Attention Polyglots – Here Are 25 TV Shows That Helped People Learn A New Language

Aspiring bilinguals – this one's for you.

We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed community to tell us the TV shows that have helped them learn a new language, and they didn't disappoint. Here's what they suggested!

1. Les Revenants AKA The Returned – French

Canal+

"Not only did it help to hone my French, but it's also an absolute tour de force of a TV show. I cannot recommend it enough"

—cazelaine1983

It’s about: A rural town that’s turned upside down when many dead residents reappear, and other strange, unexplainable occurrences start taking place. If the concept sounds familiar, you may have seen the 2004 horror film that the series is based on.

Where to watch: Amazon (UK), AMC (US)

Number of episodes: 16

youtube.com

2. La Casa de Papel AKA Money Heist – Spanish

Netflix

"It helps me so much with Spanish! I started by watching it in Spanish with English subtitles and now I switched to Spanish subtitles. It's one of the most gripping series ever!"

—pamscott

It’s about: A group of criminals, led by the mysterious Professor, who take on some very ambitious robberies. Their first heist? The Royal Mint of Spain.

Where to watch:  Netflix

Number of episodes: 36

youtube.com

3. Jane the Virgin – Spanish

The CW

"It's great because it’s mostly in English, but they do speak Spanish in some capacity in every episode. I can find having to concentrate for a whole episode of Spanish draining when I am just starting to learn, so it is a great introductory show that also emulates the style of a telenovela amazingly!"

—sarastgeorge1

It’s about: 23-year-old Jane, a teacher who has vowed to remain a virgin until she gets married. When she becomes pregnant after an artificial insemination mix up at the gynaecologist, her life is basically turned into a telenovela.

Where to watch:  Netflix

Number of episodes: 100

youtube.com

4. Am Dro – Welsh

S4C

"It's great for learning Welsh – it's like Come Dine With Me, but for walks. You get to hear a good mix of North and South Welsh.

—kbgcs1843

It’s about: Real people sharing their favourite places to go for walks in Wales. In each episode, the four contestants share their favourite spots with each other and then score each walk. The highest scorer wins some nice walking equipment – it’s all very wholesome.

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

Number of episodes: 18

youtube.com

5. Chicas del Cable AKA Cable Girls – Spanish

Netflix

"My tip: when you first start learning a language, watch with English subtitles until you have a decent grasp on the language and then switch the subtitles to that language. You can start with children’s shows too."

—maddiek41abe4db4

It’s about: Four women living in Madrid in 1928 who start working at a telecommunications company in the city. They all have different reasons for wanting to join the company, but as they navigate the male-dominated society around them they become close friends.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 42

youtube.com

6. Amar Es Para Siempre and Luimelia (a subsequent spinoff) – Spanish

Antenna 3

"I came for the language, stayed for the lesbians. And now I watch Luimelia, you know, so I don’t lose my Spanish 🤥"

—spotteddick

It’s about: Amar Es Para Siempre follows a variety of characters, including Amelia and Luisita, living in Spain under the Franco regime in the ‘60s. Luimelia transports Amelia and Luisita to the present day, and is a modern telling of their relationship.

Number of episodes: Amar Es Para Siempre – over 2000 (!) Luimelia – 26

youtube.com

7. Bonusfamiljen AKA Bonus Family – Swedish

Netflix

"It's great for familiarising yourself with everyday words and also brilliantly entertaining series!"

—sophiew4ba8949e6

It’s about: The lives of Lisa and Patrick, a couple who also happen to both be recently divorced. The series follows the characters – including the kids, step kids, and exes – as they navigate their blended family.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 31

youtube.com

8. Lupin – French

Netflix

"It's seriously addictive – I didn't know anything about the original Lupin stories, but the series is such a great homage. It's impossible to watch just one episode!"

It’s about: Assane Diop,  the son of a Senegalese immigrant who was framed and died in prison. Inspired by the fictional Arsène Lupin, Assane is a professional thief, and he’s on a mission to avenge his father’s death.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 10

youtube.com

9. Weeds – Spanish

Showtime

"I loved learning Spanish in school, but I learned so much more watching this!"

