"He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before—this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver—glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea."
The Wind in the Willows, Ch. 1
It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is something very agreeable about a good TV drama. Being a living, thinking being is a thankless task; at the very least, a TV drama takes you away from your responsibilities for an hour or so. And, of course, when it works really well, you get wrapped up in the characters and plot and dialogue; disbelief is suspended, and you are transported to a wonderful fictional world. In fact, for many people, actual real-world stimulating experience is not easy to come by. The vicarious experiences of art and entertainment are the nearest they get.
Nevertheless, it can be hard to find something worth watching, especially if this is what you do most evenings. That can seem odd when there's clearly no shortage of content. Nor is it because so much of it is mediocre: an endless buffet of the finest dramas ever created is just as deadening. It feels like there should be more to life than this, although difficult to say just what that might be.
If you are struggling to find something you actually want to watch, you could always read an old book. No, really. You can read it on screen. You can get the text from the internet, and arrange the text size the way you want it. Many browsers can scroll the text up like movie credits without any keyboard or mouse input. It is surprisingly like watching a TV drama. You still have all the pleasant immobility of staring at a screen whilst the drama unfolds in front of you. The pictures just happen behind your eyes, not in front of them.
Many people nowadays, especially youngsters, never read. They are daunted or unimpressed by books, which are long, or worthy, or difficult to read; or never even think of it. Critics say that screen-based entertainment actively destroys the ability to focus on long pieces of text. It's difficult to know. But certainly reading is best when you no longer feel the process, and only see the content. That takes practice, like any skill. It might just be that movies, TV, etc squeeze out the opportunity to practice reading. Similarly, while there's nothing wrong with audiobooks, the voice-artist obviously does a lot of the work. Audiobooks don't exercise the muscles of your imagination quite like reading the words does. (1)
There is nothing perfect about old books - they were pushing their preferred social relations just as much as the stuff we have now. What they really have going for them is that they are from a different world. Visiting a vanished imaginative world refreshes your mind much more than, say, the tightly controlled output of streaming services. To take just one of many, many possible examples: there is a reason Jane Austen novels have been filmed so often. They are great stories, full of vivid characters and relatable situations. Her writing has all the drama and charm that all those film-makers tried to realise on film. All her books are available at zero cost to anyone with a basic education and an internet connection. (They are long, though. Something like a Sherlock Homes story would be an easier place to start at around 5,000 words. At average adult reading speed 200-250 wpm that would take 20-25 minutes.)
Do not be put off. A drama engaging your brain and emotions makes your inner life richer and more interesting. The only criterion is whether it draws you in, and, like swimming in a chilly river, it is much easier once you are in. Being involved in a really satisfying drama is the easiest way to appreciate other people's experiences, and sharing entertainment you love is a classic way of connecting with others. There is no shortage of Youtubers who will recommend good plots, enjoyable prose and so on. Don't get too bullied by the Great Books of Civilisation narrative, though.
In fact, one of the risks with reading complex, satisfying stories is that your critical skills may bloom without you even noticing, ruining mediocre content forever. Eventually, taking on difficult prose becomes a stimulating challenge, in a way that watching Netflix never does. Take on enough difficult texts and your mind will develop calf-muscles like melons.
Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451 is another interesting example. Amongst other things, it is about the potential of reading to preserve an individual mental space, or a shared cultural space, where a repressive regime cannot go. Much of the modern world is intended to coarsen your experience of living, shrink your inner life, and separate you from others. It is a pity that Farenheit 451 is taught in school, which guarantees no-one notices it. It was written seventy years ago, but feels like our times.
Perfect? No, old doesn't make perfect--even if perfection were ever possible--except in respect of the fit of pegs in holes. Nevertheless, all the really great books in English were written before the second world war--perhaps even before 1930, when D. H. Lawrence died.