Better than counting sheep.

I am getting so accomplished at sorting out my streaming preferences that I can add a new category:  relaxing, possibly amusing, TV series that make me happy and send me off to sleep with no fears or worries.  I love police procedurals, but I only watch TV in the after dinner – pre-bedtime hours and I have found that those shows appear in my dreams more often than not.  This article is a list of shows that I genuinely enjoy and am interested in at any hour of the day or night, but they do not add stress or concerns in any way.  I hope you agree.

The Great British Bake Off originated on the BBC in 2010 and is called The Great British Baking Show in the U.S. It is available on Netflix. It has been a very popular show since its beginning.  Each season is a competition among twelve diverse contestants, all vying to be crowned Britain’s best amateur baker. The show’s popularity comes from its endearing and sweet qualities. For example, one of the judges (Noel Fielding) is prone to tears when he has to say goodbye to the baker who has flunked each week.  It’s charming and rated PG.

Friends is the sitcom that aired 15-20 years ago about three men and three women who are all best friends and live in New York City.  It has aged well, and I find it as amusing now as I did when it was original.  It is light and fluffy and relaxing. All seasons are available on Netflix, Amazon Prime or HBOMax. It is rated PG.

Grand Designs – Host Kevin McCloud takes on an ambitious self-building building project in each episode.  We meet the individuals and their projects and then the work begins with unforeseen complications and budget issues.  These are creative and unusual projects which make the building fun and interesting.  It began in Britain in 1999 and viewers in the U.S can find all seasons on Amazon Prime and some on Netflix. Each episode runs about 50 minutes and it is rated G.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/grand-designs

Downton Abbey is a 2010 – 2015 historical drama that follows the lives of the Crawley family. It begins with the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, leaving Lord Grantham without an heir, and proceeds from there.  Written by Julian Fellowes, it is an intelligent show with a wonderful cast.  It is rated PG.  All six seasons are available on Peacock.

Fixer Upper is an HGTV show that ran from 2013 to 2018 featuring Chip and Joanna Gaines.  The Gaines own and operate a design and renovation company in Waco, Texas.  Each Fixer Upper episode follows the process of the couple turning a run-down house into a redesigned and reinvigorated showcase for couples who come to them for help.  They are revitalizing neighborhoods throughout central Texas in the process.  They are a fun couple with a zillion children and somehow, they manage it all. It is rated G.

Bill Nye, known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, a science communicator, and a TV host.  He has had two popular television shows – Bill Nye Saves the World and Bill Nye:  The Science Guy.  The latter was a hit with kids and adults and was nominated for 23 Emmy awards, winning 19. He has continued with science and TV, making Bill Nye Saves the World from 2017 to 2018, and The End is Nye in 2022. Best for ages 7+. See his programs on Amazon Prime.

Chef’s Table is an American documentary series that has streamed on Netflix since 2015. Each episode takes the viewer into the life and kitchen of a well-known international chef.  It has been nominated for eight Emmy awards. It is rated MA.

Stanley Tucci:  Searching for Italy follows the actor across Italy as he discovers the country’s regional cuisines.  Tucci, who is Italian on both sides of his family, is a delight and the food is amazing. It is both a travel and a food show as he takes the viewer to local markets and hidden restaurants throughout Italy. The series is a CNN original and can be found on CNN, You Tube, and Prime Video. It is rated PG.

Queer Eye is an American reality TV show on Netflix since 2018 that is a reboot of the original Bravo Queer Eye for a Straight Guy that launched in 2003.  I love both versions.  It features a team of five gay professionals in fashion, personal grooming, interior design, entertaining and culture.  In each episode the ‘team’ descends on an unsuspecting, usually heterosexual male for a complete makeover of his life. It is delightful and rated PG-14.

All Creatures Great and Small is a 2021 TV adaptation of James Herriots’s wonderful memoirs of his rural veterinary practice in the Yorkshire dales.  In this Masterpiece period drama is a fictional stone village where Herriot arrives as a young man in the 1930’s to join the practice, where he delivers calves and cures lame racehorses.  The overall experience for the viewer is a reminder that life can be simple and people can come through for each other… and yes, there is a love story. I love the reminder that there are a lot of ways to live one’s life.  The scenery is calming and an antidote to our busy, crowded, connected modern era.  Three seasons with (hopefully) more to come on  Amazon Prime. It is rated PG.

The 2021 ‘All Creatures’ is a remake of the 1978 series.  We enjoyed it so much that we went back and watched the earlier series.  Anthony Hopkins stars as Farnon, the village vet who is joined by Herriot.  The seven seasons of the original series are on Amazon Prime.