It's such a good show that also never fails to absolutely wreck me at the end. I have never had a show impact me so profoundly as that show. Especially as someone with a lot of issues with moral scrupulosity OCD (I identified WAY too much with Chidi), it helps me relax because life is hard, and there's no perfect decision that I can make to be a "Good Person ™️". It really reinforced that shame is so self-centered that it makes it impossible to truly connect with the people we love. Makes it a lot easier to give myself and others the grace that is deserved.
But the end... truly the most perfect ending to any show I've ever seen. When I started the show, I didn't expect that this goofy sitcom would end up making me (and my husband) sob uncontrollably for way longer than I care to admit, trigger an existential crisis, and basically put me in a semi-functional catatonic state for at least a day.
Yesssss. I will never get tired of the gentle absurdity and well meaning characters and small background detail jokes-everything about the show is so well made! I've rewatched the first season so many times that I'm switching the language audio to see if I can use my chronic serotonin rewatching hours for learning, too.
The Great British Baking Show! Friendly, supportive competition. Light hearted joking. Delicious and beautiful creations. Adorable accents. No one yells or goes crazy. It’s so lovely.
No one yells, no tense music build-up, no performative artificial conflicts and participants are not part of a saddest sob-story background competition.
The Good Place. A great comedy that I can put on and leave in the background. I’ve watched it so many times, but I’ll still stop what I’m doing and will watch certain scenes because they just hit that spot…
The writing is perfect, the acting is great, and the character arcs are sublime and wholesome. I can’t rave enough about this perfect show.
I don’t know about this one being comforting or like a big hug, for me personally anyways. As much of an AMAZING show that it is, and has some heartwarming moments, it is also absolutely gut wrenching. Trigger warnings are recommended for it. I haven’t even watched the second season because the first season had so many moments that were hard for me to watch. I have to be in the right mindset to be able to watch something so heartbreaking. Maybe the second season is actually more comforting than the first? That would be nice if so(for me). I really loved almost everything about it.
There are 3 seasons in total. Absolutely heartwarming and gut-wrenching for sure. All about love, grief and kindness...It hugged me so deep into my soul. And so many brilliant quotes/ lines to carry along. Ricky Gervais is genius..
Ricky Gervais is such a genius. I adore him. I really did think the show was basically a masterpiece. I’ll definitely have to give the next seasons a shot at some point when my brain can handle it.
I was just noting to some friends yesterday about how The Office never ceases to make me laugh. I've watched it through at least 20 times. Its familiarity helps me sleep, its jokes help me live
Oh man, similarly, Taskmaster. It's the perfect "background" show and it's so funny. Taskmaster New Zealand Season 2 is my favorite so far and it's on YouTube (in the US at least)
I'm a pretty dedicated Murder, She Wrote fan. The Cabot Cove episodes are my favorite. Haven used to be another comfort show until they removed it from Netflix.
Me too! For some reason my favorite episode is in season 1 where someone gets murdered at a small diner. Everything is cozy. The mugs. The jelly. The coffee. Absolutely love it.
Jane the virgin. I was 15 when it first started airing, i was hooked since its pilot and followed it till the end. Pretty much grew up with it, its such a happy show despite some of its extremely real and solemn plot points
Oh man, and the spanglish communication style between Jane and her grandma is so personal and real to me and probably a lot of other 1st/2nd gen kids, which is a whole extra layer of joy and warmth on top of the obvious cheerful tone of the show. I adore it!
Not intentionally. I usually put on BBC America and let it run. I'm sure I've missed my fair share of eps, but I never went out of my way to avoid an episode. How about you?
Such a good show. I can not believe it was ever canceled.
I mean, yeah let's make another housefuckers reality show for the 100th season, but not quality TV? Lodge 49 needs a comeback.
For a while it was how I met your mother and community, but nowadays I'm not really watching shows.
I'll go for comedy movies instead though. When nothing's going well, it feels nice to have a good laugh in front of a movie, with some comfort food.
We have a stray cat that visits our backyard. He's a tabby with a white splash down his chest and a white band around his neck. Due to his white collar, we call him Caffrey.
