If you are noticing a sudden burst of new series and new seasons of established shows, you are correct. After a six-month halt in all production resulting from pandemic concerns, streamers and networks began navigating through Covid-19 precautions to complete seasons or launch new programming. With new shows at my disposal, I eased into the transition of my sophomore year of college. I find comfort in finding good new television shows to relieve stress and to take a break from overwhelming and busy days. Here are the top five new series that got me through my first month of college:
- White Lotus (HBO MAX)
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White Lotus is a new comedy-drama series released in the summer of 2021. Even though the story begins with a murder, the central focus involves multiple privileged families embarking on a tropical vacation in Hawaii at the “White Lotus Resort.” The show experiments with the dynamics of privileged guests exploiting the hotel employees throughout the span of a week. While I experienced the cold east coast weather, I escaped to a Hawaiian paradise where drama was met with humor, heartbreak, and a series of twists and surprises.
- Ted Lasso (Apple +)
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The second season of the humorous and lighthearted show, Ted Lasso, was released during the summer of 2021. An American college football coach, Ted Lasso, is hired to coach an English soccer team without any prior knowledge of English “football.” We see the clash of American and British culture along with Lasso’s attempt to win over the soccer team with his amiable and optimistic personality. My suitemate and I looked forward to every Friday, not only because it was the end of the week, but because Friday was the release date of new episodes. It was a great bonding experience for both of us – laughing and crying together and creating a connection with each individual character of the show.
- Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu)
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Based on the New York Times best-selling book, Nine Perfect Strangers captures the experience of nine guests from different backgrounds attending an expensive health and wellness resort. Through the span of ten days, Masha, the resort’s director – played by Nicole Kidman- attempts to heal the guests from personal trauma and insecurities with controversial methods, while secretly trying to gain something for herself. Enjoy excellent performances by well-known actors like Melissa McCarthy, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, Nicole Kidman, and other new actors. The mixture of drama, humor, thriller, and mystery kept my suitemates and I on the edge of our seats.
- Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
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If you enjoy fun and lighthearted murder mysteries and miss watching the actress/singer Selena Gomez on-screen – Only Murders in the Building is the perfect show for you. This lighthearted show starring the comedy geniuses Steve Martin and Martin Short plays on the culture of true crime podcasts – creating a podcast of their own while solving their own murder mystery in their Upper West Side apartment building. I watch this show on my own to decompress, becoming invested in the characters’ lives and the discoveries to solve the murder.
- Sex Eduation (Netflix)
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Season three of Sex Education was released at the beginning of the semester on September 17, 2021. The most anticipated and the best season of the series led my suitemate and I to finish the entire season in two nights. If you have not seen the first two seasons, I highly recommend watching the journey of Otis, a teenage boy whose mother is a sex therapist. Otis starts his own sex therapy clinic at his high school with another classmate. The show discusses realistic and relatable issues that are even educational to the audience. This coming-of-age comedy not only discusses sex and sexuality but social issues and conflicts between different generations. I highly recommend this series; it is one of my favorites on Netflix.
Escaping to a new reality as an observer to a light-hearted or dramatic series can take you out of a stressful mindset of a college student, engaging in a fun and relaxing activity alone or with friends. Luckily, this new release of new series and seasons will improve and enlighten your college experience.