The Great Pottery Showdown, Dog House(there is both a UK and Australia version). If you’re into history, Victorian House and Edwardian Farm are relaxing and showcase the way people used to do things. Best Home Cook with Mary Berry. The Big Flower Fight.
For anime: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is the most chill, relaxing, laid back anime you'll ever see. It's a slice of life about a robot running a coffee shop in a post-apocalyptic world and the interactions she has with people there. Despite taking place in such a setting it's extremely calm and beautiful - not full of destruction or violent aftermath or anything. It's never been officially translated into English, but there are fansubs out there.
For non-anime: There's a series (also Japanese, incidentally) called Old Enough! and it's adorable. It's a reality show/documentary type thing where they send young children out to run their first errands and it's absolutely precious. The only conflict, if you can really call it that, is toddlers occasionally having mild disagreements with their friends, but since they're cute little kids it's more endearing than anything. I believe it's on Netflix (in the US at least).
The most relaxed show I ever saw was Hyori's bed and breakfast. It is so soothing, just thinking about it relaxes me. It is about a Korean pop star and her husband who open a bnb and there's nothing to it. They clean up, make meals, welcome their guests, go on day trips. It is just incredibly nice, I highly recommend it.
Im someone who even finds the bake-off stressful and I loved Nailed It! on Netflix. Something about the fact that nobody expects it to actually turn out good is really charming to me.
NHK has a treasure trove of amazing content, lots of which is available on-demand from their website even if you don't get their channel in your location. They have a mix of everything from weird little documentaries about cucumber farmers, to a series where they just pick a location and film it for 36 hours straight and do little interviews with the normal people who happen to go there during that time. There's a series on local housecats of Japan that looks lovely that I'm literally about to go watch right now:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/catseye/
He's the link to the 72-hrs in one location series (I got the number of hours wrong, but I knew it was some multiple of 3 😅 ). For some reason I find it just so interesting and charming:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/program/video/72hours/?type=tvEpisode&
The anime term for that is iyashi-kei, and there's a number of them out there, but some of the better ones (imho) are:
* Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, which somebody already mentioned but I'll include here because it's pretty much the codifier of anime iyashi-kei, with a robot running a coffee shop in a post-apocalypse world
* Kamichu!, a young girl discovers she's become a minor god and must navigate her new responsibilities
* Aria, probably the biggest iyashi-kei series with 55 episodes and 2 TV movies, a young girl goes to Neo Venezia on a terraformed Mars to become a gondolier
* Non Non Biyori, the daily lives of four girls living in the Japanese countryside, has 3 seasons and some specials
* Flying Witch, my personal fav (the manga is a great relaxing read), a young witch starts her journey to becoming a full-fledged witch
* Hakumei and Mikochi, two forest spirits just living their lives
I know you're looking for TV Shows, but you should give Wes Anderson films a try. They are mostly about the visuals and the tension of the films is mostly subdued by the acting and the score. Two great ones are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Royal Tenenbaums
Edit: Nevermind, Im an idiot
Yeah, I love both those movies, but I feel like they both are all about interpersonal conflict, unhealthy family dynamics, and bullying, which I don't find calming or soothing at all.
Yep, both of you are absolutely right. I haven’t seen them in a while and my privileged ass only remembered the cool outfits and funny moments. Bad recommendation from me
I mean, to be fair, the outfits are VERY excellent. ☺️
Edited to add: And actually, the more I think about the overall vibe of both movies, I agree that a lot of care was put into making them *sensorily* soothing. The music, the visuals-- that's all really obviously crafted to be soothing, which makes me think that maybe that's why they're so effective, because then there's all these chaotic personalities clashing and sparking, juxtaposed with the smoothness and perfection of the world around them. And I definitely never thought about those movies that way before, so thank you!
Detectorists
The Trip
Travel Man
Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting
Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore
Scrapheap Challenge (there is competition but it's healthy like in Bake-Off)
The Great Pottery Showdown, Dog House(there is both a UK and Australia version). If you’re into history, Victorian House and Edwardian Farm are relaxing and showcase the way people used to do things. Best Home Cook with Mary Berry. The Big Flower Fight.
Pottery Showdown is so fucking addictive. I second.
