Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Cornell Daily Sun
Submit a Tip
Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Melissa Moon / Assistant Arts and Culture Editor

AYSW? | Graduating through TV

Reading time: about 5 minutes

I’ve spent more time watching TV this year than during my last three years of college. My freshman year, I essentially cut myself off from watching TV to “focus.” While binge-watching can definitely be distracting, it's important to see how valuable TV can be. Sitting down to watch an episode (or more) with friends after a long day is revitalizing. Watching your comfort show lets you escape from your worries. And keeping up with TV can be a great way to start conversation. 

When I started thinking about what I’ve been watching recently, I realized the life lessons I took from all of them had something to do with growing older and moving forward. Television has given me an outlet to sort out my graduation-related thoughts over the last few months, and I’m excited to share what I’ve been watching. Maybe they’ll help you in some transitional moments too — or just bring some joy.

Hacks

Hacks gives me hope that comedy on TV has a future — too often shows have recently sacrificed comedy, or done it horribly, but Hacks is full of humor with an authentic feel. I don’t see Hacks as a laugh-out-loud comedy with constant punchlines, like 30 Rock or The Office. Instead, Hacks challenges the comedy genre to show how humor doesn't need to take center stage but, rather, it can be braided through life to provide comfort, education and bliss… even if you’re not actually laughing. It reminds us that not everything has to be taken so seriously. 

The show centers on two imperfect female leads from separate generations: Ava, a 25-year-old comedy writer, and Deborah, a seasoned, extravagant comedian in Las Vegas. They aren’t the ideal role models per se — they’re sometimes narcissistic, rude and out of touch — but they’re learning, just as we all are. Hacks reminds us that people aren’t meant to be kept in a box. The cinematography, set and costumes also stunningly reflect this message. Take Deborah’s home: it's an elaborate, expensive mansion… yet its kitchen has a soda machine you’d find at McDonald’s. 

It’s nice to see that you can grow older, make mistakes and find new opportunities along the way. 

Felicity

I’ve watched Felicity once before, but I recently returned to it. Its focus on college and figuring out one’s life feels very fitting now. It also feels nostalgic to watch it again — it’s weird to watch it now, at an age that’s generally older than the main characters. 

While Felicity makes arguably insane decisions — the first being abandoning her Stanford acceptance to follow a guy she barely knows to college in New York — there’s a thrilling feeling about them. It’s nice to see an example of someone making a lot of turns as they figure out their life, and how that often comes with the greatest highs. As Felicity moves through college, you see her grow more comfortable with herself and focus on relationships and interests that are truly her, instead of ones she thought she was supposed to take.

The Studio

“Prestige films and box office hits - those are not mutually exclusive. We can do both and we will do both,” announces Matt Remick, the frazzled Hollywood studio head in The Studio’s pilot. Played by Seth Rogan, Matt is a self-proclaimed movie enthusiast who makes constant hilarious mistakes as he deals with balancing profitability with creativity in filmmaking. 

The Studio takes the absurdity of a workplace to another level… but it also seems accurate. Nearly all the show reviews I’ve seen comment on how people in entertainment can’t count the number of resemblances they see between the show and real life. The Studio takes its commentary a step further with cameos from actual celebrities like Martin Scorsese and Zac Eorn, and the “fictional” cast even seems to be based on real people. It also has a cinema verite style, with continuous shots without cuts, adding to the feeling of realness.

From a meta-perspective, the show is also trying to be a profitable “prestige TV” hit. The Studio makes me question how far people will go for values like money, art and love, and how the show’s connection to actual life will unfold.

Gilmore Girls

I’m always watching Gilmore Girls. It's the comfort show I come back to again and again. The rhythm of the show ultimately drives it forward, with Rory and Lorelai’s banter and Emily and Richard’s weekly Friday night dinners. Gilmore Girls has so much heart and humor that when I watch episodes for the fourth or fifth time, I still love it. I like seeing how the core cast grows over the series’ seven seasons, overcoming life obstacles or transitional periods from money issues, family fights, breakups to graduations. Gilmore Girls provides a great reminder of how different relationships can guide you through it all — if you have the right people around you, anything is possible.

Balancing nostalgic shows with newly released series has been a good formula for me to use when deciding what shows to watch this year. Series like The Studio and Hacks now draw my attention, departing from my old favorite coming-of-age CW classics. I guess I’m growing up.

Gillian Lee is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at gl386@cornell.edu.


Read More