talking about comfort shows
exploring the obsession of the infamous comfort show. everyone seems to have one, but what exactly is it doing for us that we love so much?
ability not to focus
one thing about our society is that we are all multi-tasking. wishing we were two places at once, half-listening, unable to finish one task at a time. one of the selling features of our comfort show is it’s ability to soothe you even though you’re not fully paying attention. you can fall asleep halfway through or simple have it on in the background. it’s there and that’s enough.
characters
sometimes it’s the group of friends you wish you had, or that remind you of your own. two childhood best friends who experience “firsts” together. a protagonist having their heart broken and getting back up again. the couple who began as friends and finally got together at the end of the series. the charming parent or grandparent that remind you of yours that you miss so much. one thing about being invested in a show is that once it’s over, you miss the characters.
knowing the outcome
something consistent about life is that you never know what to expect. things often don’t go the way you hoped, plans go astray, people move on. watching something you’ve seen once or even ten times before leaves no mystery as to whether you will be disappointed by the outcome.
nostalgia
sometimes what draws us is as simple as this: nostalgia. we are brought back to how we felt the first time we watched it. who we watched with. the place we were in our life at the time. the feeling when our favourite characters got back together. nostalgia is understandably a feeling desired by many, achieved through a comfort show.
WE ALL HAVE THEM, WHAT’S YOUR COMFORT SHOW?
SOME FAN FAVOURITES
Abbott Elementary
Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Friends
Full House
Gilmore Girls
Gossip Girl
Schitts Creek
Seinfeld
Sex in the City
Simpsons
Modern Family
New Girl
The OC
The Office
One Tree Hill