Takeaway TV: What are the best shows to watch while you eat?

About once a week, after a select day of fighting sleep in lectures and running errands, I’ll give into the UberEats impulses and order myself a takeaway, so that I have one less thing to stress about once I arrive home. A little treat, if you will. What I order is not important (It’s usually a pizza or a Chinese though), what I have on the side is - and I’m not talking about my garlic sauce. 

I need a form of background noise, best served as a rerun of a TV show. I can’t honestly concentrate on the screen while I eat, so it very specifically needs to be something familiar, where I can zone out and not be mad about it. My go-tos are quite possibly the most basic choices I could state: Friends and The Office (US). Two objectively overrated shows, but they’re easy watching and entirely predictable. 

I can tune in and out while I munch down my fries or check my phone - and I already know which scenes I won’t want to miss, so I can choose the right time to draw my attention back to the big screen. It’s perfect, and the feeling of comfort is unmatched after a strenuous day, especially with the big light off and my Oodie on.

- Zahra Hanif

My philosophy regarding TV and takeaway is simple: I look for something light and casual, perhaps a 20 minute comedy, with episodes you can jump in and out of as you go. A show with favourite episodes that you can revisit over and over again for some easy watching while you snack and chat.

I’m sure I can’t be the only one who has similar criteria, it’s why I bet one of a litany of sitcoms jumped to mind as you read the headline and thought “what would my show be.” My answer is essentially a genre, with so many shows I switch between and go through phases of, the ideal show to relax, eat and laze around to after a long day, light and breezy sitcoms to put a smile on your face.

But I’m not a cop out so I will name the show I keep coming back to more than any other, Brooklyn 99. I first watched the show after a substitute teacher put it on for us when I was in year 8, I went home and binged every season that was out up to that point, and never looked back. Its beloved characters’ chemistry make jumping in after a hiatus feel like you never stopped watching, but what stands out are their special episodes and their re-watchability. Halloween Heists, the Jimmy Jab Games, Tactical Village, all these episodes seem to never age, and never fail to please over some tandoori chicken and naan. So treat yourself tonight, recharge and relax with Brooklyn 99, or whatever your favourite Takeaway TV might be.

- Mitchell Hall