6 TV Shows That Accurately Depict Depression

Unfortunately, the media often misrepresents mental health disorders. Here are some shows that have left me feeling seen and understood.

As an entertainment journalist, I’m passionate about authentic representation in the media. According to a poll, more than half of Americans watch TV for at least 1 hour every day. That means over half of the country’s population is consuming content and receiving messages about culture and humanity through the TV screen.

Millions of Americans struggle with major depression every year, and yet not many TV shows discuss mental health issues in a respectful and validating way. Many harmful depictions of mental illness in the media perpetuate false societal narratives, like the idea that depressed people are lazy or people with schizophrenia are a danger to society.

However, some gems out there depict mental illness with honesty to help break the societal stigma that harms real people every day.

As someone who has struggled with depression for most of my life, I’ve found some excellent TV shows that helped me get through tough times by validating and understanding my depression. I want to share the list with the Bezzy community in the hopes that others will watch them and feel less alone.

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1. ‘Fleabag’ (2016–2019)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” is not only one of the most excellently written TV shows I’ve ever seen, but it also features accurate depictions of grief and depression. The show follows an unnamed protagonist (also acted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) with a unique habit of breaking the fourth wall through the camera.

The first season follows her through her daily life, filled with sexual escapades and tense interactions with her family, including her high-strung sister (Sian Clifford), her distant father (Bill Paterson), and her icy stepmother (Olivia Coleman). In the background of it all, she tries to keep her cafe afloat — a business she began with her recently deceased best friend.

Waller-Bridge’s character refuses to face her grief or the depression that comes with it and instead begins to see life as a joke. I can relate to feeling so depressed that I no longer want life to be real and pretend it isn’t with sarcasm and wit.

“Fleabag” portrays many struggles those with depression can relate to: inescapable loneliness, losing track of goals, losing interest in the things we once loved, and doing anything we can to avoid talking about our feelings. 

While season 1 is a bit bleak, season 2 turns the story around and shows that there’s always hope if you’re willing to love.

2. ‘Bojack Horseman’ (2014–2020)

“Bojack Horseman“ was my go-to show throughout college. The sharp humor mixed with the dark themes of mental illness, child exploitation, drug addiction, and childhood trauma, all in the sunny setting of the Hollywood Hills, makes for a story like no other.

Bojack Horseman (Will Arnett), a bitter, semi-famous sitcom star from the 90s with a drinking problem, is the show’s star. The series follows Bojack as he struggles to get a grip on his life but seems to keep slipping. Many fans have applauded “Bojack Horseman“ as one of the best depictions of depression and mental illness in the media. I even watched clips of “Bojack Horseman“ in some of my psychology classes in college!

What makes this depiction of mental illness so authentic is the complex nature of Bojack and other characters, particularly Bojack’s high-powered agent with codependency issues, Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), BoJack’s close friend and struggling writer, Diane (Alison Brie), and Sarah Lynn (Kristen Schaal), a child star-turned pop star from Bojack’s sitcom, “Horsin’ Around.“

As the seasons progress, the characters face a multitude of complicated problems that come together to impact their lives. The complex causes of mental health issues all contribute to the characters’ actions. Not only that, but the issues the characters deal with are ongoing. It’s a story of lifelong recovery and taking accountability, which is realistic for many people like me.

3. ‘My Mad Fat Diary’ (2013–2015)

TV shows about teenagers aren’t known for being very realistic. But the British teen drama “My Mad Fat Diary” breaks that mold. Even though it takes place in the 90s, the show was relatable to me as a teenager in the 2010s and still relates to teens today because of its honest and raw depiction of mental health.

The show follows Rae Earl (Sharon Rooney), a witty and strong-willed teenager who just got out of a psychiatric hospital. “My Mad Fat Diary” is a profoundly authentic story about typical teenage struggles like sex, friendships, body image issues, and family conflict. But what’s even more remarkable about this show is its presentation of depression and mental health issues.

