Everybody has those days, maybe even weeks... or possibly a month or two where they just get in a slump. Maybe something awful happened, and you're just feeling down for what seems like no reason. Maybe the best character in your show was killed off, Starbucks was out of your favorite drink when you got to the front of the line and ended up late. Anything. But what doesn't help a bad mood like a little alone time, binge-eating awful foods you normally avoid, and binge watching some good, funny, relatable series? Nothing. Especially when you get to phase two of the slump and can binge watch with company.
Series to watch alone or with company when you're feeling down:
Gossip Girl
Great for feeling great, just for being a girl. This show makes you think that your gender alone makes you the most sly, devious, and powerful person able to do anything to get what you want. (That, or the fact that these girls are rich and social elites in NYC.) Side Effects: You may have a desire to take down your worst enemy and humiliate them for fun, it never actually works this way or feels this good.
Sex and the City
Also, a perfect show to feel empowered just for being a girl. It's hilarious, and these girls get through absolutely everything together. This show makes you want to be on every comfort level with your best friends, and just help each other survive everything.
Side Effects: You may think the answer to your problems is a LOT of cosmopolitans and cigarettes. This is also not the answer. It's your friends. Honey, if you can watch Sarah Jessica Parker get broken up with on a sticky note and survive, acting or not, so can you.
Friends
Everyone has heard of friends. Everybody has watched an episode or two AT LEAST. Then there's those that just assume it's an awful 90's throwback show and never give it a shot (like my roommate. And now she's addicted and I hear her laughing at the living room TV at 2 am on a Tuesday.) But again, this is a friend group you will aspire to have, but dream of when you're in your 30's. They're not running around high schools, and sending mass gossip texts- they're real life. They're dealing with bad blind dates, boyfriends, dating, living and moving-- the real life, real life problems. Jennifer Aniston people, c'mon!
Side Effects: You'll want your friends to spend all their time at a coffee shop and bond. And you also will think that 30-year-old guys will be this close in your friend group, one can only dream.
New Girl Despite not starting this series yet, both my roommates have finished friends and recently got into this series. Along with the four boys that live in the apartment across the hall, and they all binge-cry-laugh at this show together. Apparently, from what I gather, it's very random but very hilarious. Sounds like a mixture between workaholics and the office, with more female characters.
Side Effect: You will think that you and your middle-aged friend group can do the activities that these characters do on a daily basis. But you most definitely cannot.)(Unless confined to a remote area with this type of group then possibly.
One Tree Hill Is there anything better than following a large friend group go through life? Especially one with this much drama, twists and turns! Yes, the series is long, and yes it's similar to friends. But c'mon, it's high school drama evolving into adult lives and mostly relatable. You have Brook, (Sophia Bush) who is practically a much less wealthy-socialite version of Blair Waldorf. And I mean can any show lose more than half the main characters and still be great? No.
Law and Order SVU
OK, I lied. Law and Order SVU CAN lose their most powerful main character duo and still be great. This show is so enticing, it just draws you in and makes you think being a detective is the greatest job on the planet, and you need to pursue it now. And Olivia Benson! Does a character get better? The answer is no. These shows are great with action, little hidden emotion, and so much mystery. It's just perfect. Like the meme from Grey's Anatomy star Meredith on Ellen, "It's amazing how much you can get done without a penis."
Side Effect: You may think you can stitch up your friends' wound or chase a criminal across the city and piece together a case that doesn't actually make sense at all. You cannot.
Revenge
This show takes Blair Waldorf to her 30s and makes her even more crazy and violent if one can even imagine. You'll end up rooting that the main character Emily who successfully pulls off every awful thing she plans to do, and takes it personally when people try to stop her evil attempts. Added bonuses: Action, lots of emotion, and secrecy. Perfect.
Side Effect: You will think you can spend 3 years plotting a perfect plan to take down anyone whose crossed you and you cannot. Revenge only works in the scripted shows.
If you're ever feeling not quite like yourself, watching these shows may not help, but you will be thoroughly entertained.
