Venue Co-Editor, Robyn Srikandan, revisits her favourite television series for when you need a good old dopamine boost – or shed some tears.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who experiences a small existential crisis at the end of each year, and the scarily long summer holiday awaits me. It is during the summer holidays that I find myself reaching for old comforts: I read loads of books, I spend more time doodling and writing, and I search the highs and lows of every streaming service to find a wholesome show where I can laugh along with each of the characters… and sometimes cry too.

TV shows that feel like a hug are my favourite genre, and if that’s what you have been needing lately, look no further!

Here are some of the, in my biased opinion, best feel-good shows to watch this summer.

Derry Girls

Set in the nineties in Northern Ireland, Derry Girls follows a group of school girls as they get up to all kinds of strange antics, in an attempt to navigate the confusing reality that is being a teenager. Protagonist Erin is trying to do everything she can to fit in and be seen as cool, alongside her friends Clare, who is very studious and cautious, Orla, Erin’s weird cousin, Michelle, the most outgoing of the group, and James, who is actually an English boy, but is spiritually a Derry girl, just like the rest of them. The show follows the old sitcom format that has each episode be a mostly self-contained plot about the girls’ antics (and often disastrous consequences), making an easy and light watch, however the show also touches on several deeper topics too, such as self-worth and identity, and what it was like to live during the Troubles. A great show for casual viewing that will also touch your heartstrings, the first three of the four seasons are available to watch on Netflix. 

Jane the Virgin

A show that needs little introduction, we follow the titular Jane’s life get turned upside-down after she becomes pregnant due to an accidental artificial insemination. It is already a pretty bonkers premise, but I can assure you it gets far, far crazier, with Serbian war criminals, secret evil twins, and the mafia all making appearances. But, despite all of that, it manages to make the love Jane and her family have for each other be the most important part of the show. Jane the Virgin is both a parody of and a love letter to Latin American telenovelas, and all the crazy shenanigans that occur are inspired by the tropes of real telenovelas. This makes the show a fantastic show if you need a laugh, but the relationship between Jane, her mother, and grandmother, will make you cry just as much. I shudder to think about how many tissues I’ve gone through watching this show. As of right now, it is not available on any streaming services in England, but it is available for purchase. 

The Good Place

Everyone that knows me personally will not be surprised to see The Good Place in this list. I have recently finished rewatching it (again) and was reminded why I always called this my favourite show of all time. Protagonist Eleanor has died, and wakes up in the ‘Good Place’, AKA heaven. However, she shortly realises she does not belong there, as Michael, the designer of the neighbourhood in the Good Place in which Eleanor resides, describes a life on earth that is quite different from Eleanor’s actual life. She enlists the help of the reluctant moral philosophy professor Chidi to try and teach her to be a better person in an attempt to earn her way in, with no-one except the two of them knowing about Eleanor’s identity. Eleanor is selfish, witty, and also incredibly relatable, and the rest of the main characters are just as funny and endearing as her. Chidi, who is constantly stressed, I relate to deeply. Michael, not being a human himself, is intrigued by them, and makes us aware of just how weird people are. Some other characters we meet are Tahani, a rich and quite snooty British philanthropist, Jianyu, a mysterious Taiwanese monk, and Janet, an all-knowing being that is kind of a cross between a god and Alexa. At its heart the show is about morality, and of course death, and so alongside its humour there is some really beautiful commentary about what it means to be a good person. This is a show that will have you falling in love with every character, and probably sobbing, a lot, especially in the finale – you have been warned!

Image Credits: StockCake