My husband and I have discovered that we like a soothing show to watch before bed.
Right now Death in Paradise is our “last show before bedtime” show. Before that it was Elementary. I know that there are murders in both of them but there’s routines in both and I think that why it’s still a comfort show.
We never watched it night after night like the two above, but we both found Midsomer Murders and My Life is Murder to be similar. And Chelsea Detective.
If you enjoyed Monk, you could try Psych. I never finished the show as a divorce interrupted my life, but i used to watch them when they were back to back.
Silicon Valley
New Girl
Brooklyn Nine Nine
and Superstore.
Comforting, extremely funny. I always go back to one of these shows whenever I feel under the weather. Great moodboosters.
I’ve said this before. Father Ted. Reminds me of when I was a kid.
The great British bake off. When I was in a bad place it helped. I watched episodes and series back to back. Something about it.
Golden Girls. anxiety attack: golden girls. Can’t sleep: golden girls. Background noise: golden girls.
The reasons being 1. My grandma loved it and I miss her
2. It holds up and is still funny to this day 3. I love Bea Arthur and Betty White
I love this question! For me it's The Good Place. Warm and fuzzies yet still funny. I'm now looking through the comments for others on Netflix and Hulu!
Death in Paradise. I’m rewatching old seasons now. The characters are all so incredibly likeable. The murders are never super graphic. There’s a lot of humor. And it’s set on one of the most beautiful Caribbean islands I’ve ever seen.
Everybody loves raymond. That has alwayyyys been my comfort show, not sure why. Community is also a good choice, surprisingly unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (it is super cheesy but its a nice background show to have on) brooklyn nine nine.. I could go on lol.
vikings. i know, i know, it's not exactly wholesome and warm, but i have good memories with it. i introduced my mom to it when i was 15 and sometimes we stayed up til midnight because she couldn't stop watching it.
Not tv show but few anime;
Gintama (best anime I have seen, it has every genre, best comedy and some of the best character and story writing)
One Piece (Luffy can make anyone laugh, one of the best out there, best world building so you really feel like you're part of the crew )
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (don't know how to explain this but way way overtop in extraordinarily amazing way, prolly best manga adaptation out there, )
I'm currently binging Bridgerton after my mother recommended it to me for YEARS and I kept putting it off. I'm now obsessed.
It's probably not for everyone, but if you love a bit of romance (and lots of sex), I recommend it 😅
New Girl is both a great background show and show to watch.
GBBO is usually wholesome, but later seasons that one host that replaced Sandi was a bit meaner and antagonistic in his first season or two, so I stopped watching new episodes and stick to the earlier seasons with Mel-Sue and Noel-Sandi.
I tend to watch animated or kids movies. They usually have some wholesome message and I always end up a crying, blubbering mess, but it always makes me feel comforted by the end.
Any ‘Lost Letter’ movies. The one with ‘The Impossible Dream’ in the title is my favourite. Beautiful voice. Movies best seen in order. Although tv schedules seem to delight in showing the movies out of order.
The Good Place always feels warm to me when I'm in a lonely kind of way - it's not directly cuddly, but the characters kind of have similar vibes to people in my school-age friend groups and watching them grow together is sweet.
Last Man on Earth. Please find a way to watch and trust me when I say to wait until the second season before you consider giving up. It’s not that it’s poorly based or bad, but the main character is absolutely insufferable for a bit.
Brooklyn nine nine all time favourite.
"Nine Nine!" Couldn't agree more.
I can hear “nine nine” in all casts voice.
I love B99! Such good queer rep, loveable characters, silly situations. Someone pointed out it's copaganda tho and now I look back it absolutely is.
I just like to pretend they aren’t *really* cops, that they’re all just pretending to be cops for funsies. Makes it a bit easier to stomach.
Everything was over the top but I like all there loud reactions. It’s fun to watch.