—kianalynn

It’s about: Nancy, a newly widowed suburban single mum who starts selling weed as a way to finance her lifestyle. In true dark comedy-drama form, it doesn’t take too long before she finds herself deep in the illegal drug business.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime (UK) Hulu (US)

Number of episodes:  102

youtube.com

10. Switched At Birth – ASL

Freeform

"I start picking up some (very limited) ASL from watching and even learned from that show that you could go to college to become an interpreter, so that’s what I did! Now I’m fluent in ASL and work with Deaf students! 🤟🏻"

—shennnnn

"I took three years of ASL in high school, but had a hard time grasping it until I watched Switched At Birth. There are some pretty significant signing errors in the show, but it definitely made what I was learning in class more comprehensive, and taught me more about Deaf Culture than I could learn in a hearing classroom. Now I’m minoring in Deaf studies and hoping to become an interpreter!"

—eivor1612

It’s about: This is a case of a TV show’s title telling us exactly what to expect –  Bay and Daphne were switched at birth, and as a result, had upbringings that were the total opposite. When it’s revealed that the hospital accidentally mixed them up, the two families have no option but to come together and make the best of the situation.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime (UK) Hulu (US)

Number of episodes: 103

youtube.com

11. The Family Chantel – Spanish

TLC

"Pedro and his family are from the Dominican Republic. I would sometimes translate in my head and check the captions to see if I was right, and it helped me remember a few Spanish words. Then I downloaded Duolingo and started relearning Spanish because of it 😂"

—sarahglory95

It’s about: Chantel and Pedro – whose whirlwind romance premiered on 90 Day Fiancé – navigating life as newlyweds, bringing their families together, and learning more about each other’s cultures. 

Where to watch: TLC

Number of episodes: 18

youtube.com

12. Skam France – French

France.tv Slash

"I’ve watched almost all the Skam remakes. France is by far my favourite. It also helped me improve my french!"

—ernatolale

It’s about: The lives of high school students living in Paris, with each episode following a different character. It’s an adaptation of the wildly successful Norwegian teen drama – read on to find out more about the original.

Number of episodes: 82

youtube.com

13. Kizim – Turkish

TV8

"Turkish is a hard language but I am learning it slowly. I've watched and love Kizim, Kirgin Çiçekler, and Kadın."

—b00kl0ver

It’s about: Öykü, an eight-year-old girl who is left to track down her estranged dad, Demir, after getting abandoned by the aunt that raised her. She tracks him down, but he’s not keen on being a father. When he gets arrested, the judge agrees to release him under the condition that he takes custody of Öykü, and the rest is history.

Number of episodes: 34

youtube.com

14. Narcos – Spanish

Netflix

"It's definitely my go-to when I want to get into the Spanish-speaking mood. Pause 100 times and learn all the curse words and insulting phrases to keep the journey interesting!"

—jamibaker33

It’s about: The life of notorious billionaire drug lord Pablo Escobar, starting right from when he first got involved in the cocaine trade back in the ‘70s.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 30

youtube.com

15. Friends – English

NBC

"Friends ways seems to be the go-to for people whose primary language isn’t English. Even before they discussed this on the reunion special, I kept hearing non-native English speakers saying they used it to learn English."

—gkangchs

It’s about: A group of friends hilariously navigating all the mishaps of their twenties while living in their lovely New York apartments.

Where to watch: Netflix (UK) HBO Max (US)

Number of episodes: 236

youtube.com

16. Dark – German

Nettwork

"I had a basic understanding of German, so I started watching Dark to get a better understanding. It really helped, plus it's so rewatchable (every watch I spot something new)."

—bethcox93

"Yes, it's very exhausting to watch but it made me want to suddenly open my Duolingo app to learn German."

—cyringetekaya

It’s about: The residents of the fictional town of Winden who have been shaken by the disappearance of two children. As they search for the kids, the secrets of four families begin to unravel, and the town’s disturbing history begins to come to light.  

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 26

youtube.com

17. Return of Superman – Korean

KBS2

"I used to watch this a lot when I was first learning Korean. I think because the parents are always pointing at things and teaching the kids, you as the viewer end up learning a lot too."

—jazsesy

It’s about: Celebrity dads are left to look after their young kids while their wives take a well-deserved break. The regular day jobs of dads range from football players to actors to rappers, so watching them navigate dad life is classic fish-out-of-water reality entertainment. 

