As the winter weather creeps in, it’s that time of year again to cosy up by the fire and grab a cup of hot chocolate. Though the winter months can be dark and cold, it’s a time of year when our businesses and personal lives can become hectic, but as the year draws to a close, it’s a time for family, fun, and relaxation.
As you prepare for the festive season, you may not have time to keep up your English lessons. If you want to keep on top of your English language skills throughout these frosty nights, putting your feet up and watching TV is the way to go!
We asked students and learners of English what their favourite TV shows are for learning English. Without further ado, here are our top 10 best TV shows to learn English!
It’s Gilmore Girls season! A timeless classic, Gilmore Girls follows the lives of mother and daughter, Lorelei and Rory Gilmore. Gilmore Girls not only feeds into a feeling of nostalgia, but it is a perfect English TV series for the winter months. With an array of eccentric characters, Gilmore Girls is a great TV show for improving your English. The show has very easy-to-follow storylines and many relatable characters. It is a great English TV series to improve your conversational English and also day-to-day phrases. Though some speech can be fast, overall the English is clear and concise. So, if you want that early 00’s nostalgia, this is the show for you!
Opening Credits: Gilmore Girls – Intro
Sometimes there is no escape from the office! However, this office is a little more relaxed than others. The Office is an ideal English TV series for learning English. It has some weird and wacky characters many of whom you can relate to. This TV series is perfect if you want to understand American English and if you have beginner to intermediate-level English. There is often very little dialogue throughout each episode, and when there is, the characters usually speak at a slow pace. It also has a lot of deadpan humour, but as you get to know each character, their humour, and jokes will benefit your English. Additionally, it is a great TV series to learn some corporate terminology!
Trailer: The Office 2005 2013 Official Trailer
If you’re looking for romance and drama, Bridgerton is the show for you! This English TV series took the world by storm in recent years, and everyone has fallen madly in love with its characters and themes. A period drama, Bridgerton brings you back in time to a place of royalty, etiquette, and nobility. What makes this TV series interesting for English learners is how the characters speak. They speak in a slow, clear, and formal fashion which makes it a great show to improve your English listening and speaking skills. It introduces you to new words and synonyms of words you may already know, such as “I’m famished” for “I’m very hungry”. So what are you waiting for? Put on your dancing shoes and go to the ball!
Trailer: Bridgerton | Official Trailer | Netflix
Everybody knows The Simpsons! Another timeless classic, this English TV series is filled with everything from pop culture humour to cultural references to celebrity guests from all over the globe. The Simpsons is a great TV series for learners of all levels. With catchphrases like “Eat my shorts!” and “Don’t have a cow, man!”, the show keeps you up to speed with current themes and everyday phrases. The Simpsons also gives you the chance to practice your aural skills, particularly accents. The TV show is based in America, and it has an array of accents from across the States. It also incorporates more global accents, for example, Groundskeeper Willie speaks in a Scottish accent while Kwik-E-Mart owner, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, speaks in an Indian accent. There is a wealth of opportunities to improve your English language skills with The Simpsons!
Trailer: The Simpsons Season 35 Trailer
Outlander is a show for those of you who love history, fantasy, and time travel. It follows the story of a wartime nurse who finds herself brought back to the year 1743. This English TV series is set in the Scottish Highlands and incorporates some fictionalised Scottish clans and warriors. If you want to dive deeper into English accents, Outlander will bring you right into the world of Scottish English. This is another good English TV series for training your ear because the characters, despite their accents, speak at a slow to moderate pace. If you want to challenge yourself further and improve your English reading skills, Outlander is based on a novel series of the same name. Why not give it a go?
Trailer: OUTLANDER – Season 1 Trailer
Do you want to improve your business English? Look no further! The Apprentice took the world by storm when it was released in the mid-2000s. Starting off in the United States, The Apprentice also captured the attention of the BBC. The reality show follows a group of business contestants who want to earn their place as an apprentice in a large company. This is an ideal English TV series to build up your business vocabulary mixed with a high level of entertainment. Having the series in American English and British English is very advantageous for vocabulary building, and it can set you up when speaking to clients or colleagues in your job!
Trailer: The Apprentice: Series 17 🔥 | Trailer – BBC
This English TV series needs no introduction. The world fell in love with Friends in the 90’s and the love remains strong to this day. Friends is another nostalgia-filled TV series and perfect for your everyday English. Friends is filled with jokes, colloquialisms, idioms, and phrases. Though some of the conversations often pick up speed, for the most part, the characters converse at a nice pace. Much of the phrases and vocabulary used in Friends is not outdated and can really heighten your conversational English.
It is a sitcom that resonates with everyone. No matter what path your life has taken, you will always have your Friends!
Trailer: Friends – Opening Season 1
This is a family favourite and it always comes in time for the winter months. The Great British Bake Off covers a lot of ground (or cake!) when it comes to improving your English language skills. This English TV series has it all: humour, varying British accents as well as accents from other parts of the world, and tasty bakes! The narration throughout each episode is always presented slowly and clearly, with illustrations of what ingredients each baker uses. You will also learn some everyday phrases along with some slang words. The judges and presenters also follow suit with their clear speech, but this is a good show if you want to challenge your ears with the contestants’ accents. So, you can improve your English language skills and learn about delicious bakes, which is the cherry on top!
Trailer: The Great British Baking Show Season 11 Trailer | ‘Collection 8’ | Rotten Tomatoes TV
An oldie but a goodie! Father Ted is very well known across the British Isles, and it is your introduction to some old Irish humour. Father Ted is an English TV series that takes a religious route but in a comedic way. If you want to be introduced to some Hiberno-English, Father Ted is one of the best TV series to help you. With characters from all over the island, and many who speak at varying speeds, Father Ted is one of the most quotable shows in Ireland, and it is a great topic of conversation. This English TV series is for learners of all levels, as the accents are quite clear. It is also great for learning common Hiberno-English phrases such as, “that’s mad” and “a bunch of cowboys”. So, if you want to build up some Irish vocabulary, join Father Ted for a nice cup of tea!
Trailer: Father Ted Trailer
Last, but most certainly not least, we have the iconic Derry Girls. Following a group of five secondary school students in the 1990s, Derry Girls is a hilarious coming-of-age English TV series in a very historical time in Northern Ireland. This series would be for more advanced learners of English as the characters’ accents vary from easy to difficult, and there is a lot of fast-paced speech throughout the show. The Derry accent can be challenging, but it is a great opportunity to train your ears and learn some new pronunciation. Derry Girls is loved all across the world. It has a strong sense of nostalgia, historical themes, and many 90’s pop culture references. Challenging as it may be, you will become a Derry Girl by the end of your journey!
Trailer: TRAILER | Derry Girls | Starts Thursday 4th January
At Everywhere English, we like to think outside the box! Our teachers love to give episodes as an assignment for the week. It does really help your language journey. If you’d like to combine your binge watching with lessons by a qualified teacher, book a free trial today!
