TV's Tiny Pleasures: Ted Lasso's Biscuits, Marvel Fanfare, Queasy Diggle And Other Things That Bring A Smile

Some of TV's biggest, lasting pleasures can come in small packages.

Make no mistake, grandiose performances and jaw-dropping plot twists are great and all. But sometimes it can be the itty-bitty, subtle things that reliably elicit a smile — low-key flourishes that people who don't watch a given show even know exist.

The TVLine staff took a beat to pay tribute to the tiny pleasures scattered across the many shows we watch. Like, the fun that MacGyver has in telling you where we are, or how Bob Hearts Abishola denotes when we are. There's the gorgeous artwork that closes out every episode of The Mandalorian, and the Marvel-ous fanfare — heretofore reserved for the big screen — that trumpets the clicking on of every WandaVision.

We also sing the praises of Ted Lasso's biscuits, Batwoman's dishy DJ, Blue Bloods' deliciously arresting dinners and SEAL Team's ongoing mission to pepper a pretty boy with nicknames.

Scroll through our Top 25 below (many of them have embedded videos/supercuts of these tiny, favorite things), and then weigh in with the tiny, subtle pleasures from the shows you tune into.

Back at the start of What We Do in the Shadows Season 1, we weren't quite sure what was going on when Laszlo (played by Matt Berry) scoffed at Nadja's wish to slowly walk home and then bellowed "Bat!" But now that we know that is how he dramatically announces his transformation into a fast-flapping, winged creature of the night, we admit to attempting the feat ourselves — if only to possibly save cab fare. No success, yet. (Watch a supercut above.)

"Dumb question: Did we get a new Batwoman? Dumber question: Is she Black? I'm all about the representation in G-town, but... did I miss something?" The running and reliably sassy commentary by local DJ Vesper Fairchild, voiced by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and played over Gotham City flyovers, is one of the CW series' unique and hidden gems.

When cueing up that very first episode of WandaVision, we weren't quite prepared to have the full "Marvel fanfare" animation preceding it — complete with glimpses of Chris Evans' Captain America, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Rocket Racoon. Sure, every Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was preceded by the now-defunct Marvel TV's generic version of said preroll, but seeing a small-screen project paired with the real deal only supersized our already considerable anticipation for Disney+'s first live-action Marvel series!

Sad as it is to see any episode of Disney+'s flagship Star Wars series come to a close, we always know that there is a small bit of "dessert" still to savor, in the form of the Ralph McQuarrie-ian concept art, by production designer Doug Chiang and his team, that plays beneath the first few end credits. Pay close attention and you may even spy a scene/critter that didn't make it into the final cut!

A very refreshing spin on the well-worn device of having a location change "typed out" on-screen, MacGyver will often have fun with its IDs — such as a recent notation of "LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA.... WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT EITHER."

We thought for sure that this gimmick would fall by the wayside after a handful of episodes, and certainly by any second season. But nope. The CBS sitcom remains steadfast in its marking of the passing of time between scenes, cleverly working the lettering into the stock-art exteriors.

From the moment they "met," Courtney Whitmore (played by Brec Bassinger) and the Cosmic Staff she inherited from Starman have enjoyed a special bond. Over time, her superhero tool has taken on more and more life of its own, nudging her awake to join a mission, visibly balking at bad ideas, and expressing excitement, all while using a range of tones to signal its mood. (Watch a montage above.)

"Zari, Not Zari"? "Legends of To-Meow-Meow?" The self-explanatory "Guest Starring John Noble"? We challenge you find a TV series that is having half as much (super-corny) fun with its episode titles as DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

With Brooklyn Nine-Nine now on track for a delayed final season, we say of this recurring go-to gag:

"Please, give it to us one more time."

(Watch a supercut above.)

Oftentimes, the funniest Superstore moments come between the scenes, when the workplace comedy reveals the horrors happening within the aisles of Cloud 9. Take, for instance, the woman who samples scented candles by taking a bite out of each of them before putting them back, or the sweaty man who visits the deodorant aisle to "freshen up." (Watch a supercut above.)

If you're among the Craig Ferguson faithful who have followed the Scot to his job hosting ABC's The Hustler, surely you have spotted (and gotten a small kick out of) the rattlesnake mug that used to claim primo real estate on his Late Late Show desk back in the day.

Every time we see Judith — who was born on-screen, during early Season 3 — put on late big brother Carl's hat (which of course used to be Rick's), it sweetly reminds us of, yes, how long the show has been on, but also of the rich story behind even so young a character. (Watch Judith first try on Carl's hat above.)

