Best TV shows with audio description?
August 29, 2023 4:21 PM   Subscribe

I have bad migraines so it’s hard for me to watch TV because the video aggravates my condition. I started watching TV with audio descriptions for the blind, so that I can enjoy TV shows but rest my eyes. Some shows have great descriptions of some have poor, and some have none. Do you have any recommendations for shows with great audio descriptions?

I am amazed at how a great audio description completely brings a show to life. A bad description, however, is really flat and just sad. And, of course, many shows don’t have descriptions at all.

I’ve been enjoying the show “Leverage: Redemption” on FreeVee but I’m almost done, and I’m having trouble finding my next show. What TV shows do you recommend that have great audio descriptions that bring the show to life? (Bonus points if the show is currently streaming in the US and you know the platform.)
posted by radioamy to Media & Arts (4 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
I recommend Netflix in general for good audio description; all their original programming has high quality AD. Sadly I haven't watched a lot that sticks out in memory lately.

I know that there are many shows on the streaming services nowadays which offer it, sometimes narrated by text to speech, which is a whole nother kettle of fish.
posted by Alensin at 5:28 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]


For some reason a TV channel in Canada (Global) has started broadcasting all of the NCIS shows with audio descriptions turned on. I have no idea why. But I can say that the descriptions seem useful. I don't know if they're "great" as I don't have a framework for comparison.
posted by sardonyx at 7:53 PM on August 29, 2023


https://rockfordisability.com/2021/04/16/10-best-tv-shows-with-audio-description/ recommends:
. Stranger Things
. Black Mirror
. The OA
. Breaking Bad and
. The End of the F***ing World all on Netflix,

and also:
. His Dark Materials
. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and a handful of others, on other platforms.
posted by adekllny at 6:29 AM on August 30, 2023


I prefer audio to TV for similar reasons (migraines/chronic pain) and I'm on the lookout for shows with good audio description, too!

Sorry to not answer the question directly, but one roundabout solution I've found is to watch (listen to) "talky" sitcoms. Shows where the characters mostly just sit and stand around in the same handful of locations, like Seinfeld and Frasier. That way, I feel like I'm getting the bulk of the show's content, regardless of the quality of audio description.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 3:59 PM on September 9, 2023


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