TV geek or no TV geek, this article is gratitude to some of my favorite TV shows of all time and the life lessons I have learned from them. It is also a dedication to all the fans of TV shows.
Let’s just start by saying that I’m not a huge TV geek. You wouldn’t find me glued to the TV at any point of the day; neither do I promote TV shows in any way.
Yet here I am binging Friends for the umpteenth time in my life. I will not lie though; I have believed at times that I have wasted a chunk of my time watching TV shows but when I recount my life events and I cannot help but not compare my real life to the reel life.
People say that reel life and real life are not connected. But I’ve my doubts. It is all so very well connected. The reason why we get so attached to TV shows is that we relate to it. We see parts of our lives in bits and pieces in these shows. I can recall countless occasions when I have felt the exact pain or happiness as felt by a character on a TV series and I couldn’t help but visualize that scene taking place in my own real life.
People say life on TV is not real. I can accept this statement to a certain extent. But, let’s just get something straight. These are the same people who go home and can’t miss their favorite shows and are very much addicted to it.
I have often wondered about this irony. Sure, the shows are unreal, but the emotions they tend to unravel inside you are all real. That’s why you probably laugh, cry, or even feel sad. Remember the time Rachel gets off the plane…the time when Rose “killed” Charlie…the time Jon Snow died…and the time he was alive again!
In some way, I feel that we all crave this fantasy inside us. Sure, we say, “Ehh! It’s not real,” but in our hearts, we truly say, “God! I wish it were real.”
Can we just stop for a moment and think, relive the scene, and relearn what we just learned. Voila! We have just opened a different perspective on life. We attach these characters to ourselves, and we live and grow with them. And it’s no surprise that in the end, it ends up teaching us a whole new perception. In just 25 minutes of runtime, we experience so many emotions, and before we know it, we have just learned a life lesson.
Here is a list of six of my favorite sitcoms without which my life would certainly be incomplete. I’m sure some of them will match your list as well.
Sex And The City
This show has single-handedly taught me to get in touch with myself and to fall in love with the woman inside me. As the name suggests, the show primarily focuses on the sex and New York City. However, if you think that’s all, then you’re so wrong. This show beautifully crafts its story and teaches us so much about relationships in general; especially friendship and finding true love. A hilarious comedy, it definitely has its moments when your heart skips a beat.
The show teaches you to be bold about your individuality, about your womanhood, about your needs, and of course, the sex. What’s more interesting is how it beautifully builds the lead characters in the show that you can see a little bit of you in each one of them. If you’re a woman reading this, I am sure you will agree with me. It builds you as a person, show a unique perspective at looking at sex, love, oneself, and the world. It opens your mind in so many ways that you end up seeing sex and the city in a completely different light.
Friends
I don’t even know where to start talking about this show. I remember craving to watch this show when it aired. I was young and we didn’t have a cable connection then. I would hear my friends talk about the show and I had made up my mind to see it. Thank God for DVDs and reruns! I fell in love with this show the very first time I saw it and there has been no looking back ever since.
This show is my personal favorite of all shows to date. The bond that I share with the show and its characters is immense. I have laughed and cried with the show plots. I have never seen friendship this beautifully crafted in life. When you watch this show, you end up wanting a love that exists between Ross and Rachel and friendship between Joey and Chandler. The way this show brings out friendship is truly amazing. It taught me to enjoy the little joys of my life with friends. When life was down, I always had Friends by my side. This show teaches you that having a coffee with your friends and sharing your day to day life activities can be such stress relievers. Our lives are full of ups and downs. In these moments, this show beautifully portrays the love and support that friends can provide in life. I just have to highlight some pointers:
· Coffee can make all the difference
· You’re never alone as long as you have friends
· Joy is in the simplicity of things
· That thin line — “We were on a break” — A period between a relationship and getting back
· The famous dialogues — “Hey, how you doing?” — A catchphrase so easy to impress someone
· You can always count on friends
How I Met Your Mother
This according to me is an upgraded version of Friends where Mclarens bar replaces Central Perk coffee shop. However, the fun here is always unlimited be it Barney’s conquests, Lilly’s justice, weirdest competitions between the five of them. Just a twist here is that this show primarily focuses on Ted’s search for love. This show teaches you to always believe in love and again where you have friends, you can have a support system that you can count on. The show teaches us to take risks, put yourself out there; you may get rejected, but in the end, you can still stand tall and grow from it stronger. With one of the most controversial (uproar among the viewers) finales ever, it still teaches you that life is a matter of perspective and if you’re able to see it, each fits well in its own perspective.
