After a long, overwhelming week of school, there is no better feeling than getting your snacks, bundling up on the couch, and watching TV. Watching television can be our way of unwinding and having entertainment, whether you’re multitasking such as cleaning, cooking, or baking, or in the mood to watch a drama-related show that is very suspenseful or to simply relax and have a good laugh. I’ve listed my top 5 favorite television shows that are perfect for binge-watching when you need a break from loads of homework.
1. Gilmore Girls
If I were to describe the show Gilmore Girls in a phrase, it would be heartwarming and cozy because of the relationships, specifically between Lorelai Gilmore and daughter of Lorelai, Lorelai (who goes by Rory) Gilmore being authentic due to depicting not just happy moments, but also conflicts faced. Cozy would also be the perfect word since the Gilmores live in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, a small town where the people have close bonds, have festivals, and traditions, showing the loving community.
This show is the type you can watch on a rainy, Autumn evening with dimmed lights, a warm blanket, and baked goods to snack on. Lorelai Gilmore is a single mother who independently raised Rory while working at Independence Inn. In this show, their lives are shown with a side of drama, relationships, and entertainment. Honestly, this is the perfect show—one you can watch while doing another activity such as cooking, baking, putting on makeup, or cleaning. If you love a show with everything coming from comedy, drama, relationships, adventure, family bonds, and finding your identity, go watch this show! You will enjoy it.
2. Desperate Housewives
If you ever need a good laugh and love shows combined with thriller, mystery, humor, and drama, Desperate Housewives will ultimately be your new favorite. Four housewives: Lynette Scavo, Susan Mayer, Gabrielle Solis, and Bree Van de Kamp, live in Fairview and all live in the same neighborhood: Wisteria Lane, a “perfect” neighborhood.
Presented are the housewives’ unique perspectives coming from Lynette’s hardship with balancing motherhood and working, Susan’s love life being filled with surprises and emotional ups and downs, Gabrielle, a former model who has plenty of wealth and materialistic items also having personal challenges, to Bree doing anything to maintain her image of being perfect. Behind the smiles, laughter, couture clothing, and clean lawns with beautiful, extraordinary plants, lies deep, dark secrets that are scandalous and shocking to the watcher, making you want to pull an all-nighter to see what happens next.
3. Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl, where do I even begin? This show represents the drama-filled, chaotic “world” of New York’s Upper East Side, where wealth, power, and secrets rule the lives of mainly teenagers Serena van der Woodsen, Nate Archibald, Blair Waldorf, Dan Humphrey, and Chuck Bass. Their personal lives are all exposed on the website: “Gossip Girl”, created by an anonymous blogger who receives tips from others on interesting drama.
What makes Gossip Girl a binge-worthy show is the drama you get invested in that comes with watching it. Every episode always has a storyline, or plot twist coming from love triangles, or schemes. Beyond the “aesthetic” of the show being fashion, designer, luxurious parties and social events, it also explores friendship, loyalty, and the struggles each character faces.
4. Grey’s Anatomy
If you love medical shows, like me, but also want a scoop of emotional storytelling and drama, Grey’s Anatomy is for you. This show is a medical drama that depicts the lives of busy, hardworking surgeons who have drama-fulfilled lives, navigating their complicated relationships and personal struggles while also maintaining the long hours dedicated to saving lives.
What makes Grey’s Anatomy unique compared to other medical shows is how you don’t just see the “working side” of each character, but also the hardships they face, and finding their identity. The way this show presents the characters, it’s as if you personally know each of them. Every storyline is unique in its own way, one minute you are finished with an entire box of tissues and the next you’re laughing from the funny phrases.
5. Manifest
When you first watch Manifest, you start asking yourself tons of questions due to the extreme suspense and mystery. This show is about Flight 828 (the name of the plane) disappearing for 5 and a half, yes, 5 and a half years out of nowhere, simply vanishing off the face of the earth. The families of the passengers were in grief of their disappearance, only to find out they were alive all along, but how? Why did this happen? What caused Flight 828 to vanish?
One of the main characters, Micheala Stone, starts experiencing “callings”, which are voices or visions seen from the future to solve mysteries and help others, which led, step by step, the characters to find out how and why what happened happened. Manifest is perfect for any puzzle-lovers, because this show is layered with mystery and mystery, clue after clue, to allow each character to find out the truth on why Flight 828 vanished, and where were the passengers for 5 and a half years.
Each of these TV shows are perfect for anyone who needs something to watch that is binge-worthy and keeps a person fully engaged. Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, and Manifest have kept me entertained during my free time and I am positive if you watch these shows, they will interest you as well!