It's a small gesture, but one that speaks volumes, especially in the immediate wake of the late Alex Trebek's final episodes  as host coming to an end. With his sign-off at the close of each episode that he has been guest-hosting, Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings has thanked Alex, surely helping ease those playing at home through the difficult transition.

It's been seven-and-a-half year since Seth as Weekend Update cohost crashed Stefon's wedding to Anderson Cooper, whisked him back to Studio 8H and declared his own love. And to be sure, that irrepressible club kid is never far, having a pint-sized, Russian nesting doll perch on the Late Night host's desk.

From "Goldilocks" to "Fabio" and, perhaps best of all, this season's "Obi-Blonde Kenobi," Sonny's (AJ Buckley) persistent peppering of best bro Clay (Max Thieriot) with pretty-boy nicknames never fails to amuse. (Watch a supercut above.)

Oblivious Ted's befriending of ill-intended boss lady Rebecca began with his gifting her with (what we learned were homemade) biscuits each and every morning. And though Rebecca at first protested the gesture, she couldn't help but inhale the treats — and even came to anticipate them, marking the thawing of relations between her and the coach she had plotted against. (Watch a biscuit-heavy supercut of the Ted/Rebecca friendship above.)

So charming are the aforementioned scenes that we can almost ignore the reveal via cast member Hannah Waddingham and our sister site Variety that the biscuits used tasted like a "sponge." As the Brit put it, "that's the greatest acting job of my life, that anyone thought they tasted nice."

From the first time The Flash supersped Oliver Queen's BFF somewhere and hopefully continuing with his upcoming visit, the joke that rough-and-tough Diggle is prone to toss his cookies right afterward is the frat-boy-humor gift that keeps on giving. (Watch a supercut above.)

Dating back to 2004 (as seen in the clip above) and as recently as October 2019 (watch here), every time Paul Rudd appears on Conan, he brings with him and tees up the same clip from Mac and Me — a 1988 sci-fi comedy he is not in — rather than a clip from the film/TV show he is currently promoting. We see the bit coming from a mile (in fact, 17 years) away, but it always coaxes a chuckle.

Every time Kevin O'Leary brings up that fact that he is a sommelier and/or shows off his French and/or hypes one of his other "Mr. Wonderful" qualities, the other Sharks to this day crack up — as do we. He's a smug af Shark, but he's our smug af Shark. (Watch a supercut above.)

There's some debate about the tastiest "main course" at Blue Bloods' weekly family dinner: Is it the hot gossip about Frank's grown kids that sometimes gets blurted out? Is it the spirited debates handcuffed to one of the episode's themes? The occasional surprise guest? (Watch Eddie's first "dinner" above — as Jamie's fiancee!) Or it is the small sport of trying to figure out exactly what Donnie Wahlberg et al are jabbing their forks at each "Sunday"? Whatever your kink, it's a meal not to miss.

The original NCIS makes for "rousing" drama? Because you watched Lucifer, now try Madam Secretary? The Unicorn is a drama? When spending way too much time trying to decide what to watch on Netflix, there is often way too much fun to be had paying attention to their hit-and-miss labeling of suggested shows. (Share your favorite questionable categorizations in the Comments below!)

Akin to how Game of Thrones would sometimes tweak its opening credits' map, Outlander slightly alters its theme song (Bear McCreary's "Skye Boat Song") every season to reflect what's going on in the story. For example, for the season where most of the action took place in France, the lyrics were sung in French (as heard in the clip above).

As Last Week Tonight's running jokes go, John Oliver's obsession with Adam Driver is way up there — though we have to think that, given Driver's cameo in the Season 7 finale, that bit has run its course. In a veritable tie and pleasing us just the same are Oliver's frequent, playfully passive-aggressive jabs at "business daddy" AT&T, as seen at the 4:00 mark in the clip above.

In many an episode of the extremely Canadian comedy, Squirrely Dan (played by K. Trevor Wilson) is moved to affirm for comely Katy (Michelle Mylett) what it is, in that particular moment, that he "appreciates" about the gang's lone female member — and Katy in turn always echoes, not quite as a question, "Is that what you appreciate about me?" (Watch a supercut above.)

As one of the TVLine staff's Bob's Burgers superfans put it, although the Burger of the Week is regularly a hoot, "I never fail to laugh and go 'Oh, Tina' every time she ogles a butt." Which is... often. (Just watch the supercut above!)