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Improve English with TV Series, Films & Podcasts

TV Series, movies & podcasts: A fun, easy way to improve your English.

CEFR Level: intermediate to advanced

For this blog, we’ve asked our smart native-speaker English trainers to dish (=share some secrets, gossip) about their favorite shows. With these recommendations, you can Improve your English with TV series, films & podcasts. So sit back, relax, and have fun while keeping your English accent, vocabulary, comprehension and sentence structures growing and improving! Popcorn is optional.

As you will see, these choices are “all over the map,” literally and figuratively, so we think you will agree that there’s, “something for everybody!” I know that I will definitely be diving into some of these recommendations. And now, I’ll have even more ideas when clients ask, “What should I watch? Listen to?”

For example, “Suits” is great for business English clients. “Ted Lasso” can help with understanding the difference between British and American English accents. And Ira Glass’s “This American Life” (podcast) is a treasure trove of true stories, told very, very well. I love it.

Please note that our “where to watch-it” is based on Amsterdam, the hometown of The English Center. But all of these recommendations are widely available. 

Before we move on to our “fast, fun fluency” recommendations for improving your English, let’s explain how watching, listening and reading English really works.

How it works: Improve English with TV series, films & podcasts.

  1. Listening Skills: Exposure to English will improve your auditory comprehension. (=Give you a strong “ear for English.”)
  2. Vocabulary: Contextual learning of new words and phrases will reinforce and expand your available words.
  3. Pronunciation: Hearing correct pronunciation will allow you to tune your own sound. Be an accent copycat!
  4. Intonation: Being aware of English language music (the ups and downs we call intonation) is essential for both understanding and speaking good English. In English, intonation carries loads of meaning! Listen, repeat, exaggerate!
  5. Grammar and Structure: Hearing proper sentence structure and grammar usage in context will reinforce those patterns in your own speech.
  6. Critical Thinking: Listening to people speaking about diverse topics, and going deep with discussions, will improve your ability to process information in English.
  7. Cultural Context: Understanding idioms, slang, and cultural references will facilitate your relationship with English: providing insights into the (deeper) meaning of what is said.

Pro Tip! Stop and replay when you miss something. Pause and take a note. Keep your phone’s recorder ready to capture sentences you didn’t understand. Stop and repeat the lines you just heard; be dramatic and exaggerate your intonation.

Pro Tip! Make a note of new words and phrases. Put them in your new vocabulary spreadsheet. (You have one, right?) Translate them after, then define them, and write a sentence with each word or phrase.

Pro Tip! Use movie subtitles, not as a crutch, but to help your brain connect the way words look & are spelled with the way they sound. This is very helpful for English learners, because English spelling is often quite disconnected from English pronunciation. 

About vocabulary spreadsheets vs. notebooks: I must admit that there is some research to suggest that recall is better when words are written rather than typed, but I think that the functionality of a spreadsheet is unbeatable. In any case, don’t lose those shiny new English words! Capture them, revisit them, study them, speak them, and remember them.

And now, the recommendations! In no particular order :-), starting with the series.

Improve English with TV series: It’s time to binge-watch!

Genre: Comedy drama

Where: AppleTV+

Comment: Really positive and heartwarming. Many people love this series!

Accents: British and American English

Recommended by: English Center Trainer, Eva

Genre: Horror free / character driven comedy

Where: BBC iPlayer

Trailer Link: https://youtu.be/5e0nB1mSd9Q

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Alexandra

Genre: Dark comedy / drama / anthology

Where: HBO Max

Trailer: https://youtu.be/TGLq7_MonZ4

Accents: British, Australian, American, other

Recommended by English Center Course Advisor & Trainer, Kerry

Genre: Comedy / drama / sitcom / satire

Where: Hulu

Trailer: https://youtu.be/W0uWS6CnC2o

Accent: American

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Yvonne

Genre: BBC TV series / sitcom / drama / historical fiction

Where: Prime Video

Trailer/sample: https://youtu.be/RZnGGFoVY7c

Accent: British

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Aubrey

Genre: Sitcom / comedy / relationship-based story lines.

Comment: This is an iconic, acclaimed and beloved series. It’s highly recommended for the study of English pronunciation and idiom.

