Thinking about my own, I discovered that I don’t just have comfort shows, I have comfort movies and movie categories. I know I’m not the only one. Both of my sons had comfort movies when they were young. My youngest son probably watched Toy Story 3 more times than anyone on this planet.
And what about comfort books? I know the Bible brings me great comfort as an adult, but when I was a small child, it was People House, by Dr. Seuss, and the Boxcar Children series.
Maybe I should have named this blog post, The Anatomy of Comfort Media.
So, what makes a comfort show, a comfort show (or movie, book, genre of media)? I’m not an expert, but I’ll list out what makes something comfort media for me. Note: Not all of these apply to each piece of media. Also, from this point on, I will say show, but it can refer to any type of media.
- It’s predictable. A comfort show can be a show that has a predictable timeline, like a sitcom or a procedural. Or it might be predictable because I’ve already watched it before. It could be predictable because of the genre itself, like comedy or romance.
- It engages my brain enough that I can focus on it, but I can’t think about other things while I watch. It’s a way to block out everything else. Some examples are mysteries, thrillers, or crime themes. It could be a complex scifi. Anything that makes you focus on the media you’re watching so much that nothing else occupies your mind temporarily.
- Familiarity or Nostalgia. Something about it is familiar. It could be familiar because I’ve watched it before. But it could also be that the setting, the time it took place, or the characters are familiar to me for some reason. I might relate to one or more of the characters.
- It follows the rules laid out by the genre. Comfort can come from “coloring inside the lines.” Sometimes predictability is needed.
- It meets your emotional bandwidth. A comfort show can help you feel, or it can help you not feel. It meets you where you are emotionally.
Leading up to Christmas, I was watching a lot of Christmas Romance. My sons laughed about it because they don’t find comfort in a love story, but I find great comfort in love and in the warmth of the Christmas season.
Lately, I’ve enjoyed the shows Found and Prodigal Son. Both flirt with dark themes, both follow genre specific rules, both are procedural, but not completely predictable. They’re both a good mix of predictable and engaging content.
What are your current or past comfort shows, movies, books, or other media?