TV shows that are so real they make us feel like we're watching the news
Watching telly used to a way of escaping reality, but in recent years it’s an awful lot like staring at it in the face. From the Trump era looking more like Gillead by the day to Our Planet’s terrifying expose of global warming, there’s no more alarming reflection of our times than the tuning into the TV guide. On the plus side, that means a Netflix binge can be excused as keeping up with the news, right?
While many of these TV shows highlight the bleaker aspects of our society (cue the Love Island induced body confidence crisis), there are also a ton of truly brilliant series that have highlighted how far society has come (round of applause for Queer Eye, ladies and gentleman).
So, without further ado, here is GLAMOUR’s edit of the TV shows that best reflect the era we’re living in.
The Handmaid's Tale
Is it just us or is the world not turning into Gillead? From Trump’s presidency to Georgia’s new abortion laws, our ‘modern-day’ society is becoming freakishly similar to The Handmaid’s Tale.
Love Island
From Made in Chelsea and TOWIE, to Big Brother and Celebs Go Dating, I think we can all agree that we are living in peak reality TV times. However, it is the wildly popular Love Island that shows us the shocking reality of our society’s perceptions on love, race, gender and body types. We’ll still be tuning in every night this summer though, obvs.
Our Planet
In the same way Blue Planet exposed the heartbreaking realities of our plastic consumption on ocean wildlife, Our Planet brought home the terrifying truth about climate change and the dangers threatening our landscapes and wildlife. No series has depicted the state of our planet better than this.
Fleabag
Fleabag is the series that cemented Phoebe Waller-Bridge as our national treasure - and for good reason. Her painfully accurate and relatable depiction of a young woman struggling to navigate her twenties in the big city is arguably the best, most comforting programme on telly. Case closed.
Liar
Liar, the gripping ITV drama about a teacher who accuses a doctor of rape, tackles a very important, relevant and complicated topic. It's an important discussion about rape and the way women are so often questioned and shamed after sexual assault.
Girls
Every twenty-something around the world will have related to the boundary-cracking comedy, Girls. It was the gritty version of Sex and The City that perfectly depicted the struggles and joys of being a woman. Sadly the series came to an end in 2017, but you'll find us watching it on repeat for the rest of time.
Euphoria
HBO’s wildly anticipated new series Euphoria centres on a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendship in a world of drugs, sex and - you guessed it - social media. It is essentially a modern day Skins that tackles important and necessary topics from relationship abuse to transgender teens.
Queer Eye
All hail Queer Eye for breaking down stereotypes one makeover at a time! Aside from being 10/10 entertainment, Queer Eye’s reboot has undeniably helped re-shape society’s approach to gender, in particular masculinity. It has highlighted the importance of discussing male mental health and broken down stereotypes about gay men, but most importantly, it has opened up the necessary conversation around toxic masculinity. They’re called The Fab Five for a reason.
