Comedy

There’s no shortage of stand-up comedy that takes the raw material of unhappy, disappointing life and turns it into laughter. It’s an important part of what comedy does. But for a big, big laugh fashioned from some pretty serious instances of disappointment, look no further than James Acaster’s career-best show of 2018, 1999’s Cold Lasagna Hate Myself. Kettering man (getting dumped by his girlfriend in favor of, uh, Mr Bean; and being dumped by his agent after an on-air PR blunder) and – in two hours of stand-up breathlessly funny – recasts these disappointments as mere showmanship posts on the road to comedy glory. Brian Logan

TV

Disappointment hangs over Betty Suarez, the titular Latina character of Ugly Betty, like a sword of Damocles, waiting for the moment to finally tear it apart. The series begins with her disenchanted: her job as an assistant at Mode magazine isn’t glamorous, and her co-workers are visibly upset at having to put up with her poncho, suspenders, and self-confidence – attributes that are “unchic” in the mid-2000s world. haute couture. It makes for ironic viewing now: transplant Betty into the 2020s and you can imagine her with a viral Instagram account focused on savings and sustainability; Mode’s cruel receptionist, Amanda, the apparent incarnation of the “it girl” of the 2000s, would be left behind in her wake. Jason Okundaye

Music

Very few bands turn sadness into elegance like Radiohead. Although Thom Yorke’s writing often revolves around menacing and downtrodden critiques of consumerist culture, Kid A’s Optimistic’s chorus uses an uplifting mantra: “You’re doing your best / You’re doing your best / The best you can is good enough “. In times of doubt, my partner often recites this refrain to me, temporarily accepting its meaning independent of the song. It’s simple wording, but a welcome reminder nonetheless that in life and lyricism, we must learn from our failures. jenessa williams

Books

Eleven-year-old Luke Parker’s comic book knowledge is encyclopedic. Costumes, symbols, abilities, backgrounds – he’s a superhero savant. It makes it even more infuriating that while he’s biting himself a bit, his math-obsessed older brother, Zack, receives superpowers from a visiting alien. Luke’s jealous disappointment, coupled with his determination to frame Zack (or at least get him to wear a cape), shapes David Solomons’ hilarious novel My Brother Is a Superhero, full of unraveling brotherly bonds and a mission to save not one, but two worlds that will need all of Luke’s know-how – as well as Zack’s powers – to succeed. Imogen Russell Williams

Film

In the 1949 film The Heiress, Catherine (Olivia de Havilland), a wealthy but dull disappointment to her autocratic father, falls hard in love with Morris (Montgomery Clift), who in turn disappoints her. William Wyler’s gripping melodrama is a dazzling depiction of disillusionment, giving De Havilland an extraordinary, Oscar-winning role in which she adjusts the wick to its natural light as if it were a gas lamp that can bathe the room brightness or make the shadows jump. through the wall. The grief of the underappreciated and unloved soul pervades the film, but Catherine’s final act of vengeful disdain also makes it the cruellest of successes, as a withered wallflower comes to know its intrinsic worth like never before. previously. Jessica Kiang