Need distracting movies/tv to get through the bad time

November 1, 2015 8:33 PM

My husband left me out of the blue and my heart is hellishly broken and I am trying desperately to make the hours pass until it hurts less. I am looking for recommendations for tv or movies. I can't do too much violence or suspense or romance. I like sci-fi and fantasy, I like nature, quirky things and strong women. I watched a bunch of Elementary until it all seemed the same, then I watched Blindspot but I'm all caught up, then I watched The Lost Room and then rewatched Firefly for the umpteenth time, and Lucy, then some of Misfits. I read Ms. Marvel, I listened to the podcasts The Message and a bunch of The Black Tapes. I have Eat Pray Love cued up and then Howl's Moving Castle. I don't know if this is enough info to go on, but I need to get through the minutes and thought I'd ask. Maybe I'll watch the first season of Veronica Mars again. Help?
posted by eggkeeper to Media & Arts (68 answers total)

Maybe Revolutionary Girl Utena? Strong women, fantasy, quirky as hell. Pretty much every episode ends in a fencing match but it's mostly about social stuff rather than violence. (Also about a lot of seriously broken relationships, this may be triggery, may be heartening.)
posted by egypturnash at 8:39 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Orphan Black!
posted by melissasaurus at 8:40 PM on November 1, 2015 [9 favorites]

Scott and Bailey (warning: there is a breakup right at the start of the series)
Community
Star Trek TNG
posted by stray at 8:41 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you like quirky and strong women, you should check out Ugly Betty and Gilmore Girls for TV. They have some romance, but it's really relationships between family and friends that drive both series. Veronica Mars is always a solid choice. For podcasts, Welcome to Nightvale is great because it's definitely quirky/sci-fi/fantasy and he has a great voice. In comics, you may want to check out the recent She-Hulk series that just ended, Bitch Planet, and Captain Marvel.
posted by angelchrys at 8:42 PM on November 1, 2015

This is totally different than what you listed, but nonetheless in the realm of quirky and involving some strong women: Parking Wars (some of the episodes are free online).
posted by vegartanipla at 8:42 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Parks and Rec
Orphan Black
The good Wife
posted by sweetkid at 8:42 PM on November 1, 2015 [9 favorites]

Battlestar Galactica, the modern version, in case you haven't seen it yet.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:44 PM on November 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

Doctor Who, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica new (wow) and old (look at that hair!)....get Netflix and/or Amazon prime, make popcorn and start binge watching. X-Files, Stargate, Babylon 5.
posted by beowulf573 at 8:44 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Eureka, Futurama, Red Dwarf, MST3K, Grimm.
posted by beowulf573 at 8:48 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

It's far from sci fi, but I share some of your interests (and normally have no interest in cooking shows OR reality TV), and Great British Bake-Off is my current go-to "feel okay about the world again" show. Absolutely engrossing, absolutely pure and sweet and rancor-free. If you're not in a region that can watch BBC Online and aren't into pirating, there's one season currently on Netflix under the name The Great British Baking Show.

I also love Red Dwarf and used it to help get me through the early period of my separation. It's a bit cheesy and a total sausage fest, but if you like cheese and sausage...
posted by babelfish at 8:49 PM on November 1, 2015 [13 favorites]

Stardust (watched it on a whim and loved it.)
Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe, Stargate Movies (The first couple are campy fun.)
PBS just added a bunch of stuff to Netflix (and they have their own app) for nature documentaries that are awesome.

I also find that cartoons and animated movies are great for this. I can always watch The Emperor's New Groove.
posted by Crystalinne at 8:49 PM on November 1, 2015

Seconding Farscape. Adding Killjoys and if you run out of those, you can try Dark Matter (both sci-fi with strong women). Also sorry about what you're going through.
posted by sardonyx at 8:49 PM on November 1, 2015

Battlestar and Buffy/Angel
posted by greta simone at 8:50 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Amazon prime has a list of strong female tv characters.
Good wife
Orphan Black
Veronica Mars
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Transparent

Battstar galactica (new) seconded.
Others include Veep on the comedy side and Madame president .
posted by radsqd at 8:50 PM on November 1, 2015

Quirky things and strong women = Jane the Virgin, streaming on Netflix. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll gasp. Gina Rodriguez is radiant.
posted by missmary6 at 8:53 PM on November 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

