I’m a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person from what their comfort series is. That’s why each time I give someone a recommendation, I feel like I’m actually giving them the tiniest little piece of my soul that’s buried within the characters and places that I turn back to over and over again. I can get so protective over my favourites and that’s because to me, TV shows aren’t just entertainment. They’re the people, times and places that we love, miss and have lost. Every time we return to a particular one, it’s a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
University is one place where this nostalgia is definitely needed. It can be incredibly lonely in a big city, far away from home, and sometimes Netflix is our only company. On days where the world has felt a little bleak, I’ve come home a bit deflated only to spend my evening laughing in the loft with Nick and Jess, sipping coffee in Stars Hollow and walking the streets of the Upper East Side (I’d say that I also teamed up with AC12 but that’s not the tone of relaxation I’m aiming for).
Not only can TV transport us to a happier place, but it can also be incredibly powerful in teaching us important lessons.
Not only can TV transport us to a happier place, but it can also be incredibly powerful in teaching us important lessons. Sex Education, It’s a Sin and I May Destroy You are just some of the incredible shows that have got people talking about incredibly important issues in the last few years. TV is an easily accessible source of education that uses fiction to enlighten us on the things that are happening all around us in the real world.
Fundamentally, TV gets people talking. Whether this is about real-world problems or who ‘H’ is in Line of Duty – nothing unites the British Public quite like sitting down to watch the same show at the same time. There’s something super comforting about knowing that millions of other people also care whether it’s going to be Giuseppe or Jurgen that wins this year’s bake off.
For me, there’s nothing quite like the bubbling excitement of when you realise that somebody shares your love for a TV show (the absolute fastest way to become my best friend is to talk about Gilmore Girls – and be on Team Jess). Chances are, if you geek out over the same shows then you probably have an abundance of other things in common too.
Ultimately, TV brings people together like nothing else and allows us to escape to a better reality for a few hours, and in the current climate – isn’t that what we all need?