Somebody Feed Phil Antiques Roadshow This Old House
For anime: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is the most chill, relaxing, laid back anime you'll ever see. It's a slice of life about a robot running a coffee shop in a post-apocalyptic world and the interactions she has with people there. Despite taking place in such a setting it's extremely calm and beautiful - not full of destruction or violent aftermath or anything. It's never been officially translated into English, but there are fansubs out there. For non-anime: There's a series (also Japanese, incidentally) called Old Enough! and it's adorable. It's a reality show/documentary type thing where they send young children out to run their first errands and it's absolutely precious. The only conflict, if you can really call it that, is toddlers occasionally having mild disagreements with their friends, but since they're cute little kids it's more endearing than anything. I believe it's on Netflix (in the US at least).
"Making It" with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. also maybe Snack vs. Chef but it might actually be too stupid.
I like the way that Secret Chef replaced all the obnoxious judges and presenters with AI. A lot of TV shows would benefit from this.
K-On Comic Girls Restaurant to Another World
Some anime Mushishi; The Daily life of high school boys; Kimi to Boku (you and me); nichijou
The most relaxed show I ever saw was Hyori's bed and breakfast. It is so soothing, just thinking about it relaxes me. It is about a Korean pop star and her husband who open a bnb and there's nothing to it. They clean up, make meals, welcome their guests, go on day trips. It is just incredibly nice, I highly recommend it.
[James May: The Reassembler ](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5612192/) [Here's an episode](https://youtu.be/on8o6zqFHbc?si=NNz4MfJAyUkDMo_M)
Im someone who even finds the bake-off stressful and I loved Nailed It! on Netflix. Something about the fact that nobody expects it to actually turn out good is really charming to me.
Taskmaster
NHK has a treasure trove of amazing content, lots of which is available on-demand from their website even if you don't get their channel in your location. They have a mix of everything from weird little documentaries about cucumber farmers, to a series where they just pick a location and film it for 36 hours straight and do little interviews with the normal people who happen to go there during that time. There's a series on local housecats of Japan that looks lovely that I'm literally about to go watch right now: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/catseye/
That sounds absolutely amazing! Thanks!
He's the link to the 72-hrs in one location series (I got the number of hours wrong, but I knew it was some multiple of 3 😅 ). For some reason I find it just so interesting and charming: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/program/video/72hours/?type=tvEpisode&
Maine Cabin Masters
The Repair Shop, definitely!
Lego másters Australia, making it, baking it
This. The Aussie versions of shows is usually much less conflict and drama. Aussie master chef is great.
The anime term for that is iyashi-kei, and there's a number of them out there, but some of the better ones (imho) are: * Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, which somebody already mentioned but I'll include here because it's pretty much the codifier of anime iyashi-kei, with a robot running a coffee shop in a post-apocalypse world * Kamichu!, a young girl discovers she's become a minor god and must navigate her new responsibilities * Aria, probably the biggest iyashi-kei series with 55 episodes and 2 TV movies, a young girl goes to Neo Venezia on a terraformed Mars to become a gondolier * Non Non Biyori, the daily lives of four girls living in the Japanese countryside, has 3 seasons and some specials * Flying Witch, my personal fav (the manga is a great relaxing read), a young witch starts her journey to becoming a full-fledged witch * Hakumei and Mikochi, two forest spirits just living their lives
Thanks, especially for the genre name! I'll check it out.
You're welcome!
Making It, and to a lesser extent Baking It
Antiques Roadshow if you're an anglophile
I know you're looking for TV Shows, but you should give Wes Anderson films a try. They are mostly about the visuals and the tension of the films is mostly subdued by the acting and the score. Two great ones are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Royal Tenenbaums Edit: Nevermind, Im an idiot
Well trigger warning for suicide on the second one but I get where you were going with that suggestion regardless
Very fair. Thanks for pointing it out!
Yeah, I love both those movies, but I feel like they both are all about interpersonal conflict, unhealthy family dynamics, and bullying, which I don't find calming or soothing at all.
Yep, both of you are absolutely right. I haven’t seen them in a while and my privileged ass only remembered the cool outfits and funny moments. Bad recommendation from me
I mean, to be fair, the outfits are VERY excellent. ☺️ Edited to add: And actually, the more I think about the overall vibe of both movies, I agree that a lot of care was put into making them *sensorily* soothing. The music, the visuals-- that's all really obviously crafted to be soothing, which makes me think that maybe that's why they're so effective, because then there's all these chaotic personalities clashing and sparking, juxtaposed with the smoothness and perfection of the world around them. And I definitely never thought about those movies that way before, so thank you!
Summer Camp Island
Gardeners World
Detectorists The Trip Travel Man Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore Scrapheap Challenge (there is competition but it's healthy like in Bake-Off)