5 reasons to watch 'Call the Midwife' -- and a bonus reason

Call the Midwife is back on PBS right now, and I couldn't be happier. If you still haven't seen the series, I recommend binge-watching the seasons available on Netflix today. Your doubts are understandable. The show's title is odd, and if, like me, you cherish no maternal desires, you may wonder how a show about people delivering babies in 1950s London could possibly be your cup of tea (or coffee, if that's more your thing.) So I've devised a simple test: if any of the following apply to you, you should watch Call the Midwife:

1. If you need a good catharsis in your life, this is the show for you. You're guaranteed to ugly-cry at least once-per-episode. It's quite cleansing. I recommend it.

2. If you need a reminder of the miracle of childbirth -- and the miracle of contraception then look no further than the tear-inducing scenes of squalling newborns and joyful parents who overcome all kinds of adversity just to bring new life to the world -- new life that will then join their 10 other siblings in impoverished, 1950s London before the introduction of "the pill."

3. If you love a good period drama like Mad Men or any film from the 50s and 60s, you will find yourself swooning over the music, the clothes, the makeup, and the fun, mid-century design details all over Call the Midwife.

4. If you're tired of sensitive issues like poverty and abortion and birth control being handled with all the sensitivity of your average YouTube troll, then I suggest Call the Midwife for its balanced, reasonable, good-natured engagement of difficult subject matter. They handle all manner of topics, from incest to post-traumatic stress-disorder to the decision to join a convent in a way that makes you think well, feel for others, and reassess your judgment reflex.

5. If you're an anglophile then you bally-well better queue this series up as soon as you've finished daydreaming about Colin Firth, complaining about your inauthentic fish and chips, and pretending your electric toothbrush is a sonic screwdriver (not that I've ever done any of these things).

BONUS REASON: If you're tired of seeing Christians and Christian faith-communities portrayed only as hypocrites or pushy weirdos, Call the Midwife offers a refreshing alternative in the nuns of Nonnatus House. These sisters are neither hypocritical sinners nor unblemished saints. They are simply ordinary women trying to live out their faith in a variety of difficult scenarios. They pray every morning and evening, they deliver babies and visit the sick at all hours, they struggle through temptation and doubt, they put up with each others' quirks, and above all, these ladies show love and respect for one another and everyone with whom they come in contact. That makes them some of the best representatives of Christianity I've seen on TV.

If one of these applies to you, you should give Call the Midwife a try. If more than one applies to you, you should cancel your evening plans and let the binge-watch begin.