Learning English as a foreign language can sometimes feel like a challenge. Its grammar, vocabulary, and unpredictable spelling rules can make it tough to stay motivated. One of the most common questions students ask is: “Are there any TV series I could watch to improve my skills?”

Watching TV series can be an engaging and effective way to improve English skills, as they not only entertain but also immerse you in authentic language use, culture, and real-world contexts.

So, let’s explore how TV shows can enhance your language learning experience:

1. Authentic Language: When you watch TV shows, you hear English spoken by native speakers. This gives you the chance to pick up language and regional accents that you won’t often find in textbooks. In addition, you’ll learn how the language changes depending on context.

2. Improved Listening Skills: TV series help improve your listening skills by exposing you to different accents and pronunciations. In real conversations, people speak at different speeds, use contractions, and may mumble or speak in dialects, so they can help you get used to this natural flow of speech.

3. Visual Context: Visual context helps to understand new vocabulary and phrases. The actions and facial expressions of the characters can often give away clues about meanings if you don’t understand some words.

4. Cultural Insight: Language is deeply tied to culture, and TV series are great windows into different cultures. By watching TV shows, you’ll develop a better understanding of cultural references, humor, and societal attitudes.

5. Entertainment Keeps You Motivated: Learning through entertainment makes the process enjoyable, which allows you to keep studying without realizing it, and this is a key factor in maintaining long-term motivation.

Here are some popular series that can be recommended:

a. Friends
Why it’s useful: This classic sitcom uses simple, everyday language. The conversations are relatable, and the humor often revolves around misunderstandings, making it entertaining. Watching Friends will help improve your understanding of colloquial expressions, phrasal verbs, and American slang.

b. Modern Family
Why it’s useful: It is a mockumentary-style comedy that showcases everyday language and dynamics. It’s filled with idiomatic expressions, humor, and vocabulary, as well as different accents (pay attention to Gloria!) and registers. As a matter of fact, each character represents a unique way of speaking!

c. Sherlock
Why it’s useful: Packed with rich vocabulary, clever dialogues, and complex plots, it might be more suitable for advanced learners as it offers an excellent opportunity to practice listening for detail and understanding more sophisticated sentence structures.

d. The Crown
Why it’s useful: For learners interested in British English, The Crown is a historical drama that follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II. The show features formal British English and offers insight into the royal family’s history and the political climate of the 20th century.

e. Game of Thrones
Why it’s useful: With its epic storylines, complex characters, and rich vocabulary, Game of Thrones is great for advanced learners. The language ranges from everyday speech to archaic, formal English. Beware the different accents!

f. Jane the Virgin
Why it’s useful: A window on Latin culture in the USA and what it’s like to live in a bilingual family and context, it is a show which is accessible and reflects everyday speech. Moreover, due to its diverse cast and cultural references, it provides insight into family dynamics, traditions, and societal issues. For language learners, it can help expand cultural understanding, as well as vocabulary; not to mention that the show often uses humor, including wordplay, puns, and clever dialogue, a great way to experience more subtle and creative aspects of language. You might also hear Spanglish 😊

g. Downton Abbey
Why it’s useful: A British historical drama, it follows the aristocratic Crawley family. You will hear both formal, refined English and informal, colloquial English. There is rich descriptive language and the characters use complex, well-formed sentences. It is also useful if you want to be exposed to a range of British accents as well as culture of the time.

h. Call the Midwife
Why it’s useful: With its well-written dialogue, Call the Midwife can be very useful for learning English for a number of reasons. You will learn many slang words, experience different registers, immerse yourself in British society and culture and see it change from the early 1950s to the 1970s.

i. The Big Bang Theory
Why it’s useful: It’s hilarious and you don’t even need to understand everything that’s being said because the actions are clear. You’ll be able to hear and understand everyday slang and, if you’re particularly interested in science, you can pick up a lot of specific vocabulary.

j. Grey’s Anatomy
Why it’s useful: It uses a lot of natural and one-to-one dialogues which make it easier to follow. It is also a great series if you are training to become a doctor, work in the health sector or if you are just interested in medicine as it uses a lot of specific vocabulary.

k. Emily in Paris
Why it’s useful: Despite it being set in Paris (and despite all its stereotypes and crazy fashion!), it is a fun way to learn idioms and slang, as well as seeing the differences between French and American cultures and how sometimes things can get lost in translation.

l. Peaky Blinders
Why it’s useful: An immersion in British society in the aftermath of the First World War, Peaky Blinders is filled with colloquial language, slang, and idiomatic expressions, many of which reflect the period (1920s). Pronunciation-wise it is great as it features characters who speak with a strong regional accent, and this can help learners familiarize themselves with the variety of English accents across the UK. Moreover, as the characters are from different backgrounds, viewers also hear different ways of speaking and use of language.

m. Gilmore girls

A favourite among millennials, this series show us the ups and downs of the everyday life of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore.
Why is it useful: with its fast-paced dialogues revolving around typical daily interactions, such as family, school, work, relationships, it is useful to get familiar with the speed of native speakers (just bear in mind that the characters speak very quickly compared to other tv series); despite the speed, the pronunciation is very clear.
It uses a rich, broad vocabulary chock-a-block with cultural references (books, films, magazines, pop culture…), so not only are you learning more vocabulary, you’re also diving into American culture. Plus, you’ll fall in love with the quirky inhabitants of Stars Hollow and have fun discussing the main protagonists qualities and flaws.

Lastly, here are some tips on how to use TV series to maximize your learning:

• Subtitles are your friends: Start with subtitles in your native language, then switch to English subtitles once you’re more comfortable. This will help you connect spoken language with written forms. Then try without subtitles! If you find it particularly hard, you can always start watching in your language with English subtitles; some students find it useful.

• Pause and repeat: If you don’t understand something, don’t hesitate to pause the video and replay it.

• Focus on context: If you hear a word or phrase you don’t know, try to understand its meaning from the context. Don’t stop the video every time you hear a new word.

• Keep a language journal: Write down new vocabulary, expressions, and phrases.

So, grab some popcorn, find your favorite show, and start learning!