Television Shows Which Focus On Aging
Television often caters to the youth market but increasingly, younger people have moved away from television. With people living longer, networks and streaming services are tapping into a new market, with programs about older people, starring older people, and where people over 65 are not merely the butt of the joke. Here are some of the best shows about aging.
One Foot In The Grave (1990-2000)
The British seem to excel at creating programming for older viewers. Several long-running shows have been built around older actors with storylines dealing with issues important to seniors. One Foot in the Grave ran from 1990 to 2000 and starred Richard Wilson as Victor Meldrew, a man forced into early retirement.
BBC, One Foot In The Grave (1990-2000)
One Foot In The Grave (1990-2000)
In the series, Victor tries to settle into retirement and build a new life for himself. Often his own worst enemy, Victor finds himself in numerous misfortunes, many self-inflicted. Viewers related to his difficulties in retirement, and although ill-tempered, Victor’s predicaments found an audience.
BBC, One Foot In The Grave (1990-2000)
As Time Goes By (1992-2005)
Lasting over 13 years and featuring screen legend Dame Judi Dench, As Time Goes By is about old flames, regrets and second chances. Jean Pargetter (Dench) reconnects with an old boyfriend, Lionel, played by veteran British character actor Geoffrey Palmer.
D.L. Taffner, As Time Goes By (1992-2005)
As Time Goes By (1992-2005)
Favoring gentle humor over broad comedy, As Time Goes By focuses on Jean and Lionel rekindling their youthful romance. After decades apart, the two grapple with what could have been while allowing themselves the chance to find love at an advanced age.
D.L. Taffner, As Time Goes By (1992-2005)
Last Tango In Halifax (2012-2020)
Another veteran actor of British stage and screen, Sir Derek Jacobi stars as Alan Buttershaw in Last Tango in Halifax. With a similar premise to As Time Goes By, Last Tango in Halifax focuses on Alan meeting Celia Dawson (played by Anne Reid) after several decades.
BBC, Last Tango In Halifax (2012-2020)
Last Tango In Halifax (2012-2020)
Once again featuring older actors playing characters rekindling youthful romances, Last Tango in Halifax finds humor in aging rather than aging being just a punchline. There is no attempt to depict the characters as youthful but shows the grace of growing older while embracing the chance for a newfound love.
BBC, Last Tango In Halifax (2012-2020)
Last Of The Summer Wine (1973-2010)
Last of the Summer Wine is a legendary British series, running an amazing 37 years starting in 1973. The series focuses on three older men constantly getting into trouble in a small northern English town. There is a large ensemble cast of all ages, as the residents of the town.
BBC, Last Of The Summer Wine (1973-2010)
Last Of The Summer Wine (1973-2010)
Because of the longevity of the series, over time the original trio was replaced by other actors playing new characters. For the last two seasons, a completely new trio of actors was brought in as the last of the original group retired from acting. The focus on three older men and the mischief they found themselves in appealed to audiences making it one of the longest-running sitcoms in history.
BBC, Last Of The Summer Wine (1973-2010)
Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
While British television seemed comfortable catering to an older audience, US television in the 1980s seemed to be only interested in reaching a younger demographic. By the mid-1980s, however, this began to change. People were living longer, seniors were becoming a significant market, and the oldest Boomers were entering their 40s and thinking ahead to retirement.
Universal Television, Murder, She Wrote (1984-96)
Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
Built around veteran of stage and screen Angela Lansbury, Murder, She Wrote became a sort of comfort television for audiences. As a retired schoolteacher, mystery novelist, and amateur sleuth, Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher outwitted foes young and old, and the show’s familiarity allowed it to become a television staple for 12 years.
Universal Television, Murder, She Wrote (1984-96)
Vicious (2013-2016)
While the early 2000s found programming centering on LGBTQ+ characters and topics increasing, shows about aging LGBTQ+ people were decidedly rare. With the choice casting of legendary actors Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, Vicious was a rare look at the lives of older gay men.
Kudos Film and Television, Vicious (2013-16)
Vicious (2013-2016)
These were not men without their faults, with Jacobi and McKellen playing an older couple and the quarrels and problems that come with any couple together for 50 years. The humor comes from their sparring and quick wit, fighting and making up like any other couple.
