This week's easiest comedy pick in Australia on BINGE and Foxtel Now, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and YouTube TV is Shining Vale. The 2-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. 73 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Courteney Cox sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Start it on BINGE whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Shining Vale is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The jokes in Shining Vale land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. A dysfunctional family moves from the city to a small town into a house in which terrible atrocities have taken place. But no one seems to notice except for Patricia “Pat” Phelps, who’s convinced she’s either depressed or possessed – turns out, the symptoms are exactly the same. Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear lead a cast with the timing to make it work. It ran for 2 seasons (2022–2023), and the writing holds up across every one of them. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Shining Vale holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in Shining Vale. And Just Like That… is the obvious comparison, but Shining Vale earns its own place alongside it. Short enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Courteney Cox is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.

Shining Vale was cancelled in 2023, created by Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan — and 2 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.