Ted Lasso and Star Trek: Living well and prospering

The 21st century has, so far, been a real golden age for premium television, with so much good shit out there - stylish and thoughtful dramas and comedies, and stories that really get stuck into the darkness at the heart of human society. 

But sometimes just want something that isn't full of intense, traumatized people who bring the whole world crashing around the. Sometimes, god damn it, you just want someone to be kind, and to prosper. When there's so much cruelty and cowardice in the real world, sometimes you just want something nice.

Ted Lasso was one of the obvious choices, because you couldn't avoid the buzz around that, and the massively positive attitude of the title character.

It's exactly what we needed a show about how doing the right thing ain't always easy, but you do it anyway. And how you'll be surprised by the person who is by your side when you really, really need it, and how a positive attitude and insatiable curiosity can overcome damn near anything - in this regard, Ted is more like Doctor Who than your usual sports coach.

Sometimes you just need a bit of hope in your diet, and sometimes you can find that out there in the galaxy as well,  because I've also been greatly heartened by the latest in a long, long line of Star Trek shows. I'm still behind on the Discovery and the Picards shows, after getting a little burned out by two years of constant TNG/DS9/Voyager episodes, but the retro optimism of Strange New Worlds was irresistible.

Star Wars has its knights and rogues, but Star Trek has the professionalism of the crews, and the humanity in their tiniest interactions with each other, and their massive handshakes with new civilizations across the vastness of the universe.

I'm also officially tapping out on the Kirk v Picard debate, I'm now on Team Pike until the end of time, because as played by Anson Mount, he is so human in his tiny little jokes, so thoughtful in his compliments, but always dedicated to doing the right thing, and willing to pay a horrible price for it. He also has great hair.

I also watched a bunch of the Star Wars recently and they were all fine, and had enough epic moments to make them worthwhile. But it's nice to have something a bit more evolved than 'kill more of the bad guys before they kill you', and telling stories about people out there in the darkness of infinity who just want to talk, and help any way they can, is as timeless as ever.