Comfort shows: television viewing for the soul
Apple pie. Fried chicken. Macaroni and cheese. Comfort foods proven to make you happy and bring back feelings of nostalgia. You put a big plate of fettuccini alfredo in front of me and all my bad feelings instantly melt away. But it’s not just food that can stir up good feeling; a song, a book, a book, a movie, or even a TV show can take away the
pain and remind us of better times. I have a plethora of shows that I watch when I’m feeling down or want to be taken back to another time. They’re my “comfort shows.
A couple of shows can make me feel good no matter what’s happening in my life. If I’m having a particularly bad day, I might come home and turn on an episode of 30 Rock or Parks and Recreation. I find myself watching these shows the most after I’ve had a particularly hard day at work, or I just feel like things aren’t going my way. For some reason I actually find them kind of inspiring. Not only are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hilarious, but they also make me feel like I can accomplish anything. It’s a great pick-me-up when I’m feeling low. In fact, as we speak, after a terribly busy day at work today, I’m watching one of my favorite episodes from Parks. Watching Jerry mess up his presentation and fart in front of the parks department will forever be engrained in my mind.
Like smells and songs and places, TV shows have the ability to take me back to certain times and places in my past. The biggest one among them is The Simpsons. I have literally seen nearly every episode and I purchase every season that comes out on DVD. It’s a bit of an obsession, but a very fun one. There are episodes of The Simpsons that I can remember exactly where I was and what I was feeling when I watched it for the first time. When I watch season 6, it reminds me of the summer before high school. It was a time of uncertainty and confusion. I would soon be going to a new school, meeting new people and have to pave a new path for myself. This season of The Simpsons helped me feel comfortable and took my mind off my worries and troubles. I still get the same calming experience when I re-watch those episodes today.
And some shows are just feel-good shows. They make me feel good inside. Watching Lost for me is like having a religious experience. I can’t even describe the feelings I get watching that show. It’s the ultimate comfort show. And others leave me feeling happy and warm inside. Shows like American Horror Story (yeah, I know that’s an odd one), Arrested Development, It’s Always Sunny and Everybody Loves Raymond are excellent comfort shows. They just make me feel good. Watching Marie find a piece of cheese in Ray and Deborah’s suitcase will never get old. “Deborah, you can’t keep cheese in a suitcase!” But most recently, Portlandia seems to permanently stay in my “recently watched” queue on Netflix. I can’t get enough. If you need any reason to watch this show, check out this scene. It sums the show up pretty well.
Regardless of where you are in life, or how you are feeling, we all have things that make us feel good. Our comfort _____________. Comfort shows make me feel good and safe. They help me forget about the problems of the outside world. For 20-45 minutes I can forget my worries and lose myself in the stories. What comfort shows do you turn to when you’re down?
Drew Reeves TV 
One comment