With new series being released every other week, how can we episodic television fanatics be expected to choose and sift through an infinite list of episodes and storylines? It is completely unrealistic. Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t stay up many nights trying to keep up with what’s out there. Indeed, rushing home from school or from work, (let’s face it, age does not come into it) just to watch the latest episode of The Walking Dead or Stranger Things, or both, has become a routine.
When you look back on the last two years, the sudden boom of online steaming allowed for the rise of the Netflix generation. We have become a bunch of couch potatoes with our smartphones permanently glued to our right hand and the synopsis of the latest episode rolling off our tongues. It has become very difficult to lead a life with no weekly binge on some, however bizarre, storyline.
Whether you are French, German, Russian, South American, Spanish, Japanese, etc, there will be some (or many) English series you are not able to walk away from. Whether you enjoy some sci-fi adventure or would rather stick to reality, you will definitely find some show to make the most of your English expertise. (If you have limited experience in the language, there is a simple solution – put on those subtitles).
After an unimaginably long list, and painful deduction session, I have narrowed the list down to five. Yes, five. (I will not be referring to reality shows of a certain K family because the aim of this post is to speak good English).
Stranger Things: Think all 80s sci-fi, supernatural and horror meshed into one show. Everything about this show makes the hairs on your back and arms stand up and possibly keep you questioning and wondering about every single scene. The important thing is to question them in English.
Friends: This is the classic of all classics. If you haven’t watched or heard of Friends then what are you waiting for? Get up and get streaming. The wit, the comic timing, the antics and the ‘oh-so-90s’ hair make for comedy gold. The accent may be American, but getting used to the vast array of different types of pronunciation just in English is part of the learning process. Whether you are a beginner in English (put on subtitles) or have achieved your CPE, this is not a show to be missed.
Downton Abbey: Two words: Maggie Smith. Downton Abbey deals with the drama between the social classes and the disintegration of the aristocratic society after the First World War. The language used in this show is kept as close as possible to what it was in the early 20th century. The pronunciation is crisp and clear, very easy to grasp, something to truly envy. (Why don’t we speak like this anymore?)
Game of Thrones: This show is not for the faint of heart. George R. R. Martin is truly the master of tugging at our heartstrings. Or better still, ripping them from their core without warning. Obviously, there is a very big difference between what is filmed versus what Martin actually wrote. But that’s another story. Despite the chaotic lives the characters lead, the language in the show is kept classical and very easy to understand, even if you are still towards the beginning of your English language learning. Bonus: the first season was actually filmed in Malta!
Planet Earth: Planet Earth may not fit with the drama or violence of the previously mentioned series. This is, after all, a language school blog for those who are learning a foreign language, and what better way to learn that language than to listen to David Attenborough taking us to the four corners of the Earth? Indeed, there are very few narrators who provide us with the coherence and pronunciation that Attenborough seems to have a gift for.
So there you have it- watching TV doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure, it can be a fundamental part of the learning process! Enjoy!