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Our tip for you when it comes to choosing a sitcom to help you perfect your English–choose something you like! This list of hilarious English TV shows is a great start.
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristen Davis.
Who hasn’t heard of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte? The four fun-loving women from New York. This is perhaps one of the most romantic sitcoms that has ever been aired (played on TV) or at least lasted the longest.
“Sex and the City” is both set and filmed in NYC and is originally based on the novel “Sex and the City” written by author Candace Bushnell. It follows a group of middle aged trendy women all of whom have different personalities. These women are best friends and you’ll follow their lives and their interesting and somewhat rocky romances.
Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the leading lady. A columnist and fashion icon, Carrie writes articles related to relationships. Often Carrie’s writing and voice act as the narrator and it shares different perspectives of living in New York and being single.
“Sex and the City” has proved to be popular with both men and women from around the world and it was so popular they even made two movies based on the series and prequel series called “The Carrie Diaries.”
Why it’s great to learn English from “Sex and the City”: “Sex and the City” is a fun and enjoyable watch and it doesn’t take so much concentration. The more you enjoy a show, the easier it will be to learn from it. The language is simple and they use many phrasal verbs, which will help you to understand the context of these otherwise tricky phrases.
The English that’s used in the show is natural and typical of NYC, so if you’re planning on heading to the Big Apple, this series is a must-watch. It also deals with a few interesting storylines which relate to modern everyday social issues in the US, such as safe sex, friendship and romantic relationships which will help you to understand some important cultural differences between your country and the USA.
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan and Coby Smulders.
This is an interesting and funny series and in the beginning it’s a little bit difficult to understand because it’s set in the future–in the year 2030. However, once you get used to the idea of a show being set so far ahead of time, you’ll really enjoy it!
The main character is Ted Mosby, and he is retelling the story to his kids of how and when he met his wife (their mom). Ted’s story begins in 2005 when he was 27 years old. He was inspired to get married after his best friend from college got engaged.
However, Ted’s friend Barney, who is a big womanizer (likes women a lot and dates many), is not very happy about Ted’s plan mainly because he will no longer have anyone to go out with and find dates. The story is retold to his kids over the series and there are a number of different stories related to all of Ted’s friends.
Why “How I Met Your Mother” is a great sitcom to learn English from:Despite the complex time issue, this is a very easy series to understand once you understand the idea of it. There’s a narrator throughout the series (Ted) and this helps explain what’s going on.
It’s an entertaining show and uses a lot of humor and everyday language. For example, you’ll hear words such as “high five,” “legendary” and “awesome” being used a lot. This is also a great series to watch in order to understand American culture regarding dating and romance. Barney, the womanizing friend, is incredibly funny. You’ll fall in love with his character immediately, which will have you wanting to watch the rest of the series.
Starring: America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams.
“Ugly Betty” is a fun show aimed at the younger crowd, but that’s not to say older people won’t enjoy this lighthearted American sitcom too. Its main character is Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), a kind and sweet Latino girl from Queens, NYC.
Betty is sweet, but she’s also lacking in basic social skills, confidence and a sense of fashion. (Some of her outfit choices are ridiculous!) She goes from just being a typical unpopular girl to a personal assistant at Modemagazine, based in the coolest part of NYC: Manhattan.
The magazine is run by the very wealthy Bradford Meade. Despite not being cool at all and not fitting in with the image of Mode, Bradford hires Betty to look after his son and also the editor-in-chief, Daniel to make sure he stays out of trouble and runs the business properly. At first, Betty wasn’t really welcomed, but over time they both begin trust each other and even become friends.
Since she was a little girl, Betty’s dream was to become a publisher and although she’s very intelligent and extremely hard-working, she never really had the opportunity because of her looks and her lack of fashion. With her new opportunity at Mode, she’s determined to do everything to fulfill her dream.
Why “Ugly Betty” is a great sitcom to learn English: “Ugly Betty” is easy to follow, especially since a lot of the focus is on Betty’s family—whose first language is not English. It’s also a great way to learn specific vocabulary related to fashion, magazines and publishing.
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt Le Blanc and Lisa Kudrow.
Almost everyone has heard of Ross, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and our favorite funny boy, Joey—the main characters of the world famous sitcom, “Friends.” While this sitcom is no longer being produced, it was and still is so popular that you can always find re-runs (repeat episodes) on TV no matter where you live in the world.
It is a comedy series set in Manhattan, NYC and follows six young friends. Their lives are connected by being blood related, roommates, neighbors and old high school friends and they all find themselves living in the same apartment block. It shows their daily lives, their ups and downs and their daily struggles.