I still recommend all three seasons of Deadwood for those who absolutely need escape. I checked it out of the Salt Lake Library. I did watch all of Firefly too. I imagine all of Starwars in sequence might be diverting. I really enjoyed the first of the two new Star Treks, too. Crimes of the Heart is a good oldie. Or read all of... I read all of Hemingway a couple of summers ago. I am still reading through the nineteenth century Russian novels.
posted by Oyéah at 8:53 PM on November 1, 2015

seconding parks & rec for quirkiness and strong women.
rewatching it was my happy place as my own marriage fell apart. lots of hugs your way.
posted by changeling at 8:59 PM on November 1, 2015

The movie Until the End of the World by Wim Wenders is quirky, has a strong woman, and is about 6 hours long in its Director's Cut. It's a beautiful movie that traverses the globe while an excellent soundtrack plays and the world ends. All love is unreturned. All we have in the end is what we get. It has a very happy ending.
posted by irisclara at 9:03 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Scifi/Fantasy with strong female folk..
Haven
Once Upon a Time
Warehouse 13
Stargate (SG1, Atlantis)
Agent Carter

For some quirky humor...
Parks and Recreation -> amaazing female characters!
Scrotal Recall (terrible name, really funny tv series on Netflix)
Arrested Development

Also... Netflix has these great nature-y documentaries:
Antarctica: A Year On Ice
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
Owl Power (b/c owls are so cute!)
posted by ellerhodes at 9:04 PM on November 1, 2015

X-Files will keep you busy for a good long time. There are folks on the X-Files subreddit rewatching episode-by-episode in anticipation of the new miniseries with discussions for each, so you can do a bit of a social thing with it as well if you're into that.
posted by town of cats at 9:04 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]

Call the Midwives - its an amazing show about strong women in 1950's Britain.
posted by snowysoul at 9:07 PM on November 1, 2015 [9 favorites]

When I was in your exact situation, my go-to escapes were Farscape, all of Buffy and Angel, Veronica Mars, Star Trek:TNG, Dr. Who/Torchwood, and Babylon 5. I might also add in Orphan Black and Kimmy Schmidt today.
posted by gemmy at 9:09 PM on November 1, 2015

Oo Ooo! Call the Midwives is terrific

Also add on Bletchley Circle for some kickass crime solving by some smart ladies
posted by ellerhodes at 9:13 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Maybe not Eat, Pray, Love as I would find the Love part hard on my heart were I you right now.

Netflix: Orphan Black, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and The Bletchley Circle are all TV series that have strong female leads and minimal romance. In terms of films, I was extremely surprised that I enjoyed Mona Lisa Smile as that is the worst title ever and I loathe Julia Roberts, but she played a great feminist character and I ended up loving the film.

I don't watch a lot of SciFi but for films, I enjoyed Robot & Frank, about a retired (ish) bank robber and his AI care taker. In terms of SciFi books the only one I really liked lately was the WOOL series, but St Mary's is a smart and funny time travel series, and I loved and just finished another time travel book, The Rewind Files. All three of these books/series feature kick-ass female protagonists.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:19 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

The entire series of Blackadder?

I remember when I was in a similar situation I got really into operas and old plays (Importance of Being Earnest, Abduction from the Seraglio, etc) because though they often have romances, they're very sanitized with not a lot of interaction between the people "in love" so it was a good way to still enjoy it without a lot of situations that resembled life causing bad memories.
posted by Peregrine Pickle at 9:21 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Bodacious Space Pirates.

Marika is a 16 year old high school girl living on the planet Uminoakehoshi ("Sea of the Morning Star") which orbits Tau Ceti. It's the result of a terraforming effort. One day, a strange man and woman come to visit to inform her mother, Ririka, that Captain Kato has died.

Ririka, it turns out, was a space pirate serving on the ship Benten Maru, which was actually a privateer because it had a Letter of Marque. She married the captain, and got pregnant, so she left the ship and raised her daughter Marika on the planet.

But with the captain dead, the law is that only his blood offspring can replace him as captain -- and that means Marika, who is an only child.

The series is about her deciding to become the captain, and learning on the job, and eventually becoming really good at it.

The blurb at the page I linked to makes it sound like a fan service show, but it isn't really.

And I thought I'd mention that she has no boyfriend and there's no romantic interest. The show passes the Bechdel test.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:22 PM on November 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

Steven Universe. It's sci-fi, it's quirky, it's got strong women with interesting personalities. There's violence, but it's very sanitized. It's basically the story of a sweet little boy in a sleepy Delmarva beach town growing up under the care of three superheroines and a magic lion.

