Television series
One Mississippi
A dark comedy about a comedian returning home to Mississippi after her mother's death. It's funny and searingly honest about grief, family dysfunction, and mortality—the kind of show that makes you laugh then sit in silence. For anyone who's lost someone and knows that grief isn't a straight line.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like comedy that stays with grief rather than escaping it, where a painful family homecoming gets laughs from awkward, unvarnished honesty and an unflinching self-portrait.
Skip it if you want jokes that land on a schedule, since this drifts into long silences and slow, meandering scenes that reward patience more than punchlines.
What it asks of you: Expect short episodes, about half an hour each, that let scenes breathe and sit with discomfort before any release, so give it your full attention.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Fleabag2016
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's sharp, filthy monologues about family mess and loneliness. Devastatingly funny, with real tenderness underneath. If you loved Tig's voice, this is essential.
But The fourth-wall breaking can feel show-offy. Some episodes lean harder into romance than grief, which may feel like tonal whiplash.
BoJack Horseman2014
Animated but brutal about depression, family trauma, and the impossible business of being a person. Hilarious, then genuinely devastating. Speaks the same language as Tig does.
But Very long (six seasons). The animation style puts people off. Some episodes are exhausting in their bleakness.
Schitt's Creek2015
A family forced to rebuild after disaster, learning to love each other in the wreckage. Warm, genuinely funny, and ultimately about grace. Less dark than One Mississippi but cut from similar cloth.
But Takes time to find its tone. The first season is broader and less assured. Requires patience before it becomes essential.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from One Mississippi
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
A Ghost Story2017
Both are about someone trapped by death—unable to move forward, watching life happen without them. Both find dark comedy in the unbearable.
A man becomes a ghost haunting the house where he died, watching time pass, unable to move on. Quietly devastating about mortality, home, and the things we leave behind. Shot through with real magic.
But Very slow, very quiet, very long takes of almost nothing happening. Casey Affleck is almost entirely hidden under a sheet. Not a conventional narrative.
More like this (8)
Transparent2014
Jill Soloway's family saga about a parent's transition and what it shatters and rebuilds. Raw, unflinching about family damage. Treats grief and identity with real weight.
But Dense and often grim. The formal experimentation can feel self-conscious. Emotionally exhausting in stretches.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend2015
Musical comedy-drama about depression and self-sabotage that's genuinely clever about its own unreliable narrator. Funny, heartbreaking, wildly inventive.
But Tonal shifts are jarring. The musical numbers don't work for everyone. Requires investment in a character who makes terrible choices.
You're the Worst2014
Two damaged people in a relationship, navigating depression, family history, and self-destruction with dark humor. Messy, specific, and very human.
But The leads are actively awful sometimes. If you need likeable characters, this isn't it. Cancelled before a proper ending.
Catastrophe2015
Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney as a couple building a life from chaos and terrible decisions. Funny, tender, and real about what love actually costs.
But Deliberately unglamorous. Some jokes land badly. The Irish-American cultural mix won't resonate with everyone.
Atypical2017
A neurodivergent teen navigating independence while his family implodes around him. Warm and funny, with genuine stakes about belonging and identity.
But Occasionally feels like it's performing sensitivity for the audience. Some subplots are trite. Veers into sitcom broadly at times.
Dead to Me2019
Two women bonded by grief and secrets, funny and dark about loss and friendship. Tig's sensibility fits here—nothing is simple, everything is messy.
But The plot mechanics strain credulity. Leans more into mystery-thriller than character study. Some tonal shifts feel manipulative.
The Farewell2019
Both center mothers dying offstage while their adult children process it. Both understand that grief involves absurdity, performance, and family secrets that can't be solved.
Lulu Wang's film about a Chinese family deciding to hide a terminal diagnosis from the dying relative. Funny and tragic and culturally specific without ever explaining itself. About what we do for people we love.
But Subtitled. Operates on cultural assumptions not everyone shares. The humor is deadpan and sometimes buried.
Tender Mercies1983
Both are about someone returning home after a life spent running, trying to make peace with what they've broken and who they've hurt. Both insist on silence as a kind of dignity.
Robert Duvall as an alcoholic ex-country singer rebuilding a small, quiet life after years of wreckage. Achingly tender about redemption that asks nothing of you but presence. One of the saddest films ever made.
But Glacially paced. Almost nothing happens. Extremely quiet. The country-music setting matters. If you need plot momentum, stay away.
People
Cast
Writing
- Diablo CodyCreator
- Tig NotaroCreator