Welcome to Cambridge! Once you realise that churning out essays and solving problem sheets is not as glamorous as some Youtubers may have led you to believe, life starts to seem pretty bleak. You begin to crave an escape, an outlet to lull your brain into a false sense of satisfaction and peace. 

The obvious solution is to cash in your 6 months of free Amazon Prime and log into your parents’/ex’s/old friend’s aunt’s colleague’s Netflix account. You are seeking a fantasy, a distraction other than reading bad Tinder bios, and what screams escapist more than a cast of twenty-eight year olds pretending to be a decade younger than they are?

Below is a list of top TV shows that feature students, in the sense that they are people who attend at least a place of academia, but not in the sense that they ever worry about homework, readings, or faking an interest in finance for Skype interviews. The only books these students are ever seen reading are titled ‘Economics: An Introduction to Economics with Economics’, and that’s only during a split-second frame, before a supporting character interrupts their intense studying with a revelation that brings them closer to ending up with their One True Love. The only interruption from reading that I get is when I decide to go to the UL Tea Room to have brunch.

Dear White People

The show takes place in a very white elite institution fraught with racial tensions between students – imagine that! Funny and original with a creative structure that pays off, Dear White People even features an episode directed by Barry Jenkins (of Moonlight fame). 

Where to find it: Netflix

Total binge time: 15 hours

Elite

Watching Elite will make you want to email your tutor to discuss an immediate subject switch to MML. Hailing from Spain, Elite is about three working class students who earn scholarships to study at an upper crust institution where everybody is ridiculously wealthy and hot. This may sound familiar to you if you didn’t previously attend Westminster or Eton, except Elite has murder and Cambridge does not have hot people.

Where to find it: Netflix

Total binge time: 13 hours, 20 minutes

The Politician

Sick of rewatching old Glee song compilations on Youtube? The creators of Glee have gifted us with The Politician, a camp House of Cards that provides the excitement of watching a political debate without the cold horror of having to listen to climate change deniers. The plot is a never ending series of gossip and backstabbing and the characters are armed with a complete lack of self-awareness. Hands down the best research for all the Union and JCR hacks out there.

Where to find it: Netflix

Total binge time: 8 hours

Gossip Girl

An oldie but a goodie. Don’t overlook this show just because its main fan-base consists of thirteen year olds who shop at Abercrombie and Fitch. With snappy dialogue and prestigious internships showering upon the undeserving characters at every plot twist, this escapist fantasy will supply your brain with the serotonin boost you need to keep going past Week 5. 

Where to find it: Netflix

Total binge time: 3 days, 12 hours, 42 minutes

How to Get Away with Murder

Embodies the same stressful energy as the Law faculty library, except this is enjoyable and won’t make you feel insecure about your Linkedin profile. 

Where to find it: Netflix

Total binge time: 2 days, 7 hours, 54 minutes

Scrubs

Featuring young medical students interning at a hospital, Scrubs actually does involve students doing work, but its escapist nature lies in the fact that the characters are generally emotionally stable. Lighthearted and low in drama, you might even manage to finish your essays in time if you start this show.

Where to find it: Amazon Prime

Total binge time: 3 days, 48 minutes

Skam

Set in Norway, on top of demonstrating what a stable democracy that is not a part of the EU looks like, Skam is the most realistic depiction of teenage life on television. Starring actors who are for once the appropriate age, the show tackles loneliness, homophobia, racism, and a complete disregard for last-minute studying for exams. 

Where to find it: Dailymotion 

Total binge time: 17 hours, 55 minutes