My College Life As Told Through TV Shows

Everyone has their all-time favorite TV shows, but we often don’t ask ourselves why they’re so treasured to us.

Recently, I sat down to write this as a “feel good TV shows” story. But as I was making the list, I began to realize that while all these shows were comforting to me, some of them aren't really "feel good" shows at all; they have meaning to me because of what was going on in my life at the time that I sat down to watch them.

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The Carrie Diaries

Three seasons of pure, light-hearted joy, this show with have you wishing you were 17 again. The development of Carrie Bradshaw’s character (prior to her role in “Sex and the City” as an it-girl writer in New York) was enough to convince me to major in apparel merchandising. Even though Carrie takes the writing path, this series captures some angles of the fashion world through the eyes of a young, independent, professional — and that resonated with me.

New Girl

This show hilariously depicts the life of a recently single and unemployed Jessica Day, and her decision to move in with three men. Probably my go-to, “New Girl” is a show that has been there for me through thick and thin. After getting to know the characters and their relationships with others, it’s just one of those comedies that never fails to lift my spirit.

Grownish

This spin-off to “Black-ish” does an exceptional job illustrating the life of college student, Zoey Johnson. From random roommates, to social pressures, and even finding yourself, “Grownish” hit home for me my freshman year of college. This something I could relate to, and it brought my roommate and I closer — and as new seasons came out we continued to get together to tune in, even when we weren’t living together. 

The Bold Type

This series is nothing short of the title — it follows the lives of three bold women working for a fashion magazine. (Think “The Devil Wears Prada” but progressive, and a more compassionate Miranda Priestly.) This show has not only enhanced my ambition of being a working woman in the fashion industry, it’s also something that’s kept my friends from high school in touch. It’s tough being away from each other, but when new seasons come out, or there’s a crazy plot twist in the show, I know I can look forward to the group chat buzz about it. 

Dead To Me

This non-traditional, twisted sense of comedy is binge-worthy, and it’s very near and dear to my heart. This past year as winter break was coming to a close, my parents sat me down to tell me the unfortunate news that we were moving to North Carolina. Before I knew it, I was packing up the house I grew up in. During the whirlwind of it all — movers in and out of our house, sleeping on the floor, and all kinds of emotions — there was one thing I had to look forward to. Every night my mom and I got takeout and sat down to watch “Dead To Me.” Even though this show is relatively based on a murder, it was such a sigh of relief for us during this time.

The Good Place

This series follows the life (or should I say afterlife) of Eleanor Shellstrop after she finds herself mistakenly put in the “good place.” Once my family got settled in to our house in North Carolina, the feeling of isolation began to set in. Naturally, my mom and I decided to sit down and start a new show together, after the closeness we felt from doing this during the move. While it was tough adjusting to the change, starting “The Good Place” let my mom and I escape the distance we felt from my hometown. 

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We usually don’t think about the connection we have to such simple things in our lives but looking into these connections might surprise you — whether it’s finding a deeper meaning or learning something new about yourself. 

Be well, Auburn.

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Photography: Hannah S.