Pandemic Comedy 'Staged' Remains the Ultimate in Comfort TV

The COVID-19 pandemic was a significant blow to the entertainment industry. From large-scale complications like multi-year production delays (or outright series cancellations) to subtler shifts in audience viewing habits, the repercussions are still echoing today. The long-term production delays meant networks had to adapt, whether shifting streaming-only hits to broadcast, buying the rights to previously aired properties, or projects requiring less in-person interaction. But the absolute best oddity to come about during the "lockdown era" was Staged, a six-episode comedy series starring everyone's favorite BFFs, Michael Sheen and David Tennant, whose first season was filmed entirely over Zoom.

Grounded in the real-life friendship between its stars, the show follows a (slightly) fictionalized version of the pair as they attempt to rehearse a play together while stuck in lockdown, with two further seasons, each of which gets more self-referential than the last. However, the plot — such as it is — is almost incidental to the larger show. Instead, Staged is a warm and charming reminder of the power and necessity of connection, friendship, and laughter at a time when they were all sorely needed.

Four years after Staged's original premiere date, most of the pandemic-era rules have rolled back. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the world is a less frightening place than it was when this series first launched. As we stare down the barrel of the mid-2020s being fueled by chaos and uncertainty, maybe we still need to curl up with something that feels like the televised equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate just as much as we did then.