Best TV Series for Seniors to Enjoy

By Maurice

Best TV Series for Seniors

There’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of popcorn and turning on your favorite television show, especially in the evening or during a lazy weekend. But for seniors, TV series in the past were often geared toward younger audiences, lacked quality, and were confined mainly to local channels that were also stuffed with commercials and local news.

With the rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, though, there are much better TV series options available for seniors 65 and older. In this article, we’ll explain some of the best TV series for seniors to consider watching.

Best TV Series for Seniors (Overall)

The Crown

This Netflix original has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – and for good reason. It’s gripping from the very first episode to the last. The drama chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947; to her taking over the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952; to more modern times. The drama delves into the Queen’s relationships, political rivalries, and family, and how she helped shape Britain during a great time of change during the second half of the 20th Century.

The Crown features four seasons (40 total episodes), with a fifth season coming out in November 2022. In 2001, the show won 7 Emmy Awards, including outstanding drama series.

Best TV Series for Seniors on Netflix

Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife – available to stream on Netflix – is a colorful, entertaining drama created from the best-selling memories of Jennifer Worth. It provides an up-close look at the 1950s and 60s midwives, nuns, and nurses from London’s Nonnatus House who provide amazing care to the expectant mothers of Poplar, a poor district in East London.

With 95 episodes throughout 11 seasons, you’ll have plenty of time to immerse yourself in this period drama that puts you right in the middle of life during post-World War 2 London. The show won the best family drama at the TV Choice Awards 2020.

Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie was a widely popular show that followed the lives of Grace and Frankie, longtime rivals who end up leaning on each other for support when their husbands fall in love with each other and want to get married. The show has an all-star cast featuring Jane Fonda (Grace) and Lily Tomlin (Frankie), as well as esteemed actors Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston. The show, which features a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, consists of 7 seasons. The final episode aired in April 2022.

The Great British Baking Show

The Great British Baking Show (streaming on Netflix) takes the cake as being a funny, creative, and entertaining show. The series first aired on British television in August 2010, and six of the most recent seasons are offered on Netflix.

Whether you’re a baker or not, you’ll surely get hooked on this series, which features 12 bakers competing against each other for the crown. You’ll be introduced to some tasty new dishes and be on the edge of your seat to see whose savory and sweet creations meet the judges’ approval. The Great British Baking Show features 10 episodes per season and has a 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Best TV Series for Seniors on Amazon Prime

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel takes another look at life in the 1950s, this time, though, through the lens of a woman named Miriam “Midge” Maisel, who was living a charmed life on New York’s Upper West Side. However, her life soon takes an unexpected turn when she suddenly discovers that she has a hidden talent – standup comedy. This newly found talent takes her on a journey to nightclubs, cafes, and, eventually, a spot on the Tonight Show. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was announced earlier this year the Emmy-award-winning show would return for a fifth and final season.

Upload

Upload is a fun and futuristic look at what happens after you die. The show takes place in 2033 during a time when people can “upload” their brain to a virtual afterlife of their choosing where they can remain alive forever even after their body dies. The show centers itself around a man named Nathan who dies young and is uploaded to a digital afterlife by his girlfriend, who is still alive. Nathan tries to adjust to his digital heaven, his possessive girlfriend, and a new bond with his customer service representative. Upload was recently renewed for a third season and boasts an impressive 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Americans

We wanted to include an action-packed drama on this list, and The Americans fits the bill. The Americans takes place during the Cold War with the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The show centers around the complex and arranged marriage between two KGB spies posing as Americans outside of Washington, D.C. They face stiff risks of protecting their American-born children and not being discovered as spies by their friend and neighbor, an FBI agent whose job is uncovering illegals from the Soviet Union. The show boasts an impressive 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It ran for six seasons between 2013-18.

Conclusion

There’s nothing better than curling up on the couch and watching – and occasionally binging – your favorite TV series. We think we have something for everyone to enjoy on this list, whether it’s a historical drama or a thriller. Happy viewing!