Kudos Film and Television, Vicious (2013-16)
And Just Like That… (2021-Present)
The sequel series to Sex and the City, And Just Like That… focuses on three of the central characters—Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte—now in their 50s. And Just Like That… continues the stories of the original series but focuses on issues crucial to people of middle age and heading into their senior years.
HBO, And Just Like That… (2021-)
Julia (2023)
A biodrama about Julia Child, this HBO Max series focuses on Child’s struggles to appear on television as an older woman. Because she is strong-willed, Child is able to revolutionize both television and food in the United States. We see her home life and her work life, and her determination to produce a television series her way.
3 Arts Entertainment, Julia (2022)
Mama’s Family (1983-1990)
Mama’s Family started as a popular skit on The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978). Simply called The Family, the skit centered around a lower-middle-class Southern family, featuring Burnett’s Eunice and her irascible mother, played by Vicki Lawrence. The skit was so popular that a few years after The Carol Burnett Show ended, a series was created focusing on Mama.
Joe Hamilton Productions, Mama's Family (1983-90)
Mama’s Family (1983-1990)
Lawrence was only 24 when she started playing the elderly Mama in 1973, but her portrayal of the older family matriarch was a hit with audiences. Mama’s Family deals with Mama’s efforts to run her household and the extended family and acquaintances that come and go while showing that an older woman can be a source of strength and leadership.
Joe Hamilton Productions, Mama's Family (1983-90)
The Crown (2016-2023)
As prestige television, The Crown has all the trappings of epic historical storytelling: high drama, costumes, and the evolving British society and aristocracy. Of course, it is also depicting the history of the 20th century as the British Royal family adapts—and fails to adapt—to societal changes.
Sony Pictures Television, The Crown (2016-2023)
The Crown (2016-2023)
Although this has broad appeal for all audiences, Queen Elizabeth is a key figure in the lives of many older people born just before and during WWII. The Crown traces a life they know and shows us how Queen Elizabeth grows and ages through the decades.
Sony Pictures Television, The Crown (2016-2023)
The Crown (2016-2023)
Because it’s a history of one of the most famous women in history and a person who lived a very long life, The Crown does not shy away from depicting the aging process. Its success is due to the detail and production, but also because it shows Queen Elizabeth as human.
Sony Pictures Television, The Crown (2016-2023)
Waiting For God (1990-1994)
Another British series, Waiting For God focuses on two seniors living in a retirement home. They spend much of their time antagonizing the manager of the retirement home, an uncaring misanthrope who is a welcoming target. This series focuses on broader comedy and functions as somewhat vicarious entertainment for senior audiences.
BBC, Waiting for God (1990-94)
Hacks (2021-present)
Veteran television performer Jean Smart portrays Deborah Vance, a comedian whose career has declined due to her age. This show is, in many ways, about women in general in the entertainment business, where older actresses find themselves struggling for roles.
3 Arts Entertainment, Hacks (2021)
Hacks (2021-present)
In Hacks, Deborah teams up with a young writer, Ava, and the series focuses on how both women deal with misogyny, and in the case of Deborah, ageism. As well, Deborah and Ava grapple with overcoming their own generational differences.
3 Arts Entertainment, Hacks (2021)
Hot In Cleveland (2010-2015)
Hot in Cleveland was a natural successor to The Golden Girls. It’s a show focusing on the lives of older women. As well, the show was a knowing commentary on the ageism of the entertainment industry as it depicted a group of women who leave Los Angeles and its body-shaming and misogynistic ageism and settle in Cleveland.
Hazy Mills Productions, Hot in Cleveland (2010-15)
Hot In Cleveland (2010-2015)
Hot in Cleveland was also notable for featuring Betty White, who was the last surviving cast member of The Golden Girls. The central premise of four older women fighting sexism and ageism was familiar, but its depiction of older women defying sexism and ageism captured the audience’s attention.
Hazy Mills Productions, Hot in Cleveland (2010-15)
The Cool Kids (2018-2019)
This was, unfortunately, a short-lived series but a cult favorite. The Cool Kids is about four retirement home residents and it stars Mama’s Family’s Vicki Lawrence, veteran character actor Leslie Jordan, David Alan Grier, and Martin Mull.
