When you travel for work, there are always nights when you are tired and just want to sit in front of the TV to decompress a bit. The news is never a good option, but instead I tend to turn to one of my favourite shows, for the familiarity and relaxing nature of re-watching something you know by heart.
A good TV show draws you into the world and invests so much in the characters that you cannot wait to see what happens next. You love them, you hate them, you root for them and wish that maybe, this time, they’ll make a different bad decision. You get personally involved, you feel like you know them, and for that reason you find it soothing to re-visit them, to watch again their evolution and development as characters. There is an element of comfort in re-watching these TV shows, not quite as much as coming home but something similar. Often, it is a case of thinking I’ll just watch this one episode, but then I get sucked in and end up watching the rest of the season, or the whole run of the show.
So here, in no particular order, are my comfort TV shows, plus a little thought at the bottom for the shows that didn’t make the list, or have recently fallen off of it.
1. The West Wing (1999 – 2006)
Considered by many to be one of the finest TV shows ever written, and hugely rewarded, winning the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy for 4 consecutive years, the West Wing is one of those shows that really draws you into the world. But man, can it be a rough one just now. The early seasons in particular are phenomenally written, and I can never make up my mind which character is my favourite. Witty, funny, poignant, moving, so intelligent and topical even 20 years later, this show is a soothing balm to a mind tattered by some of the more rubbish TV out there.
Many would argue that while the writers are clearly progressive and ‘Democrat’ in their opinions, the Republicans are often also written as fair, open-minded and they are given the time to express their arguments with respect. I’m not sure it would be possible to write this way in today’s divided world.
Whatever the reason, the West Wing will always remain one of my favourite shows, for the emotions it brings – hope, above all – for its production value, and the memories it will evoke of being one of the few shows in the Venn diagram of my family that everyone likes – me, my mum, my partner – all of us will happily watch a few episodes of President Bartlet and his team putting the world to right or struggling to do so. Of course it isn’t perfect, but some of its episodes come about as close as TV can. If you haven’t watched – do.
2. Parks and Recreation (2009 – 2015)
Season 1 struggles a bit and the show doesn’t really find its feet until later in season two, but Parks and Rec is just so freaking funny it is hard not to enjoy. Absurd enough to be obviously TV (I won’t address the faux-documentary style as I really have no opinion on it, though I would say the writers of this show have perfected the fourth wall break), the show is still real enough to infuse the characters with energies you will recognise.
While no one may actually know a Donna, a Jerry, or an Ann, you will know someone who they remind you of and so are genuine. The stories, too, are just real enough in some detail to have clearly been written by someone who worked in a low-level government bureaucracy. Above all, I was once asked at work quiz which celebrity I would identify with, and my answer was, ‘Leslie Knope’. Not in looks, but in the energy, the positivity, I wish I could have. She is infinitely (and sometimes arguably annoyingly) supportive of those she loves and considers friends, and that is something I can admire, even if she does not always go about things in the most sensible fashion.
If you must, skip past season 1 and go right to season 2, or at least give yourself a bit of time to settle in. I cannot imagine you will regret it.
3. The Walking Dead (2010 – 2022)
From comedy to horror, but stick with me – there is reasoning behind these choices. What can I say? I love a good disaster. The fan base for this show is positively MASSIVE, both those who have read the comics and those who have not, with those two camps often disagreeing on the quality of the show. (for the record, I have not read them).
Almost all will agree that, storyline aside, there is some excellent acting and that the lead, Rick Grimes, was expertly cast, with the actor spanning the range from caring family man to brutal killer with relative ease. Or at least, belief. I have even watched a few videos online about the rather unusual rise of the character of Daryl Dixon, written specifically for Norman Reedus as he slowly morphed from a side-character to the emotional heart of the show. I love that the women are strong, complex, and far from helpless, and like all good shows, the characters in the Walking Dead are what keep it moving, and what keep me coming back even after the storylines became a touch repetitive. Furthermore, I find the setting of a Zombie apocalypse to be oddly de-stressing – hear me out. Firstly, whatever is facing me at that moment, it will never be as bad as Zombies – perspective! And two, I find my mind drawn into imagining what I might do in a similar situation, with the world as we know it gone and struggling to survive. We all experienced a tiny taste of it during covid, and I find this planning will distract from worries as I find an escape in imagination. It has even become a game in our house – assessing random locations we pass on a walk or a drive as good zombie apocalypse house. Daft? Sure. But whatever keeps you going.
This is definitely not a TV show for all, but if you enjoyed 28 Days Later, you might like the first few seasons.
