ADDING COMFORT TO THE CHAOS: THE SHOWS WHICH KEEP ME COMING BACK

ADDING COMFORT TO THE CHAOS: THE SHOWS WHICH KEEP ME COMING BACK

By Harriet Rothwell-Inch

Impact’s Harriet Rothwell-Inch explores what a comfort show is, her own personal favourites during university and why comfort shows are so important, for all of us.

We all have our TV favourites that we come back to time and time again. Maybe it’s something we’ve grown up watching, something that reminds us of family and old friends we haven’t seen in a while, or maybe it’s just something that makes us feel good when we’re feeling down. We relish in the familiarity of our favourite storylines, the comfort of seeing our favourite characters again, and laughing at the same jokes we’ve heard at least 100 times before. Even with the number of new films and TV series being produced every year, it’s clear to see that comfort shows can play an important part in our lives.

Personally, I would choose to rewatch a comfort show of mine that I know inside out and back to front rather than start a series or watch a film I haven’t heard of before. Maybe it’s an anxiety thing, but there is comfort in knowing exactly what to expect from what you’re watching. This is especially true for me whenever I experience a big change in my life, like when I started university.

Moving to a new city, meeting new people, starting a new course, and setting up a new bedroom,it can all be a little overwhelming, so having something comforting and familiar to turn to can really help to smooth out the adjustment period. Throughout my university career, I cycled through a multitude of TV shows and movies, all of which I’d watched at least twice before! But I can’t deny that I have my favourites.

Naturally, sitcoms come in hot on the comfort show scale. You know the classics: Friends, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother;the list is seemingly endless. Not only are they easy to watch, full of laughs, and always putting a smile on my face (although the second-hand embarrassment could kill me at times), but they also remind me of watching TV on the sofa with my family. Not to mention they’re great to throw on in the background when I’m pottering around my flat! That’s the beauty of sitcoms, they can bring comfort and company, and I don’t even need to follow the plot half of the time because I already know it!

Childhood animated movies are also a must with the comfort shows crowd, and How To Train Your Dragon is my go-to for nostalgic escapism. The quality of the animation, coupled with the incredible score, and obviously the dragons, just ticks every one of my comfort show boxes.

I can’t talk about comfort shows without mentioning one of my all-time favourites. The film Burlesque, starring Christina Aguilera, Cher, and Stanley Tucci, will never fail to boost my spirits. As someone who grew up dancing and performing, I am entranced by the glitz, glam, and backstage drama of Burlesque every time I watch it. It’s a proper feel-good storyline and the choreography just makes my heart soar!

My comfort shows have seen me through some of the toughest days, both at home and while at university. I have really fond memories of duvet days on the sofa with my second-year housemates, curled up with a hot beverage and binge-watching Gilmore Girls. We’ve since fallen out of touch, but I think about them often. Whenever I miss those moments, I pop on an episode and instantly I’m transported back. Gilmore Girls isn’t even one of my comfort shows, it’s one of theirs! So, while it is bitter-sweet, those memories are very precious to me.

This is the power of comfort TV…and it’s magical.