By Silvana Smith
Your sequel to ‘The Best Shows Based in the Cities You Wish You Could Travel To’ article from last month’s issue, I present to you four more places for you to escape to via the power of television and your preferred streaming services, courtesy of your most wanderlust staff writer.
Rainy day? That second dose hitting you harder than you’d like? Got an email you’re avoiding writing a response to? Not ready to go back to socializing because you haven’t had an in person conversation in 13 months and forgot how to do small talk and the idea of returning to inane interactions actually sounds awful and you wouldn’t really mind if strangers continued to stay six feet away from you? I gotchu. Forget your current reality and run away to these far away places without ever having to leave the comfort of your bed.
Boston//
; The accent, the Irish pride, the Southie edge, the colonial ghosts; loose leaf tea; Boston’s got it all.
+Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Wanna trade in people for witches, warlocks, and talking cats? Me too. Out in the haunted suburbs of Boston, Sabrina is peak ‘90s fashion with a mystical twist and endearing plotlines sure to awaken any childhood nostalgia for memories of Halloweens past.
+Cheers
The place where everyone knows your name. The number one most watched show of its time, Cheers follows a group of regulars who hang out in a bar in Boston. An icon of the ‘80s, this show is also the origin story of the classic Sam and Diane storyline; definitely worth a watch.
+The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Everyone’s favorite Disney twins and least favorite NYU students; Zack and Cody were the golden boys of the Tipton Hotel with antics to spare. This blast from the past is the perfect show to have in the background as you doom scroll through Twitter instead of texting your friends back.
+Wayne
A YouTube Original turned Amazon Prime series, Wayne is a dark comedy about a working-class boy who falls for a girl and decides to bring her along as he sets out on a dirt bike to retrieve his dead dad’s stolen car. Very strong Boston accent, very strong teen angst; 10/10.
EU//
;I know I’m not the only young adult who had dreams of backpacking around Europe, interrailing, and exploring different cultures just to see your prime years before decades of 9-5 workdays are spent walking around your block everyday instead of traveling. Besides, I’m pretty sure everyone in the U.S. has fantasized about running away to a foreign country with socialized healthcare at least once during the lockdown.
+Derry Girls (Londonderry, Northern Ireland)
One of the funniest comedies of this modern age, Derry Girls follow a group of school friends from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, living during the political unrest of the 1990s. The girls (and their token male friend James) navigate their youth while attending a Catholic girls’ school in a small town.
+Baby (Rome, Italy)
Based on the real-life Baby Squillo scandal from 2013, Baby follows two girls at an elite high school in Rome who start living a double life after becoming disenchanted with their life of privilege. (Netflix offers this show with both subtitles and/or voice dubbings)
+The Fall (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
The Fall is a psychological thriller set in Belfast, Northern Ireland that follows a serial killer and the police detective assigned to hunt him down. Starring the incomparable Gillian Anderson (X-files, Sex Education) and Jamie Dornan (50 Shades, Once Upon a Time), the plot heavy storylines are sure to pull you in.
+SKAM (literally everywhere; all of europe)
With remakes in Germany (Druck), Netherlands, Texas, France, Italy (literally everywhere) SKAM tells the story of a group of teens, originally set in an elite neighborhood of West End Oslo, Norway. Exploring various aspects of adolescent life such as relationships, mental health, and sexuality, the show focuses on a different character every season and utilizes real social media accounts to share characters’ stories and interact with fans. The most popular show to come from Norway Public Television, it grew a cult following on Tumblr and grew a worldwide viewership (and lowkey started the scand-y fashion trends we see at Urban Outfitters)
+Peaky Blinders (Birmingham, England)
Set in Birmingham post-WWI, this period drama follows the Shelby crime family as they run into rival gangs in England and try to find prosperity in the economic aftermath of war. The story is based on the real Peaky Blinders gang from the 1910s and features the iconic actors Cillian Murphy and Helen McCroy.
London//
; The chic accents, the cool lingo, the incomparable but also very easily mistaken for Phoebe Bridgers—Phoebe Waller Bridge, London offers an exciting change of pace and brilliantly dry humor. Hopefully, some of these shows will give you a glimpse at what life is like across the pond.
+Crashing
Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s first TV show, Crashing is beyond underrated. It follows a gang of misfits crashing at a refurbished hospital used for communal living in London. And although this sitcom has a much lighter tone, it shares the same quick wit humor and great comedic timing Waller-Bridge is known for.
+The Hour
Think Mad Men meets communist spies set in London during the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956. One of the most aesthetically pleasing shows, The Hour is also one of the best written shows I have ever seen. 10/10
+I May Destroy You
This BBC series available on HBO is the brainchild of Michaela Coel and is a unique telling of millennial novelist who “untangles the trauma of sexual assault with dark humor and deep discomfort,” after she pieces together the events of what happened after a night out.
+Killing Eve
A dark comedy spy thriller for the ages, this show also created by Phoebe Waller Bridge follows a MI5 security officer as she tries to track down a psycho-assassin and maybe gets a little too close in the process.
+The Bodyguard (cw; ptsd)
The Bodyguard is a Netflix limited series about a young ex-military bodyguard assigned to protect a controversial politician after an attempted terrorist attack. The show emotionally explores the complexities of PTSD as well as the intricacies of clandestine relationships.
Bumfuck Nowhere//
;For when you’re kind of sick of society in general and would rather watch something set in a place that doesn’t actually exist in the real world or nowhere discernible.
+Schitt's Creek
A nondescript town that is neither in America or Canada, Schitt’s Creek is the epitome of nowhere discernible. An Emmy award-winning show about a small town with a stupid name and adorably annoying characters, this show makes getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere sound not half bad.
+The Good Place
A show that explores the good place, the bad place, a medium place, IHOP, and everything in between, The Good Place is honestly one of the best TV shows to watch when you’re feeling really existential. From the same guy you gave you Parks & Rec and The Office, this show is perfect for contemplating mortality, morality, and the meaninglessness of life, while laughing for 22 minutes straight. The unique cliff hanging structure of each episode is also sure to suck you right into their world and make you forget all about what’s going on in real life.
+Spongebob SquarePants
Bikini Bottom; the mundane paradise of your childhood. What’s a better way to escape reality than to dive straight back into your childhood nostalgia? Also, the jokes hit ten times harder as an adult, watching a sponge who’s life is not too dissimilar to your own.
+Game of Thrones
A natural palette cleanser for if you just finished binging Spongebob, Game of Thrones offers a reality that is equally interesting as it is devastating and might leave you with the feeling of “you know what, maybe recovering from a global pandemic isn’t the worst thing I could be dealing with right now?”
So tuck yourself back into bed, pull on that weighted blanket and explore these far away places to your heart’s content <3
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