Modern Family
Another one of my favorite shows is Modern Family. I started watching this show because my best friend pestered me to watch it. He said, “You have to watch this show, it’s amazing!” And amazing it truly is. You may find a million reasons to criticize your family but no one can teach you life lessons better than family. This show focuses on one family where each member of the family has their own quirky ways. Who can forget the famous Phil’s-osopy? This best dad in the world is the heart and soul of the show. Let’s not forget Gloria or Claire, Mitchell, Manny — oh! what the heck — every character is truly unique and awesome. They are truly an inseparable bunch and it shows you that no matter how dysfunctional, the family is always family. It’s the biggest support a person can ask for. What I love about the show is that there is a lesson to be learned in every episode (My personal favorite — the dreamers versus realists episode and the one with Alex’s therapy session!).
Two and a Half Men
Ahh! Now when we talk about family, we can never forget the crazy bunch who has taken comedy to a whole new level. Be it Charlie’s womanizing, Alan’s cheapness, Evelyn’s smart comebacks, Berta’s funny comments, Judith’s loathing, or Jake’s dumbness, the show teaches us to never forget to enjoy the crazy side of life. Charlie may be a womanizer, but you cannot help but love him. He is simply adorable (check out the just like buffalo episode if you don’t believe me…). Even after he was replaced by Ashton Kutcher, the show did go on for another four successful years and even though Charlie’s charm cannot be replaced, Ashton Kutcher proved that there can be a different perspective to the same show. The sensitive guy took away our hearts with his cuteness and show’s paradoxical change still managed to teach us that there’s happiness and fun wherever you look for.
The Big Bang Theory
Last but not least, my list definitely has to include this funny geeky show dedicated to the nerds. I feel proud because I feel somehow I am one of them at least to a certain extent. This show takes you to another level completely and it’s a different world on its own, and it rocks. What’s best about this show is the balance between the two worlds — nerds and non-nerds. What I love about the show is that it is completely different from all the other situational comedies of the genre. If it hadn’t been for this show, I would have never ventured into dark matter, Doppler Effect, or the Schrodinger’s cat theory. This show has taught me that knowledge is wisdom and learning is cool.
What’s best about this show is that it shows the world from a smarter point of view and you realize how much knowledge you end up missing. You end up learning their side of the story and actually learn how cool they really are and can’t help but wish that you were as smart as them. To add a plus, there’s always delicious Thai food, cashew chicken, paneer kadhai on the show which gives you hunger pangs.
I guess I have made my point. I have watched a lot of shows over my number of years on earth (Naah! I’m not that old. :P). Some made me laugh and some even made me cry. But, in the end, I always had a lesson to learn. Remember those teenage years when life was so difficult; it was almost impossible to figure out what’s wrong! I will sum up and say that these shows have been like a support wall for me, like cuddly ice cream in bed at times when I just couldn’t catch a break. If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch these shows, you should definitely make time for them in your life. You never know, you might just end up learning a life lesson for you.
If you liked my article stay tuned for the next series. I also have a list of drama and thrillers on my list. Let’s not give it all away. Psst…Spoiler alert! It includes Dexter, Breaking Bad, and none other than Game of Thrones (not counting the last season :P).
