15 TV shows to help you learn English

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The most enjoyable way to learn new vocabulary and improve your listening comprehension of foreign speech.

Together with expert Anastasia Ivanova, we chose 15 series for learning English and divided them into groups depending on the level of difficulty. Choose the right one and start browsing!

Elementary

1. Extr @

• Comedy.
• UK, 2002.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The episodes are simple but engaging, and the characters' speech is easy to understand. What you need for beginners.

TV shows like Extr @ were specially filmed in order for the viewer to understand and learn basic phrases. And you will definitely do this if you watch, or even better - repeat after the characters. You will be able to explore topics such as the tenses of the Simple group, the imperative, and the plural of nouns.

Anastasia Ivanova

Pre-Intermediate

2. Desperate Housewives

• Drama, melodrama, detective.
• USA, 2004.
• Duration: 8 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

One of those TV shows that you start watching and can't stop, even if you really want to. The plot tells about four friends, whose lives are full of intrigues and mysteries. The heroes are talking about everyday things, so it will be easy to understand them.

I find any TV series more useful than a movie, because there are many episodes in the series about the same thing. The same people, in the same places, talk about the same topics. After watching this series, you will definitely remember the necessary phrases for small talk: everyone constantly asks how anyone is doing, how are children, schools, work. Inevitably, the phrases themselves stick, and the understanding that small talk is a must in the English-speaking culture.

Anastasia Ivanova

3. Alf

• Science fiction, comedy.
• USA, 1986.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

A very old sitcom about an alien who lives in the home of a simple American family. The episodes run for 20 minutes and will not take much time. In return, you will get a good mood and expand your vocabulary.

Standard daily phrases about life, home, communication. A lot of jokes from 1986. If you learn the entire script of the series by heart, you can easily and simply live in a small American city and calmly communicate with friends in the store. They will not be mistaken for an alien.

Anastasia Ivanova

4. Wastes

• Science fiction, drama, comedy.
• UK, 2009.
• Duration: 5 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

The story of how a group of young people sentenced to community service acquired superpowers.

There are a lot of swear words, just obscene words, various euphemisms for the names of secondary and primary sexual characteristics, insults and ways to snap back. On YouTube, in general, there is a cut of only curses from the series. And so - very fast British English of modern illegal youth. These are the guys your mom had in mind when she was afraid that you would contact bad company.

Anastasia Ivanova

5. Losers

• Musical, drama, comedy.
• USA, 2009.
• Duration: 6 seasons.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

A Spanish teacher gathers a group of student losers in the hopes of reviving the school choir. There are many songs in the series, but this is even good, because in this form it is much easier to learn the language.

An ideal TV show for those who love modern and not very pop music. You will hear covers of well-known songs. If you learn to sing along, you will have an increase in vocabulary. It is much easier to memorize words and whole phrases to music than just sight.

Anastasia Ivanova

Intermediate

6. Being Erica

• Fantasy, melodrama, comedy.
• Canada, 2009.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

The story of a young girl who is able to return to key moments in her life to change the course of events. Despite the fact that the plot seems fantastic, all the events of the series are relevant to our lives. Who knows, maybe you will not only learn English, but also reconsider your views on some things.

Simple and everyday phrases, fixed expressions. Everything that you 100% meet in real life. Plus Dr. Tom, who speaks with quotes (you will recognize some of them if you have watched all the films from the list above). And also a lot of the past tense.

Anastasia Ivanova

7. Friends

• Comedy, melodrama.
• USA, 1994.
• Duration: 10 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

One of the most popular sitcoms in the world. It is unlikely that there is a person who at least out of the corner of his ear has not heard about him. "Friends" remain relevant to this day thanks to simple humor, easy dialogues and charismatic characters.

8. Office

• Comedy.
• USA, 2005.
• Duration: 9 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 8.

The story of the employees of an unremarkable American company. The series can be watched in two versions: English and American. Both are great actors and jokes for all time.

These two series - "Friends" and "The Office" - must be watched in the original, of course, for jokes. When translating, half of the meaning is lost, if not more. It is impossible to translate the joke “I’m not superstitious, I’m just a little … stitious” into Russian. I'm not talking about the endless pun from Chandler Bing. Plus phrases for daily communication with colleagues and friends, a description of your day, ordinary situations. In addition, both series show more or less real daily life of Americans, which is also interesting from a cultural point of view.

Anastasia Ivanova

9. American family

• Melodrama, comedy.
• USA, 2009.
• Duration: 10 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

The American Family keeps up with the times. The characters' speech sounds light and natural, and the situations they find themselves in are familiar to everyone. The series will not only give you a good mood, but also bring your spoken English to perfection.

