Seasonal Affective Disorder affects an estimated 1 in 3 people in the UK. Often referred to as “SADs”, it’s a change in mood related to changes in weather. It varies in severity, and can manifest in many ways, from just making you a bit more lethargic and sleepy than usual, to being a real debilitating sense of hopelessness.
There’s a lot of stuff that’s proven to help though. It’s different for different people, but something that really does seem to work for many, is watching sunny, bright TV shows!
So we’ve picked some that we think work the best.
The Good Place
Watching an episode of The Good Place feels like diving into a particularly well put together Instagram account. It’s an explosion of pastels and neons, from the characters’ outfits to the gorgeously manicured gardens of the show’s eponymous setting. Seasons 1 and 2 are brilliant, inventive, lovingly produced television with energetic turns from pretty much the whole cast. It started to lose its charm a bit in season 3 (as did Jameela Jamil on Twitter but that’s another story for another time).
The O.C.
Basically all of The O.C. takes place either at beach houses, on boardwalks above the beach, or on the actual beach. So it’s all very beach-orientated. Its beautiful noughties-skinny cast sigh their way through a mostly harmless series of angsty mishaps. Very easy summery watching. There’s also an iconically camp character – Julie Cooper.
Parks & Recreation
Amy Poehler’s perkiness alone would be enough to lift anyone out of an April Ludgate-style funk. The award-winning TV sitcom about a provincial Parks & Recreation department also stars a young, chunky and still totally fuckable Chris Pratt. It’s a bit hit and miss (some episodes just aren’t that funny) but even its worst, it’s still heartwarming and totally watchable.
Ugly Betty
Aww – for many of us this was ESSENTIAL Friday night watching on Channel 4. Ah live TV – those were the days. Betty lives in a not-quite-real candyfloss world of neon fashion that’s the perfect antidote to autumnal bleakness. It’s partly down to the styling of the show, but also partly down to how NUTS early 00s fashion was – so vulgar and showy. Fab. Plus, Betty’s sunny go-getter attitude is infectiously motivating.
Grace & Frankie
Another mostly beach house orientated show, full of muted, calming colours and sun-dappled street scenes. Charming work from partners in crime and comedy, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who play two older ladies whose husbands dump them to start dating…each other. A great example of the sort of thing Netflix specialised in, back when Netflix was good.
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