Number of episodes: 372

youtube.com

18. Skam – Norwegian

NRK

"I learnt how to speak Norwegian after watching this multiple times, I got so invested in the storylines that I decided to learn the language rather than spending most of my time focusing on the subtitles; hardly anyone I know can speak Norwegian so it comes in handy when I want to rant."

—biixenmans

It’s about: The daily life of teens living in an affluent neighbourhood in Oslo. Each episode follows a different character, and focuses on a range of topics found in teen life  – from dysfunctional relationships to mental health, and pretty much everything in between

Number of episodes: 43

youtube.com

19. Dix pour cent AKA Call my Agent! – French

France 2

"Every single episode is so funny that I didn't even notice how much it helped improve my French. It's also great for anyone who likes French film – each episode follows a different actor!"

–hanifahrahman

It’s about: The trials and tribulations of the agents of ASK – a huge talent agency that manages some of France’s biggest stars. The show has some serious cameos, including Monica Bellucci, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Sigourney Weaver to name a few.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 24

youtube.com

20. Kärlek och Anarki AKA Love & Anarchy – Swedish

Netflix

"It's a fantastic show that has massively helped me on my journey of teaching myself Swedish"

—sophiew4ba8949e6

It’s about: A risqué game of workplace dares between married mum Sofie and IT temp Max . As the “anarchy” part of the title suggests, it doesn’t take long for things to spiral out of control. 

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: Eight

youtube.com

21. Girlmore Girls – English

The WB

"I speak English because of Gilmore Girls. I wanted to watch the episodes faster than they came out in Hungary,  so I had no other option just to watch it in English –without subtitles! There were scenes I had to rewind about ten times to understand WTF they were talking about."

—tothkarina0

It’s about: Young single mum Lorelai and her teenage daughter – the Gilmore girls. The close pair live a carefree life in Stars Hollow – miles different from the stifled upper-class upbringing that Lorelai experienced with her old money parents. When she can’t afford Rory’s school tuition, Lorelai has no choice but to reconnect with her uptight parents.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: 153

youtube.com

22. Sen Çal Kapımı – Turkish

Fox

"The series helped me to moderately understand Turkish, and conversationally speak it – the show is so rewatchable and bingeable that you just eventually end up memorising what they're saying. I don't even have to watch with English subtitles anymore lol!"

—daniellemartinspll

"It's given me some great basic Turkish!"

—claremorgan

It’s about: Eda – a young woman from a poor family who loses her scholarship and can’t complete her degree. The rich man who was responsible for this devastation offers to restore her scholarship under one condition: she pretends to be his girlfriend. 

Where to watch: YouTube

Number of episodes: 156

youtube.com

23. Al-Rawabi School for Girls – Arabic

Netflix

"I’ve been slowly learning Arabic for about four years now and watching this really helped – both in picking up new vocabulary and hearing different accents than what I’m used to! And it gets bonus points for being a great show with twists, turns, and interesting themes."

—emmar4368873d2

It’s about: A group of outcasts at a prestigious school in Jordan who attempt to get their own back at their bullies. It’s a teen drama and has been described as Arab Mean Girls, so I’m you’ve already guessed that their takedown mission doesn’t come without a side serving of risk.

Where to watch: Netflix

Number of episodes: Six

youtube.com

24. Sherlock – English

BBC

"I’m Italian and the first TV series I saw in English was Sherlock. I think it helped me get better pronunciation, as well as broaden my vocabulary. Since then, I watch every TV series or movie in the original language."

—frag28

It’s about: A modern-day Sherlock Holmes and his flatmate Dr John Watson. The reputation of the consulting detective is so good that he’s a bit of a celebrity, and the duo havbe both the government and the public seeking his help.

Where to watch: BBCiPlayer (UK) Apple TV (US)

Number of episodes: 13

youtube.com

25. The Simpsons – English

Fox

"I taught myself English by watching The Simpsons, Friends, and other cartoons. It took roughly seven months (I was nine and a half at the time). I would have subtitles on and made notes in words that either intrigued me and I would use a dictionary to understand the context. The following day I would try and use the word in school to test it out! I did get into trouble when I tried using words I'd heard in Southpark!"

—saracheshmehzangi

It’s about: The notorious and dysfunctional Simpson family and their never-ending havoc-wreaking escapades in Springfield.

Where to watch: Disney+

Number of episodes: 707

youtube.com

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Which TV shows and movies have helped you with learning a language? Tell us in the comments, and be sure to follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter!