Comfort Shows. We all have them. Comfort shows are often defined as shows people can turn to that soothe and relax the mind, often through nostalgia or low-conflict entertainment. Comfort shows give the watcher a stronger connection to the screen than regular shows do. Watching a show where you know the characters and what will happen to them gives the watcher a sense of control over something, even when they feel like their real life may be all over the place.
What is your comfort show? New Girl? The Office? Or maybe with the upcoming fall season, it’s time to rewatch Gilmore Girls. With my recent move to Gainesville and being away from all my friends and family, I’ve been turning to my comfort shows to give me that sense of home away from home. Although one of my all-time favorite shows is Friends, I’ll put that on in the background while cooking or doing homework. If I want to sit down and watch something, I’ll usually put on Bojack Horseman or Euphoria. Some of my favorite comfort shows also happen to be the ones that make me cry the most. Why is that?
What are my comfort shows?
Bojack Horseman: Bojack Horseman is a six-season sitcom about the pretty messed up life of a washed-up celebrity drug addict named Bojack. Oh, and also he’s an anthropomorphic horse. We learn about Bojack’s life and the lives of the characters he interacts with such as Todd, his unemployed “roommate” who showed up at this house for a party one year and never left; Princess Carolyn, his thoughtful but blunt manager; Diane, the writer of his biography; Mr. Peanut Butter, his industry rival and Diane’s husband; and Sarah Lynn, grown-up child actor with whom he used to work with on his old T.V. show. Bojack does some unforgivable things to all of these characters. He’s not a good guy, but that’s what gets you so hooked on the show.
Euphoria: Euphoria is a teen drama about the lives of seven high school students as they struggle with topics such as mental illness, relationship abuse, drug addiction, domestic violence, sexuality, grief and much more. All of the characters have their own struggles, and the show does a great job of explaining each character’s backstory in detail which makes the audience really connect with them. All of the characters have their own distinct storyline but you also watch as they interact with each other.
Common Themes
When I was evaluating some common themes that I found in my favorite comfort shows, most of them included some aspects of grief, addiction and over-sexuality leading to exploitation. None of those themes alone sound comforting, but I realized it’s not the show itself I watch for comfort, it’s how the characters handle the themes that make me feel so connected to them.
My favorite reason to watch Bojack Horseman surprisingly isn’t for Todd (though that is a big part). All the characters in Bojack Horseman represent unique qualities that we can all relate to. Even though Bojack’s character is unlikeable, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t see a little part of yourself in him. The same goes for Diane, Princess Caroline, Sarah Lynn and even Mr. Peanut Butter. Since these characters are so flawed, they’re easy to watch. All these characters deal with the common themes I found in my comfort shows, and despite most of them being cartoon animals, they handle them in a way that real people would. They don’t always work on bettering themselves or changing. For much of the show, the characters are struggling and watching them can validate my own struggles.
Regulating Emotions
I recently rewatched Euphoria. Though maybe not peak television, it has just the right mix of teenage angst, insane situations, sub-par acting and relatability to keep me hooked and feel for the problems the characters endure. Though it can be devastating at times, watching as Rue struggles with grief and addiction makes me feel connected to her character. I mirror the experiences that she has with losing her dad to my own, and it makes me feel seen.
Rue’s storyline on Euphoria has made me bawl more than once, and honestly, it’s really healthy for me. With so many things on my mind, it can be hard to give myself time to process my emotions when I’m always on the go. Watching shows with heavier themes that I can relate to helps me regulate my emotions by giving me an outlet to express them, even if at the moment it’s for the character. Crying to my comfort shows is a form of self-care. It gives me time to feel my emotions rather than just pushing them down because I’m too busy to think about them. In the end, I always feel better after I cry to my comfort shows.
Final Thoughts
My comfort shows mean so much to me. I connect with the characters, and even though I always know exactly what will happen to them I’m still on the edge of my seat while I watch. Dissecting the kinds of themes I see in my comfort shows has helped me figure out why I love them so much. I’ve found that what makes a show a real comfort show is that you feel at peace after watching it; that doesn’t only come from the stuff that makes you feel warm and fuzzy, sometimes it’s the entertainment that makes you uncomfortable and sad that can comfort you the most. I recommend everyone to find their outlet through a piece of media like comfort shows.