Once a year, for about six months, a south African town is invaded by the cutest little waddlers on the planet. The come for rest, for love and for the sake of their own survival. They are African penguins and they are endangered.

Penguin Town tells the story of a colony of penguins who come ashore each spring to mate, to fish and to mature. They come ashore and immediately look for their mate and a safe nesting place. It all sounds very quaint and slightly boring but this isn’t your typical nature series. This is a penguin soap opera that is as entertaining as it is educational.

Narrated by Patton Oswald, Penguin Town is filled with drama, intrigue, romance and more cuteness than you can handle! There are bad guys and gangs and rescue worker, too. There is a whole mini-society to watch and learn from that includes families like The Culverts, The Wheelbarrows and The Bourgainvilleas.

Unlike most nature documentaries, Penguin Town does not display the usual hard truth of kill-or-be-killed in nature. It was an intentional decision by producer, Cayley Christos to keep this series light-hearted and fun. She refers to it as more of educational comfort food than a full meal. And after the year and a half we have had, I, for one, am so grateful for this little bit of sweetness in the viewing landscape.

Some critics have scolded the production for making light of an endangered species but, in reality, this quirky little bit of nature brings awareness to the endangered species, the climate, food chain and dangers of imbalance in nature – without driving the audience into a fit of despair. Patton seamlessly shares important facts and statistics alongside his charming commentary on the social structure of this little flightless birds.

Penguin Town is entirely charming and exactly the feel-good binge watch you didn’t know you were waiting for. It’s sweet and funny and quirky while being informative and completely entertaining. I had planned on only watching an episode or two but I became so invested in the lives of Mr. B, Twig and the rest of the wee waddlers that I just couldn’t stop! And you won’t be able to either!