Every little thing helps and I find certain TV programmes can really help lift me mentally.
I love The Golden Girls from the 1980s. It is gentle, funny , nostalgic and most importantly, the ladies are all widows except Dorothy who had a divorce. So I feel they know how it feels, they know about pain but continue their lives best they can.
I also liked Afterlife by Ricky Gervais. I do not know how but he understands bereavement. I think he is a genius anyway, I loved ‘Derek’.
Hi @Rachel50, thanks for starting this thread - it’s something we’ve actually been talking about at Sue Ryder, too.
We’ve created this page on our Self-Help platform: TV Programmes about Grief about shows that might bring comfort to people. We’ve included After Life, and there are few others there you might want to check out. We’re also open to suggestions for new programmes to add, so I’ll keep an eye on this thread.
My son & daughter were discussing “afterlife” so I decided I would try watching it.
Omg -. Sobbing & laughing at the same time!
Not for everyone but Ricky Gervais managed to get “it” spot on. I said to our kids that’s just how it is.
My hubby watched re-runs of The Bill & the repair shop.
One grandaughter would ask for the bill another asked for the repair shop when they visited shortly after he passed.
Hi I find comfort in two shows, they make me laugh and take my mind off the pain. The first one I watch every night without fail and keep it on loop all night and thats called two doors down.
The second one is a classic, make me just relax and that’s friends! An oldie but a goody xx
I also love Schitts Creek as it’s warm, funny and uplifting…my favourite scene from one of the episodes is David singing the Tina Turner song…Simply the best to Patrick . It is on you tube and it makes me smile every time.
I wasn’t sure whether I should watch Afterlife or not but I did. Never been a Ricky Gervais fan but it was absolutely brilliant and he did get it. I laughed and cried. I often think of him on a morning when I am feeding my cat like he fed his dog. The same thing on my own every day xx
I have never seen Afterlife but always loved watching The Golden Girls. The humour is sharp and witty.
One type of programme I cannot bring myself to watch is anything to do with ambulances and hospitals. We used to watch 24 hours in A&E but got bored with it.
Oddly, I can watch Law and Order but not Law and Order SVU because Andrew was fonder of the latter.
Tonight I watched Live at the Apollo to lift my spirit up. Worked a bit.
I am also quite into Midsomer Murders. When Andrew was alive, we used to have a bet as to how many people would meet a sticky end!
To be honest, I am mostly watching TV for company and background noise. There is so much rubbish on.
I love Hyacinth Bucket, I actually like her. She does her best, means well and just wants everything perfect. But she is so human and alive, these older sitcoms are very feel good and cosy. No bad language or violence.
I know someone who seemed very henpecked by a dominant wife. But when she died, he just fell apart. The beautiful house and garden are sadly no more. You see, she kept it all together and he depended on her. Such couples often have long devoted marriages and real love under the surface. Things are never quite as they seem to outsiders.
I like midsummer murders, also like, mock the week, house of games, QI, I’ve got news for you, or anything that’s on Dave.
Like most of you I have TV on mainly for background noise.
Definite no no is horror, supernatural or gruesome murders.
Afterlife was one of the things I watched after my dear dad passed, it is raw at times, but touching and helped me feel less alone
The new series of All creatures great and small on channel 5 was really comforting. Like a warm hug
You’ve been framed, because you don’t have to think, just silly things to laugh at- not too deep
Hi
I too watched after life that was on to just when I loss my husband
Oh did I cry and relate to it so much but also made me smile happy memories with my husband
This year I encouraged my dad to watch it as we loss our mum too
I think it helped him with his grief
Another show is Grace and Frankie on Netflix again a lot about getting old and death but it made me laugh when I needed it the most
Tv has the ability to take away your pain even if it’s only for one hour
But at the same time there are a lot of shows I would watch with my husband that I cannot watch now
Xx
I recently got into the habit of watching Criminal Minds, a fictional series about FBI profilers. It is then quite apt that at the end of the two-parter The Fisher King, the narrator states:
It has been said that time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.
How’s that for a coincidence. Do we all agree or not?
xx