Living through a pandemic in 2020 was the last thing I could have expected to happen this year. March was a month full of questions, scary transitions, and anxiety. I dealt with these feelings the only way I saw fit- watching shows and getting deeply invested in the lives of fictional characters. Although this way of coping seems odd, it really worked for me because I was able to escape the world for a little and put all of my attention onto these shows.
I have compiled a list of all of the shows that helped me with my anxious feelings throughout the pandemic in hopes that you can pick up some show recommendations and use them when you might be going through a hard time as well.
- Sex and the City
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Before you attack me virtually for not having watched this show, I have actually previously watched. The thing is, I watched as a 5-year-old when my sister was in high school and I had no idea what was going on, I actually cannot believe my sister even let me watch with her. I always knew this was a favorite from the general public but after watching as an adult, I feel shocked that people put themselves through the emotional roller coaster that is Carrie’s life. I am definitely a Miranda.
This show is for anyone that has ever dreamt of a life in New York and fantasizes about the fast-paced, designer-filled life with long nights and top tier dining that is so often portrayed in shows and movies. The four main women that surround the show all have completely different personalities that allow viewers to relate to at least one of them the most. Through their differences, the women are bonded and at the end of any hard day or night, they all have each other, meet for their Sunday brunch and all is well again. With talks of men, the latest shoes, and empowering changes to their careers, these women fulfill all the need you desire from “girl talk”.
- Elite
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This show is for the viewers that cannot get enough of the high-school drama narrative. The Gossip Girl lovers, I am talking to you. The Vampire Diaries advocates, you too. Elite is a Spanish show (highly recommend Spanish audio) and is filled with drama, lies, and plot twists. Since the main characters are in high school, viewers are experiencing the characters getting to know themselves and exploring who they really are.
In this rich, private high school, everyone is looking for a place to fit in, especially at the top. Between the rich kids, misfits, and the kids that are coming from poorer families, everyone seems to stir some type of trouble when reaching the popular mark in Las Encinas high school.
- Workin’ Moms
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I previously tried to watch this show about 2 or 3 times before I was actually able to dive headfirst and completely fall in love with it. This show has a bit of a slow start, but it gets much better as it progresses. Workin’ Moms shows the beauty of motherhood as well as some of the not so conventionally beautiful things and gives viewers the hard cold truth. Between a woman’s sexuality and drive, divorce, and even feelings of not connecting with your child, this show does its best at trying to resemble the lives real women hold.
An element I really enjoyed from the show was the emphasis on the ability to identify yourself away from just being a mom and pursuing goals or even starting a business throughout motherhood. The women and men in the show provide detail about their experiences through parenthood and experience obstacles and provide advice that almost everyone could take away from or relate to in some way.
- Down to Earth with Zac Efron
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Zac Efron, the man, the myth, and every 10-year-old girl’s heartthrob, is back on our screens as this amazing and educated, refined 32-year-old man he newly is. This is not Highschool Musical anymore. Zac, along with co-star Darin Olien, set across the world to find the world’s greatest secrets. This journey includes taking a deeper look at countries like Iceland, France, and Costa Rica. Zac and Darin set out to find the reasons that these countries are powered by the most renewable sources in use, view ways in which these countries are using water as a healing process and, even the innovative way that kids are learning in their country with a more creative approach.
The show follows along with Zac and Darin’s beautiful journey and makes you feel like you are in a new country every day. I really enjoyed watching one episode, per night, right before going to sleep. It not only provided me with entertainment but insight as well- making me feel more productive and positive before bed.
- Grace and Frankie
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When I first played Grace and Frankie in the month of March, I would have never expected this show to remain in my top 5 favorite list, but it quickly stole my heart. This show portrays a friendship between two amazing women in their 70’s. Their husbands have been life-long friends as well as partners in a joint law firm they work in. To the women’s surprise, their husbands have been having a 20 year-long affair and secretly keeping it from them for the majority of their marriage.
Grace and Frankie hold completely different personalities seeing as Grace is posh and lavish and Frankie is a spiritual hippie and they really do not get along. But in the face of loneliness in their golden years, they find that only they can truly understand their situation and find the most comfort in each other.
The show travels through their adventures as newly single 70-year-old women trying to date and explore the world once again. Because of the women’s different personalities, they are both taken out of their comfort zones when they try to experience life in the other’s shoes. They even start an empowering company for older women called Vybrant set around desensitizing womanly pleasure. Â
The show is funny, heartfelt, and everything you can ask for. These two best friends felt like a warm hug amid a worldwide pandemic.