It will make you cry, but at least you'll be crying about things unconnected to your own situation.
posted by baf at 9:28 PM on November 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

I'm loving iZombie, and it's by Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars!

If you can stomach it (because it's really juvenile, I have to be in the right mood) Pretty Little Liars is long and entertaining. Really all of the ABC Family stuff is pretty good for a distraction.

Workaholics and Broad City are good for laughs.

I'm so sorry you're going through this.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 9:42 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

I should have added this above: You can watch Bodacious Space Pirates on Crunchyroll, if you're willing to put up with ads.

And if you do torrents, 1080p and 720p.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:46 PM on November 1, 2015

Response by poster: Sincere thanks, everyone, for the great suggestions and kind thoughts. The only thing I can think of that will make this any better is time, and I appreciate your help in making it pass. Ugh. Like fucking molasses, time is.
posted by eggkeeper at 9:48 PM on November 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

Engrossing enough to distract you but gentle enough to not distress:

Star Trek TNG (bonus: has a million episodes)
Parks & Rec (does get romantic towards the last seasons)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Sorry you are going through this.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:50 PM on November 1, 2015

When I was feeling crushed by the world around me—in my case it was a job that seemed to close off all possibilities that would end in my ever being happy again—and I just wanted to while away as many hours as I could, I chewed through a ton of British "cozy" mystery series, particularly Campion, Poirot, and Partners in Crime. (PIC features a couple, but their romance isn't the focus. The various Miss Marple adaptations are worth your while, too, I just don't know enough about them to recommend a specific one as it's been a while since I watched them.)
posted by Polycarp at 9:51 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

London Hospital. BBC series about a large hospital that serves the poor in 1910s London. Lots of drama, strong women, focus on the developing medical technology of the time.
So good.

Dresden. German miniseries. Subtitles, but very absorbing. WWII story - english pilot hiding in germany is discovered by a nurse. Will she turn him in? Great characters and historic detail. Lots of action.
posted by valannc at 9:56 PM on November 1, 2015

Fourthing Parks and Rec.

However, the first season of that show was not all that hot, and had an oddly negative tone to it. You can safely start at the first episode of Season 2, and really not miss anything in terms of continuity.
posted by spinifex23 at 9:58 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

I like nature, quirky things and strong women

Definitely Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but also 30 Rock, and Parks and Rec.

Brooklyn 99 for sure.

Adventure Time for something a bit different and totally zany.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:59 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Good Wife truly made my devastating breakup with my partner of 5 years bearable, even if my ex is the one who introduced me to it. A strong woman, and it's trashy enough to keep you hooked but also smart enough to make you feel like you're learning something.

Have you read the Dragon Reborn series by Robert Jordan? I've seen some derisive comments about it here, but I'm on about the tenth reread and I find it so addictive still that I will pull all nighters to get through the books. (The audiobooks are good, too!)

Another fantasy series that I read after my breakup (well, reread): The Halfblood Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey & Andre Norton (the first book in the series is Elvenbane). Strong women through and through.

If you're okay with a book that might make you cry, if you haven't read Cheryl Strayed's Wild, I think it's a great companion to Eat, Pray, Love. The collection of Cheryl Strayed's advice column, Dear Sugar, is also a great companion to a hurting heart and a truly delightful audiobook (read by the author).
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:04 PM on November 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
posted by not_on_display at 10:06 PM on November 1, 2015

My go to feel-better show is Australian Junior Masterchef. You can find it on youtube. The kids are such good cooks and so kind to each other and the judges are also so supportive and kind and make sure the eliminated leave feeling good about what they've accomplished. I can't even remember how I stumbled across it, but it's just a sweet show.
posted by munichmaiden at 10:18 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Tons of great recommendations in the comments above.

I have not yet watched it but I have heard from multiple friends with similar tastes to me that Great British Bake Off is tremendously comforting to watch.

I love Portlandia and it has helped get my mind off some not-fun life situations I didn't want to be thinking about.

