7 of The Best Streaming TV Shows To Watch When Grieving
Grief can sometimes feel lonely, especially when there aren’t people around you who may understand what you’re going through. Seeing other people’s grief experiences, even in a fictional setting, may help you better understand and learn about your own grief, and may even provide you with a sense of feeling seen and understood.
Everyone will experience various forms of grief in their lifetime (including the writers of TV shows that depict grief and loss) and it can be comforting to see how others have navigated their own grief journeys, even if they are fictional.
There are some wonderful streaming shows out there today that do a great job of portraying the nuanced complexity of grief in its many forms—through creative, honest, and heartfelt stories. From thought-provoking to heartbreaking or even humorous, these shows can often be therapeutic for many, serving to help you cope with your own grief, and find some lightness and joy again.
Whether you’re looking for an uplifting ending or a good soothing-cry (both are 100 percent encouraged), here are a few of our favorite TV shows (streaming online) that we recommend for someone seeking solace while grieving. This list features a variety of different approaches to navigating grief—so you may find what fits you.
This is Us
Get swept away in this binge-worthy heartwarming and emotionally-driven story about a set of triples, coping with the effects of the unexpected death of their father, more than 20 years ago. Each episode connects back to the theme of how the father’s loss impacts each family member’s lives today. Streaming on NBC.
The Unicorn
Join Wade, a widowed father of two tween girls, as he navigates life as a newly-single parent. The show balances light-hearted, humorous moments with realistic reflection as Wade reenters the world of dating—with the help of his friends and under the watchful eye of his daughters, while trying to rebuild his life and family after his loss, just one year earlier. Streaming on CBS.
Never Have I Ever
Inspired by actress Mindy Kaling’s real childhood, Never Have I Ever follows the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl, following the death of her father. We follow Devi as she navigates cultural differences, having a traditional Indian mom; her struggles as a teen, finding love for the first time, and dealing with the loss of a parent that was perhaps more of the nurturer. Streaming on Netflix.
Dead to Me
This dark comedy faces death, grief, and anger toward the deceased, head-on. Dead to Me follows a powerful friendship, between an unlikely duo, that blossoms out of anger, fear, frustration, and grief. With shocking secrets revealed and twists and turns around every corner, this one is sure to keep you guessing while empathizing with the anger part of grief that many often experience. Streaming on Netflix.
After Life
After Tony’s wife dies unexpectedly, and his father’s health begins to decline, Tony begins to change as he becomes angrier and more despondent. From relative nice-guy to impulsive, quick-to-anger, and developing a general sense of no longer caring for the world or the people in it, Tony becomes suicidal and begins engaging in other negative behaviors as a reflection of his loss and grief. Streaming on Netflix.
The Good Place
Sometimes in our grief, we wonder about what happens after we die. The Good Place takes a light-hearted, comedic view of what might be possible after we die—with an underlying question of what it truly means to be a genuinely good person. Streaming on Netflix.
Sorry for Your Loss
The sudden death of her husband transforms every relationship in Leigh’s life. Sorry for Your Loss is a dark comedy that showcases what it’s like having to navigate life as a young widow, struggling to put one’s life back together, and the desire to maintain a connection with those who have died. Streaming on Facebook Watch.
Have we missed any of your favorites that should be on this list? Let us know.
Do you know anyone who might benefit from these shows and/or from group or individual counseling? Let’s talk it over. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Photo: Nappystock