Recently, folks have been asking me what new shows that I’ve been watching and to be honest, I haven’t had the attention span to watch anything new. I’ve mostly been rewatching my comfort shows. Let me tell ya, there’s something so comforting about having your staple shows that you can always reach for when your world feels like it’s on fire. Whenever I’m not in the space to take in any new additional information, best believe that any of these shows will be on to make me laugh and not to think so much. Let’s get into what comfort shows I have on repeat.
WHAT ARE COMFORT SHOWS?
Comfort shows mean different things to different people. For me, it’s the familiar and nostalgic vibes I get from rewatching old movies and shows that bring me joy. Because I’ve watched them so many times, it is always predictable when my world feels chaotic, making me feel comforted or helping me unwind from the day. While most of my comfort shows and movies are comedies, there are a few dramas and romance ones that keep me coming back.
MY 16 FAVORITE COMFORT SHOWS TO BINGE ON REPEAT
COMEDY COMFORT SHOWS
Research shows that adults laugh less than children in a day. As someone who absolutely loves a good laugh, recently I’ve been noticing when I don’t laugh at all in a few days. That’s troubling for me. So, when I know I’m in a space, working on a project, or doing something that doesn’t bring any laughter, I’m trying to be more intentional with bringing laughter into my day. Here are a few comedy shows that I usually have on repeat & know will guarantee me laughing in no time.
- Psych – Back in the day when USA Network made original content, this was a show that my brother enjoyed but I wasn’t sold on. It wasn’t until a few years after the show ended that I decided to binge-watch to understand what this show was about (I think I started watching it in 2015/2016). I regret ever saying that I didn’t like it because it has been one of my go to shows. It’s an absurdly ridiculous show about the shenanigans Shawn and his best friend, Gus, get into. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laughed out loud at this show, no matter how many times I’ve rewatched it. I will say that this is one of the shows that I share that no one in my world really knows about but it’s also so ridiculous that you have to be up for that kind of humor and hijinks to get into. They’ve made a few new movies since the show ended in 2014 and it’s still just as ridiculous as before.
- The Office – I remember watching this show when it was still on TV – waiting for it to come on Hulu the next day to avoid all the spoilers. Every time I rewatch it, it’s like putting on an old sweatshirt that’s just as soft and comfortable as the first day you put it on. While the show gets weird after Michel Scott leaves, Peacock has been releasing superfan episodes that are even funnier than the original.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Listen. Dan Goor and Michael Schur did their big one with this show. This show is just as funny as I watched it the first time around. Andre Braugher’s (RIP) dry humor as Captain Raymond Holt kills me every time. The entire ensemble was amazing together and always guaranteed comfort and laughter for me.
- Schitt’s Creek – I will admit that when I watched the first episode, I immediately put this show down and didn’t pick it up until a few years later. It was because no one ever added a disclaimer that the first two episodes were a bit slow. But once you get past that, this show is marvelous. Heartwarming yet chaotic. Hilarious yet uplifting.
- Parks & Rec – Leslie. Freakin. Knope. That woman is amazingly, too good to be true. She’s the reason we all celebrate Galentine’s day. And Donna & Tom are the reasons we always wanna treat ourselves. But of all the characters, April was my favorite because she was not into any of it at all but yet, thrived. What an incredible show about the parks and recreation department in Pawnee.
- Happy Endings – This was a show that was canceled too soon. It was a show about a group of 6 friends and the very absurd shenanigans that they would manage to get themselves into. I would call it a goofier version of Friends but funnier.
- Golden Girls – Me and the Girls will always have a good time. No matter how much I watch this show, Rose’s St. Olaf’s stories will never not be funny, Dorothy & Sofia’s one-liners will always gather me, and Blanche will forever be the woman every man wants to be with. No matter what’s happening, many of the life lessons are ever relevant every single time.
- Abbott Elementary – I know this is still a relatively new show but I just rewatched it from the beginning before season 3 started this year. I forgot how excellent and funny this show is! The children honestly make this show! The one-liners that they say tickles me to no avail. Quinta Brunson did that. And it gets better with time.
- Bob’s Burgers – Lousie Belcher is my favorite character with Gene in a close second. I watch for the Burger of the Day and stay for the Belcher children’s stories and the interesting way they move in the world.
- A Different World – Every time I rewatch this show it makes me want to go back to school but make it an HBCU. The ensemble was perfect to showcase college life at an HBCU and I love every moment of it. The relationship between Whitley and Dwayne was the one for the books. I also loved just how unapologetically Black that show was.
COMFORT SHOWS FROM MY CHILDHOOD
There’s something about rewatching shows that remind you of how simple life was as a kid. It’s also great to be reminded of how empowering those shows were. God bless Disney+ for releasing their original content from back in the day. Now, if only they would add the Famous Jett Jackson to their content, we would be kicking it like bffs.
- Sister Sister – I’m a huge fan of the Mowry twins and just how outrageous it was for two single parents to agree to move in with each other so the newly met twin sisters can get to know each other. But it’s about the nostalgia for me so who cares if it doesn’t make sense.
- Smart Guy – I know I’ve said this before but this show was so unapologetically Black. The way Floyd cared for and raised his children, and just how it made me feel as a child was perfect. It brings back those same vibes whenever I decide to rewatch it.
