With on demand streaming, new TV shows are more accessible than ever, and it seems as if for the past couple of yeas new content is released on a regular basis for us to binge. Netflix, HBO, Amazon and other big networks are coming up with creative TV shows we can’t get enough of, and yet, every now and then, we find ourselves going back to old TV shows. There’s something very comforting about the shows we grew up on, and we can’t seem to be able to let them go. If you feel the same way, this list of nostalgic TV shows might make you tear up.
Sex and the City
Every girl needs to see Sex and the City, as sort of a rite of passage into womanhood. Sex and the City first aired in 1998 and today it’s considered a cultural masterpiece, a classic, a groundbreaking show. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker in the iconic role of Carrie Bradshaw, the New York based show explores topics no other TV show has ever dared to approach. Honest and clever at the same time, there’s something about the authenticity of the show that makes it “one of the best television series of all time” (according to Time magazine). We’re always in the mood for the light, yet surprisingly accurate humor of Sex and the City.
Dawson’s Creek
Dawson’s Creek, which ran from 1998 to 2003, was different than every teenage drama that followed. The Iconic show follows four young, yet surprisingly articulate and profound teenagers that grow with one another, and with us fans. The show helped shape the lives of many teenagers during the late nineties (okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but it touched the hearts of many teenagers) and allowed them to learn about taboo topics, including sexuality.
Friends
What can we say about the show that hasn’t already been said? Friends is one of the most popular TV shows of all times, and this list wouldn’t be complete without it. The premise of the show, as well as the light humor and the thought-out characters make it so comforting and fun to watch. Sure, the humor is not always sophisticated, and sure, the plot line seems completely fictional at times, but there’s something about this group of friends, their dynamics and their everyday problems that makes it an ultimate show to watch when you want to take your mind off your own troubles.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Seventeen years after the show concluded, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is still considered one of the best TV shows of our generation. Likewise, the character of Buffy Summers, the fierce vampire slayer, is still considered a feminist role model and one of the strongest female characters in the history of TV. That’s precisely what makes the show so important: it takes the character of the pretty high school girl who’s usually portrayed as the damsel in distress and turns the tables, making her the saver of humanity and a fierce fighter.
The OC
Another highly popular and critically acclaimed teenage drama in the early-2000’s was The OC. The show follows the lives of four teenagers living in the high-end Californian suburb Orange County. The setting isn’t too creative, shows of this kind came before and after The OC (such as Beverly Hills 902010 depicting the lives of Beverly Hill’s wealthy teenagers, and later Gossip Girl, following the tangled lives of New York’s elite teenagers living in the Upper East Side). Yet, something about this show touched the hearts of many, and it has been broadcast in over 50 countries around the world.