Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown, Part II
When I wrote my first post about feel-good shows to watch under quarantine, I had too many for one article. So, here’s part two of that list. And if you haven’t checked out part one yet, here it is. Without further ado, here’s the rest of my list of feel-good shows to watch under quarantine when you need a mental break.
Nailed It!
I love this picture. I spent a while searching for one that shows the judges’ typical reactions to their contestants’ creations! You know that meme where there’s a picture of a perfectly decorated cake on Pinterest and then the other picture is of someone’s attempt-gone-wrong at recreating the Pinterest cake, with the title “NAILED IT”? Yeah, that meme! Well, this show is the reality baking competition version of that meme. It’s like if The Great British Baking Show had contestants that struggled with baking and then asked them to recreate a cake of Donald Trump’s face. So, it’s not really like The Great British Baking Show at all. But, it’s a fun show that always makes me laugh. Come for the premise of the show, stay for host and comedian Nicole Byer’s hilarious observations.
Nailed It! has 6 seasons (so far) and is on Netflix.
2. Queer Eye
When the reboot of Queer Eye came out on Netflix, I don’t think anyone expected it to be as deeply inspiring as it is. I haven’t seen the original show from the early 2000’s, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but from what I understand, it was more of a one-dimensional show similar to TLC’s “What Not to Wear,” with more basic before and after physical transformations. Netflix’s Queer Eye goes much deeper emotionally than that. It takes people (both men and women) who are from all walks of life but are dealing with one deep seated issue in common: confidence. The guys get to work and each help them in a specific area of life: grooming, cooking, clothes, home, and emotional health. Queer Eye does a great job showing common humanity-which is something needed in our country’s current divisive culture. Queer Eye shows that if two parties (that on the surface are very different) both go into interactions with respectful dialogue and open hearts, wonderful things can happen. These are conversations that need to be happening. It also has some great one liners (that I now use on a daily basis) and funny moments. Definitely a prime example of feel-good TV.
Queer Eye has 5 seasons (so far) and is on Netflix.
3. Tiny House Nation
Tiny House Nation is basically what it sounds like. The hosts go around the country and help families move into tiny houses. While I LOVE the idea of a tiny house, but I don’t think my husband and I could ever do it (I love clothes, he loves his electronics collection, and we have two pets). However, it’s fun and interesting to see what these cozy spaces look like!
Tiny House Nation is on both Netflix and Hulu.
4. Too Cute
If you like watching the Puppy Bowl every year during Super Bowl weekend like I do, then you’ll love Too Cute! It’s a docuseries that shows the first weeks of the lives of different baby animals-mostly puppies and kittens but sometimes other animals (like ducklings!) too. This is another nice show to have on in the background when you’re in the mood for something happy. This would also be a great show to watch with young children! Every episode starts with the warning: “The following program contains material that is just too cute. Viewer discretion is advised.”
Too Cute has 6 seasons. Multiple episodes are available for free on Animal Planet’s website here. Seasons 2 and 3 are on Hulu.
5. Fixer Upper
Chip and Joanna Gaines renovate properties into dream homes for families in the Waco, Texas area. I just love Chip and Joanna-basically to me they are marriage and family GOALS. I might be a little bit biased because I’m from Texas and my grandfather and brother went to Baylor (also where the Gaines’ went to school). But this show (and Joanna’s decorating style) has really taken the US by storm and for good reason. Before COVID-19 happened, I had plans in April to visit Magnolia Market (their store/restaurant) in Waco with my mom. Neither of us have been to Magnolia before and had been looking forward to going. So that’s definitely something on my to-do list when I can finally travel again.
Fixer Upper has 5 seasons and is on Hulu.
That’s all for part II of my feel-good show ideas. What do you think of these shows?
-Emily