Leaving home, meeting new flatmates, figuring out how a washing machine works - university life is quite the ride. Whether you're heading into freshers' week, battling a dissertation deadline, or simply avoiding that reading list for another evening, having the right comfort show on standby is essential.
From laugh-out-loud comedies and iconic student favourites to easy reality TV watches perfect for flatmate catch-ups, we've rounded up the best shows for university students to watch. Grab your meal deal, find the least questionable spot on the sofa, and press play.
Taskmaster
Watch now on Channel 4
There are few things more comforting than watching extremely talented people completely fail at simple tasks. Over the years, comedians, actors and presenters have all stepped into the Taskmaster arena convinced they'll be brilliant. They rarely are. Under the watchful eye of Greg Davies and his loyal assistant Alex Horne, chaos unfolds weekly. Whether you're a first-time viewer or revisiting old series for the fifth time, it's impossible not to get sucked in.
Love Island USA
Available on ITV X
Academic journals are important. So is knowing exactly who recoupled with who and why everyone is suddenly sleeping on the daybeds. After a long day of lectures, seminars and pretending to understand your reading list, Love Island USA provides the perfect switch-your-brain-off viewing. Sun, drama, bombshell arrivals and enough plot twists to fuel group chats for days. This is compulsory flatmate television.
Ann Droid
Watch now on BBC iPlayer
Diane Morgan brings her signature dry wit to this brilliantly bonkers comedy about an AI carer with zero understanding of boundaries. We've got our fingers crossed for series 2!
Fresh Meat
Watch now on Channel 4 and STV player
Fresh Meat is essential when it comes to university shows! Brought to you be the creators of Peep Show, this comedy drama highlights the hilarious and often painful truths of being a student. Set at the fictional Manchester Medlock university, six students share a house off-campus and go through many ups and downs as they mature into adults!
Fleabag
Watch on BBC iPlayer
Some shows get recommended a lot. Fleabag gets recommended for a reason. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's award-winning comedy-drama follows a young woman navigating grief, family chaos, disastrous relationships and an ongoing tendency to self-sabotage. The genius lies in how funny and devastating it can be within the same scene. Fair warning though: you'll start every episode planning to watch one and somehow emerge several hours later emotionally changed.
Peep Show
Watch now on Channel 4
Now this one may not be about uni but not only is it a good comfort show, it’s also about life after uni as you enter the real world of work. Based in Croydon, Peep Show follows the hilarious duo of Mark Corrigan (David Mitchell) and Jez Usbourne (Robert Webb) as they go about their lives in their late twenties!
Suits
Watch now on Channel 4
We all loveeee a feel good tv classic! Suits is a smart, stylish legal drama with Grabriel Macht, Patrick J Adams and Meghan Markle. After a drug deal goes bad, Mike Ross, a college dropout with a photographic memory lands a job as an associate at a New York City law firm, despite having no legal qualifications. Follow Mike Ross and Harvey Specter as they win cases and close deals, all while keeping Mikes secret!
Stath Lets Flats
Watch on Channel 4
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If university has taught us one thing, it's that confidence and competence are definitely not the same thing. Enter Stath. Jamie Demetriou stars as the world's most chaotic letting agent, desperately trying to keep up with colleagues, impress customers and convince everyone he knows what he's doing. Every viewing turns into a disaster, every conversation goes off the rails and somehow it just gets funnier. Consider this your reminder that we're all making it up as we go along.
The Vampire Diaries
Available now on ITVX
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What better way to cure your hangovers than this coming-of-age legacy! Classic drama with a bite… this supernatural series is about teen Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) who falls in love with two vampire brothers - one good, one evil. Who will she choose?
All Creatures Great & Small
Stream now on 5
A historical drama with loads of cute animals? We loveeee it! It’s the 1930s and newly qualified veterinary surgeon James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) moves from his home in Glasgow to the Yorkshire Dales! He swiftly becomes immersed in the local culture and experiences some hilarious adventures as he meets the locals and their animals!
Gavin and Stacey
Watch now on BBC iPlayer
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A TV classic, Essex boy Gavin (Mathew Horne) and Barry Island girl Stacey (Joanna Page) begin a relationship over the phone when they are at work. This British sitcom follows them on their relationship journey from finally meeting to falling in love, getting married (despite some doubts) and hunting for their first home!
But we couldn't put together a student TV survival kit without giving a nod to some absolute icons. Whether you're sticking on Friends while tackling coursework, diving into Breaking Bad for "just one more episode" (famous last words), or rewatching Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the hundredth time, these classics never miss.
If your watchlist is still looking a little empty, our guide to the best British comedy shows is packed with even more iconic sitcoms and laugh-out-loud gems. Thank us later.
