Are you looking for ways to boost your mood right now? We don’t blame you. We really are living in – say it all together, now – uncertain times, and sometimes that can get your mood down. One of the best ways to counteract that is to switch on the television and watch something cosy and comforting. It might be an old favourite period drama, a new romantic comedy, or a life-affirming new series.

Previously, we’ve rounded up a selection of feel-good movies to help boost your mood, and now we've curated a list of some of our favourite heartwarming television shows that will make you feel just that little bit better.

8 Feel-Good TV Shows to Boost Your Mood Instantly

1. All Creatures Great And Small 

What could be more mood-boosting than animals? That’s the idea behind All Creatures Great And Small, an incredibly comforting British television series remake, based on a ‘70s original that took place in a small Yorkshire vet. Each episode, this country practice tries to solve the problems of their animal community, all while growing closer together and forming bonds between friends and family along the way.

It’s a beautiful and heartwarming show that is like the television equivalent of a big hug. There are two series of this reboot, as well as two Christmas specials, and all of them are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Where can I watch it? Britbox 

2. Ted Lasso  

There’s a reason why Ted Lasso has become everyone’s favourite show. This AppleTV+ original series is so full of life and love, and preaches a crucial message of kindness, which couldn’t be more relevant for right now. If you haven’t yet watched Ted Lasso – maybe you were worried that a football series might not be for you – we recommend putting it on right now. Watching Jason Sudeikis’ Ted, an American football coach supplanted to the UK, as he tries to unite his team as one, is a truly life-affirming experience.

Where can I watch it? AppleTV+ 

3. Starstruck 

Romantic comedy is the best genre when it comes to feel-good viewing, in our opinion. Which leads us to our next recommendation: Starstruck, the effortlessly charming BBC/HBO Max co-production that first premiered in 2021, with a second season to drop on ABC iView some time this year. Starstruck is basically a reverse Notting Hill: Jessie (New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo) has a drunken New Year’s Eve hookup with Tom (Nikesh Patel), not realising that he is in fact a super famous movie star, and over the next year, their relationship takes twists and turns on the road to love.

It’s a totally gorgeous and sweet romantic comedy that cannily understands the delicate balance of push and pull that the genre needs in order to keep a love story going over several episodes. Binge the whole first season in one night so that you’re ready for when the second season drops. 

Where can I watch it? ABC iView 

4. Bump 

We love Bump. We loved it when the first season premiered early in 2021, and we loved it on Boxing Day of last year, when the second season dropped. There’s something so wonderful about this teen family drama, which follows Ollie (Nathalie Morris) a precocious high school student, her accidental pregnancy, and the ways her family grows and expands and fractures and mends along the way.

Claudia Karvan stars as Ollie’s mother as well as serving as executive producer, and it’s one of her best performances to date. If your idea of a feel-good movie is Looking for Alibrandi, then Bump hits all of those same notes and more. Plus, there’s nothing better than watching an Australian drama unfold on familiar city streets.

Where can I watch it? Stan 

5. Queer Eye 

Is someone cutting onions or did you put on an episode of Netflix’s Queer Eye? When the streaming platform announced that it was rebooting this iconic makeover series, people were skeptical. Did we really need this? But as soon as we saw the finished result, the answer was a resounding yes: the new fab five were dedicated not to just adding a new haircut to a man’s life or cut of jeans to their wardrobe, but actively improving their self esteem and their sense of self to ensure that they could work through their trauma and become the best versions of themselves.

For six seasons now, we’ve cried along with every episode of this series, and we often go back and rewatch early episodes whenever we need to feel that love again.

Where can I watch it? Netflix   

6. Schitt’s Creek 

Towards the end of its many season run, Schitt’s Creek was just about the most comforting thing on television. Those last few seasons are worth a rewatch if you’re feeling low, purely to see the ways in which the Rose family come together in their new life to support and love each other through it all. We love nothing more than laughing at the antics onscreen, a reminder of just how much fun you can have with the people you love.

Where can I watch it? Netflix 

7. Only Murders In The Building

Yes. There is a murder in this show. But that doesn’t mean it’s not feel-good. Only Murders In The Building was one of the successes of the past pandemic year, a livewire and antics-filled half hour comedy that took off on streaming when everyone was in lockdown. The premise is simple: a murder takes place inside a posh apartment complex on New York’s Upper West Side, and true crime podcast obsessed neighbours played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez take it upon themselves to investigate.

What tips this over into feel-good territory is the relationship that forms between this unlikely trio, saving them from loneliness and isolation and bringing them together in ways that will warm your soul. A second season is currently in production, hurrah! 

Where can I watch it? Disney+  

8. Emily In Paris 

If you're looking for more lighthearted comedy dramas to watch, this featherweight show is one to turn to. Watching Emily In Paris is the closest many of us can get to an overseas holiday right now, which makes it perfect mood elevating viewing for when you desperately wish you could be strolling around Paris eating a croissant. 

Where can I watch it? Netflix 

Enjoyed this? Here are 10 Feel-Good Movies to Boost Your Mood