Television has always been a way to escape the common stresses of daily life but sometimes it can also be a cathartic way to deal with human emotions. Since the technology's inception, TV has reflected humanity back at itself, the world's triumphs and tragedies alike.
Loss of loved ones, jobs, and the normal functioning of the world are only a few things that the population is currently struggling with. In times like these, the humans of the universe can use a little reassurance that they are not alone. When it comes to grief, some series really get it.
10 In The Haunting of Bly Manor Grief Is The True Torment
Mike Flannigan has a way with grief. His ability to blend horror with beauty is a prevalent factor in all of his work. The Haunting of Bly Manor focuses on many characters' grief. However, the series moves its narrator's partner's death to the forefront, as an aging Jamie relates the tale of the love of her life's death.
Bly Manor is full of symbolism that will resonate with grievers. Perhaps the most powerful is Jamie simply sitting in a chair, more than 25 years later, watching the front door as if her lost love may still return. As Jamie states, "To truly love another person is to accept the work of loving them is worth the pain of losing them."
9 Wandavision Shines A Light On Grief Through Superheroes and TV Nostalgia
Wandavision is about using television as an escape. Not only does the show portray grief in all of its true grit, but its main character (Wanda) creates an entire reality around the TV shows that helped her through her grief journey. Not only is the series creative, clever, and adored by fans but it also truly shows what it feels like to be inside early grief.
After the death of her family and now her love, Wanda sinks into denial and unknowingly traps an entire town in the depths of her bereavement. Bonus points for one of the best lines about grief to exist “What is grief, if not love persevering?”
8 Dead To Me Brings Thrills, Laughter, And An Unforgettable Friendship
Grief comes with many nuances and Dead To Me touches on them in funny and realistic ways. When Jen meets Judy at a local grief support group, the two become fast friends and neither of them sees the twists and turns that later unfold.
This dark comedy toes the line between comedy and drama perfectly and there's rarely a dull moment. It drives home the point that grief comes in many forms but with the right people by your side, you can survive.
7 Sorry For Your Loss Is A Realistic and Beautiful Journey Missed by Many
Sorry for Your Loss follows a young widow, Leigh (played by Elizabeth Olsen) after the sudden loss of her husband. It could be said that the extremely talented Olsen is typecast into the role of a grieving widow but she performs so well that it's hardly a complaint.
While many TV series gloss over the ugliness of grief, Sorry for Your Loss doesn't shy away from what it's like to live with grief while the rest of the world simply keeps turning and this is what makes it so perfect. Unfortunately, many people missed out on this beautiful gem when it aired on Facebook Watch.
6 Pivoting Balances Hilarity And Heart
The death of a loved one is one of life's most excruciating experiences. Is it possible to create a sitcom around such a devastating loss? Pivoting proves it can work if done right. The series follows three best friends after the death of their other best friend, Colleen.
Colleen's death acts as a catalyst and helps them change their lives in impulsive ways, surviving their new world with each other's help. Pivoting manages to bring humor to the unthinkable and remain relatable throughout. It's similar to A Million Little Things if it were written by someone more like Whitney Cummings.
5 Afterlife Is Both A Funny And Heartbreaking Look At Life After Loss
This British dark comedy was created, written, produced, directed, and starring Ricky Gervais as a widower who has recently lost his wife to breast cancer. After contemplating suicide, he decides instead to spend his time left on earth punishing the universe by speaking and acting however he pleases. The twist here lies in the fact that the universe has other plans for Tony and through his family and friends, he not only becomes a better person but learns what it takes to truly live while carrying his grief with him.
After Life covers many dark topics relating to the belly of the beast of grief and it does so in a relatable, charming, and often surprisingly humorous way.
4 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Shows The Heart of Grief With Music And Finesse
Underneath the razzle-dazzle of musical numbers, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist tells a heartbreaking story as Zoey's family struggles with the inevitable loss of her father. The first season tackles anticipatory grief as Zoey's father, Mitch, deteriorates from progressive supranuclear palsy. While he cannot speak, Zoey's gift of being able to hear others' heart songs gives viewers an inside look at some of their inner thoughts. The Season 1 finale centers around the entire evening of Mitch's funeral and features a miraculous and heartwrenching singular tracking shot that lasts the entirety of the song "American Pie".
Zoey's second season reinvents itself as it tackles the grief of losing Mitch, as well as all the day-to-day struggles that come with losing a father and a spouse, as his family grapples with his loss.
3 A Million Little Things Proves It Takes A Village To Survive Grief
This series is based on the saying, "Friendship isn't a big thing – it's a million little things," and it truly takes that quote to heart. A Million Little Things centers on a close group of friends who are shocked when one of their own dies by suicide. One of the elements that set this series apart from others is that it shows how widely the ripples expand when someone passes. Jon's death not only affects the lives of his wife and children but also his friends, their families, and even his coworkers.
The true focus of this drama is not on Jon but on those left behind and how they must absorb their grief and come together to help one another live the best lives they can. It shows that grief is never overcome, but instead something to carry with you. It also shows that friends can be exactly the family you need.
2 Ghosts and the Stages of Grief Take Center Stage In The Haunting of Hill House
This horror series delves deep into the darkness of grief through the eyes of the Crain family. The Haunting of Hill House shows how each family member deals with grief after losing the family matriarch as children as well as the fresh loss of their sister.
Much like Flannigan's other Haunting installment, Bly Manor, this series is riddled with beautiful and haunting grief symbolism. It’s rumored that the siblings themselves each represent one of the stages of grief and the house represents the trauma associated with grief and how hard it can be to escape it.
1 This Is Us Shows Long Term Effects Of Grief
Sometimes it seems like This Is Us exists only to bring tears to the masses. The story revolves around The Pearson family throughout their lifetimes with interweaving stories throughout multiple timelines. The audience gets to see the family both before and after the loss of their patriarch, Jack Pearson.
Each member of the family deals with things differently and through all of their struggles, they learn to get by with the help of one another. This Is Us is a great example of how grief changes a person and affects everything moving forward throughout their life.
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