Why Your Comfort Show Is Your Therapy – Predictability & Safety
If you've ever watched the same show five times through and still felt soothed by it, congrats. You’re not lazy. You’re not unmotivated. You’re not weird. You’re regulating.
Comfort shows exist for a reason. Whether it's The Office, Parks and Rec, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Bob's Burgers, or Steven Universe, there’s something deeply reassuring about knowing exactly what’s going to happen, exactly when, with characters who feel like old friends.
Predictability Calms the Nervous System
When life feels chaotic, uncertain, or straight-up overwhelming, predictability becomes a lifeline. Your brain and body crave safety, and in the absence of external stability, our internal systems start searching for something—anything—that feels safe, familiar, and manageable.
A comfort show delivers exactly that. You know how the story ends. There are no surprises. You don’t have to be emotionally on guard. There’s no mental effort required to track a new plot or character arc. Your brain can rest. And rest is healing.
Why This Hits Different for Neurodivergent Folks
If you’re neurodivergent, unpredictability is probably something your nervous system already struggles with. The world often feels like it’s moving too fast or throwing too many curveballs at once.
So when you hit play on your favorite show for the 27th time, it’s not because you can’t find something new or something wouldn’t be as interesting to you. It’s because you need something old. Something stable. Something that doesn’t require decoding or adapting or bracing for impact.
This is especially true if masking is part of your daily routine. Masking is exhausting. Watching a show where no one expects anything of you, where the characters are reliably themselves every time, gives your brain a break from that performative pressure.
Emotional Safety in Familiarity
You know which episodes are going to hit you in the feels and which ones you can play in the background while folding laundry. You know when the music swells. You know when the jokes land. There’s a rhythm to it, and that rhythm regulates your nervous system.
Think about how toddlers want to read the same book over and over again. It’s not because they’re bored, it’s because they aren’t bored. The familiarity is comforting. It’s control. It’s mastery. It’s emotional safety.
Same thing with us.
Life Is Unpredictable Enough
We live in a world that throws shit at us constantly. News cycles, work stress, family dynamics, mental health struggles… it's a lot. Finding peace in a 22-minute sitcom episode where everything gets resolved by the end isn’t childish.
You’re picking something with a known outcome. You’re engaging with a world where characters grow but never in ways that threaten your emotional equilibrium. Even when there’s conflict, you know it will be okay. That’s powerful when so much in real life feels unresolved.
Let’s Ditch the Shame
There’s a lot of cultural pressure to always be doing more, consuming more, achieving more. If you're rewatching the same thing over and over, some people might label that as “lazy” or “avoiding growth.” But here’s the thing: not everything has to be a productivity contest. Not everything needs to be optimized.
If watching Schitt’s Creek or The Great British Bake Off gives your nervous system a break, that’s not regression. That’s regulation. That’s resilience. You’re finding ways to soothe yourself in a world that rarely gives you a moment to breathe.
Some Bonus Benefits
Comfort shows aren’t just comfort. They can:
Create a sense of routine
Offer predictable emotional pacing
Model healthy (or at least entertaining) social interactions
Help with sleep regulation
Reduce decision fatigue (because choosing what to watch can be exhausting)
Serve as emotional anchors on hard days
And sometimes, those characters and stories sneak in little therapeutic moments that hit you in exactly the right way. That’s not an accident. That’s your brain being open to reflection when it feels safe enough to do so.
Final Thoughts
Rewatching your favorite show for the hundredth time is not a problem. And if that’s what helps you survive, self-soothe, and show up for your life tomorrow, then hell yes, hit play again.
You’re not only watching TV, you’re meeting your nervous system where it’s at. You’re choosing emotional safety. You’re creating moments of peace in a loud, overwhelming world. And that? That’s a type of therapy.
So no, you don’t have to explain why you’re rewatching New Girl again. You’re doing what works for you, and that’s enough.
