As a chronic Netflix obsessor, there is a litany of shows that I’ve fallen in love with. They range from comedies to teen dramas to period pieces and each of them has managed to captivate me time and time again. They will never get old, no matter how many times I watch them, and, trust me, I’ve seen some of these upwards of six or seven times. With that being said, there are a few that will always remain on top for me, no matter what other shows come my way. The following shows are not ranked in a particular order. There is by no means a ranking to this.
1. Shameless (US)
There is nothing that has ever managed to make me as feral and obsessive as Shameless. I’ve seen all 11 seasons countless times, remembering line for line every single love monologue recited by Mickey Milkovich to his love, Ian Gallagher. I never fail to laugh at White Boy Carl or cringe at Fiona’s tumultuous relationship with Jimmy Steve. I’ve never bothered to watch the UK version, though I know it’s the original, because I will never love anything more than I love Shameless. Its first episode immediately sets the stage for how crazy and insane the rest of the show is, and while some might find it off-putting, you’ll soon grow to love the Gallaghers and their rambunctious family.
2. Gilmore Girls
I’ve talked about this in the past so I won’t ramble on about my love of Gilmore Girls. All seven seasons have never failed to bring a smile to my face, and it’s commonly used as background noise for when I do homework. Its constant chatter masks the trauma of real life and Rory’s love interests are the light of my life. It’s interesting to see how her life unfolds, especially as I embark on a similar journey of growing up, attending college, and meeting new people. It’s a perfect show for fall weather and summer nights.
3. Young Royals
I’ve also written about this in the past but nothing will ever compare to my fanatical obsession with this short Swedish show. I even learned Swedish after falling in love with Wilhelm and Simon. This show stuns with its brilliant cinematography and beautiful portrayals of young love, adolescence, class struggles, and homosexuality.
4. The Vampire Diaries
I know, I know, this show was the teen melodrama of the century. Everyone and their mother was obsessed with this show back in the day, but, as a generation, we all kind of grew out of it. Well, except me. I recently put it back on the other day while doing homework and remembered all over again how much excitement and joy this show brought to me back in my middle school days. I will never love another TV couple as much as I love Klaroline and the Team Damon vs. Stefan debates will never leave me.
5. One Tree Hill
No one ever seems to remember this show. It has an impressive nine seasons and was one of the hit teen dramas but it’s often overshadowed by the other hit shows at the time. While I cannot say that the later seasons were as good, the first four seasons will always be near and dear to my heart. I vividly remember stumbling upon this show during quarantine and staying up until 3 a.m. every night to watch the next episode. I always wanted a Nathan and Haley love story and Chad Michael Murray doesn’t fail as the lead character of the show.
6. The Summer I Turned Pretty
It’s not finished yet, but I knew I would love this show the second I heard it was coming out. I fell in love with the books when I was in sixth grade and had always dreamed of a film or show adaptation to the point where I made fan casts in middle school. Lo and behold, it turns out a show was going to be made. I love it to death and while it’s not over yet, nothing makes me cry as hard as the season one finale.
7. Elite
This will always be one of my top shows, especially because of Nadia and Guzman’s story. I loved everything about this show when it first came out, and while I haven’t watched the most recent seasons, since the entire original cast left, I will never fail to rewatch the first few seasons and laugh and cry with the characters. This is definitely one of the darker shows on this list but it has such poignant and emotional moments that leave you wanting to click “Next Episode” every single time. Oh, and did I mention it’s a murder mystery?
8. Glee
I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a stan of Glee. There is nothing as comedic, rambunctious, crazy, or annoying as this show and Rachel Berry. It introduced me to so many of my favorite songs today and I grew up listening to the Glee soundtrack. It’s funny and while some of the jokes are definitely outdated, it’s still always a good thing to have on in the background.
9. Stranger Things
I cannot explain how much I love this show. I started it in middle school, and it’s like I’ve grown up with it. The fact that it’s not even done yet and I’m midway through college is insane to me. I love Steve Harrington, the main cast, the romances, the ships, the songs, the vibes, and everything about it.
10. The Fosters
No one ever talks about this show besides the one awkward storyline that they chose to include in it. Aside from the fact that this show gaslit middle-school me into rooting for a step-sibling relationship (don’t ask, just watch it), it actually is a very well-done show with interesting plot lines and crazy plot twists. I highly recommend watching the spinoff, Good Trouble, if you’re looking for something more serious, but this is definitely more of a feel-good show.