The 20 best TV series about aging

One Foot in the Grave is a long-running British sitcom starring Richard Wilson as Victor Meldrew. After being forced to take early retirement, Victor tries to build a new life for himself, but unfortunately, he is confronted with numerous setbacks and misfortunes (many of which stem from his actions). Even though he is the very definition of irascibility, there’s still something charismatic about Victor, and it’s hard not to sympathize (at least a bit) with his efforts to find fulfilling things to do after retirement. And while the series is, in some ways, a traditional sitcom, there are some decidedly black comedy moments, making this a true British gem.

Dame Judi Dench appears in As Time Goes By, a long-running TV series in which she appears as Jean Pargetter, who reconnects with an old boyfriend, Lionel (played by Geoffrey Palmer). The two quickly rekindle their romance, and eventually, they get married. The series has a soft touch, largely eschewing big laughs for a softer, subtler humor. Just as importantly, the relationship between Jean and Lionel is beautiful to watch as they grapple with what it means to have spent so much of their lives apart. Moreover, the show reminds us that true love doesn’t have an age limit. 

Last Tango in Halifax is one of those British series that excels largely because of the phenomenal talent of its main cast, particularly Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid as Alan Buttershaw and Celia Dawson, respectively. These two people unexpectedly reunite after several decades apart and soon rekindle their long-thwarted romance. The central romance between these older characters is rendered with a tender sort of grace, and though there is no shortage of humor in the show, it goes out of its way to ensure that the central characters' age isn’t rendered into a punchline. 

The British series Last of the Summer Wine is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, from 1973 to 2010. It focuses on the various misadventures of a trio of older men who manage to get into all sorts of trouble in their small northern English town. In addition to the central three characters, the series focuses on many other residents, young and old. It is a rare series that doesn’t make its senior characters the butt of the joke; instead, they are as full of life and zany energy as their younger counterparts. 

American Horror Story: Freak Show has the distinction of being the last season of the show in which Jessica Lange appeared as a main cast member. In this case, she plays Elsa Mars, the leader of the titular freak show. Like so many of Lange’s other characters, Elsa simply can’t deal with the fact that she is getting older and that her dreams of being a Hollywood star are slowly receding into the past. She is capable of quite monstrous acts, including murder. Still, due to Lange’s masterful performance, she nevertheless allows audiences to sympathize with her and her struggle with the inevitability of obsolescence. 

Each season of American Horror Story has its particular theme, and Coven, as its title suggests, is about a group of witches in New Orleans. One of the most fascinating characters is Jessica Lange’s Fiona Goode, the Supreme of her generation. Like so many of Lange’s other creations for the show, Fiona is a bundle of contradictions, but one of her most notable characteristics is her refusal to grow old and lose her power. As she does every time she appears, Lange endows Fiona with a tragic sort of pathos, making the series a surprising rumination on the toxic desire always to remain young.

The late Angela Lansbury became a household name thanks to her starring role in the series Murder, She Wrote, in which she plays Jessica Fletcher, a retired schoolteacher who becomes a bestselling mystery novelist and remarkably astute amateur sleuth. Many people try to dismiss Jessica due to her age, but she repeatedly shows she’s a far better and more perceptive investigator than most police assigned to the cases she investigates. Jessica shows that not only does life not end after one turns fifty, but it can also lead to an entirely new lease on life.

TV series about aging LGBTQ+ people are rare in either America or the UK (or anywhere, really), which is precisely what makes the sitcom Vicious such a delight. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it stars Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, two of the finest actors of their generation. The series more than lives up to its name, as both actors fully embody their characters in their quarrelsome complexity. They perfectly capture the rhythms — and the antagonism — of a couple who have been together for almost half a century. While Freddie and Stuart may not always be particularly likable, the cast's charisma more than makes up for the characters’ shortcomings.

Few TV series have had quite the cultural impact of Sex and the City, but its follow-up series, And Just Like That…is just as important. Whereas the first show focused on how these women lived in their 30s, they now have to take stock of their relationships and careers now that they are in their 50s. While the absence of Samantha can sometimes be distinctly felt, there’s still no question that there is a remarkable amount of chemistry between and among the three remaining leads, and, like fine wine, they just continue to get better.

In the HBO Max series Julia, Sarah Lancashire embodies the bubbly Julia Child, the woman who became a household name due to her cooking shows. Though Child comes to stardom later in life, she doesn’t let this stand in the way of her self-advocacy. As she accrues more and more success, she constantly has to fight back against network executives who refuse to believe in her own abilities and the extent to which her show speaks to the interests of old and young women. Fortunately, Julia Child isn’t the type of person who will let anyone tell her what she can or can’t do, and it’s impossible not to cheer for her as she finally forges her career.

