8 Feel-Good TV Shows to Boost Your Mood Instantly
From contemporary remakes to familiar favourites, press play on any one of these television series for an immediate pick-me-up.
Are you looking for ways to boost your mood right now (we don’t blame you). Might we suggest switching on the television and watching something cosy and comforting? It might be an old favourite period drama, a new romantic comedy, or a life-affirming new series. Below we’ve curated a list of some of our favourite heartwarming television shows that will make you feel just that little bit better.
1. All Creatures Great and Small
Where can I watch it? Britbox
What could be more mood-boosting than animals? That’s the premise behind All Creatures Great and Small, an incredibly comforting British television series remake, based on a ’70s original that took place at a small Yorkshire-based vet. Each episode, the country practice tries to solve the problems of their animal community, all while growing closer together and forming bonds between friends and family along the way.
It’s a beautiful and heartwarming show – the television equivalent of a big hug. There are two seasons of this reboot, as well as two Christmas specials, and all of them are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
2. Ted Lasso
Where can I watch it? AppleTV+
There’s a reason why Ted Lasso became everyone’s favourite show. This AppleTV+ original series is so full of life and love, and preaches a crucial message of kindness, which couldn’t be more relevant for right now. If you haven’t yet watched Ted Lasso – maybe you were worried that a football series might not be for you – we recommend putting it on right now. Watching Jason Sudeikis’ Ted, an American football coach supplanted to the UK, as he tries to unite his team as one, is a truly life-affirming experience.
3. Starstruck
Where can I watch it? ABC iView
Romantic comedy is the best genre when it comes to feel-good viewing, in our opinion. Which leads us to our next recommendation: Starstruck, the effortlessly charming BBC/HBO Max co-production that first premiered in 2021, with two subsequent seasons also available to binge. Starstruck is basically a reverse Notting Hill: Jessie (New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo) has a drunken New Year’s Eve hookup with Tom (Nikesh Patel), not realising that he is in fact a super famous movie star, and over the next year, their relationship takes twists and turns on the road to love.
It’s a totally gorgeous and sweet romantic comedy that cannily understands the delicate balance of push and pull that the genre needs in order to keep a love story going over several episodes. Binge the whole first season in one night so that you’re ready before diving into the later seasons.
4. Bump
Where can I watch it? Stan
We love Bump. We loved it when the first season premiered early in 2021, and we loved it when its fifth and final season dropped in 2025. There’s something so wonderful about this teen family drama, which follows Ollie (Nathalie Morris), a precocious high school student, her accidental pregnancy, and the ways her family grows and expands and fractures and mends along the way.
Claudia Karvan stars as Ollie’s mother as well as serving as executive producer, and it’s one of her best performances to date. If your idea of a feel-good movie is Looking for Alibrandi, then Bump hits all of those same notes and more. Plus, there’s nothing better than watching an Australian drama unfold on familiar city streets.
5. Queer Eye
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Is someone cutting onions or did you put on an episode of Netflix’s Queer Eye? When the streaming platform announced that it was rebooting this iconic makeover series, people were sceptical. Did we really need this? But as soon as we saw the finished result, the answer was a resounding: yes. The new ‘Fab Five’ were dedicated not only to adding a new haircut or jean silhouette to a person’s life, but to actively improving their self-esteem to ensure that they could work through their trauma and become the best versions of themselves.
For nine seasons now, we’ve cried along with every episode of this series, and we often go back and rewatch early episodes whenever we need to feel that love again. You better believe we’re tuning in for the finale season, filmed in Washington DC.
6. Schitt’s Creek
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Towards the end of its many-season run, Schitt’s Creek was just about the most comforting thing on television. Those last few seasons are worth a rewatch if you’re feeling low, purely to see the ways in which the Rose family come together in their new life to support and love each other through it all. We love nothing more than laughing at the antics onscreen, a reminder of how much fun life can be with the people you love.
7. Only Murders In The Building
Where can I watch it? Disney+
Yes. There is a murder in this show. But that doesn’t mean it’s not feel-good. Only Murders In The Building was a runaway success when it first debuted, a livewire and antics-filled half-hour comedy that took off on streaming when everyone was in lockdown. The premise is simple: a murder takes place inside a posh apartment complex on New York’s Upper West Side, and true crime podcast-obsessed neighbours played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez take it upon themselves to investigate.
What tips this over into feel-good territory is the relationship that forms between this unlikely trio, saving them from loneliness and isolation and bringing them together in ways that will warm your soul. A sixth season is currently in production, hurrah!
8. Emily In Paris
Where can I watch it? Netflix
If you're looking for more light-hearted comedy dramas to watch, this featherweight show is one to turn to. Watching Emily In Paris is the closest many of us can get to an overseas holiday right now, which makes it perfect mood-elevating viewing for when you desperately wish you could be strolling around Paris eating a croissant.
Watch in Comfort
Enjoyed This?
Discover more TV recommendations.