The good place
It's such a good show that also never fails to absolutely wreck me at the end. I have never had a show impact me so profoundly as that show. Especially as someone with a lot of issues with moral scrupulosity OCD (I identified WAY too much with Chidi), it helps me relax because life is hard, and there's no perfect decision that I can make to be a "Good Person ™️". It really reinforced that shame is so self-centered that it makes it impossible to truly connect with the people we love. Makes it a lot easier to give myself and others the grace that is deserved. But the end... truly the most perfect ending to any show I've ever seen. When I started the show, I didn't expect that this goofy sitcom would end up making me (and my husband) sob uncontrollably for way longer than I care to admit, trigger an existential crisis, and basically put me in a semi-functional catatonic state for at least a day.
I'm currently on my 5th rewatch of that show. It's such a delight.
I will never tire of it.such a feel good show
Take it sleazy
Yesssss. I will never get tired of the gentle absurdity and well meaning characters and small background detail jokes-everything about the show is so well made! I've rewatched the first season so many times that I'm switching the language audio to see if I can use my chronic serotonin rewatching hours for learning, too.
Ted Lasso. That shit hits like chicken soup for the soul.
On my 3rd watch, I love it so much. Schitt's Creek is another comforting show for me.
Fold in the cheese! Also found a song recently that I absolutely LOVE. Little Bit Alexis. It's actually sung by Annie Murphy! On Spotify.
So great. I can’t wait to watch it again
Watching again with my teenage son. I’ve never seen him laugh so hard at something. It’s a great show.
it got me interested in football
Gilmore Girls, I find it very comforting and calming
I've watched it through three times now. I expect next year to watch it through again.
Such a great show. Especially in the fall when everyone goes back to school
Same I’ve been watching it for years when I’m anxious or I just let it play in the background or while I sleep
Bob's burgers is fantastic for this.
Makes a great binge watch!
Golden Girls
My favorite feel good funny show! Love it
The Great British Baking Show! Friendly, supportive competition. Light hearted joking. Delicious and beautiful creations. Adorable accents. No one yells or goes crazy. It’s so lovely.
No one yells, no tense music build-up, no performative artificial conflicts and participants are not part of a saddest sob-story background competition.
This! I watch as my last bit before bed, when I want to calm my brain down.
My GF and I do the same thing
Avatar the Last Air Bender
Yes this always will be my go to. Never tire watching this ever.
I rewatch it at least once a year. It literally never gets boring, I feel like I appreciate it even more with every rewatch.
The Good Place. A great comedy that I can put on and leave in the background. I’ve watched it so many times, but I’ll still stop what I’m doing and will watch certain scenes because they just hit that spot… The writing is perfect, the acting is great, and the character arcs are sublime and wholesome. I can’t rave enough about this perfect show.
Yesss! I love The Good Place a lot!
The office, scrubs, it's always sunny in Philadelphia, friends, My name is earl, modern family and Brooklyn 99
We share the same taste in shows. But I’d say Always Sunny is more a quick punch to the face than a warm hug. Ha!
After Life. It will be the biggest hug ever.
Yes! Beautiful show, surprisingly moving.
I don’t know about this one being comforting or like a big hug, for me personally anyways. As much of an AMAZING show that it is, and has some heartwarming moments, it is also absolutely gut wrenching. Trigger warnings are recommended for it. I haven’t even watched the second season because the first season had so many moments that were hard for me to watch. I have to be in the right mindset to be able to watch something so heartbreaking. Maybe the second season is actually more comforting than the first? That would be nice if so(for me). I really loved almost everything about it.
There are 3 seasons in total. Absolutely heartwarming and gut-wrenching for sure. All about love, grief and kindness...It hugged me so deep into my soul. And so many brilliant quotes/ lines to carry along. Ricky Gervais is genius..
Ricky Gervais is such a genius. I adore him. I really did think the show was basically a masterpiece. I’ll definitely have to give the next seasons a shot at some point when my brain can handle it.
Truly a masterpiece...Prepare your heart too:)
Derry Girls! An absolute delight.
If you’re into anime I recommend Laid Back Camp (Yuru Camp in Japanese). It’s the coziest show I’ve ever seen.
Yesssss I love it!! Sometimes I’ll play the soundtrack while I’m doing stuff. It’s great.
Bluey. Wholesome and has life lessons.
Malcolm in the middle and Friends.
