Feel-good shows to take your mind off the news<\/p>\n
If you need a break from nerve-shredding thrillers and true crime documentaries, try switching to something a bit more comforting. From a big-hearted coming-of-age tale to a star-studded drama, these escapist TV shows are best enjoyed curled up on the sofa with a tub of ice cream. Enjoy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf escapism is the brief, then \u2018Sterling Point\u2019 fulfils it expertly,\u201d said Micha Frazer-Caroll in The Guardian. The perfect antidote to dark, gritty shows like \u201cEuphoria\u201d, the coming-of-age drama follows \u201chighly strung\u201d 17-year-old Annie who discovers she\u2019s inherited a house on a \u201cpicturesque Canadian island\u201d and embarks on a \u201csecret trip in search of answers about her late mother\u2019s life\u201d. Warm and funny, the show \u201cmanages to transcend the limits of its YA niche\u201d and turns out to be \u201cquite juicy\u201d. It doesn\u2019t have the \u201cintensity\u201d or \u201cexistentialism\u201d of darker teen shows \u2013 but I found myself wanting to \u201cstay with these characters and inhabit their island bubble\u201d. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to go home.\u201d Amazon<\/p>\n
This \u201csun-soaked\u201d drama stars Jennifer Garner as a food blogger struggling to cope after a \u201cdevastating loss\u201d, said Nathalie Whittle in Good Housekeeping. She invites old friends from \u201cdifferent stages of her life\u201d to visit her Nantucket home \u2013 but what starts as a \u201csoul-searching weekend\u201d soon unfurls into something far harder when \u201csecrets emerge and friendships are pushed to their limit\u201d. The result is a fun, absorbing series that\u2019s \u201cthe pinnacle of escapist TV\u201d. Sky<\/p>\n
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Bingeing this show is like being \u201cjet propelled into the captivating, messy world of people with far more exciting lives than your own\u201d, said Lucy Wigley in Woman & Home. Based on the novel of the same name by Araminta Hall, the glossy mystery follows a tight-knit group of women whose lives are shattered when one of their friends is murdered. \u201cLavish\u201d, \u201cpolished\u201d and \u201cutterly absorbing\u201d this is the type of show you can \u201close yourself in\u201d. \u201cAdd it to your watch list.\u201d Apple TV<\/p>\n
This hit series follows the \u201cyears-long romance\u201d between promising rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozonov (Connor Storrie), said Michael Arceneaux on HuffPost. Much like the book it\u2019s based on, the show is \u201cfun and escapist and as horny as it is heartfelt\u201d. Season one secured a 96% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes \u2013 and the second instalment is \u201con the horizon\u201d. Watch this space. Apple TV<\/p>\n
This is \u201ceverything one could ever want or need in a comfort show,\u201d said Andrea Park and Nicole Briese in Marie Claire. \u201cGilmore Girls\u201d ran for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007 and follows single mother Lorelai and her precocious daughter Rory as they go about their lives. Set in the sleepy fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, where it\u2019s \u201cseemingly always autumn and wacky townspeople abound\u201d. \u201cNeed we say more?\u201d Netflix<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something \u201cuniquely comforting\u201d about watching the \u201cdrama-fuelled escapades\u201d of these \u201cimpossibly wealthy Upper East Side teens\u201d, said Ranyechi Udemezue in Vogue. The show ran for six seasons between 2007 and 2012, reaching \u201ca crescendo\u201d as the friendship group enters adulthood. \u201cIf I\u2019m ever stuck in a rut, \u2018Gossip Girl\u2019 will be sure to lift me out of it.\u201d Netflix<\/p>\n
Irenie Forshaw is the features editor at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.<\/p>\n