Bleak

In search of things to watch I've stumbled upon rebroadcasts of Canadian shows "Coroner" and "Transplant" on the CW, as well as "Tell Me a Story" (rebroadcast from CBS All Access).  Upcoming is the so-called international thriller "Devils" and yet another version of "Swamp Thing".  I think I'll pass.  They are all dark.  Very dark.  Not a giggle, a chuckle, or a teeny spark of light.  Love scenes are conducted in shadowed alleys or parking lots with the sound of traffic in the distance.  They are completely opposite from the hazy, sunshine-through-curtains, beautifully-scored scenes in your average rom-com.  The best of the bunch is "Transplant" which has relevant themes and yummy Hamza Haq but each and every character has a back story which makes them sad.  "Coroner" is even worse with a recent widow struggling with the loss of her unhappy marriage and the depression of her son -- while working as a coroner and fighting off panic attacks which hide a terrible secret from her past.  The casts are strong, the filming great, the writing superior, and yet ... I just can't take any more sad in this time, in this very weird time.  A long time ago I read a book on acting which said that actors must find the love, find the humor, in everything.  Shakespeare knew this.  He put the gravedigger scene in "Hamlet" specifically to lighten the load before the bitter end.  Writers of much of our recent entertainments seem to have forgetten this.  It isn't a new trend but perhaps more noticeable now than "before".  I don't want stupid, there is plenty of brain-numbing stupid about, but a plea for something smart and funny?  It might help with the gloom.