A series from which, in addition to vocabulary and grammar, you can take out a little tolerance. In addition, one of the main characters speaks English as a non-native language, which helps many to relax and not worry about their accent. Since the audience understands and loves Sofia Vergara, you have nothing to fear.

Anastasia Ivanova

Upper-Intermediate

10. Gossip Girl

• Drama, melodrama.
• USA, 2007.
• Duration: 6 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

A story about the lives of wealthy and carefree students in Manhattan. The plot may not be to everyone's liking, but the show is worth watching, if only for the sake of learning modern American speech.

Vocabulary for young people - relationships, falling in love, gossip, betrayal, friendship, a lot of dialogues. This means that you will be able to memorize the principles of colloquial speech. For example, fillers like "Um … Uh!" And be sure to "You know". This is something like our "Understand?" Then “You know” was replaced by the great and terrible “Like”, which is now used on business and without (more often without), but this is a completely different story.

Anastasia Ivanova

11. Downton Abbey

• Drama, melodrama.
• UK, 2010.
• Duration: 6 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

The series will delight you with exquisite English speech and first-class acting. The plot tells about the life of the owners of the estate and their servants. The characters' speech is quite complex, but this particular series will provide a good basis for formal English.

In addition to learning how they lived in the ancestral estates when the Titanic sank, you will listen to real British English. You will recognize many job titles for everyone who worked in such a house: maid, butler, valet, and so on. But in general - ordinary family conversations about marriages, debts, home, work. Just from the beginning of the 20th century.

Anastasia Ivanova

12. Doctor Who

• Science fiction, adventure, comedy.
• UK, 2005.
• Duration: 11 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

The legendary English TV series about the time and space traveler was relaunched in the mid-2000s. Doctor Who is complicated due to the abundance of scientific terms, but all the corners are smoothed out by excellent English humor and a fascinating plot.

A great series to listen to how the same character speaks differently - after all, it is played by different actors! Plus an incredible cast of famous British actors and actresses in supporting roles.

Anastasia Ivanova

Advanced

13. Game of Thrones

• Fantasy, drama, adventure.
• USA, UK, 2001.
• Duration: 8 seasons.
• IMDb: 9, 5.

A story about the struggle of the Westeros families for the iron throne with unpredictable plot twists. In "Game of Thrones" there are expressions that are unlikely to be useful to you in everyday life, but you will get used to the English language and different accents that are not heard in Russian dubbing.

An interesting series from the point of view of foreign languages, because it contains scenes where the characters speak non-existent languages, specially invented by George Martin and the team of the series. On YouTube, you can find an interview with Emilia Clarke (Khaleesi), where she talks about how she teaches her inspired speeches for the people in a fictitious language. I don’t know why many are afraid to watch this show in the original. Having learned a couple of dozen words ("heir", "guards", "message", "raven"), you will understand the plot in the original, especially if you are watching the series not for the first time.

Anastasia Ivanova

14. Sherlock

• Thriller, drama, detective.
• UK, USA, 2010.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 9, 2.

A modern interpretation of the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. Starring British actors, and theatrical, which means you can enjoy excellent English pronunciation for an hour and a half.

Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch's excellent English, which is considered the standard, the so-called Received Pronunciation, which is taught to members of the royal family and students of very expensive private schools (just the Cumberbatch situation). Memorize solve a crime, suspect and a few other words from the detective vocabulary. In general, just enjoy the speech of the protagonist and his colleagues. You've known the plot for a long time.

Anastasia Ivanova

15. The Big Bang Theory

• Melodrama, comedy.
• USA, 2007.
• Duration: 12 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

The story will focus on four botanical scientists who face common human problems. From time to time, complex expressions and scientific terms sound in the series, but otherwise the characters are explained in simple language. Despite the abundance of geeky jokes, viewers unfamiliar with this culture will also be pleased. The Big Bang Theory was filmed for a wide audience.

I know that many are afraid of this series because of the complex scientific vocabulary. In fact, Penny's speech seems to me the most interesting. After listening to it, you will definitely remember the affectionate words that you can call your friends and loved ones. She says sweetheart a million times more often than Sheldon does some scientific term [sarcasm sign]. By the way, both sarcasm and irony from the series cannot be translated into Russian. Plus - Raj, who speaks with such an accent that if you were not persuaded by Sofia Vergara from the "American Family" above, then now you will certainly cease to be ashamed of your pronunciation.

Anastasia Ivanova