Rachel was a popular rich girl in the past and lives off her dad’s wealth. Monica, Rachael’s best friend, is a chef, a control freak and has trouble with her love life. She was constantly teased and laughed at as a child for being the “fat girl.” Ross is the older brother of Monica and has been in love with Rachel since she and Monica were friends in high school, however, he’s a nerd and his friends often laugh at him about his job–he’s a paleontologist (dinosaur scientist).
He’s also divorced, has a child and is desperate to find a girlfriend. However, he continues to have bad luck with women, including Rachael. Phoebe is a hippy and sometimes acts like she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She’s a masseuse (a person who gives massages) and dreams of becoming a singer even though she doesn’t have much talent.
Chandler works in the office and uses a lot of humor which is often inappropriate. Joey is the most famous character, who is from a traditional Italian immigrant family and loves women. He’s an actor and he dates a number different famous women and his catchphrase (famous saying) is “How you doing?”
The six friends spend most of their time hanging out at Central Perk Café where Rachael works. It’s a very funny show despite it being based on the lives of six everyday people. It’s definitely one to watch.
Why “Friends” is a great sitcom to learn English: This is a funny show and the jokes are very obvious which means you don’t have to understand English perfectly to get what is being said. The characters of the show are all very different and you can learn some excellent English to help you communicate with your friends.
The language is conversational and you’ll also learn how to understand basic humor through the dialogue. The speed of the dialogue also appears to be much slower and clearer than most other sitcoms, which makes it easier for all of you trying to learn English understand more.
Starring: Eva Longoria, Terri Hatcher and Nicolette Sheridan
“Desperate Housewives” is a fun drama that is set on a small suburban street called Wisteria Lane in the fictional (not real) town of Fairview. This cleverly written drama follows the everyday lives of a group of very different women. It has an interesting take and it’s narrated by a woman who died in the first episode aired.
The story spans across 13 years. The viewers are able to become part of the ladies’ lives and watch their everyday domestic struggles in the home with their families. Desperate Housewives is full of drama and there are many secrets on Wisteria Lane with many crimes and love affairs happening. On the surface these ladies seem like they have it all love, family, money and nice homes, however, as you get to know the characters more, you’ll see that these women aren’t so innocent as they first appear.
The pilot (first ever episode) introduces the four main ladies of the show: Lynette Scavo, Susan Mayer, Gabrielle Solis and Bree Van de Kamp. They are all neighbors and very good friends, however, they are shocked when their neighbor and other good friend, Mary Alice Young, dies unexpectedly. They suspect that Mary Alice’s husband has something to do with her death.
We see Susan, a divorced mother of one trying to get the attention of her handsome new neighbor, Mike Delfino. Lynette continues to struggle with motherhood and her four demanding children. Bree, a typical housewife of the ’60s loves to cook and keep a tidy house. However, her life is full of scandal and we watch her struggle to save her marriage to her husband.
Gaby, a beautiful Latino woman and an ex-model tries desperately to hide her love affair from her husband, Carlos. Yes, the lives of these “normal” women are not so normal when you get to know them better. There are many twists and turns and it’s not uncommon for the unexpected to happen on Wisteria Lane.
Why “Desperate Housewives” is a great sitcom to learn English: Funnily enough, “Desperate Housewives” may be one of the best American sitcoms to learn English because of its natural and unforced use of colloquial (every day) and idiomatic language.
The show switches between formal and informal contexts and therefore, you’ll be able to improve your listening skills in a number of different situations. The language used is colorful and it can improve all levels of English and you’ll be able to hear popular sayings such as “it serves him right” and “I want to take a rain check.” (I want to miss this time because I have something to do).
If you watch the right shows, TV can be one of the best ways to learn English.
…so now you’ve got a great excuse! Make the most out of your TV and use it to improve all your English skills and get “real-life” connections instead of the scripted unreal scenarios that you often see in the typical English course book.
Learning English with TV is great.
But there’s one part about it that’s very difficult.
Sometimes it’s hard to understand what is being said.
Other times, it’s a lot of work to look up words and write them down.
Well, there’s a better way to learn English from TV: FluentU.
FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, commercials, news, and inspiring talks and turns them into English learning experiences. You’ll learn English as it’s spoken in real life.
FluentU has a lot of fun videos – topics like popular talk shows, music videos, and funny commercials, as you can see here:
FluentU makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are interactive captions. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.
For example, when you tap on the word “brought”, you see this:
And FluentU is not just for watching videos – it’s a complete English learning platform. Learn all the vocabulary in any video with useful questions. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.
The best part is that FluentU remembers what vocabulary you learned. Using those words, FluentU recommends you examples and videos. You have a truly personalized experience.
Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play stores.
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.
