Shows you need to start watching (so they can get renewed for another season)

One of the few drawbacks of living during peak TV is facing the harsh reality that with so many great shows, many will also be cancelled. With that spirit in mind, here is my impassioned plea for you to watch five shows so they don't meet that fate. Hopefully, you watch them because I convince you that they're all wonderful comedies which deserve loyal and enthusiastic fandoms. Then, once viewership spikes due to the massive popularity of this list, I will get to see another season of many of my favorite shows:

"Brooklyn Nine Nine"

What, you think you're better than a bunch of teenage Olympians? This lovable cop comedy from the creators of "Parks and Rec" centers around Brooklyn's 99th precinct and the detectives who work there. Spoiler alert: shenanigans ensue! Featuring countless hilarious actors such as Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher and Chelsea Peretti,"Brooklyn Nine Nine" is the rare network comedy that is smart, funny without resorting to stereotypes about women and minorities, and endlessly quotable. Its chances of being renewed for a sixth season aren't great, but maybe with your help, we'll get to see Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago's honeymoon.

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"

This show is perfect for any woman who's ever thought that media sends us mixed signals about femininity, gender roles, love, romance and self-confidence. Have you ever had that thought? Oh, only every day of your adolescence when you watched at least three romantic comedies a week because you didn't know how to navigate relationships? Cool. With at least two original music videos in each episode, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" undermines all of our misconceptions and tropes about love through searing parodies of country music, empowerment pop and sexy getting ready songs. If you're still on the fence about whether it's worth a watch, I implore you to watch "You Stupid B*tch" and tell me that the lyrics were not lifted straight from your own inner monologue.

"Great News"

Looking to fill that "30 Rock"-shaped hole in your heart? "Great News" may just do the trick. The show follows Katie Wendelson and her mother, Carol (Andrea Martin) as they attempt to work alongside each other at fictional cable news network MMN. Created by Tracey Wigfield, who wrote for "30 Rock" and "The Mindy Project," "Great News" has one-liners to spare and also features a surprisingly hilarious Nicole Richie playing an Instagram-influencer-turned-news-anchor. While other NBC comedies (ahem, "The Good Place") may have loftier conceits and curry more favor with critics, "Great News" has heart -- a weird and often gross, little heart, but a heart nonetheless.

"Lovesick"

Formerly titled "Scrotal Recall," "Lovesick" is a Netflix original series that begins with protagonist Dylan testing positive for chlamydia, then setting out on an excruciating journey to notify all of his exes about it. Over the course of three seasons, we see the unfurling of Dylan's romantic past. Along with the company of his endlessly likable and very British friends, including "The Crown's" Daniel Ings, "The Good Doctor's" Antonia Thomas, Dylan and the gang discuss relationships old and new, all set to an appealing Alt-J soundtrack. Easily binge-able, with only 22 half-hour episodes, "Lovesick" is a refreshing English treat to place in your watchlist.

"Search Party"

Mystery meets millennials in this TBS whodunit about the disappearance of Chantal Witherbottom, and the four former classmates who set out to find her, and turn their lives upside down in the process. Season one is a wild ride, constantly shifting between a noir and comedy that would put "Girls" to shame, while still managing to pull off a shocking finale twist. Don't worry -- no spoilers, except that season two keeps the momentum going, and has just as many surprises in store. Watch "Search Party" on TBS so we get to see more of John Early, Alia Shawkat, Meredith Hagner, John Reynolds and the rest of the incredibly talented cast. Seriously, watch it; season two also ends in a big twist, and if you guys don't watch it, the writers won't write season three and I get no resolution.

millerhh@miamioh.edu