"Please Like" This Fantastic Show

"Please Like Me" is the best show that you've never heard of, so you probably haven't been watching it. Please change that! This charming Australian import (which airs on Pivot in the U.S.) just finished its third season, and it perfectly captures what few American series are able to: an honest, nuanced, and -- most importantly -- realistic coming-of-adulthood portrait.

Don't let the sitcom length detract you; the show is funny and frank without exaggerated antics but also serious and heartfelt without maudlin self-importance. There are no "very special episodes" that betray the natural growth of its flawed but well-meaning characters. The way they think, talk, and act, even when they're clearly making a mistake, is unapologetically human and relatable. Every episode is finely crafted to make you feel like part of this personal journey, even if it's only for 25 minutes at a time.

With a fourth season still in its earliest planning stages, you have plenty of time to catch up... or at least oblige the polite request of the title.

A Musical "Story" Better Left Untold

"A Christmas Story" is a revered modern classic, but turning it into a musical loses a lot of its magic -- especially when the adaptation runs nearly an hour longer than its source. The memorable narration and dialogue are mostly intact, but the largely forgettable musical numbers only work when they're extensions of little Ralphie's vivid imagination.

Amusing touches involving live dogs and leg-lamp choreography are worthy chuckles, but the show makes a cardinal mistake in its treatment of Ralphie's parents, depicting Dad as a buffoon and Mom as a doormat. The film was smart enough to make them a study in contrasts: a gruff father whose acquisition of that famous lamp made his obsessive descent that much funnier, and a soft-spoken mother who was actually the voice of reason and laid down the law to hold the family together. While you can't reasonably expect a carbon copy of the movie, at least you can hope for something that knows when to say when.

And To All, A Good Night

"A Very Murray Christmas" is the best of both worlds, reinventing as well as paying homage to the bygone era of holiday variety specials. Bill Murray (playing himself) is disappointed when a blizzard shuts down New York, canceling his live Christmas show from the famous Carlyle Hotel. To battle his holiday blues, Murray decides that the show must go on, enlisting friends and strangers alike at the hotel to help celebrate the spirit of the season.

A flurry of celebrity cameos follows, including a surprisingly restrained and soulful performance from erstwhile troublemaker Miley Cyrus. The music is a refreshing blend of yuletide standards as well as unique covers that don't scream Christmas but still fit the wintry mood. Is this salvaged production all in Bill's mind? Does it matter? Just let his trademark quirky charm work its magic and wish you a heartfelt "Murray Christmas."