The Stylist team’s favourite TV and films that we go back to time and time again

stylist team TV and film favourites

Credit: BBC, Netflix, Disney+, Getty

Entertainment


The Stylist team’s favourite TV and films that we go back to time and time again

By Shahed Ezaydi

2 years ago

3 min read

Looking for an easy watch? These are Team Stylist’s go-to shows for when you just can’t decide what to watch.


With so many shows and streaming platforms to pick from, it can be tricky attempting to find something new to watch. The decision fatigue is very real. There are lots of factors to consider before you even press play on a show: your mood, whether you want to commit to a show with several seasons and even what day of the week it is. And so, it’s probably no surprise that many of us have our favourite comfort TV shows and films that we always go back to – our failsafes, if you will.

Team Stylist is no different. We all have our comfort shows that we’re constantly going back to whether to feel at ease or just to have on in the background while pottering around at home. Especially during the autumnal cosy season. These are six of Stylist’s go-to favourites that we’re loving at the moment.

Amy Beecham, New Girl

Forget Friends, How I Met Your Mother or The Big Bang Theory. New Girl reigns supreme as the ultimate ensemble cast comedy. It’s the show I turn on when I don’t know what to watch or I need a pick-me-up after a long day, and it never fails to lift me out of a bad mood. Granted, you may have to wince through scenes of Jessica Day meddling – once again – in her friends’ lives, but it’s worth it for Schmidt’s one-liners, Nick’s moonwalk and classic Cece and Winston mess-arounds.

Holly Bullock, Motherland

Despite definitely not being the target demographic (I am neither a mother, nor do I own a three-storey terrace in west London), Motherland is my ultimate repeat watch. When thrillers feel too stressful, there’s nothing more soothing than switching on a light-hearted 30 minutes of low-stakes drama among a group of parents – the breakout star of which is undoubtedly Diane Morgan’s Liz. Full of heartwarming chaos, it’s got everything from nightmare swimming parties to fraught weekends away in wifi-less holiday cottages… and somehow I am obsessed.

Shahed Ezaydi, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

It may be in the title but this show truly does make me feel sunny and warm, and with episodes under 30 minutes, it doesn’t require much focus or commitment, which is ideal for me. Not only is it perfect background TV now that I’ve watched it over five times the whole way through (there are 16 seasons and counting…), but it also still makes me laugh out loud every time. Danny DeVito’s Frank is Oscar-worthy, in my humble opinion.

Lucy Reber, You’ve Got Mail

It’s peak cosy. I’ve always loved the idea of owning a cute bookshop like Meg Ryan, and I love her flat, her wardrobe and the PG13 way she and Tom Hanks got together. Aside from some questionable morals around her having a boyfriend while they’re both getting together, it’s the perfect film.

Ellen Scott, Love

It’s a romcom series but nothing like what that label makes you imagine, with seriously quite hate-able characters (Gus! Randy! Dr Greg!) and endless bad behaviour. But the thing that I truly love about Love is its representation of addiction in the form of Mickey (side note: great outfits). There are times rewatching Love that I cry, times when I can’t help saying ‘stop’ at the screen and times I laugh out loud – every scene with Bertie, for example, is pure gold.

Annie Simpson, Peep Show

Whenever I find myself aimlessly scrolling through Netflix, Disney+, iPlayer (and the countless other streaming platforms we now have), and I still can’t decide on something to watch, it’s likely that I’ll end up reverting back to Peep Show. It’s the kind of show that I put on when I’m not in the mood to tackle yet another gritty true crime drama or don’t have the headspace to get stuck into the new series that everyone’s talking about. It’s one that never fails to conjure a laugh with its signature cringe-inducing humour. I’ve rewatched the entirety of the nine seasons countless times since it came to its conclusion in 2015, and with the show turning 20 this year, it’s probably time that I make yet another visit to Mark and Jeremy’s Croydon flat before too long.

Image: BBC, Netflix, Disney+, Getty

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