Recommendations for a Series that is Engaging But Not Violent or Super Stressful

[Anonymous]

I'm looking for a series to watch on my own while on the treadmill 3-4x a week. I've had success in the past with Ted Lasso, The Morning Show (Apple+), and the first season of Friday Night Lights.

Any ideas for something in that range?

(Sitcoms never seem to work for me, nor do things like the British Baking Show or other competition-type series. I think I need to be hooked by the characters, but while on the treadmill can't handle anything as intense as Breaking Bad, Tehran, The Americans, The Sinner etc.)

[Anonymous]

Mrs. Maisel

[Anonymous]

Obligatory chime-in for The Derry Girls

[Anonymous]

I've been really into Married at First Sight.

[Anonymous]

Outlaws - on Prime.

[Anonymous]

The Hour

[Anonymous]

Trying on Apple+

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outlaws - on Prime.

+1
This ended up being one of my favorites though it started as a half assed watch, the writing really pulled me in. The banter is the best part so if being on a treadmill impedes focus on dialog, maybe something lighter like Netflix's Remarriage & Desires, it's dubbed in English so the dialog is clear and the subject is interesting but not so complex it needs focus

[Anonymous]

If you have Apple+, you might check out For All Mankind. It's more intense than Ted Lasso but not as stressful/upsetting as something like Breaking Bad or The Americans (i.e. people aren't trying to murder each other or descending into a life of irredeemable criminality). The stressful bits are all focused on the dangers of space travel, so it can be tense but not upsetting. I found the characters very easy to invest in. Best season is Season 1. Like FNL, it has some issues in the second season that also impact the third season a bit.

I also recommend The Crown, The Good Wife and/or The Good Fight, or Veep (which I guess is a sitcom but is so satirical that it doesn't read that way to me -- think Curb Your Enthusiasm).

A step down in quality but shows I've found good for watching during exercise and chores are: Elementary and The Bold Type.

Also, I don't know that these are what you want because you might consider them too intense, but I really like a mystery-type show for this kind of thing. Broadchurch, The Killing, that kind of thing. To me these are in a different category from Breaking Bad or The Americans, which are the kinds of shows that give me nightmares. These are murder mysteries and can be upsetting at times but are self-contained -- I don't have an issue separating from them and they don't haunt me when I'm not watching.

[Anonymous]

why not continue on with Friday Night Lights?

[Anonymous]

I also really enjoyed FNL, Ted Lasso, and The Morning Show. In the Ted Lasso-ish vein, I really recommend The Good Place. It's funny and genuine and is sort of a case study on how to be a good person. Truly funny but also moving and made me think. The trolley problem!

[Anonymous]

Another vote for the Good Wife. Also - The White Lotus. Man Men. Succession. The Bear. Catastrophe.

The other thing people don’t think about is watching parts of a movie a little at a time. It isn’t quite the same as a show designed to watch in pieces, but I have watched a bunch of things this way that I would have missed because DH and I would never have picked it for a movie night.

[Anonymous]

Silicon Valley

[Anonymous]

The Paradise

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2391224/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mrs. Maisel

Too much fast talking that would be hard to get all of while on treadmill.