characters all work dead end jobs but can still afford those nice TV houses.

    It looks unrealistic anymore because we’re out here having to grind so hard just to keep a roof over our heads. Nevermind paying for kids! People won’t watch something that doesn’t reflect their life in some way. At least with the rich people on tv, you can project yourself into that life and not be reminded that you are more broken than the characters of Roseanne and you’re working harder.

    Obviously this isn’t a defense, it’s just one read on why they don’t show “normal” people.

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    • 01011@monero.town ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Shameless was a great show (the US version). That was very much a show about the working class.

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  • volvoxvsmarla@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I adored superstore. I love how I think back of the show and nothing comes to mind because everything was painfully ordinary.

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    • Evotech@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Yeah. That was a surprising gem to stumble upon

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  • kratoz29@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE

    (Also please Disney don’t fuck up the sequel)

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    • AceTKen@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Sequel? Disney? Oh fuck…

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  • vogo13@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I am sick of “history” shows and movies that are completely inaccurate. There are so many unbelievable stories that fiction always takes a backseat for me if I were to choose between a history or sci-fi book for example. Shogun is extremely guilty of this, it had great production but the details were sickeningly incorrect, in Japan people were pissed because it’s an opportunity to teach about culture and every Japanese knows the real story and details of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Americans have already been propagandizing and whitewashing history in many ways since decades past, there is much change to be done.

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  • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Such content already exists.

    There’s a Streisand Effect that occurs when writing about what you don’t want instead of lifting up what you do want.

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  • morphballganon@lemmynsfw.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Check out the cartoon Aggretsuko. Not from this year but from this decade.

    Yeah, it’s a cartoon about anthropomorphic animals, but the characters are all very normal people, personality-wise. So normal, I got sick of watching how normal they were.

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  • SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    If we redistributed all excess wealth perpetually they wouldn’t exist anymore and we would stop treating them like kings and gods.

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  • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Watch Andor, if you wanna see ordinary people fight the power

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  • Neverbeaten@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Detectorists Northern Exposure Abbott Elementary All Creatures Great and Small Black Books Bored to Death Bridget & Eamon The Cafe Cheers The Cleaner The IT Crowd King of the Hill Letterkenny Peep Show Shameless Spaced Tacoma FD Taxi

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