In today’s television landscape joy isn’t exactly a currency that many showrunners are trading in. Network prime time has gone all-in on episodic procedurals of the N.C.I.S.V.U.S.I. variety. You know—the kind of show where you can tune in to any episode as a first time viewer and be just fine.

And while the case-of-the-week might be a nice division for a hour, each episode’s story is self contained by design; and the characters are rarely built with the depth to carry an audience to a truly joyous revelation.

Meanwhile, high-concept serials like Glee have migrated exclusively to premium cable or online streaming platforms. And in these environments, without the network’s family-focused restrictions, dark and gritty is king. Think of the most lauded shows of the last decade—shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Handmaid’s Tale and House of Cards—each show astonishing in its own right. Fascinating and poignant tales of humanity to be sure. But brimming with radiance and joy—they are not.

Even amongst modern comedies, Glee seems a bit like a unicorn in regards to tone. Which is especially interesting, considering the era when Glee was first broadcast also played host to comedy juggernauts such as The Office and Parks and Recreation. Part of the winning formula for these other shows’ successes, is that the belly laughs almost always come at the characters’ expense. Each week, these brilliantly assembled “ensembles of fools” stumble their way through ludicrous situations, almost always of their own creation, and we get the pleasure of laughing at their mistakes and smiling as they try to fix what they broke.