Comfort TV is a very specific genre. It has to be familiar, warm and low in the kind of plot twist that requires you to look at your phone. You should be able to put it on, fall asleep halfway through, and wake up at your favorite episode.
These ten shows have earned permanent residence in a lot of homes. They’re funny, kind and weirdly good at making a bad Tuesday feel survivable.
The Office (US)
Mockumentary about a paper company, and the most-rewatched sitcom of the streaming age. The characters are flawed, the cringe is expertly weaponized and every episode has a moment you quote for the next week.
It is the show that taught a generation that a boring job could be the best comedy setting ever.
Parks and Recreation
Leslie Knope is the optimist we all need, and the cast around her is spectacular. It starts a little slow and then turns into one of the warmest shows on television.
It’s proof that a show about local government can be hilarious and moving.
Friends
Six friends, one coffee shop and a number of apartments that no one on that salary could afford. The jokes are dated in places and timeless in others, and the chemistry still works.
It’s the television equivalent of a favorite sweatshirt.
Gilmore Girls
A mother and daughter in a small town with a lot of coffee and extremely fast dialogue. It’s cozy, funny and unusually sharp, and Stars Hollow is a place you’ll want to move to.
Watch it in the fall, because that’s when it works best.
Bob’s Burgers
A family runs a struggling burger restaurant and sings about it. The humor is gentle, the characters are lovable and the show is one of the kindest on television.
It’s a reminder that family chaos can be sweet.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
A police comedy with a cast that works together like a well-oiled machine. The jokes come fast, the characters are lovable and the show never lets cynicism win.
It’s a rare sitcom that gets better as it goes.
Schitt’s Creek
A wealthy family loses everything and moves to a small town, and learns to love it. It starts as a comedy about snobbery and ends as one about kindness.
It’s one of the most heartwarming shows of the last decade.
Ted Lasso
An American coach takes over an English football club and wins everyone over with positivity and biscuits. It’s sweet, funny and sincere without being saccharine.
Believe, as the poster says. We do.
The Great British Bake Off
Amateur bakers, a tent and a thin layer of British politeness covering fierce competition. Nobody is cruel, the cakes are gorgeous and a soggy bottom is treated like a national tragedy.
It may be the most relaxing show ever made.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
An animated epic with great characters, a gorgeous world and a story that respects its audience. It’s a show for kids that holds up for adults, and it has one of the best arcs in television.
If you’ve never watched it, be prepared to binge.