Starring the tremendously talented Vicki Lawrence, Mama’s Family focuses on Thelma Harper, an older woman who constantly has to deal with the inane nature of her family, including her son, Vinton, his wife Naomi, Thelma’s grandson Bubba, and their neighbor Iola. In addition to being a fascinating look at southern life, it’s another timely reminder of the types of adventures older people can enjoy. For all that she embodies many of the stereotypes of an elderly southern woman, Thelma Harper is no one’s fool, and there’s no question that she is the one who rules her house. Anyone who crosses her, especially her family, learns that they do so at their own risk. 

Once Bea Arthur left The Golden Girls,  the producers decided to give Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty their spinoff entitled The Golden Palace. The three women buy a hotel in Miami, and various hijinks ensue. Though there’s no question that something vital went out of the dynamic when Bea Arthur left, there’s still much to enjoy about The Golden Palace, and, like its predecessor, it also demonstrates the way that older people can still have just as much fun as their younger counterparts, up to and including running a hotel in one of the biggest cities in the country.

Netflix’s The Crown is about many things — the institution of the Crown itself, the changing nature of monarchy in the 20th century, the evolving of British society — but it is also about the late Queen Elizabeth II. In addition to contending with various political and social crises throughout her reign, the series’ Elizabeth has to grapple with what it means to grow older in the public eye. In particular, she has to try to maintain her steadfast approach to the Crown, providing her people with a sense of permanence even as her body starts to show the unmistakable signs of her aging.

Waiting for God is one of those underrated British gems that may not be as familiar to American audiences. It primarily focuses on Diana and Tom, two unruly residents of a British retirement home who make it their life’s mission to antagonize the manager of the home (who is, to be fair, quite misanthropic and not particularly concerned with the well-being of the residents in his care). Tom and Diana are opposites in almost every way, but they nevertheless make for a fantastic duo, and the series is a helpful reminder that growing old doesn’t mean that one has to stop having fun.

Jean Smart turns in one of her career-best performances in Hacks, the series in which she plays Deborah Vance, a comedian whose career has largely taken a downturn because of her age. However, Vance isn’t the type of woman to go down without a fight, and her plight demonstrates the struggles that many women in entertainment face when confronted with ageism and misogyny. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one’s point of view), Vance teams up with a young writer, Ava, and the two learn a great deal about one another as they struggle to overcome their generational differences and forge a viable working relationship. 

Much like The Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland focuses on a group of older women. In this case, it’s Melanie, Joy, and Victoria settling in Cleveland to escape Los Angeles' relentless ageism and body-shaming culture. There, they are joined by the rascally Olga, played by the late, great Betty White. Though it is a traditional three-camera sitcom in many ways, there’s so much joy to be found in this show that it’s impossible not to love it. All four women offer a look at what it means to grow older as a woman in an ageist society, and it’s particularly fun to watch their bond solidify as the series goes on.

Even though it only lasted one season, Cool Kids was a charming and fun show about a foursome of retirement home residents. With a cast comprised of Vicki Lawrence, the late Leslie Jordan, David Alan Grier, and Martin Mull, it was the kind of old-fashioned sitcom vanishingly rare on network TV. There was undeniable chemistry among the various members of the cast–particularly between Lawrence and Jordan–and it was refreshing to see a show focus on people who aren’t in their 20s and 30s. There was, moreover, something sweet and sincere about its use of traditional sitcom tropes, which makes its cancellation all the more disappointing. 

Michael Douglas is, of course, one of the most respected actors of his generation, and he delivers a remarkable performance in The Kominsky Method. He plays the character of Sandy Kominsky, an acting coach who yearns to achieve major Hollywood success. The series is very much a reflection on the nature of aging in the movie industry, and there’s a powerful soulfulness to Douglas’ performance that makes it easy for the audience to sympathize with him. He isn’t infallible, of course, and he can, at times, be infuriating. Nevertheless, Douglas’ performance makes the series a resonant look at one man’s efforts to achieve his lifelong dream.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are a dynamic duo in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, in which they play the title characters, two older women who end up living together after their husbands come out of the closet and marry one another. The many challenges (and opportunities) senior citizens face are a key part of many of the series’ storylines as Grace and Frankie learn to rebuild their lives together. The series manages to strike a deft balance between sincerity and hilarity, largely thanks to the chemistry between the two leads and its sharp exploration of its characters’ interior lives. 

For much of its run, The Golden Girls was one of the most popular series on network TV, and it’s easy to see why. The writing was crackling and witty, the chemistry among the various members of the cast was incandescent, and the humor was so electric many of the jokes still elicit laughter from audiences. Just as importantly, it also showed how even women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s could still lead fulfilling and fun lives, and each of the women was known for their various sexual escapades (though no one outdid Blanche in this regard). Though the girls might commonly be seen as everyone’s collective grandmas, they were also determined to live on their terms — sex, cheesecake, and all.