Being Thankful During a Pandemic

As we all know, 2020 has been a very stressful and heart-breaking year.

In a time when we’ve all had to social distance, wear masks, sanitize everything, wash our hands constantly and be separated from family and friends for a very long time, it’s hard to find things for which to be thankful; but even in the most difficult of times, we have to find those small glimmers of hope and happiness.

The following list are the “things” that brought a little bit of hope and happiness to my year (in no particular order):

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – This musical dramedy from NBC was a breath of fresh air, bringing laughter, music and tears to millions of viewers during the early days of the pandemic. The show actually debuted on January 7 and then returned on February 16 running straight through May 3. The show starred Jane Levy (from Suburgatory) as Zoey Clarke, a computer programmer who discovered she had the ability – due to a faulty MRI test that was interrupted by an earthquake – to hear the innermost thoughts of people as songs. Each episode featured multiple song and dance numbers that progressed the overall storyline. The ensemble cast includes Skylar Astin, Alex Newell, Mary Steenburgen, Peter Gallagher and Lauren Graham. The show will be back with its second season on January 5, 2021.

Sanditon – The 8-episode historical drama, loosely based on the final, unfinished work by legendary author Jane Austen [who completed only 11 chapters, which was used as the basis of the first episode and the rest of the series was developed by writer Andrew Davies, who wrote the 1995 Pride & Prejudice series that starred Colin Firth], debuted in the US on PBS on January 12, running through February 23.

The storyline was this: A chance accident brings Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) to Sanditon, a seaside resort on the cusp of dramatic change. Spirited and unconventional, Charlotte is initially keen to experience everything the town has to offer but is then shocked by its scheming and ambitious inhabitants and intrigued by the secrets they share. When Charlotte is tactlessly forthright about the family of enthusiastic entrepreneur Tom Parker, she immediately clashes with his handsome but wild younger brother Sidney (Theo James). Amidst the rival suitors and unexpected danger, can Charlotte and Sidney see past each other’s flaws and find love?

Sadly, Sanditon has not (despite vigorous efforts by worldwide fans) to be given a second season; and had a sad ending for our heroine so while it did contain a Jane Austen inspired love story, the ending did break a number of viewers’ hearts.

Ryan Paevey in Hallmark Channel Movies – The Hallmark Channel hunk, who got his start on General Hospital, appeared in his first Hallmark movie – Unleashing Mr. Darcy – in 2016, and has since appeared in 8 movies on the family-friendly network. This year he appeared in the Valentine’s Day themed Matching Hearts and the holiday themed A Timeless Christmas. His stunning good looks and deep timbre voice send shivers down a lot of spines, but he is also a good actor, making the characters he portrays fun to watch.

Outlander – Season 5 of the time traveling historical romance adventure series, based on the book franchise by author Diana Gabaldon, got started on February 16 on Starz – one month before the safer at home mandates started happening all over the country. It aired all 12 of its episodes through May 10 (except for one week in the middle), providing all the drama, action, tears, heartbreak and love for which the show has become known. Season 5 of Outlander certainly helped to while away all that time “stuck” at home. Sadly, a 6th season has yet to get underway, meaning that fans will be deep in droughtlander for a long time to come.

Cobra Kai – Seasons 1 and 2 of the You Tube series, which was picked up by streaming service Netflix, aired during the late summer, helping all of us 80’s kids relive the magic of the original movie and its lead characters – Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). This “reboot” – if you will – had those Miyagi-teaching moments, hot-headed antics from Johnny, the return of Kreese (Martin Kove) and a lot of newcomers to root for (and, in some instances, despise). The third season of Cobra Kai will premiere on Netflix on January 8.

Julie and the Phantoms – This Netflix musical dramedy, which debuted on September 10, from filmmaker Kenny Ortega [known for the Descendants movie trilogy and the High School Musical trilogy] focused on teenager Julie Molina (newcomer Madison Reyes), who finds her passion for music [she stopped singing after the loss of her beloved mother] thanks to the help of three teen boys – Luke (Charlie Gillespie), Alex (Owen Joyner) and Reggie (Jeremy Shada) – members of an up and coming band from 1995 [yep, they are ghosts, who only Julie can see] – who become known as The Phantoms, as they can only be seen by everyone else when they perform alongside Julie.

The premise may seem ridiculous, or a little too Disney, for adults, but thanks to the charisma of the lead characters and the music they create together – with a major assist from villain Caleb Covington, played by Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson, the series is fun to watch and just simply entertaining.

What are you most thankful for this year? Please share below.

[Featured Image Photo Credit: Deposit Photos]