10 TV Series I’ve loved for cosy winter nights….

There’s something about this time of year that makes me want to find a good series and properly get stuck into it. Once the nights start getting darker and the curtains are being closed earlier, I’m quite happy knowing that I don’t need to go anywhere for the rest of the night and that I can just get comfy and switch off for a while.

My partner works two night shifts a week and one of my favourite things to do when he goes off to work is just go to bed early and watch TV. I feel like we’re always so busy and there’s always something that needs doing, so having a couple of hours here and there where I can completely switch off, watch something I enjoy and think about absolutely nothing else is sometimes exactly what I need.

Sometimes I want something new that I can properly get invested in and binge my way through, while other times I just want something familiar that I’ve already watched so many times that I don’t even need to concentrate. My taste is pretty random too, so my idea of a cosy night can range from something as wholesome as Sweet Magnolias to watching the FBI hunt serial killers in Criminal Minds. 😂

These are some of the series I’ve loved the most over the years, including a few that I’ve watched more than once and one that I’m slightly reluctant to admit to watching at all.

Streaming services do move programmes around, so the places to watch that I’ve included below are correct in the UK at the time I’m writing this.

Suits

Where to watch: Netflix, Sky Go or free with ads on Channel 4.

I have to start with Suits because I genuinely think it’s the best series I’ve ever watched. I’ve watched the whole thing three times now and both of my kids have rewatched it too. At one point, all three of us were watching it in our own houses but were at completely different points in the various seasons, so any conversation about it had to start with working out where everyone was up to before anyone said something that might spoil it.

I won’t spoil the ending here, but I cried big fat happy tears when I watched it and I genuinely think it’s one of the best endings I’ve ever seen to a series. Even knowing exactly what’s coming doesn’t spoil it for me, and if I could wipe one series from my memory just so I could experience watching it for the first time again, I think it would have to be Suits.

Emily in Paris

Where to watch: Netflix.

Emily in Paris is my guilty pleasure and I make absolutely no apologies for it. It’s corny, completely over the top in places and definitely not what I’d describe as serious television, but that’s exactly why I love it so much.

It’s one of those programmes where I can put one episode on and somehow find myself several episodes further on before I know it. It’s pure escapism, it doesn’t require much thought and I love just how ridiculously corny it can be. Is it the best television ever made? Probably not, but will I carry on watching every new series? Absolutely.

Gilmore Girls

Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+, Sky Go or free with ads on 5.

I’ve only watched Gilmore Girls once, but I was genuinely sad when I got to the end because I’d become so invested in the characters and their lives. It’s hard to explain exactly what I loved about it because it isn’t necessarily about huge cliffhangers or dramatic storylines; it just feels like comfort food in TV form.

There’s something really warm and familiar about it and I can completely understand why people go back and rewatch it again and again. By the time I finished it, I genuinely felt like I was saying goodbye to people I knew, and I think this is probably the ultimate cosy autumn and winter series on my list.

White Collar

Where to watch: Disney+.

White Collar is another one that I’ve watched three times, which probably tells you everything you need to know about how much I enjoyed it. It’s so clever and there’s enough going on to keep you interested without it ever feeling like hard work to watch.

I love the relationships between the characters and the way the stories come together, and even when I know what’s going to happen because I’ve already seen it twice before, I still enjoy watching it. It’s an older series now but it definitely doesn’t feel dated to me, and it’s one that I’d happily start from the beginning and watch all over again.

Sweet Magnolias

Where to watch: Netflix.

Sweet Magnolias is my warm and fluffy choice. It’s wholesome and nice and, if I’m being fair, it’s not actually all that exciting, but that’s kind of why I like it.

I don’t remember ever sobbing my heart out over it or sitting on the edge of my seat desperate to find out what happens next. It’s just a lovely, easy watch that makes me feel warm and fluffy, and sometimes that’s exactly what I want from a TV series. Not everything I watch needs murders, huge twists or emotional devastation.

Clarkson’s Farm

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.

I really didn’t want to watch Clarkson’s Farm but my kids kept telling me I should, so eventually I gave in to the peer pressure. I honestly don’t know what I expected before we started watching it, but I definitely didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

We ended up loving it and I felt like I learned a surprising amount from it too. There was so much about farming that I’d never really thought about before and it gave me a completely different appreciation of just how much work goes into it and how many things can go wrong that are completely outside a farmer’s control. It was probably the biggest surprise on this list because I went into it expecting not to like it at all, so it turns out the kids were right for once. Don’t tell them I said that though.

