What Your Favourite Comfort Show Says About You

Quick! Choose a number between 1-10.

You probably choose 3, or maybe 7. Even if I was wrong, no, I wasn't.

You're so predictable—just like your TV-watching habits. But I’m not here to criticize that; in fact, I’d probably pick the same choices. They feel safe, familiar, and inevitable. The media we consume often reflects our current emotional state. Sometimes, it’s comforting to turn off your brain and immerse yourself in something predictable—something you know you’ll enjoy, especially during stressful times.

As a filmmaker, I constantly feel pressured to consume new media to expand my horizons—yet I'd rather just stay in my comfort zone and binge my favourite series again. These shows inspire me to create stories too, as the repetitive re-runs form a stark, conceptualized vision in my mind. I can't help but think of the psychology of it all—why do I prefer this comfort show over the others? How come I watched it ten times but only watched the other one eight times?

It inspired me to create a list of shows based on their popularity and bingability. So, here’s my theory on why these beloved TV shows might be your go-to comfort watch, and what that says about you.

Friends / How I Met Your Mother / Seinfeld (Sitcoms)

You fall for peer pressure, don’t you? Your parents probably owned the DVD collection and told you it was the best show of their generation. You're young, and the mildly risqué jokes make you feel clever and mature, but most importantly, you just want to laugh.

You’re into the classics—a little gossip, a little drama, but mostly comedic moments where characters mock each other and tug at their deepest insecurities. But in a funny way that's not too serious, with just the right amount of heartfelt forgiveness.

If you watch this repeatedly, you crave nostalgia—the kind that only comes from comparing the analogue static of these shows to the hyper-realistic cinema you watch today. You romanticize having a tight-knit friend group that goes to a café or bar (preferably the same spot each time) to enjoy a brew. You forget that you have that deadline at work coming up (does work even exist in these shows?) and you live life as it comes to you.

Whether or not you’d find the same jokes funny now, you definitely did back then—and those memories stick with you.

The Office / Schitt’s Creek / It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Sitcoms with Edge)

You have taste! You enjoy a more refined palate of humour, where the jokes might stray into controversial or inappropriate territory. You might have watched this with your parents when you were very young, only fully understanding that one sexist joke when you rewatched it as a teenager.

You find it entertaining when characters have glaring ethical flaws. The moments that make others cringe with secondhand embarrassment feel like a rollercoaster to you. You find comfort in ensemble casts who might not all be friends—or even like each other—but somehow, that dysfunctional system is your favourite kind of camaraderie.

Your life is surrounded by people who usually irritate or anger you, but watching these shows makes you realize your life is pretty ordinary in comparison. You might even feel a sense of superiority watching characters who are so comically stupid, psychotic, or just plain terrible—but hey, it’s fiction, so who cares? You think you're above sitcoms with forced laugh tracks—but let's be real, you’re not.

True Detective / Mindhunter / Dexter (Crime dramas)

Your comfort is stress. You love the chase and thrive when the peace is disturbed. Stability just isn’t your vibe—if things are calm for too long, you like to self-sabotage.

Let's face it. Your life isn't filled with thrilling twists and turns—the 9 to 5 life isn't that exciting—so you fill that void with intense, suspenseful shows though you already know how it's going to end (probably in a neatly wrapped-up conclusion), but you go back to the pilot episode anyway because you crave experiencing that uncertainty all over again.

You think you're deeper and more intellectual than the average person, with a delicate taste that makes you feel smart for understanding life’s nuances. You believe you could outsmart the psychopath with your quirks, your insight, maybe even your looks. If you're a girl, you think you could change him.

Don’t worry—it’s just a phase. You’ll get over it.

Succession/Suits/Mad Men (Career shows)

You're obsessed with your work. You think your profession defines you as a person, and watching the genius entrepreneur effortlessly navigate life just by "knowing things" makes you feel validated. The small hints of drama humanize you and occasionally separate you from your work. Admit it—you’re a dude.

