DVD box sets are a real student staple, especially when you don’t fancy forking out for a TV licence. Nothing kills time better than a box set; whether it’s a half-hour comedy or an hour-long drama, you can put on an episode while you eat your breakfast, when you kick back and relax in the evening, or slob out and watch 7 episodes in a row when you’re trying to avoid writing an essay. Here are a couple of my personal favourites to cosy up with over the Christmas holidays!
The Big Bang Theory
Chances are you’ve probably seen The Big Bang Theory at some point, especially now it’s been chosen by E4 to help fill that large Friends-shaped hole in their schedule. It follows the classic ‘Beauty and the Geek’ formula; the very attractive Penny, an aspiring actress, moves in next door to two theoretical physicists, Leonard and Sheldon. Both have beautiful minds but a painful lack of social skills. Leonard immediately falls head over heels for Penny. Fun ensues.
Dr. Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) is probably the best thing about this show. His inability to read social cues and empathize with others usually ends in some sort of accidentally scathing insult, but he has a good heart and soon forms an unlikely but sweet friendship with Penny.
True Blood
There are a couple of basic things you need to know about True Blood. One: there are vampires, but only the awesome kind. Two: it’s easier than it should be to lose a whole day to your box set. Three: you probably shouldn’t watch it around your parents.
It’s the TV adaptation of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, set in a world where vampires have “come out of the coffin,” after the invention of synthetic blood. The aforementioned Sookie, a waitress in small-town Louisiana, meets 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton, her new neighbour – you can probably guess what happens next. True Blood is a lot more than just a boy-meets-girl drama, though. The show also follows how the other residents of Bon Temps react to the integration of vampires into their everyday lives, sometimes with explosive and violent results.
Chuck in a lot more shirtless men (Google Alexander Skarsgård, you’ll thank me) and a cracking murder-mystery, and you’ll begin to see why True Blood will end up top of your procrastination repertoire.
30 Rock
Heard of 30 Rock? Probably not. Seen Mean Girls? I thought so. Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury in the film) is the brains behind both. Channelling her experience as Saturday Night Live’s first female head writer, she writes and stars in 30 Rock (short for 30 Rockefeller, the famous New York skyscraper), as long-suffering comedy writer Liz Lemon. Alec Baldwin co-stars as her new boss, Jack Donaghy.
You know how watching a documentary gives you that “look at me, I’m smart!” feeling? 30 Rock’s fast, clever writing has a similar effect, making you feel like you’ve just done something great for your brain, even after you’ve employed the aforementioned essay-avoiding tactic and gone through 3 discs in one day.
The show isn’t a ratings smash like The Big Bang Theory or Glee, but the accolades speak for themselves. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series three times, with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin picking up quite a few awards along the way as well. 30 Rock actually broke the record for number of Emmy nominations in 2009, with a grand total of 22!
The box set is an absolute steal on Amazon, too; seasons 1-4 are only £33. Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed.
Glee
Glee follows the members of McKinley High’s show choir and their attempts to stay afloat and work together, despite being at the very bottom of the social heap. Ambitious and ever-so-slightly ruthless lead singer Rachel Berry falls in love with Finn Hudson, the quarterback, who’s been coerced into joining by his teacher, Mr. Schuester.
If you’re like me, (I love both high school TV shows and musicals), you’ll get hooked on Glee pretty quickly. The show has a very talented cast; Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison and many of the guest stars (including Wicked’s Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel) have Broadway credentials. Co-stars Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch are popular with the critics, too, receiving a Golden Globe and an Emmy respectively for their work on the show.
It’s a great box set to have in your collection when you want to switch your brain off from the real world and dose yourself up on musical numbers, love triangles and attractive men!
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a show about 5 twenty-somethings living in New York City. Don’t be put off by instant comparisons to Friends, though; How I Met Your Mother is actually one of the more original sitcoms on TV.
The story is told from the perspective of the main character, Ted Mosby, in the year 2030, as he tells his kids about his many failed attempts to find ‘The One’ before he finally met their mother. The show also follows the lives of Ted’s friends: the womaniser, Barney, new acquaintance and potential love interest, Robin, and roommates, Marshall and Lily.
So what makes How I Met Your Mother such a good show? In my opinion it’s because in addition to being hilarious and extremely quotable, you really care about all of the characters. Ted’s a hopeless (and blindly optimistic) romantic, but you still root for him to meet the mother of his kids. Marshall and Lily’s relationship is one of my favourite things about the show, too; you don’t see many young couples on TV that have been together since the first year of university and are still madly in love 9 years later!
It’s the perfect mix of comedy, romance and great storytelling; How I Met Your Mother is definitely a worthwhile investment for your shelf.