College is stressful. There’s no doubt about it and, as the end of the semester falls near, more and more students are feeling drowned by papers, prospective finals, club obligations, and just the general impending weight of another semester coming to a close. However, it’s especially important during this time to remember your mental health and take some time for yourself! I stand by the belief that one of the best ways to destress is to get into a new TV show on Netflix. After an entire day spent studying and burning your brain by constantly cramming in overloads of information, ending the day by settling into another world can be the best way to unwind your brain.
As college students, it’s important that we have a way to relax so that we don’t completely consume our time with academics or else it will become too overwhelming. This list contains a good mix of dramatic shows (for when you really want to escape into another universe and are mentally capable of handling the hardcore emotions) as well as some comedies (for when your life is just too stressful and you need a good laugh rather than more drama added to your plate). Here are the best shows to binge-watch and to lose yourself in during these stressful times during the end of the semester!
1. Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is about wealthy teenagers living on the Upper East side in Manhattan and how they get themselves into all kinds of melodramatic trouble while living their high society lifestyle. All the while, an anonymous blogger is watching and documenting every move they make. This show is a guilty pleasure for sure but also extremely addicting. You become fascinated by Serena and Blair’s enthralling lives and the various relationships will become your new OTPs.
2. The Office
The Office is one of the funniest shows of Netflix right now! The Office has the right amount of drama at times, but is mostly just comedic gold in an unlikely place: a paper supply company. With a show set in such a boring place, you wouldn’t think there’d be anything special about it. But this show is anything but boring. Between slightly idiotic but greatly lovable boss Michael Scott, disturbing yet hilarious Dwight, and the best couple ever to grace our TV screens, Jim and Pam, this show has a lot of heart packed with a lot of laughs.
3. Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is one of the most iconic shows on Netflix. It’s a perfect blend of a comedy and drama (beautifully coined as a dramady) and follows the lives of witty and fierce single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her teenage, Ivy-League bound daughter, Rory, in their small town of Stars Hallow. Equal parts hilarious and dramatic, this show will easily worm its way into your heart and stay there forever. It’s not ridiculously crazy and wild like some drama TV shows out there, but Lorelai and Rory’s lives will instantly consume you and have you craving more of that small town lifestyle.
4. Grey’s Anatomy
Of course, Grey’s has to make the list of best binge-worthy TV shows. This follows the lives of surgical interns as they make their way through their tumultuous professional and personal lives (which, more often than not, intertwine and become somewhat indistinguishable). Grey’s is one of the more dramatic shows to get involved with, but the characters and their relationships with each other (romantic as well as simple friendships) make it totally worth it. Not only are the main characters plots entertaining, but the patients and their mini plot lines in each individual episode will captivate you as well. This show is so well-done and the fact that it’s running new episodes now is a testament to this. Long live Grey’s Anatomy.
5. That 70s Show
One of the most relatable shows I’ve ever binged-watched has to be That 70s Show. This show is about a kid named Eric Foreman and his friends, just a bunch of teenagers living in the 1970s trying to make it through their high school years unscathed. One way they attempt to relax is to smoke weed in their parent’s basement, as proper 70s culture calls for. It’s clever and incorporates the culture of the 70s flawlessly. The fact that this crazy group of kids is so relatable shows how teenagers and their problems never change, even from era to era.
6. Parks & Recreation
If you’re a hard-core fan of The Office, Parks & Rec should be the next show on your to-watch list. It’s in the same form as The Office, being a ‘mockumentary’ of a Parks Department in a small town in Indiana. Lovable characters and many laughs are to be found within this show. It also stars hilarious SNL star, Amy Poehler, which should be an automatic win for anyone looking for a new comedy to watch. This show really is laugh-out-loud funny and will surely take you away from your stressful responsibilities.
7. Stranger Things
This is arguably one of the best original shows Netflix has ever created. Set in a quiet town in Indiana during the 1980s, this small town gets shaken up over the mysterious disappearance of a young boy. During the investigation to find him, they discover strange occurrences going on at a nearby laboratory, supposedly known to be conducting research for the U.S. Department of Energy. In reality, they actually perform supernatural experiments which end up disastrously affecting the townspeople. If you’re looking for a show that will continually leave you on the edge of your seat, this is it. It is a perfect blend of science fiction and horror/suspense, teen drama, and mystery. There’s a reason Stranger Things has become so popular and if you’re one of the ones who has yet to see it, you should get on that right away. You won’t regret it!
8. Love
Another great Netflix original, Love is a show about simply that: two people falling in love, as awkward and uncomfortable and beautiful as it is. The two main characters, Gus and Mickey, meet at a convenience store when Gus offers to pay for her coffee (and cigarettes) because she doesn’t have her wallet. From there, the two begin their friendship which develops into more as the series progresses. It’s so down-to-earth and adorably awkward but gives some really great laughs along the way. This is a different type of comedy but definitely one worth getting into.
9. The Crown
This show is a bit different than the other shows on the list so far. It’s a biographical historical drama revolving around the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Personally, I find the royal family fascinating and this drama covers them extraordinarily well. It’s not dry or boring but it captures the attention of the viewer with its captivating plot. However, the history is accurate as well, making it a show you don’t have to feel guilty about getting into. Any fans of Downton Abbey will inevitably fall in love with The Crown.
10. Grace & Frankie
Not all great TV shows today need to revolve around young people. Grace & Frankie is a perfect example of this. This show is all about two women whose husband’s unexpectedly reveal their love for each other and turn their worlds upside-down. Grace and Frankie begin to rely on each other once their husbands leave them (whether they want to or not) and discover that they have developed an unforeseen, somewhat strange, friendship along the way. This show is so eccentric and funny, it’s something I never thought I would ever get into but it definitely surprised me. Grace and Frankie’s unlikely friendship will pull you in, guaranteed.
These shows will hopefully keep you sane until the end of the semester. Remember to relax a bit as finals week approaches and happy binge-watching!
*All images courtesy of Giphy