12 TV Moments That Will Lift Your Spirits

Yahoo TV Staff
Photo: Fox
Photo: Fox

Hi, America. How are you today? You know who’s always there for you when you’re feeling down? Television. And today, we here at Yahoo TV have been spending some time revisiting TV moments that always lift our spirits and/or make us laugh. Join us, won’t you? And let us know your go-to happy TV moments in the comments.

Susan Lucci wins Outstanding Lead Actress at the Daytime Emmy Awards (May 15, 1998)
“And the outstanding diva is … The streak is over — SUSAN LUCCI!” Shemar Moore’s jubilant announcement — and the crowd’s eruption of deafening, nearly hysterical happiness — kicks off seven minutes of pure joy, as one of daytime television’s icons graciously accepts an honor more than 20 years in the making. — Kristen Baldwin, editor in chief

Sports Night, “Cliff Gardner” speech (Oct. 19, 1999)
I love to rewatch the speech William Macy gives in this episode of Sports Night, about the inventiveness of Philo Farnsworth in creating the technology that gave us television, and how this Aaron Sorkin-written moment is also the perfect retort to a bunch of complacent executives who don’t understand or appreciate creativity. — Ken Tucker, critic at large

The Simpsons, “Do It for Her” (Jan. 22, 1995)
Perhaps the most tearjerking moment in the never-ending history of The Simpsons. We laud the cartoon for its salient, timely, hilarious satire, but a emotional gut-punch like this one, from “And Maggie Makes Three,” is what keeps us coming back to Springfield’s First Family for 28 seasons. — Alex Logan, producer, Yahoo TV Superfan

The Oprah Winfrey Show car giveaway (Sept. 13, 2004)
Remember that time Oprah gave away the cars? You didn’t get one, but 276 audience members did in 2004 when the talk-show queen pretended only one lucky fan would win a Pontiac G6. I never tire of reliving the moment when Oprah screams: “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car!” — Victoria Leigh Miller, writer

Beverly Hills, 90210 “Celebration” dance (May 17, 2000)
As the Peach Pit regulars celebrated the marriage of high school sweethearts Donna and David, they formed a dance circle and got down to Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration.” After 10 seasons of watching these California kids grow into adults, it felt like we had gotten our very own invite to party with them one last time. — Tracey Pepey, visual producer

Fuller House, the Flintstones Lullaby (Feb. 26, 2016)
When DJ’s youngest son won’t stop crying, the Tanner clan takes a cue from the pilot episode of Full house and sings the Flintstones theme song to calm him down. With some split-screen action, we see shots of the current and ’80s-era Tanners (including a baby Michelle!). This scene makes me nostalgic for the good old days, and on a day like today, we could all use a little nostalgia to calm us down. — Jen Kucsak, media producer, Yahoo TV Superfan

Community, “The Darkest Timeline” (Oct. 13, 2011)
Sometimes, when things get dark, you’ve just got to double down; that’s what the study group (in an alternate universe) does when they find themselves beset by all manner of horrible circumstances. And, thus, one of the show’s best recurring bits was born. — Robert Chan, writer

Happy Endings, Penny and Alex have superpowers (April 27, 2011)
Remember that Happy Endings when Alex and Penny learn they have exceptional skills (Penny speaks fluent Italian, Alex can consume an obscene amount of ribs )… but only if they’re wasted? This mimosa-fueled montage always makes me smile. — Karen Kemmerle, social media manager

Designing Women, Suzanne’s workout (May 21, 1990)
At a health spa for the weekend, Suzanne is asked by a fitness instructor if she has a personal exercise program. She does — and it involves performing her twirling routine to “St. Louis Blues” every morning. To prove it, Suzanne reenacts the entire routine, sans baton, while humming the tune. Why does it make me happy? Aside from the studio audience’s uncontrollable laughter, it’s nothing less than inspiring to watch Suzanne giving exactly zero f**ks. — Mandi Bierly, deputy editor

Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle auditions (April 11, 2009)
The reaction of the crowd always gets me, the way their ironic detachment gives way to genuine emotion the moment Boyle opens her mouth to sing. It’s the dream audition of any musical theater geek, come vividly to life. — Ethan Alter, writer

Scrubs, Perry and J.D.’s goodbye (May 6, 2009)
For eight seasons of Scrubs, all J.D. wanted was the approval of his mentor, Perry Cox, and after years of insults and Dr. Cox addressing him by female names, J.D. finally got it in the Season 8 finale … complete with a hug of the man who smells “like a father figure.” — Kimberly Potts, writer

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Ten Seconds at a Time (March 6, 2015)
When I’m down, I like to revisit Kimmy Schmidt’s coping mechanism for surviving down in the bunker: “I learned a long time ago that a person can stand just about anything for 10 seconds, then you just start on a new 10 seconds. All you’ve got to do is take it 10 seconds at a time.” Her optimism is what makes her unbreakable, and this tactic comes in handy for just about anything life throws at you. Just take it 10 seconds at a time! — Jeffrey Pattit, producer