We all need a little positivity in our lives. The stress of juggling college work, internships, friends and family can get to even the best of us and sometimes all you want to do is kick back and relax with some good ‘ol silver screen escapism. That’s where feel good TV shows come in.

With that in mind, here are the five feel good TV shows I go back to again and again when life is getting me down (pick-me-ups guaranteed, every time)!

Table of Contents

Friends

Ah, where would we be without it? Friends is nothing short of a pop-culture phenomenon. Spanning 10 years and 10 seasons, the NYC adventures of Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross defined a generation. Like fellow sitcom behemoth Sex and the City, the show most definitely put a rose-colored spin on city-living as twenty-something and has been (rightfully) criticized in recent years for some of its outdated views.

Nevertheless, Friends is just as funny the sixth time you watch it as the first. The gags are hilariously quotable, the acting is impeccable, and the ’90s nostalgia permeates each episode. Although Friends does touch on some tough topics, it does so sensitively, always leaving you feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside by the closing credits.

Ugly Betty

Based on the telenovela of the same name, Ugly Betty is in my opinion one of the most heartfelt, upbeat television series of all time. This classic show, which ran on ABC for four seasons, stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, a Latina woman who dreams of one day running her own magazine.

However, when she is given the opportunity to work as assistant to the editor-in-chief at MODE (the show’s equivalent to real-life Vogue), Betty realises just how cut-throat the fashion (and publishing) worlds can be.