I'm so sorry you're going through this.
posted by raw sugar at 10:33 PM on November 1, 2015

Sorry about what you're going through. Another vote here for iZombie.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:07 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Seconding Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Awesome, strong female lead, great clothes, interesting plot but not so substantial that it's hard to follow. It's very cozy and comforting TV.
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 11:28 PM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

You should watch Person of Interest which very recently was added to netflix streaming. It's got some major sci fi elements (not as obvious in the early episodes, but as the show progresses, it becomes much more central to the show). Although the two main leads are male, Taraji P Henson also has a pretty major role, and she is an awesome, strong woman. There are some elements of violence (people get shot, some fist fights), but honestly it's pretty sanitized, and not remotely gory. Romance is almost nonexistent, aside from a few moments where previous relationships are revealed. The early episodes rely more heavily on the procedural elements, but it definitely gets more interesting as the show continues. I found it to be very engrossing and engaging without being super heavy. Also, Michael Emerson is awesome.

I'll second Arrested Development. Very quirky, very funny, very binge-watchable. Also available on netflix streaming.
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:32 PM on November 1, 2015

I'm thinking The West Wing. It's not SF/fantasy and there's practically no nature, but it does have some great, strong female characters. C.J. Cregg comes first to mind, of course---she is fantastic (as is Allison Janney, who plays her)---but I'd also mention Donna Moss and Mrs. Landingham.

It's also fairly quirky, if you want to call it that, and has dialogue well above Joss Whedon's level in terms of snappiness, humour, and character depth. (Seriously, this show is hilarious, when it's not deeply moving or optimism-inspiring.)

There's a small amount of romance (kept firmly in the background, generally speaking), a little bit of suspense every now and then (generally not much more than "how will the characters get out of this political mess?"), and very rarely a bit of violence---mostly offscreen. The great big exception here is the last two episodes of Season 4 and the first two or three of Season 5; you might want to skip those. (Honestly, you can probably stop watching at the end of 4---Aaron Sorkin quit writing and left the show, and it goes way downhill.)

Beyond that, I'd strongly second Doctor Who and Stargate SG-1
posted by golwengaud at 11:43 PM on November 1, 2015

I'm really sorry you are going through such a hard time.

Murder on the Homefront is a British period mystery set in WWII--it's based on the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, the first woman to work in the London police morgue. She was also a renowned scholar of literature and a well respected journalist. I liked it a lot--she's a great character. The film Molly is also smart and solves crimes and not only that, the movie passes the Bechdel test: her first day on the job she becomes friends with one of the police secretaries, and they have a delightful cameraderie.

Also, I've found that listening to endless episodes of the Answer Me This podcast soothes me greatly. It's like listening to three funny, smart friends answer lighthearted Ask Metafilter questions (including chat filter). It's helped me through some dark, difficult times.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:04 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

and Great British Bake-Off is my current go-to "feel okay about the world again" show

I was just about to say this, except subbing in the Great British Sewing Bee. No "reality TV" dramarama and conflict, people keep it super light even when things are down to the wire, there's little tidbits of interesting clothes-making history and "how-tos" thrown in -- it's like a little diazepam knocked back with a warm Ovaltine.
posted by en forme de poire at 12:50 AM on November 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

I've heard the new Battlestar Galactica is very good and addictive, and it seems to match your interests. Maybe this skit will inspire you to watch, haha.
posted by AppleTurnover at 1:33 AM on November 2, 2015

Foyle's War, which has many episodes, a grumpy main character (played by Michael Kitchen), and at least a spunky female sidekick.

All three of the BRITISH House of Cards. Oh my. I don't think you could resist being pulled in and away from here and now.

I know this may just be me, but when everything crashed down and one day at a time seemed too much of a challenge, I spent $15 and bought the first season of The Golden Girls. I'm embarrassed, but it helped when nothing else could.

And you didn't ask, but remember to breath occasionally, deep breaths pushing all the old crap out and breathing in new air. It's easy to forget, and just breath shallowly, because it's so easy to joggle all that pain. Time is slow, indeed, but it will keep moving whether you will it or not.
posted by kestralwing at 1:38 AM on November 2, 2015

I love the contents this post and hate the reason for it. I'm going through essentially the same thing. Virtual hugs to you my dear. I'm currently using West Wing for this very purpose.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:27 AM on November 2, 2015

Death at a Funeral - the British version - is hilarious. The Boat that Rocked was fun too. I loved Stardust, you might also like The Baron Munchausen (1980's?), and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

You can't get quirkier than Northern Exposure (plus strong women!)

