How to Find Streaming TV Shows for Older Adults With Cognitive Challenges

Whether it’s ‘I Love Lucy,’ ‘The Great British Baking Show’ or classic sports events, TV can elicit waves of warm feelings and even joy

Thom Geier,

AARP

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En español

Published September 18, 2024

stills from television shows ranging from classic series to new reality shows

(Left to right) Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Everybody Loves Raymond; Columbo; Dancing with the Stars; Major League Baseball

Photo Collage: AARP (Source: Everett Collection (2); Getty Images(4))

We live in a world of way too much content on TV. For caregivers of older adults, especially those with early signs of dementia, the glut of options comes with an added challenge: finding shows that suit someone with diminishing cognitive abilities. Here are some things to consider before grabbing the remote.

Is TV a good activity at all?

First, it’s good to know if watching a TV screen is even a good idea. “When we’re working with people who have Alzheimer’s or other cognitive impairment, sometimes TV watching isn’t a great fit,” says Elizabeth Edgerly, a clinical psychologist and senior director of community programs and services for the Alzheimer’s Association. “It requires you to be focused for up to half an hour or longer.”

What types of shows work best?

Shows with self-contained stories will be easier for many older adults to digest than ones whose plots extend over multiple episodes. Experts also caution that how you watch can matter. Network TV and ad-based streamers like Tubi and Pluto have commercial interruptions that may make it harder for some seniors to follow an entire show.

Look for nostalgia and uplift

Nostalgia and uplifting content are the watchwords — especially shows that people enjoyed when they were younger, in their teens and 20s. “If they used to watch Andy Griffith, they may have some familiarity with the faces and cadence of the show, which can be helpful,” says Ashwin Kotwal, an assistant professor in the geriatrics division of the University of California, San Francisco. “Older shows also tend to have fewer quick cuts and are less stimulating” — which is a good thing for people who can get confused or agitated with too much new information. (Classic series like The Andy Griffith Show and Gunsmoke are both on regular rotation on cable’s TVLand.)

You can also try catering to lifelong interests and hobbies with music-oriented programs, cooking or gardening shows, or sporting events. Chicago retirees can rewatch the 2016 World Series (available on YouTube’s MLB Vault channel) to relive the Cubs winning the championship for the first time in a century. “Try to shoot for happy experiences,” Edgerly advises. “Maybe don’t play when your team loses.”

Keep trying until you find the right fit

It takes trial and error, as well as patience, to become a successful TV matchmaker; a person who rejects a program one day may be completely absorbed on another day. You might test the waters with a short YouTube clip — of pandas sneezing or cats riding Roombas. (Vision, hearing and attention span may all be inhibiting factors.)

Moderation is key

Setting limits on TV watching can be just as important as it is for young children. “There aren’t strict rules on screen time for older adults,” Kotwal says, “but we want to avoid situations where people are couch potatoes all day and miss out on physical activity.” But when the elements come together, TV time can nurture human bonds. “If you can build it into a routine that encourages shared interactions with friends and family,” he adds, “that can be really helpful.”

Our picks of shows to try

Here are some streamable TV shows, most with a nostalgic or feel-good vibe, to consider trying with your loved ones. Online guides like JustWatch can help you find particular shows, which can be hard to track down given the glut of competing streaming services.

Family sagas

stills from Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman, Eight Is Enough, Heartland, Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons

(Left to right) Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Eight Is Enough, Heartland, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons

Courtesy Everett Collection

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (1993-98, six seasons)

Jane Seymour plays a pioneering doctor in the frontier town of Colorado Springs just after the Civil War in this family-friendly one-hour Western.

Watch it: You can stream on Pluto, Freevee and other streamers.

Eight Is Enough (1977-81, five seasons)

Dick Van Patten played a newspaper columnist with a large brood of eight rambunctious kids in this beloved series.

Watch: You can stream on Roku or Tubi.

Heartland (2007-present, 17 seasons)

Sisters Amy and Lou Fleming run the family ranch in this sprawling saga that has been a mainstay of Canadian TV for nearly two decades.

Watch: You can stream on Netflix, Roku, Freevee and other streamers.

Little House on the Prairie (1974-83, nine seasons)

This beloved family saga, loosely based on the novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder, follows a Minnesota farming family in the late 19th century.

Watch: You can stream on Prime, Peacock and Prime.

The Waltons (1972-81, nine seasons)

This beloved series followed a Depression-era Virginia family with seven kids, seen mostly through the eyes of eldest son, John-Boy (Richard Thomas).

Watch: You can stream on Freevee.

Crime/mystery shows

stills from Columbo, Grantchester, Matlock and Murder She Wrote

(Left to right) Columbo, Grantchester, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote

Courtesy Everett Collection

Columbo (1971-2003, 16 seasons)

Columbo broke the mold for detective shows, revealing whodunit in the very first scene and then following Peter Falk’s rumpled cop digging up clues and needling suspects with just one more question until he cracks the case.

Watch: You can stream on Tubi and other services.

Grantchester (2014-present, nine seasons)

The Brits have their own spin on the unlikely detective: a vicar in a small village in the 1950s, who teams with the gruff local police inspector to solve crimes.

Watch: You can stream on PBS.org.

Matlock (1986-95, nine seasons)

Andy Griffith starred as a folksy criminal defense attorney who did a better job of identifying the real killer than the police, time after time.

Watch: You can stream on Pluto.

Murder, She Wrote (1984-96, 12 seasons)

Angela Lansbury starred as a widowed mystery writer in a remote Maine town called Cabot Cove that had a suspiciously high murder rate.

Watch: You can stream on Peacock.

