Summary- Slice of life shows transform ordinary activities into amusing tales that are relatable, funny, and warm. These enduring shows, which range from sitcoms like Friends and Modern Family to anime like Natsume’s Book of Friends, highlight the beauty of everyday life.
Slice of life shows? The thing I like about them the most is that they make the most ordinary routine amazingly entertaining. There is no typical drama or shocking cliffhanger, but rather a more relaxed style that helps us enjoy comedy, familiar drama, and the reassuring subtleties of normal life. Over the years, some of these shows got super popular and kept their spark season after season. Here’s a look at seven slice of life series that went on for more than five seasons and are still loved by fans everywhere.
7. High Maintenance (6 Web Seasons, then 4 on HBO)
This show started online and then got picked up by HBO. It’s a cool anthology series. It follows a delivery guy in New York City who sells weed. We see his customers and how they live, which shows us all kinds of different people in the city and how their lives cross paths. It had six seasons online and then kept going for four seasons on HBO. The show does great because it focuses on people. Each episode shows a new point of view, like artists who are having a hard time or rich people. It really gets what it’s like to live in a city now, both the good and bad. Unlike most sitcoms, it isn’t about one group of friends. It’s amazing because it shows that everyone’s life is a story worth hearing, no matter how normal it seems.
6. Natsume’s Book of Friends (Natsume Yūjin-Chō) (All 7 Seasons)
Similar to a vast number of anime from Japan, Natsume’s book of Friends also revolves around the main character, Takashi Natsume, and the yokai he meets. Despite that, he is actually the sole one who is able to visually apprehend them. What sets him apart is a peculiar book inherited from his grandmother – and that’s where everything starts. Throughout all seven seasons, his life is depicted calmly and thoughtfully as he balances life among people and spirits, which is not your standard action-adventure. It is a gentle story about caring for others, overcoming life challenges, and moving forward. Natsume’s Book of Friends stands out as an anime that has been available for some time, offered as a special kind of slice of life with a truly fantasy tone, imbued with a calm vibe and tender tales.
5. Gilmore Girls (7 Seasons)
This show is worth your time if you like your quick bites, zippy dialogue, and stories not too far removed from what you’ve heard before. It is about a single mom, Lorelai, and her daughter, Rory, living in the casual town of Stars Hollow. Over the course of seven seasons, the show manages to navigate a balance of laughs, love and drama, and attempts to answer the question of how to be your own separate identity, pursue dreams, and still be a family. The greatest virtue of Gilmore Girls is that its so darn chatty, and it delivers some pop culture and wit along the way. However, with all the snappy dialogue, it is more a cute slice of life tale, trying to sort out the good and the bad of being a parent and a kid. It is a home-cooked, slice of life show that still has it.
4. The Office (US, 9 Seasons)
The show ‘The Office’ will be familiar to anyone who has ever worked in an office. This is a mockumentary series about the humdrum of office life set in the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Every character is either someone you have met at work or is a misplaced leader like Michael Scott or a weirdly loyal person like Dwight Schrute. The show lasted nine seasons, so it does not go without saying that even the most mundane of locations could be transformed into comedy gold. The reason it is timeless is its capability to strike the right chord in terms of humour and tender moments – the romance between Jim and Pam is one of the most popular love stories on TV. The Office proves that a working environment can be the ideal place to tell slice of life stories.
3. How I Met Your Mother (9 Seasons)
This show is an unmistakable blend of a television show with how it looks at anonymous moments in our daily lives and provides commentary on them. We get to witness every moment and every day of Ted Mosby’s life as he narrates to us and to his children the story of their mother. This show that spanned across nine seasons gave us a taste of Barney’s uncontrollable misbehaviour, Robin’s pursuit of her goals, the steady relationship of Lily and Marshall, and the never-ending pursuit of love of Ted. The peculiar sense of humour of the show is complemented by its insights into topics like losing a loved one, growing and reshaping friendships, and the changes one goes through at the doorstep of advanced age. The emotional themes and narrative style are what make this show special. This is not simply a sitcom; this is an exploration of the disarray, silliness, and, at times, tragic aspects of human life.
2. Friends (10 Seasons)
Okay, but when we are talking about sitcoms, Friends has to be the most critically acclaimed one. Superficially, it is about 6 friends, Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe, trying to make a living and a life in New York City. Underneath it explores the progression of friendships, the possibility and improbability of love, and how jobs can completely change over a 10-year time span. What is truly amazing about Friends is that it is simple. It is just about individuals of our generation trying to make things out. The humour and the feelings that everyone can relate to certainly resonate, which is likely why it is still adored by all, even decades later.
Also Read: 7 TV Reunions That Proved Nostalgia Can Still Be Epic
1. Modern Family (11 Seasons)
In Modern Family, it is better explained than in any other show how a family functions these days. It is a mockumentary, so it is filmed like a documentary but only to tell us about the daily lives of the Pritchett-Dunphy family, which is a blended family full of love, humour, and strange quirks. The series balances moments of laughter while teaching powerful lessons of love and acceptance for one another – as in loving someone, raising children, and embracing everyone for who they are – all throughout its 11 seasons. Whether it is Phil being goofy and optimistic, Gloria being passionate, or Cameron and Mitchell coping with typical spouse issues, each person adds to the enjoyment of the show. Unlike any other, Modern Family understands that family life is full of madness and imperfections, and it is something everyone has experienced.
Wrapping Up
Popular shows that keep their run for a long time are most of the time such because they deal with universal topics. These seven slice of life shows are the perfect examples of such shows. In the whole experience, they are alongside you all the way to give you the characters’ laughs and cries. Finally, they are the ones that acquaint you with those minor but essential things that constitute your life. If you like, you can discover here a touching anime, a funny sitcom, or a strange drama. These are all one thing – the daily lives we all live.
Written by Nidhi Singh