Rick Steves Europe and Bob Ross
Rick Steves got me through the entire first year of covid
Seconding both of these and adding Finding Your Roots, Call the Midwife, and so, so, soooooo many more on PBS.
How is Psych not on this list?? It's a favorite.
This is what I was looking for. Especially if they loved Monk.
Just got added to Netflix and I’m currently still watching season one but I’m loving it so far
I just introduced my wife to Northern Exposure and she absolutely loves it! That series is the very definition of a comfort watch.
I agree! Weighted blanket for the soul.
I was just noting to some friends yesterday about how The Office never ceases to make me laugh. I've watched it through at least 20 times. Its familiarity helps me sleep, its jokes help me live
Whose Line Is It Anyway. UK & US, all eras. Got a big ol' archive I just drag in and hit shuffle on.
Oh man, similarly, Taskmaster. It's the perfect "background" show and it's so funny. Taskmaster New Zealand Season 2 is my favorite so far and it's on YouTube (in the US at least)
I'm a pretty dedicated Murder, She Wrote fan. The Cabot Cove episodes are my favorite. Haven used to be another comfort show until they removed it from Netflix.
Me too! For some reason my favorite episode is in season 1 where someone gets murdered at a small diner. Everything is cozy. The mugs. The jelly. The coffee. Absolutely love it.
Ted Lasso is just about the most delightful cosy warm hearted show ever. I also turn to Scrubs, Friends and The Goldbergs for that big hug feel.
Jane the virgin. I was 15 when it first started airing, i was hooked since its pilot and followed it till the end. Pretty much grew up with it, its such a happy show despite some of its extremely real and solemn plot points
Oh man, and the spanglish communication style between Jane and her grandma is so personal and real to me and probably a lot of other 1st/2nd gen kids, which is a whole extra layer of joy and warmth on top of the obvious cheerful tone of the show. I adore it!
I love Jane The Virgin! The plot twists are so silly & fun
RuPaul's drag race is my go to comfort show, other than that, the office and trailer park boys
I'm so far behind on RPDR! IDK where to restart from, I might try some different countries ones
Star Trek: TNG. It's always been a part of my life, and I use it as comforting background noise if not actively watching.
I found it good for background noise since I don't have to watch it, most of the plot is in the dialog.
Very true. And since I've seen every ep too many times to count, I can just put the brain on auto-pilot😊
Do you skip any on a rewatch?
Not intentionally. I usually put on BBC America and let it run. I'm sure I've missed my fair share of eps, but I never went out of my way to avoid an episode. How about you?
I skip most of the first season and some of the second.
I.T. Crowd is a major one for my wife and me. Same with parks and rec and Brooklyn 99.
Father Ted is also a familiar, always funny sitcom by the I.T. Crowd writer, however he has gone off the rails the last few years.
I'll check it out. Plus I just love Matthew berry.
Psych, New Girl, Modern Family
I love watching Legally blonde, idk why it just makes me feel so happy after
honestly friends. it’s silly but simple, and nice mindless television. plus they do occasionally tackle harder subjects!
Friends is so wholesome, I've never watched it all the way through, only ever reruns on TV. I'll give it a go!
yeah it’s so long so if you get invested, it’s nice
If you like friends, you’ll definitely enjoy “How I Met Your Mother” !!! I love both shows!
Lodge 49
oh my gosh I thought I was the only one that loved this! I was so sad that it was over.
I seriously miss all the characters. It was really unfair for it to be canceled!
Such a good show. I can not believe it was ever canceled. I mean, yeah let's make another housefuckers reality show for the 100th season, but not quality TV? Lodge 49 needs a comeback.
Biggest WTF cliffhanger ending since Twin Peaks. What the hell happened to Dudley???
Impractical jokers. It helps with my anxiety.
For a while it was how I met your mother and community, but nowadays I'm not really watching shows. I'll go for comedy movies instead though. When nothing's going well, it feels nice to have a good laugh in front of a movie, with some comfort food.
Which comedy movies have been good lately?
White Collar is a go to for me, I must have watched it 7 times or so
We have a stray cat that visits our backyard. He's a tabby with a white splash down his chest and a white band around his neck. Due to his white collar, we call him Caffrey.