I also like British comedies for this: Hyperdrive, Father Ted, maybe Black Books. Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster (Hugh Laurie and Atephen Fry).
posted by jrobin276 at 2:35 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

"Please Like Me", on Hulu, is so kind and warm and sarcastic too in a wonderful way. It does start with a breakup and has some romantic elements, but is really like a warm blanket wrapped around you. So comforting and so well done.
posted by dysh at 3:54 AM on November 2, 2015

Antonia's Line, a Dutch film from the mid-90s that takes place in post-war Holland.; Black Book (2006), another Dutch movie about a woman in the Resistance during WWII
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:58 AM on November 2, 2015

Borgen (noting I_Love_Bananas above on West Wing) because Borgen's protagonist is a really compelling woman. Sidse Babett Knudsen, three seasons! Yes, subtitles, but you can do that. You may have to go to hard media (DVD from your library?).
posted by xaryts at 5:25 AM on November 2, 2015

I know that Buffy has already been suggested, but I wanted to add that I just watched all of it following a recent breakup, and found it just what I needed, because I found that friendship was portrayed as lasting, whereas whenever a character fell in love, the love interest would always turn out to be some sort of demon, or a giant bug, or something, which felt very intuitively correct to me at the time and was very soothing.
posted by ITheCosmos at 5:30 AM on November 2, 2015 [12 favorites]

I have recently been in a similar position, and I watched Freaks and Geeks. Since it's only one season, I actually watched it twice. In two weeks.

There is some romance and romantic tension between characters, but since they are all dumb and charming teenagers it feels harmless.
posted by still bill at 6:23 AM on November 2, 2015

Alias. Strong, proactive females. Palpable chemistry between Victor Garber's character and a character who appears in season 2 made me want something closer to that than what I'd had had been.
Unit One. Strong female characters face broad array of significant losses throughout series. Much younger Mads Mikkelsen.
Déjà Vu. Denzel Washington time-travels to rescue bombing victim. Probably a terrible movie, but, Denzel. Well suited to denial phase of grieving a death.
posted by wonton endangerment at 6:52 AM on November 2, 2015

nthing iZombie. Thought it would be a silly Disney style show but was pleasantly surprised.

"Spy" with Melissa McCarthy in. A surprisingly funny little movie, nice spin on the spy genre. Strong women, lots of silly spy movie tropes played with. Some surprising actors playing comedy roles. Make sure you get the right film, a couple of others of hers came out at the same time & they are no where near as good.
posted by wwax at 7:01 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I'm five weeks in to a very traumatic breakup, myself, and have been listening to tons of podcasts and watching comfort television to pass the time.

For podcasts, I second the recommendation for "Answer Me This," which is just PLEASANT. Funny and informative, but most of all gentle and easy to listen to. Mystery Show is also very satisfying and quirky, though there are only, what, six episodes?

My go-to media has been Bob's Burgers and Murder, She Wrote. Bob's Burgers was recommended in another AskMeFi thread about, as I recall, generally happy or positive shows. It meets the quirkiness and strong female characters requirement. It's hilarious, and the characters are genuinely lovable (especially the mother & daughters). There are some happy family/relationshp moments that have given me a twinge, but nothing major. For the most part, it's been a great comfort.

Murder, She Wrote would meet your needs as a strong female character with little to no romance. It's totally formulaic and predictable, but I find that comforting right now when nothing else feels sure. Jessica Fletcher is a boss who is perfectly comfortable living on her own -- not a bad break-up model. (And frankly, some of the sillier romance-gone-bad-leads-to-crime-for-Jessica-to-solve plotlines are satisfying in my current state).

Oh, and this is a bit outside your requirements, but for soothing, funny, no-romance, no-violence, lots-of-interesting-women watching: The Great British Bake Off. It's a reality competition show and it's charming as all get out.
posted by adastra at 7:08 AM on November 2, 2015

"Strong women" you say? I would highly recommend "Saving Grace" which is available streaming on Netflix. It has Holly Hunter in it and she is phenomenal and deep and emotional and flawed and empowered and I just love it so much.

The other emotional stuff I enjoy is First Position which is a great documentary about ballet.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is really wonderful, too. Sure, it is a kids' cartoon, but the art and the story and the characters draw you in such that you will love them all.

Stargate: SG1 was recommended upthread, as well. Again, another great kinda buddy SciFi with Sam who is a strong woman (even if I want to smack Daniel in the face sometimes) who even battles in a knife fight. Again, these are buddies you will fall in love with as well.
posted by jillithd at 7:38 AM on November 2, 2015

The podcast Again With This - basically just two smart, funny women recapping and commenting on every episode of Beverly Hills 90210 (the original 90s series).

