My Top 3 Go-To "Old" Shows During Quarantine

During quarantine it is so important to find something good for the soul, a show or two or even three that make you laugh and remember the good old days. That’s right, you heard me, the good old days...nostalgia is kicking in! Here are my top 3 choices for "older" shows to binge watch during quarantine.

Number 1: The Office

What a better show to remember office life, coworkers and fun before COVID-19, then NBC's The Office. The show made its premier in 2005 and held its position high for nine years, producing nine whole seasons of laughter, love and office drama. The Office ended in 2013 but you can still see and catch all seasons, if you haven’t already, on the good old Netflix. If it wasn’t for The Office, I would have probably lost my mind and joy during social distancing and quarantine. What drew me to the show again were the strong characters, such as the hilarious Michael Scott, the love story between Jim and Pam, the serious and yet prank-loving Dwight, the office “witch” Angela, and so many others. I think what made this show so successful was the perfect character development that we couldn’t get enough of. I cried on the last episode because I felt I was saying goodbye to my best friends...literally! I was consumed day and night by watching as many episodes as I can, especially at night cozy in my bed, remembering the laughs, the social gatherings and office life I so dearly miss as if I was living it again through The Office. My favorite character, of course, was the charming and full of heart boss Michael Scott played by my favorite actor Steve Carrel. The show would not have been the same without him. I also lived a fairy tale romance through Jim and Pam wanting one of my own just like theirs. I laughed hysterically at Dwight and completely empathized with his character because you can’t help but feel for him. I will miss this show terribly because it allowed me to laugh, feel joy, love and hope again, in the midst of COVID-19. I think if I had seen this show again at a different time it would not have had the same effect on me as it did now. I miss watching Dwight's pranks, Michael Scott’s warm personality, Jim and Pam’s beautiful love story, and all the other unique characters, and I wish there was this eternal pit of Office episodes that I could just watch from...but this isn’t how life works. So moving on to my second favorite show for quarantine binge watching.

Number 2: The Flintstones

Yes, you read that write - The Flintstones. Remember that cute, funny old 1960 show you used to watch as a kid? Well, I do! This show is perfect to watch with your kids, a great bonding family time in front of the screen. I watched it with my 9-year-old daughter and even though she couldn’t get it at first, saying it looked too old, once she heard the Flintstone song and saw the funny characters she absolutely adored it. How can you not fall in love with The Flintstones? Impossible! This kid-friendly show has six seasons of comedy with Fred, Wilma, Barney and Pebbles set in the Stone Age. Just watching the first five minutes of the episodes especially with the well-known Flintstones soundtrack puts me in a different reality and mood, away from social distancing and away from COVID-19...as far away as the Stone Age. You can watch it on Amazon Prime, YouTube and Vudu. Money well spent! Right Wilmaaaaaaaaaa?

Number 3: ALF

Don’t you miss this face? I miss seeing this cute, fury, alien face making smart comments and trying to eat cats on my TV screen. Thanks to Tubi, Vudu, Amazon Prime and YouTube, I can watch ALF once again...but older and wiser. The show came out on NBC in 1986 and it had four amazing seasons. It was the go-to family dinner show for me and my family, ready to eat and laugh at ALF with his "perfect" suburban American family. Born in Bulgaria and watching it from Bulgaria, the show had this awesome effect on me that it gave me a dreamy version of what an American family life is like and later inspired me to go find it on my own when I left the country at 15. So ALF does hold a very important place in my heart, meaning and nostalgic sense of family and childhood . That is why it is the perfect go-to binge watch show now and my number three as I am all in nostalgia during quarantine. Let’s not forget ALF and what it did for American and even Bulgarian television - it brought us all together under one roof - aliens and...humans. So let’s give him a second chance and welcome him back in our homes once again...shall we? But in 2020. ALF forever!