The show tackles themes of self-harm, the side effects of depression medications, the experience of going to a psych ward as a teenager, and what it’s like to readjust to everyday life.

For me, one of the most impactful parts of the show is Rae’s nonlethal suicide attempt. The show does a great job depicting Rae’s downward spiral into an intense depressive episode. She loses her support system and feels isolated. That feeling of having no one left to talk to is debilitating, and “My Mad Fat Diary” successfully portrays that to the audience.

And not only does the show deal with depression, but it also centers on eating disorders like anorexia and binge eating disorder. For anyone looking for a show with “Perks of Being A Wallflower” vibes but for girls in larger bodies, this is the show for you.

4. ‘House’ (2004–2012)

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is “House.” It’s a medical drama that’s less about the cases and the patients and more about the doctors and their personal problems. Our titular protagonist, Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), is a genius diagnostician with a bad attitude.

As he successfully treats diseases that baffle other doctors, he also ridicules his staff. He makes life as difficult as possible for the only two people who still care about him: his good friend and colleague, Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), and the head of the hospital, Dr. Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein).

House is incredibly depressed — he believes happy people are fools and deals with a painful chronic leg injury every day. He takes Vicodin to cope, and eventually, his dependence on the drug becomes abuse.

The story of House isn’t a happy one. Spoiler alert: the show is about House and his life falling apart over many years. But the show does depict a deeply complex, wounded man who takes his pain out on others. In a way, he represents the dark side of mental illness and what can happen if we let our pain rule our lives.

5. ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ (2015–2019)

Have you ever had a moment when you paused and looked at your life, realized you’re not happy, and had the sudden urge to move across the country to rekindle a lost romance with your summer camp crush from at least a decade ago?

I would be lying if I claimed I hadn’t. However, I’ve never had the guts or the financial resources to do so. But Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), a big-shot New York City lawyer who’s lost sight of happiness, does decide to take the leap and secretly follow her ex to a quiet town in California and start over.

This musical dramedy is both hilarious and honest. Throughout the show, Rebecca must slowly confront the inner suffering that she tries so hard to push away with extravagant plans and self-medication.

Rebecca faces many relatable moments in her mental health journey. For a long time, she’s in denial. She can’t admit to herself or her friends that she moved to California hoping to rekindle a romance with Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), her ex from summer camp when they were 16 years old. I know the feeling of wanting to deny what’s really happening in my life because the truth is too painful.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is a wild and hilarious whirlwind journey of a woman trying to find herself and find happiness while coping with mental health issues like depression and borderline personality disorder, often through song and dance. It also does a great job depicting a realistic progression of recovery, setbacks and all.

6. ‘You’re the Worst’ (2014–2019)

“You’re the Worst” may seem like your typical dramedy about a group of friends in their 30s who face the trials and tribulations of life, but there’s more to it. The show is about four unhappy people trying to build relationships and make it through life as unscathed as possible.

When Gretchen (Aya Cash) and Jimmy (Chris Geere) meet at a wedding and have a one-night stand, they accidentally build a deeper connection. The show follows the two and their best friends as Gretchen and Jimmy learn to love each other.

“You’re the Worst” is applauded by fans for its depiction of major depressive disorder. In season 2, the audience learns that Gretchen struggles with depression when she tells Jimmy about her illness.

Gretchen’s struggles with depression feel incredibly realistic and relatable. Many times in the series, she sneaks off to cry by herself, which I’ve done more times than I can count. She is deeply terrified of losing someone because of her depression and believes her brain is broken.

One of the best things about the way Gretchen’s depression is portrayed is how it evolves throughout the show. Often in the media, depression is depicted as a one-off event in a character’s life. For Gretchen, it’s something she deals with at varying degrees throughout the whole series, which is reminiscent of the ebbs and flows of depression I see in my own life.

The bottom line

The TV we watch is important – it can either make us feel more isolated and demonized or less alone and validated in our mental health struggles. These six shows depict depression in an authentic way that helped me on my healing journey.