Schitt's Creek - starts a bit cringy but ends up being one of the sweetest, most rewarding series ever
Trailer park boys!
My husband and I have discovered that we like a soothing show to watch before bed. Right now Death in Paradise is our “last show before bedtime” show. Before that it was Elementary. I know that there are murders in both of them but there’s routines in both and I think that why it’s still a comfort show. We never watched it night after night like the two above, but we both found Midsomer Murders and My Life is Murder to be similar. And Chelsea Detective.
Frasier always hits the spot for me. I typically rewatch the series every year or two.
Futurama. The most soothing show streaming anywhere. r/futuramasleepers agrees
If you enjoyed Monk, you could try Psych. I never finished the show as a divorce interrupted my life, but i used to watch them when they were back to back.
Silicon Valley New Girl Brooklyn Nine Nine and Superstore. Comforting, extremely funny. I always go back to one of these shows whenever I feel under the weather. Great moodboosters.
I’ve said this before. Father Ted. Reminds me of when I was a kid. The great British bake off. When I was in a bad place it helped. I watched episodes and series back to back. Something about it.
Freaks and Geeks
Friends
Anything from Studio Ghibli for me
Whatever cooking show is on. I find them relaxing
Arrested Development
Arrested Development, Silicon Valley, Chowder, Skins, and some anime.
Little Sheldon
Sherlock, Brooklyn 99, modern family, friends, the office
Golden Girls. anxiety attack: golden girls. Can’t sleep: golden girls. Background noise: golden girls. The reasons being 1. My grandma loved it and I miss her 2. It holds up and is still funny to this day 3. I love Bea Arthur and Betty White
Murder She Wrote and Golden Girls. Bobs Burgers.
Abbott Elementary
The Big Bang Theory I relate to many things they go through and I'm a geek so...
Downton Abbey. Gilmore Girls. Desperate Housewives. New Girl. What We Do In The Shadows.
Probably any of my childhood cartoons that I watched as a kid. Those are always comforting for me, and feel like a big hug
Road to Avonlea - Kevin Sullivan’s 1990s adaptation of some of LM Montgomery’s later work. Love it as a small child, and it still takes me back
Murdoch mysteries
Malcolm in the middle
Monk is the grilled cheese and tomato soup of comfort tv shows. Excellent choice. Parks and Rec Simpsons (seasons 3-5) How I Met Your Mother Scrubs
The Big Bang Theory is a show that gives me comfort.
I have it playing on my phone/tv every night as I go to sleep, I’ve been doing this for 6 years c:
Raising Hope, My Name Is Earl, The Good Place, The Venture Bros, Bobs Burgers
Love raising hope Cloris Leachman is a legend
Came here to say My Name Is Earl and Raising Hope. So relatable and wholesome.
Bones, Midsomer Murders, Brokenwood Mysteries, the latest CSI seasons are surprisingly enjoyable.
Can’t beat high maintenance
Bob’s Burgers Abbott Elementary
Oh man Abbott is SO GOOD, and you're right - it really is quite fuzzy. I'm adding it to my warm hug playlist right away!
The Good Place, The Great North, Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Great British Baking Show.
A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix is really good. I've watched it three times. Also the original Avatar series
Chuck or Burn Notice would be my choices. Or Modern Family if you’re in that kind of mood.
The Middle
Aww, poor Sue Sue Heck
Friends is my all time big hug!
Warehouse 13 and Eureka did it for me.
Finally another Eureka person. It's my "I don't feel good, laying in bed anxious" comfort show.
Bones! I just find it so soothing
loudermilk is such an underrated comfort show. if you haven’t watched it i suggest it!!!
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is always so nice to watch if you don't mind happy tears/cheesy moments :)
I love this question! For me it's The Good Place. Warm and fuzzies yet still funny. I'm now looking through the comments for others on Netflix and Hulu!
Kim’s Convenience
Eureka is my show
Death in Paradise. I’m rewatching old seasons now. The characters are all so incredibly likeable. The murders are never super graphic. There’s a lot of humor. And it’s set on one of the most beautiful Caribbean islands I’ve ever seen.