3 Arts Entertainment, The Cool Kids (2018-19)
The Cool Kids (2018-2019)
In some ways an old-fashioned comedy, this only helped provide a comforting nostalgia. The chemistry between the four actors was clear and regardless of its short life, The Cool Kids was nevertheless a sweet and funny depiction of the lives of seniors.
3 Arts Entertainment, The Cool Kids (2018-19)
The Kominsky Method (2018-2021)
The Kominsky Method is a return to television for legendary film star Michael Douglas. He plays an acting coach who late in life wants to become a successful movie star in his own right. The Kominsky Method is also one of the last roles for actor Alan Arkin.
Netflix, The Kominsky Method (2018-2021)
The Kominsky Method (2018-2021)
A reflection on the movie industry and its systemic ageism, The Kominsky Method allows the audience to relate to Douglas’ Sandy Kominsky and his struggles to make it at an advanced age. The audience is taken through his struggles and his efforts to realize his dream at long last.
Warner Bros., The Kominsky Method (2018-21)
Grace And Frankie (2015-2022)
Like The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland, Grace and Frankie is about the friendship of older women. Starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie are two older women who move in together after their two husbands reveal that they are both gay and want to marry each other.
Skydance Media, Grace And Frankie (2015-2022)
Grace And Frankie (2015-2022)
With that premise, the show steers clear of obvious jokes and focuses firmly on the challenges of senior women out on their own after long marriages. They rebuild their lives together and the chemistry between the two stars makes the show successful.
Skydance Media, Grace And Frankie (2015-2022)
Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City (2019)
Tales of the City (1993) was a landmark miniseries on PBS. It chronicles several months in 1976 in San Francisco, following a range of characters and is notable for its unprecedented depiction of gay culture on US television. There were two sequel series: More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City, in 1998 and 2001 respectively.
Netflix, Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City (2019)
Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City (2019)
In 2019, a revival series was created for Netflix. Called Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, it takes place in the present time. The series focuses on the 90-year-old former landlady of 28 Barbary Lane, a multiunit residence central to the first three miniseries.
Netflix, Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City (2019)
Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City (2019)
While the original miniseries took place in a pre-AIDs world, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City addressed contemporary issues around surviving AIDs, living with HIV, gender and transgender identity and rights, and aging as a gay person in America. Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City is a rare depiction of aging and being gay.
Netflix, Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City (2019)
Derek (2012-2014)
Derek centers around the title character, a 50-year-old man who works in a home for the elderly. Derek is often read as autistic or as developmentally challenged by viewers but series creator Ricky Gervais, who plays Derek, denies this. Derek is sheltered and naïve and tends to take things at face value.
Derek Productions, Derek (2012-14)
Derek (2012-2014)
At the heart of Derek is Derek’s interactions with the elderly residents, and also the bureaucracy around elder care. Unlike Gervais’ other series (The Office, Extras), the humor in Derek is gentler and doesn’t shy away from serious issues concerning the elderly. It’s a frank depiction of life for many seniors and it shows their lives through the eyes of Derek.
Derek Productions, Derek (2012-14)
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
With Murder, She Wrote setting the trend for television featuring and catering to older women, The Golden Girls has cemented itself in television history as a benchmark series, beloved by all ages. With strong writing and a simple but workable premise, The Golden Girls became a classic.
Touchstone, The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
With four older women as the central characters, The Golden Girls faced difficulty when first proposed. This was not the demographic television executives wanted, nor were they excited by the prospect of a show focusing on four women over 50.
Touchstone, The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
But with the star power of the cast, The Golden Girls went into production, and it was an instant hit. It showcased older women and their struggles, including their bedroom lives, in an unprecedented way. These were not chaste seniors baking pies but real women with relatable problems, and the show's focus on their friendship had an enormous appeal.
Touchstone, The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
In the end, The Golden Girls lasted seven seasons. It normalized television about older women without shying away from difficult topics. It also showed the networks that other demographics were worth pursuing, and that older performers could bring in the ratings.
The show is still wildly successful, having been picked up by major streaming network Hulu—however, their willingness to show controversial topics got one episode pulled off the network. "Mixed Blessings" dealt with Dorothy's son marrying an older Black woman, and there's a later scene involving mud masks being mistaken for blackface. In 2020, Hollywood was keen on not showing media that could be offensive to people of color—so Hulu dropped the episode from their lineup for three years.
