It is that time of the season when we stay in bed covered with blankets watching a show we can’t live without.
When watching a show, we fall in love with the characters and it feels as if we know them. We get connected to it because characters experience things we can relate to. We watch these shows and we endure the hardships with them and experience their joys. We cry and we laugh with them. We can count on them to be there when we need them.
What makes a show a comfort show? It allows you to escape reality enter a whole new world and forget about any responsibility or stress in your life. We rewatch our favorite show because we’ve gotten to know them and we feel like we are spending time with our best friend. In an article on Cabletv.com, 87% of Americans have a comfort show and 67% of Americans feel emotionally attached to a character in their comfort show.
“The real world is stressful and unpredictable, and sometimes even scary. So we take comfort in our favorite shows, going back to the familiar, the predictable, and the known,” Dr. Andrew Selepak, Media Professor at the University of Florida said.
We watch these shows because we feel safe and we know what to expect. When we need a distraction from our life, we know we can sit down and spend some time with our good friend, the comfort show.
A list of comfort shows most common for teens
- “Gilmore Girls”: It gives you a feeling of happiness and joy. There is never an episode that disappoints, there is always something new and exciting. When watching this show, you always have fall leaves and warm coffee. Viewers watch this show because they can distract themselves from daily stress and spend time with their girlfriends. Watch it on Netflix.
- “The Office”: After a long day at work or school, people will rewatch the show. Coming home and playing it in the background, making dinner, doing laundry, etc. It gives them comfort because they know the characters; they know the office quotes as well as dialogues and find comfort in that. Watch “The Office” on Peacock.
- “New Girl”: Throughout the seven seasons of adventures or silly mishaps a group of 30-something-year-olds pursue different goals in love, in life and in a found family. It remains a good rewatchable comfort show to circle back to. You can also catch “New Girl” on Peacock or Hulu.
The stress of college can also lead a person to seek comfort in a show “The Office” easily fills that role. “The Office” fanbase is some of the most dedicated around.
“The characters are very relatable and funny. It’s comforting also because it’s in a normal place like an office,” College student Will Doyle said.
What’s your favorite comfort show? What do you like to watch to turn off the reality switch? Don’t be afraid to share your show with others. Who knows? Someone might need a little extra comfort these days.
