Ask everyone you know what their favorite comfort show (or movie) is – the thing they most often put on when they’re sick or had an awful day or just need some cheering up – and chances are you’ll rarely get the same answer twice in a row.
As with most matters of taste, it’s always going to be subjective. One person’s comfort watch is another’s worst nightmare – case in point, for some bizarre reason, I find John Carpenter’s “The Thing” to be rather soothing. (I think it’s the combination of the Morricone soundtrack and Kurt Russell’s reassuring beard.)
So while it’s impossible to give a truly definitive answer for what makes something a “comfort watch,” you can still group them by specific qualities, like:
1. The Nostalgia Comfort
Remember when you were sick as a kid and stayed home from school, and you’d zone out on the couch watching TV or the VHS tape a parent/babysitter put in for you?
Nostalgia Comfort includes the Bob Barker era of “The Price is Right,” or syndicated “M*A*S*H” reruns, or cartoons like “Scooby-Doo” and “Sailor Moon.” Those puffy Disney tape cases that made such a satisfying crackle when you popped them open in order to watch “Aladdin” or “Robin Hood” three times in a row.
These are the comfort watches most often tied to specific memories or people. The shows and movies you turn to when you find yourself thinking about your grandparents, or a particular summer vacation, or that one really great sleepover.
2. The Turn-Your-Brain-Off Comfort
You get home from work and you barely have the energy to zap a frozen dinner in the microwave. Your brain feels like mush wrapped in wet cotton, and you need something you can put on for the distracting noise, something you can watch with your eyes glazed and little concentration.
This is where procedurals get a chance to shine. Think the 24-episodes-a-season mainstays that air on ABC and CBS, your “Hawaii Five-0″-s, “Castle”-s and “911″-s.
Sure, they’re formulaic and utterly predictable, but sometimes it’s nice to know what narrative beats to expect. To just coast along for the ride while attractive people exchange typical, cliché dialogue.
3. The Genuinely Wholesome Comfort
When I get especially down because of *gestures vaguely at everything*, I need to have my faith in humanity restored – or remind myself, in the immortal words of Samwise Gamgee, “that there’s still good in the world, Mr. Frodo; and it’s worth fighting for.”
Soul-soothing shows like Bob Ross’ “The Joy of Painting” and films like Studio Ghibli’s “My Neighbor Totoro” are a great way to refocus on the small beauties in life. Shows centered around truly decent people (“Ted Lasso” and “Parks and Recreation”) and movies built around really likable casts (the newest “Jumanji” franchise) leave you with all the warm fuzzies.
Then there’s travelogue series like “Great Canal Journeys,” low-stakes reality shows like “The Great British Bake Off” and YouTube channels like Liziqi that spotlight nature and cooking and allow us to live vicariously in other cultures/places we might never otherwise experience.
(A personal fave “wholesome” watch for me is all of the behind-the-scenes material from “The Lord of the Rings.” The documentaries, interviews and cast commentaries on the Extended Edition DVDs show just how much love and camaraderie went into making that trilogy, and it really warms the heart.)
4. The Cathartic Comfort
A good cry is never a bad idea. Maybe a schmaltzy drama like “Steel Magnolias” or “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” will clear your head, or something that earnestly tackles trauma and loss like “Fruits Basket” or “The Ancient Magus Bride.”
A historical romance – try any Jane Austen or Brontë adaptation – can get the ol’ tear ducts working and leave your heart lighter when the end credits roll.
Or maybe you’ll feel better if you just scream for two hours, overloading your anxiety with horror films that allow you to reset a glitching nervous system.
I know I’m not alone here; so many friends have confessed to me that they put on the “Scream” and “Fear Street” films, or watch “Stranger Things” and Alfred Hitchcock classics, when they’re stressed and overwhelmed. It’s a great way to vent safely; many psychologists even recommend this tactic!
5. The At-Least-Things-Aren’t-This-Bad Comfort
This could be considered a sub-set of the previous category, and could also be called Disaster Comfort. No matter how rough things are in your life currently, at least you’re not being chased by an F5 tornado (“Twister”), or dealing with cataclysmic climate change (“The Day After Tomorrow”), or trying to escape a volcano eruption (“Dante’s Peak”).
It can be weirdly reassuring to watch a horrific, world-altering event happen to fictional characters from the safety of your comfy, snack-strewn couch.
6. The Repetitive Comfort
There’s a lot of comfort to be had in simply rewatching an old familiar fave.
A show you have completely memorized (my friend Angie and “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”). A classic Hollywood gem you have to revisit every year (my friend Siobhan with “Bringing Up Baby”). A childhood favorite you’ll never tire of (my friend Rick and “The Last Starfighter”). Or a movie you and your friends quote along to MST3K-style (“The Mummy”).
A few years ago, I managed to snap myself out of a bout of depression while watching “Aliens” on a repetitive loop for a couple weeks; seeing Ripley and Hicks kick Xenomorph tail 76 times in a row did wonders for my mood.
Sidenote: Studies have shown that neuroatypical folks (people who fall on the ADHD/autism spectrum) especially find comfort in repetitive watching. Knowing what to expect every time means less stress or anticipation!
7. The FUN Comfort
Whether it’s a hysterical comedy like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” or “Ghosts,” a goofy cartoon like “The Emperor’s New Groove” or a Technicolor musical like “Singin’ in the Rain,” the bouncier and sillier something is, the better.
Watching Tim Curry frantically re-enact the first hour of “Clue” in the closing 20 minutes will never fail to cheer me up. The oh-so-quotable “Galaxy Quest” (aka the best Star Trek movie ever made) makes me snicker every dang time. And when I’m not drooling over Fran Fine’s exquisite fashions in “The Nanny,” she’s cracking me up with her puns and pratfalls.
In the end, comfort is forever a personal call, and you should never feel defensive or guilty over your go-to favorite. So long as it brings you joy or reassurance, that’s all that really matters.
ANGIE BARRY is a contributing columnist for Shaw Media. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers topics in pop culture, history and literature, contact her at newsroom@mywebtimes.com.