Since Taylor Swift has been on all of our minds lately with the upcoming release of Midnights, I’ve been thinking a lot about the many eras of her career. Each one has its own fashion, themes, and feeling. I am a firm believer that one’s favorite Taylor Swift album says a lot about who they are, therefore this MUST translate to one’s taste in tv shows as well! I’ve recently done a deep dive into her albums, and I’ve come up with a tv series that matches each individual TS era. I’ve also provided a recommendation to go along with each one, in case you’re looking for some new series to match your favorite TS albums!
Taylor Swift - Outer Banks:
This is Taylor’s first album, beginning her career as a country singer. It is full of songs about youth, whether it’s young love, teen drama, or all things in between. There are songs about crushes, teenage dreams, and friendship. It is incredibly earnest, yet fun. If this is your favorite TS album, I almost guarantee you’ve seen Outer Banks. The series is about teenagers falling in love, getting into trouble, and causing drama. It mimics a lot of the themes of Taylor Swift and also maintains some of that country aesthetic. If this all sounds great to you, I would recommend you watch one of the popular teen dramas from older decades. Most similar to these themes would probably be One Tree Hill from the 2000s, or Teen Wolf from the 2010s. These series capture the teenage drama at the core of Taylor Swift, and are super easy to get invested in.
Fearless - Gilmore Girls
Taylor’s sophomore album is Fearless. This one still maintains that earnestness of young love, but is slightly more mature. This album is more self-assured, and the love songs are no longer just about crushes, but about love and relationships. I think of Fearless as light-hearted, happier, and more confident than her first album. If you love this album, I suspect you’ve seen Gilmore Girls. It is a cheery and witty look at two self-assured women navigating their relationship as mother and daughter, as well as their own individual love stories. It’s a show for romantics that are confident in themselves. This is why, if you love those two things, I highly recommend Jane the Virgin, if you haven’t seen it already. Jane the Virgin is a light-hearted, super fun series that mimics classic telenovelas. It’s confident, very dramatic, and follows the ups and downs of a relationship, just like the Fearless era!
Speak Now - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel:
Speak Now is, lyrically, my favorite album of Taylor’s. She paints such vivid images and uses such intense emotion that the album feels fantastical. It has deep, romantic love mixed with destructive heartbreak. Speak Now has some of her most powerful, loudest, and fastest songs, some of which feel almost like an explosion compared to her normal discography. A show that I think goes well with this album is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It’s fast-paced, brilliantly phrased, and has a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s explosive. There are very romantic moments mixed with hilarious, light-hearted ones. I think if you get a kick out of the powerful songs from Speak Now, you will love The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Similarly, if you love the romance aspect of Speak Now, I would recommend the show Normal People. Normal People is praised for its nuanced and intimate portrayal of love. I’ve found it rare to get a television show with such a romantic focus, and it pairs perfectly to what I think is Taylor’s most romantic album. If you haven’t checked out this one yet, I highly recommend you do!
Red - New Girl:
I think of Red as Taylor Swift’s most well-rounded album because it has some of her funnest songs and some of her most tragic. The era feels free. It’s very much for the single woman: it’s full of heartbreak and is quite raw, while still celebrating friendship and making light of relationship drama. This is also when Taylor started to transition more into pop music from country, so the album became quite trendy. Red compares best to the series New Girl. It’s also trendy, and I think the same girl who loves “All Too Well” would absolutely die for Nick and Jess. New Girl is fun, free, and deals with heartbreak while still celebrating friendship and the single life. Its theme leans most toward “Relationships could be great, but if I’m single, that’s great, too!” If you like Red and New Girl, I cannot recommend the show Fleabag enough. It’s a comedy about a young woman dealing with the ridiculousness and heartbreak of the adult world. It is a little more serious than a sitcom like New Girl, but is still quite funny, and definitely emphasizes relationships outside of romantic ones (trust me on this one, Fleabag has won almost every major award possible).
1989 - Emily in Paris:
The 1989 era was when Taylor broke into straight-up pop music. It was very trendy, aesthetically-pleasing, and cool. I believe it is single-handedly responsible for the resurgence of the Polaroid camera. It’s majorly dramatic, but in a fun, girly way! 1989 is centered more on Taylor as a celebrity, no longer just as your average young person. It’s romantic and confident, and just unserious enough to pull off a song like “Bad Blood.” While I don’t think it compares in quality, I think the aesthetic of Emily in Paris very much matches that of 1989. It’s definitely pretty and girly. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and deals with romance while still centering on the independence of a young woman. Both Emily in Paris and 1989 are fun, trendy, and a bit melodramatic. A show that I would recommend if you like these two things would definitely be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is also girly and confident, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. It was also very popular in its time, a sensation, much like 1989.
Reputation - Gossip Girl:
Ok, I cannot think of a better way to describe Reputation than the word “catty.” It quite literally exists because of Taylor’s feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Reputation is over-the-top, dramatic, confident, and incredibly fun. The show that I think best represents this theme is Gossip Girl. The outfits are outrageous, the drama is in full swing, and the characters are all quite catty. If you like these two things, I also have a feeling you would love the series Bridgerton (provided you haven’t already seen it!). Bridgerton combines 19th c. extravagance with modern day drama. Just like Reputation and Gossip Girl, it’s over-the-top and massively entertaining.
Lover - Sex and the City:
Lover is the first album Taylor created that truly feels secure in love. It’s much more grown up than her previous albums, while still being girly, fun and happy. It’s about finding and being with the love of your life. Some of the songs are a little silly, but she has the confidence to pull it off (yes, I’m talking about “ME!” and “You Need to Calm Down”). This album embodies a lot of the qualities I find in Sex and the City. A popular dramedy created in the late 90s, Sex and the City centers on navigating adulthood, romance, and finding The One. Just like Lover, it’s sophisticated, whimsical, and secure. Carrie, the main character, also dresses a bit silly sometimes, but definitely has the confidence to pull it off. If you like both of these things, you’d probably love The Mindy Project. This series leans more towards sitcom than does SATC, but it’s still sophisticated and stylish. Also, Lover has a more British aesthetic than her other albums, and I think Mindy Kaling and TS share the same affinity for the UK.
folklore/evermore - Big Little Lies:
I grouped folklore and evermore together because they largely share the same aesthetic. As you can tell by the cover, it’s a more somber, mysterious, and slower era than her others. When I think of this era, I think of mist and the forest. Think: Cottagecore. Based more off of the aesthetic than the themes of the albums, I would compare them to the series Big Little Lies. Taking place in Monterey, CA, Big Little Lies is very misty, mysterious, and somber. It definitely takes its time establishing the haunting atmosphere that I think is captured beautifully in folklore and evermore. The themes of Big Little Lies are more serious, I would say, but the calm, mysterious feeling remains the same. If you are a fan of these two things, I would take a look at Sharp Objects! It is very similar in aesthetic: dark, misty, somber. Just like Big Little Lies, it is gloomy, but it possesses the ethereal calm of folklore and evermore as well. I think these three things pair like cheese and wine!
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