Comedy series

stills from 227, The Carol Burnett Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Golden Girls, The Kominsky Method and Newhart

(Left to right) 227, The Carol Burnett Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Golden Girls, The Kominsky Method, Newhart

Courtesy Everett Collection

227 (1985-90, five seasons)

Marla Gibbs moved from the deluxe apartment of The Jeffersons (which sadly has only two of its 11 seasons streaming) to a Washington, D.C., apartment building. The show offered a slice of middle-class Black life in the ’80s and minted stars like Jackée Harry and future Oscar winner Regina King.

Watch: You can stream on Hulu.

The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78, 11 seasons)

Carol Burnett, 91, created legendary characters like working-class homemaker Eunice Higgins and the curtain-rod-wearing Starlet O’Hara in a parody of Gone With the Wind. It’s enough to make you want to tug on your earlobe in satisfaction.

Watch: You can stream on Tubi, Pluto and other streamers.

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005, nine seasons)

Doris Roberts deservedly won four Emmys playing meddling mother-in-law Marie Barone in this wry domestic comedy that captured the ways that loving families can get under each other’s skin.

Watch: You can stream on Paramount+ or Peacock.

The Golden Girls (1985-92, seven seasons)

Has there ever been a more magical group of women on screen than in this show about four women of a certain age sharing a home in Florida?

Watch: You can stream on Hulu.

The Kominsky Method (2018-21, three seasons)

Hollywood is fixated on youth — but don’t tell that to fading acting coach Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) or his longtime agent (Alan Arkin) as they navigate L.A.’s Sunset Boulevard in their own sunset years in this Netflix comedy. (This being a modern Netflix series, there’s some PG-13 content in terms of language, brief nudity and frank discussions of sexuality.)

Watch: You can stream on Netflix.

Newhart (1982-90, eight seasons)

The recently departed Bob Newhart’s ’70s show (the one where he played a shrink opposite Suzanne Pleshette) sadly isn’t streaming — but you can treasure his ’80s take on life in a Vermont inn full of oddball personalities.

Watch: Stream on Prime Video.

Reality shows

stills from Dancing With the Stars, Deadliest Catch, The Great British Baking Show and Pawn Stars

(Left to right) Dancing With the Stars, Deadliest Catch, The Great British Baking Show, Pawn Stars

Courtesy Everett Collection

Dancing With the Stars (2005-present, 33 seasons)

This venerable ABC show is in some ways a throwback to old variety shows like The Lawrence Welk Show (sadly not available on streaming), showing B-level celebs doing the tango or bossa nova with pro dancers.

Watch: Stream on Disney+.

Deadliest Catch (2005-present, 20 seasons)

You can’t be crabby about the success of this long-running show, which follows the dangerous lives of crab fishermen plying their trade in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska.

Watch: You can stream on Max.

The Great British Baking Show (2010-present, 14 seasons)

This show, whose competitors cheer each other on (even when one’s soufflé collapses), is the TV equivalent of comfort food.

Watch: You can stream seven seasons on Netflix.

Pawn Stars (2009-present, 22 seasons)

The virtue of this reality show, set in a Las Vegas pawnshop, is not only the rotating crew of characters but also the historical stories that surface with each object brought into the shop.

Watch: You can stream on History, Roku and other services.

Planet Earth (2006, one season)

At 98, documentarian Sir David Attenborough is a living legend renowned for his capacity to educate and illuminate the wonders of the natural world. You can find his projects, often in eight one-hour episodes, under several titles and streaming platforms. Planet Earth, on Max, is a good place to start — though his most recent projects (including the Emmy-nominated Our Planet II) are available on Netflix.

Watch: Stream on Max.

History shows

stills from Baseball, Call the Midwife, The Chosen and The Food That Built America

(Left to right) Baseball, Call the Midwife, The Chosen, The Food That Built America

Courtesy Everett Collection

Baseball (1994, one season)

Ken Burns is a national treasure for his thoughtful PBS documentaries about different aspects of American history and society — many of which are available on the free streamer Hoopla (connected to many public libraries nationwide). Sports fans will delight in Burns’ take on the national pastime, which hits the major events as well as detours round the bases. (His other docuseries, which cover everything from the Civil War to country music, are also available for streaming.)

Watch: You can stream on Hoopla.

Call the Midwife (2012-present, 13 seasons)

This historical series, following a group of nurse-midwives in a London community from the 1950s to the ’60s, has been going so long that it’s blown past its original source material, Jennifer Worth’s trilogy of memoirs. It offers a sharp portrait of mid-20th-century life, particularly for women.

Watch: You can stream on Netflix.

The Chosen (2017-present, four seasons)

This indie historical drama traces the life of Jesus and his followers. It’s become a favorite of many Christian churches, with episodes that serve as stand-alone treatments of different biblical stories.

Watch: You can stream on Prime, Hulu and other services.

The Food That Built America (2019-present, five seasons)

Ever wonder how Hershey kisses got their name? Or how a Kentucky man named Harland Sanders turned a failing gas station into the start of the KFC fried chicken empire? This series explores all manner of food history in bite-size one-hour episodes.

Watch: You can stream four seasons on Hulu.

Man vs. History (2021-present, one season)

Historian and storyteller Bil Lepp travels the country to explore (and debunk) some of the legends of American history, from Paul Revere’s midnight ride to Davy Crockett and the Alamo. Each episode covers a different topic, so it’s easier to follow.

Watch: You can stream on Hoopla or the History app.

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Thom Geier is an AARP contributor and the award-winning former executive editor of TheWrap, senior editor at Entertainment Weekly, film reporter at The Hollywood Reporter and associate editor at U.S. News & World Report.

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