- Kim Possible – This was the best show when I was coming up. A teenage, cheerleader that saves the world? Sign me up. I loved that Kim was an ordinary girl who was passionate about helping people and created a website that now helps her save the world. It was the little things that got me hooked.
DRAMA COMFORT SHOWS
There aren’t a lot of these on the list because sometimes dramas are not what I need to help unwind or bring me out of my funk. These three shows are favorites because of the characters and their premise of providing their own unique justice in a world that has no justice.
- Suits – I know that everyone’s obsessed with Suits now that it’s on Netflix, but I just want y’all to know that I was watching it before it became popular (yes, I’m being that person 🥴🤭). I was watching this on USA Network when it was on tv and this cast and storyline were the best I’ve seen at that time. I loved the dynamic between Mike & Harvey. Jessica, Donna, and Rachel were powerful women that I wanted to grow up to be. This show is a great warm blanket on a dreary day.
- Leverage – This is another show that I share with people in my world who aren’t familiar with it but I absolutely love the concept. Thieves with a Robinhood vibe. Now that Leverage: Redemption is bringing it back, I’m always reaching for Leverage when I know the new season is about to drop.
- Veronica Mars – I started watching this show in my junior year of high school and haven’t quit it since. This was my first introduction to Kristen Bell and have been a fan ever since. Her sarcastic and witty banter with her investigation skills gave me a grown up Harriet the Spy vibes – one of my favorite books as a child.
12 COMFORT MOVIES I ALSO ENJOY
While I don’t always reach for movies, there are a few that I would take with me if I was stranded on a deserted island (why I’m on a deserted island with a tv to watch movies is beyond me).
COMFORT MOVIES FOR MY INNER CHILD
- Seventeen Again (The Mowry Verison) – This is the only version I’ve seen and the only one I’ll watch. The music, the chemistry, and the Mowry siblings are the ones that make this show. I also just love how Black it was. We had a lot of that growing up and I miss those shows and movies that were just unapologetically Black.
- Wish Upon A Star – I loved the idea of this movie of being able to swap places with someone else so you could better understand them. I know that this is impossible but one can only wish. 😉 It’s a young Katherine Heigl and just loved the idea of the nerdy sister understanding the woes of her popular sister.
- Troop Beverly Hills – I always wanted to be a Girl Scout but I was so active as a child that my parents had to put a limit on the amount of paid activities that I could do. So, I used Troop Beverly Hills to live variously through. So rewatching it now brings some humor to my world but also empowers me that I can do whatever I put my mind to.
- The Incredibles (1 &2) – Movies about superhero families? Sign me up. I love rewatching these movies because I always forget how good they were. I also love them because the Parr family always manages to come together no matter what’s going on to help save the world. This is always so affirming for me.
- The Parent Trap – Lindsey Lohan at her finest. The premise of this movie – and the reason I love to rewatch it so much – is about bringing family together and rediscovering love.
- Spice World – I was obsessed with the Spice Girls and inevitably obsessed with this movie. I was comforted watching this before I knew what comfort watching was. High school was a particularly difficult time for me so I would whip out this VHS and watch it just about every weekend to help me get through it. I can probably still quote this movie from top to bottom if I had to.
ROMANTIC COMFORT MOVIES
- Pride & Prejudice (2005 Verison) – And honestly the only version we claim. I didn’t realize that there were other people just as obsessed with this film until I stumbled on this genre on TikTok. But the Regency-era vibes and the dance between Darcy and Jane until they fall in love will forever be a favorite for me to watch.
- Miss Congeniality – I remember my mom, brother, and me snuck into this movie at the theater because the movie we paid for – I can’t remember if it was Rugrats in Paris or The Emperor’s New Groove, totally different vibes than Miss Congeniality 🤭 – was midway through when we arrived and Miss Congeniality had just started. That was my first time sneaking into a movie and it was thrilling. I was very much a tomboy and watching a movie about a tomboy that transforms into a beauty queen was so funny yet eye opening to me. It change my perspective on internal vs external work. While external appearances may initially catch attention or create certain perceptions, it’s ultimately one’s internal qualities that define the character and make lasting impressions.
- You’ve Got Mail – I remember when we got internet when I was in 1st grade and the excitement of the connection sound and the ‘you’ve got mail’ notification that occurred when you signed into your AOL account. So having a movie that brings that nogalistic memory while also showcasing enemies to lovers trope, always makes my heart happy.
- The Proposal – After seeing Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality, I became a new fan of hers and have made it a mission to watch movies that she was in. The Proposal is no different. This is an enemies-to-lovers/fake fiance trope that we see in many romance comedies. I don’t know what it is about this movie but I just love it. Maybe because I see little glimpses of myself in her character but it’s definitely something that I can watch and bring me joy.
- The Bodyguard – Whitney Houston is one of my all time favorite singers. This was the first movie I saw with her that I was just, and still is, enamored with. The falling in love with the bodyguard that’s meant to save her is perfect. I watch it when I need a Whitney fix or if it’s just something I need.
WHAT COMFORT SHOWS & MOVIES DO YOU REACH FOR?
