What tv series changed your outlook on life or helped you through a difficult time?
Today I’d like to touch on an area of media studies that interests me: how TV series can change the way we see life or support us through difficult periods. Yes, specifically TV series. I’m not going to talk about films today; that might become a separate post later.
I’d really like to know which series have had the strongest impact on people in the media studies community. In my view, the audience we have here is pretty discerning, in a good way, and very selective about what they watch, read, and write. I think you can see that quite clearly from what happens in this community.
By the way, the community has been growing noticeably over the last few weeks, and what I appreciate most is that the atmosphere has remained remarkably respectful and thoughtful. Even with very few technical restrictions in place, new members have been joining and participating without bringing much spam, conflict, or off-topic noise. To me, that says a lot about the culture we’re building here.
Anyway, back to the shows.
A couple of months ago, I wrote about what is currently my favorite series, Carnivàle:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mediastudies/s/PZeRUk2aMU
In that post, I described the context in which I watched it, and that context was pretty dark. I watched it during a period when things were very, very difficult for me both mentally and physically, and the series genuinely became a kind of support and point of reference that helped me get through that state.
Right now I’m rewatching The Booth at the End. In my opinion, it’s a very underrated and very deep series, one that makes you think about life, people’s actions and motivations, and, of course, your own. It makes you reconsider the reality around you.
Next on my list is Twin Peaks, but I’m not going to say much about it yet. I’ll only say that all three of these examples are connected by atmosphere. Yes, atmosphere specifically. I could probably describe it as an EXPERIENCE, or as something you enter into and live through as a state of mind. None of these shows are exactly light or fluffy. For some people, they might even feel very dark.
But in every one of them, no matter how difficult things become, no matter what kind of madness, chaos, or evil is happening around the characters, there is always some little café and a table where friends can sit together, have a cup of coffee, and share a piece of pie.
What are your favorite TV series, and why?