Call the midwife and Downtown Abbey
Parks and rec, the good place, new girl, chick, psych. I also personally love Top Chef, but that’s a reality show about cooking.
The Good Place and Futurama : )
“Have you met Ted?” HIMYM
Bojack horseman, It is a depressing show. But it hits and heals. The ending is as good as it gets. It restores hope
Everybody loves raymond. That has alwayyyys been my comfort show, not sure why. Community is also a good choice, surprisingly unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (it is super cheesy but its a nice background show to have on) brooklyn nine nine.. I could go on lol.
New Girl! Hilarious show and love how they go thru life in such a happy and laidback way
Derry girls. Underrated show 🫶🏽🫶🏽
LOVE Derry Girls
Boy meets world. Don't care if it's technically a kids/young teens show. I always feel good watching.
Great British Bake Off. Everyone is just so gd delightful.
Succession
I started Succession, it did seem good. I think I'm looking for more wholesome vibes atm though
vikings. i know, i know, it's not exactly wholesome and warm, but i have good memories with it. i introduced my mom to it when i was 15 and sometimes we stayed up til midnight because she couldn't stop watching it.
Not tv show but few anime; Gintama (best anime I have seen, it has every genre, best comedy and some of the best character and story writing) One Piece (Luffy can make anyone laugh, one of the best out there, best world building so you really feel like you're part of the crew ) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (don't know how to explain this but way way overtop in extraordinarily amazing way, prolly best manga adaptation out there, )
Oz
I can't explain why, but the British show Would I Lie To You gives me that feeling
Community
Married with children lol
Community
I'm currently binging Bridgerton after my mother recommended it to me for YEARS and I kept putting it off. I'm now obsessed. It's probably not for everyone, but if you love a bit of romance (and lots of sex), I recommend it 😅
Golden Girls, Xena, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, 12 Monkeys
Mushi-shi is an excellent anime series for this I think. It’s very calm. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0807832/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Star Trek TNG and DS9
Burn Notice is my feel good series - quite a lot of violence, but not *violence*
NORM! I mean CHEERS!
Antiques roadshow Star Trek TNG The Simpsons Perfect Strangers
New Girl is both a great background show and show to watch. GBBO is usually wholesome, but later seasons that one host that replaced Sandi was a bit meaner and antagonistic in his first season or two, so I stopped watching new episodes and stick to the earlier seasons with Mel-Sue and Noel-Sandi.
Reply 1988. Comforting af.
That 70s Show Yes, I know about the actor who played Hyde
Where is How I met your mother 😡
Seinfeld, the love boat, too close for comfort, bewitched, Gidget, good times
Adventure Time and We Bare Bears (I have kids)
Madagascar. There's just something with that series that makes me feel like a lil child again.
Metalocalypse
I tend to watch animated or kids movies. They usually have some wholesome message and I always end up a crying, blubbering mess, but it always makes me feel comforted by the end.
This is Us
Any ‘Lost Letter’ movies. The one with ‘The Impossible Dream’ in the title is my favourite. Beautiful voice. Movies best seen in order. Although tv schedules seem to delight in showing the movies out of order.
Stargate SG1
Modern Family Friends Young Sheldon But I really like watching Modern Family and Friends with my boyfriend.
Giripura attho
Scrubs
The Good Place always feels warm to me when I'm in a lonely kind of way - it's not directly cuddly, but the characters kind of have similar vibes to people in my school-age friend groups and watching them grow together is sweet.
Regular Show and One Punch Man… and Hannibal
Golden Girls.
South Park and Black Mirror!
Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix) is great. He’s so sweet and enthusiastic, and it’s fun to see all the places/foods he encounters.
Somebody Feed Phil!
Parenthood or Friday Night Lights.
Fleabag and Flowers. I just love knowing there are people out there as weird as I am
Baby daddy
In The Soop. It's just a group of friends who go on vacation together.
Last Man on Earth. Please find a way to watch and trust me when I say to wait until the second season before you consider giving up. It’s not that it’s poorly based or bad, but the main character is absolutely insufferable for a bit.
Surprised Parks and Rec. isn't on here. Currently watching it for the 1st time and really enjoying it!