And, weirdly, I'm going to concur on Murder She Wrote. Cue up Murder She Wrote on Netflix and give yourself something easy to do with your hands (knitting, cross-stitch, coloring, peeling carrots, whatever) and soon your afternoon will have magically disappeared. I usually end up looking up half the guest stars on IMDb as well, because Murder She Wrote is a festival of "Hey it's that B-list celebrity from the 80s!"
posted by mskyle at 8:12 AM on November 2, 2015

Nthing Gilmore Girls, Miss Fisher's Muder Mysteries, and Call the Midwife. I'm also currently enjoying (to my surprise) Madam Secretary. Not a female lead, but another british quirky show I like is Doc Martin.
posted by dpx.mfx at 8:39 AM on November 2, 2015

Doctor Who!
posted by monologish at 8:47 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Monty Python's Life of Brian
posted by not_on_display at 8:59 AM on November 2, 2015

You need to laugh; therefore, you need to watch possibly the funniest movie ever: "My Cousin Vinny." There's even a strong female character.

Enjoy, and I know you're going to come out the other side of this a stronger person.
posted by Dolley at 10:22 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Totally totally agree with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! It's all about how a woman survives and builds a new life.

(Perennial recommendation) Slings & Arrows. It's a delight, though thre are some romantic themes especially around reconciliation that may hurt right now--maybe in a couple of months.

HBO's Rome is a gloriously over-the-top series, only two seasons though.

Golden Girls.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:26 AM on November 2, 2015

I have similar interests! These are my go-to comfort watches (all on Netflix streaming!), a lot of which are seconds/thirds/fourths to the other recommendations above:
- Futurama
- Arrested Development
- 30 Rock
- Parks & Recreation
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Bob's Burgers

These should give you many hours of time passing hopefully!

All comedies with minimal violence/suspense. Pretty much all of these are light on the romance and/or mostly feature short-term romances with the primary focus on other things, but watch out for feels-containing romance-driven plotlines in Parks & Rec seasons 4 & 5 particularly.

Kimmy Schmidt is probably a particularly good breakup watch since it focuses on a woman building herself a totally new life after a major upheaval and has nice themes of being yourself and powering through even when things are shitty and ridic.
posted by anotherthink at 10:56 AM on November 2, 2015

Response by poster: Oh thank you all so much! I had to stop marking best answers as there were too many that looked good. I shall watch tv and drink white wine and eventually it will be next year.
posted by eggkeeper at 11:04 AM on November 2, 2015 [8 favorites]

Oh hey girl. Holing up with Netflix and hibernating to heal a broken heart is, like, my wheelhouse. Nthing any recommendations for Parks and Recreation and Gilmore Girls -- Parks and Rec especially is nice to watch when you're feeling low, at least it is for me, because it's just nice. It's not a show about scandals and intrigue and backstabbing, it's a show about being nice and helping people, and it's funny as balls, and on really rough days it still helps restore some of my faith in humanity. Gilmore Girls is just comfort food for your eyeballs. Mr. Robot is another recent favorite that is good for marathoning, as is Orphan Black. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is great, and if you haven't seen 30 Rock yet, throw that on your list. On Hulu, try Drunk History, always great for a laugh. Broad City, too. Slings and Arrows is great but I'd agree that it can dredge up some tender feels, so maybe put that one on the "it's been a while now and i feel less crappy than i did before" viewing list. Murder She Wrote, or Columbo, or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries... also great for getting lost in for a while. Any police procedural or detective whodunit show is great for this sort of situation.

Lately I've been watching the crap out of the entire run of The Golden Girls, because I needed some strong female influence and a refresher on my give-no-fucks attitude. It's been helping, so I very highly recommend that if you can get your hands on it... and if you want it and can't find it easily to rent or buy, MeMail me.

(Oh, and on the strong woman tip: girl, XENA. It's on Netflix, get up on that.)
posted by palomar at 1:36 PM on November 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, all! I'm going to mark this as answered. For the record, the movie Maleficent has been rockin me, that cry when she discovers her wings are gone, the revenge, the redemption, and watching Angelina--all working for me. The TV shows that I am currently watching--Steven Universe, Call the Midwife, and Grace and Frankie. You have all helped, and the kindness helped lots, too. Peace and chocolate to everyone else in the same boat.
posted by eggkeeper at 7:51 PM on November 18, 2015 [2 favorites]