Where: Prime VIdeo

Trailer: https://youtu.be/IEEbUzffzrk

Accent: American

Recommended by: our client, Tatiana S, and English Center Trainer’s Marike and Harbani 

Genre: Drama

Where: Netflix

Trailer: https://youtu.be/85z53bAebsI

Accent: American

Pro tip: Great for Business English because it is a legal drama and hey, it features Meghan Markle!

Recommended by our client Erik M.

Author: Harper Lee

Genre: Americana / family / historical fiction

Where: Prime Video or bookstores (see below)

Trailer: https://youtu.be/4-CrrtYjrbM

“Mockingbird” is often listed as the greatest American novel ever written, yet it is an easy read. Highly recommended! This 1962 film won Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Accent: American

Prefer to read it? Support your local book store and buy the book at American Book Center or Waterstones. Next best choice is Bol.com or, of course, Amazon.

Recommended by: English Center Trainer, Krys, who loves southern film & literature and wants to remind everyone that both the book and the film are absolutely top notch.

What do teachers recommend? Improve your English with movies.

Genre: Comedy / mystery / drama

Where: Pathè Thuis

Accent: British

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Eva

Genre: Period romantic comedy

Where: Pathè Thuis and Amazon Prime

Accent: British

Recommended by: Brenda de Jong-Pauley, Director, The English Center

Genre: Comedy / British humour / buddy movie

Where: See above

Accent: British

Fun note: The English Center is proud to have provided Texas-style English dialect coaching to actor Nick Frost (Welsh star of the 2 aforementioned movies.) However, the coaching was for a third, more recent film, the dark comedy “Krazy House,” released in 2024. 

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Aubrey

Genre: comedy / drama

Where: Prime Video

Based on the book by: Rosalie Ham

Accent: Australian

Recommended by English Center Course Advisor & Trainer, Kerry (an Australian!!)

Genre: Suspense / psychological thriller

Where: Both versions at Netflix

Comment: There are two great versions of this story. I wonder which one you’ll like better?

Recommended by English Center Course Advisor & Trainer Kerry

Ted: In a category all by itself

TED Talks: A treasure trove of (free) smart talks, all in English, on all kinds of topics! Transcripts and translations are often included. Go to TED.

Recommended by Brenda de Jong-Pauley, Director, The English Center

Spotify: Improve your English with podcasts

In Spotify, you’ll find a huge selection of podcasts. Truly something for everyone! Listen to Podcasts when you’re brushing your teeth, cooking dinner, gardening, soaking in the bath, walking in the park, or basking in the sun. With or without earbuds, I love podcasts, and they are definitely a fun, easy way to improve your English.

A few of my favorite English podcasts are–

“This American Life.” The first ever Pulitzer Prize winning podcast, narrated by Ira Glass. Wonderful (!) and very popular with our clients. True stories that unfold like movies. (American English)

“You Must Remember This.” All about Hollywood, from its inception to the end of the 20th century. Karina Longworth shares the secret and forgotten stories of Hollywood’s first century. A must-hear for any film buff. (American English)

“Letter from an American:” A narrated newsletter by Heather Cox Richardson, historian and professor at Boston College, examining the history behind today’s politics. (American English)

“Radiolab” Science and history through the lens of investigative journalism.(American English)

“The Economist” (British and world news) As they describe it, “Making sense of the stories behind the headlines.” (British English)

“The Ted Interview:” Head of Ted, Chris Anderson, interviews leading thinkers and creators from around the world.

“The Daily” (New York TImes) (American English)

“The New Yorker Radio Hour” (political) (American English)

“The Moth” (first person stories, told by the person who experienced it) (American English)

Podcasts recommended by Brenda de Jong-Pauley, Director, The English Center

Body Electric” (limited series about how our technology is affecting how we use our bodies. From NPR: National Public Radio, US)

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Taylor

“Pushkin Industries” (an array of podcasts covering history, current affairs, true crime, business, culture and more)

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Casey

LeVar Burton Reads” (short stories with great intonation, to help with accent/pronunciation)

Recommended by English Center Trainer, Yvonne

Improve your English with a personalised English course!

Now that you know how easy it is to improve English with TV series, films & podcasts, plus what to keep in mind while you are watching or listening (Pro Tips) we hope that you get lots of fun, easy practice.

And if you want to take a more serious approach to your spoken English sound, we’ve got you covered with English Accent Training.

Or if you want a fast improvement in your English, and the fun approach may not be quite enough 😉 check out our Intensive English Course page.

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Author “Improve English with TV Series, Films & Podcasts” – Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA. Director, The English Center

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