But we can flip the script. You’re hopelessly unemployed yet bursting with passion, drive, and an innate sense of intelligence. You need to express it desperately, and watching shows gives you brief relief from this frustration. You are Harvey, you are Don Draper—scheming your way up the corporate ladder and reaching the top without breaking a sweat, sabotaging everyone (mainly women) who gets in your way. Why can’t the big guys just see your worth? There’s more to you than just looks. They'll come around one day.

Sex and the City/Fleabag/New Girl (Dating In Your 20s & 30s)

You are in search of something; a feeling or a place that can represent your life to a tee. You didn't know your hot mess of an existence was so utterly relatable until you found this show. You’re in your 20s, navigating a dating scene that feels like a minefield. You want to give up, but you cling to hope—at least you think you're a catch. You believe you have self-awareness, and to your credit, you sometimes do. You take pride in your quirky interests and personality, yet you can’t help but feel frustrated that the world doesn’t know you for who you really are.

People continually let you down, you're constantly taking hits but keep moving forward, picked up by the friends who always have your back—or at least, you hope they do—and even if they don’t, you still have yourself, right? Meanwhile, you watch amazing women fall for douchebags, living in luxury apartments in the most expensive city in the world (you are broke and stuck in your hometown). But still, you can’t shake the feeling that if someone just loved you back, everything would fall into place. You finish the series and start it again, knowing deep down that’s not true; you are enough.

Real Housewives/Survivor/Love is Blind (Reality TV)

You were probably on your phone the first time this show aired, then on your iPad for the second and third rewatch. You find competition entertaining—not just for the stakes, but because it gives you someone to root for. Maybe it’s the most unhinged character, the one who says things that’ll inevitably get them cancelled years down the line. Maybe it’s the underdog, the one who makes you feel seen. Either way, you crave that same kind of competition in your own life—but in your head, you’re always the winner. It’s comforting to know there are people genuinely dumber than you. Sure, you understand that the drama—no matter how real the tears seem—is manufactured for views to some extent. But do you care? Not really.

You’re just glad there are people out there who are even more out of touch than you, living in ridiculous mansions and wiping their tears from hate comments with hundred-dollar bills. Still, in the back of your mind, you can’t help but wonder why the producers haven’t shown up at your house. Your family is insane, your friends are gaslighting you, your love life is a joke—you deserve to be documented. You’re never the first to admit you watch this show. If someone else brings it up, sure, you’ll chime in. But in secret? You keep up with the cast’s lives on social media, forming a quiet, delusional bond. In a way, you think of them as your friends. And isn’t one of the best things in life watching your friends do incredibly embarrassing things?

Gilmore Girls (The Ultimate Comfort Show)

You’re the winner! You’ve found the perfect comfort show, and you’re a stand-up citizen of the world. You never let people judge you for your taste because you know you’re right, and they’re simply misguided. You love big words and the way the English language sounds when spoken so quickly. You read a lot of books and have an unlimited amount of pop culture references at the ready. You try to ignore the glaring issues of selective feminism and diversity in the show—but hey, all shows have their flaws, right?

If you haven’t guessed already, Gilmore Girls is my all-time favourite comfort show. Crowning it the Ultimate Comfort Show definitely comes with some bias, but after rewatching countless series in search of the magnum opus, Gilmore Girls was it for me. I can't get enough of the quaint town of Stars Hollow, the quirky townspeople who bring it to life, and the way the two main characters grow and learn with each season—it all just works. Every year, like clockwork, when October creeps in, I instinctively reach for something warm and fattening. My blanket and I settle in to watch Rory make terrible, entitled mistakes. And just like that, I know I’m home.

There are plenty of beloved comfort shows out there, each with valid reasons to exist—because everyone’s comfort place is different.

As time passes, our tastes evolve, and we begin to give up certain comfort shows, replacing them with ones that better align with who we are now. What we want from stories shifts—maybe we once sought lighthearted humour but now crave deeper narratives or nostalgic familiarity. Yet, at their core, comfort shows remain a source of self-preservation– even a time capsule, a place to return to when we feel lost.

They create the illusion of community, making us feel like we belong among the characters, easing our sense of loneliness even if we are watching alone. And that’s why they remain endlessly rewatchable—because, no matter how many times we return, they welcome us back like we never left.