The Big Bang Theory

Where to watch: HBO Max.

The Big Bang Theory is my easy rewatch and I don’t even bother watching it in order anymore. I don’t start at season one and work my way through; I just put on whatever episode happens to be on when I want something familiar and easy to watch.

I’ve seen most of the episodes more times than I could count, but that’s exactly why it works for me. Sometimes I don’t want to concentrate on a complicated storyline or worry that I’ll miss something important if I get distracted. I just want something funny and familiar that I can watch while I completely switch my brain off for a bit.

Criminal Minds

Where to watch: Disney+ or Paramount+.

Criminal Minds is where my cosy winter viewing takes a slightly darker turn because a series about some truly horrible crimes probably isn’t what most people would immediately think of as relaxing television. I do love it though, and it’s the psychology behind everything that keeps me interested.

I love watching how the team works and how they get into the minds of the people they’re trying to catch, piecing together tiny details to work out why someone behaves the way they do and what they might do next. It can be very dark sometimes, but I find the psychology side of it fascinating, so it turns out that my idea of switching off can sometimes involve getting comfy and watching FBI profilers hunt serial killers. We all relax differently. 😂

Grey’s Anatomy

Where to watch: Disney+.

Grey’s Anatomy and I had a very long relationship before I finally decided that I couldn’t take it anymore. I made it to somewhere around season 18, so I definitely gave it a fair chance, but there are only so many evenings I can spend sobbing my heart out before deciding that perhaps this isn’t actually relaxing me.

The George 007 episode absolutely killed me early on and it felt like it was all downhill emotionally from there. If you’ve watched it then you’ll know exactly what I mean, because Grey’s has a particular talent for making you love a character and then completely destroying you. I loved the series for a long time, but eventually there was just too much trauma and I decided Grey’s Anatomy and I were better off apart.

The Good Doctor

Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NOW or free with ads on Channel 4. The number of seasons included varies between services.

The Good Doctor is one that TikTok actually got me into because I kept seeing little clips and eventually decided that I needed to know what was going on. I started watching the actual series and ended up working my way through every episode that was available to me for free.

I got as far as just after Shaun had his baby and then discovered that I’d reached the point where I needed to start paying to watch the next season. I really enjoyed it, but not enough to start paying extra when I already pay for streaming services, so I decided I could wait until the episodes I haven’t seen become available as part of something I already subscribe to. I’m still waiting, so no spoilers please.

And one bonus that we won’t talk about… Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Where to watch: ITVX, Hayu or NOW.

I feel like I should probably keep this one to myself but, seeing as we’ve made it this far, I may as well admit that I also had a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills phase. I watched about five seasons before I finally stopped and I’m not even going to try to defend this particular choice.

Sometimes you don’t want clever writing, wholesome small-town life, medical drama or FBI profilers. Sometimes you just want to watch extremely rich people argue with each other in Beverly Hills, and that is all I’m going to say about that. 😂

A couple of hours to completely switch off…

Writing all of these down has made me realise just how random my taste in TV actually is. I can go from Sweet Magnolias making me feel all warm and fluffy to Criminal Minds, then straight over to Emily in Paris being gloriously corny before deciding that maybe it’s time to start Suits for the fourth time.

I think that’s why I love having a good series lined up for the darker nights though. Those couple of hours where I can switch off from everything else aren’t wasted time to me because life is busy enough and sometimes I really do just want to go to bed early, watch TV and think about absolutely nothing important for a while.

Going out is lovely, but so is closing the curtains, getting comfy and knowing you’ve got nowhere else you need to be. A night at home with something good to watch is one of the simplest pleasures of this time of year, and if I’m watching something on one of the services we already pay for then it doesn’t need to cost anything extra either.

I definitely don’t need another series to get hooked on, but that has never stopped me before, so recommendations are always welcome. And if you loved Suits as much as I did, then I definitely want to know what you watched next.

If you don’t want to miss future posts, you can add your email address to the subscribe box on this page and new posts will land straight in your inbox. You can also follow along over on my Facebook page or on Pinterest for more money-saving ideas, recipes, family life and everything else I share on Frugal Family.

And if you’re looking for some extra meal planning inspiration, you’ll find me over on my other blog, Meal Planning Made Easy, where I share simple meal plans, family-friendly recipes and plenty of ideas to make feeding everyone that little bit easier.

Do your future self a favour – Pin this post for later.