4. Bones (2005 – 2017)
We have a definite love for procedurals in our house, particularly those that sprinkle a fair amount of comedy in with the drama. Bones was an incredibly popular show it its day, both for its interesting scientific approach (the authenticity of which I will not assess but can imagine toes the line on many occasions) and for the chemistry between its main characters. David Boreanaz has been a massive draw since his first appearance on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is obvious by the powers that be writing him his own spin-off show.
Emily Deschanel absolutely holds her own beside him, believably brilliant, compassionate and innately fair-minded. The other characters are equally interesting, and in fact Booth is the character I have the most difficulty with at times. He can be caring, sensitive, and the perfect foil to Brennan’s scientific mind, but he can also be frustratingly toxic in his machismo and his occasional closed-mindedness, and strict adherence to gender stereotypes. These do not emerge all the time, but when they do, I find it incredibly off-putting.
That said, when this show was good, it was excellent, balancing science, mystery, drama and human emotion perfectly. Episodes that spring to mind are ‘The Woman in Limbo’, ‘Aliens in a Spaceship’, ‘The Man in the Cell’, amongst many others. ‘The Double Death of the Dearly Departed’ is a solid laugh, showing the whole cast’s comedic skills and David Boreanaz’s willingness to make an idiot of himself. I always really enjoy ‘The Doctor in the Photo’ as an exploration of Brennan’s life choices.
Unlike many series, season 1 of Bones is quite strong with only a few slower episodes, and while later seasons fade a bit in strength, there is a good reason they managed more than 200 episodes.
An excellent procedural and one of my favourites.
5. Criminal Minds (2005 – present)
(note: the show is technically now called Criminal Minds: Evolution, but the characters have continued so it counts)
Sticking with the ‘Death show’ theme, I started watching Criminal Minds with a roommate many years ago and was hooked. It was one of the few TV shows I would risk viruses for back in the day when you could watch badly bootlegged episodes of US TV from the UK.
More serious than many procedurals – though not without some comedic moments – Criminal Minds dives deep into the psychology behind crimes, usually of a serial nature, both homicide and sexual assault. Some episodes are truly horrific, and I can understand why this show is not everyone’s cup of tea, but somehow knowing that the team will – almost always – get the bad guy is helpful. You come to be able to guess which victims will survive and which ones will not – though the show was pretty good at mixing it up – and even when the team does not save the day, the mystery of the human mind is usually solved. Even when the solution is a tragic back-story, there is a closure in it, and the writers never shy away from addressing the impact of these events on the main characters. As the seasons move on, the group of profilers quickly become family, and the relationships between them are genuine, touching and compelling.
The writers were skilled at building predator arcs, with the resolution of one in the 100th episode both monumentally sad and incredibly well-done. I particularly enjoy the storyline that was built in season 6 around the impending exit of Paget Brewster, whose leaving was so reviled by fans that she was brought back half a season later. The storyline emphasizes both the strengths and weaknesses of the team, their family nature as well as the ever-present danger of their jobs, and saviour complex that each team member embodies. Prentiss, Brewster’s character, has since then been a steady bedrock of morality and humanity in the show even as the male leaders (mostly) gradually departed or retired. Again, far from a perfect TV show, but the best episodes are very well done, and the mystery plus human drama and psychology angles are fascinating.
6. Modern Family (2009 – 2020)
This for me is the epitome of the shows that I think I’ll start just watching one or two episodes of, then end up watching for another three or four seasons. Both poking fun at and celebrating the complication of modern family life, this show is genuinely funny and on occasion more than a little touching (though usually without sappiness).
While clearly satire and exaggerated, like in Parks and Rec, the characters are at the same time real enough, flawed enough to remind you of people you know and care about; certainly the dynamics between partners, between parents and children, mirror closely everyday life. Some of the storylines are so absurd that you know they must have happened to one of the writers, or they would never have made it to TV. And, I find it impressive how well the writers balance laugh-out-loud comedy and absurdity with genuine themes of family connection that all of us have felt in one way or another. Another of those TV shows almost anyone can enjoy, Modern Family also adopts the faux-documentary style, but the ‘to the camera’ bits are generally some of the funniest parts of any episode. Ty Burrell I think stands out for me above the rest as an incredibly gifted physical comic and the epitome of a dad who doesn’t always realise when he’s making an idiot of himself – but who also genuinely loves his children and his wife; he won two Emmys for his portrayal of Phil. Ed O’Neill, who was a famously cantankerous and unhappy family man in ‘Married With Children’, somehow missed out on an Emmy for his role as Jay Pritchett, who is probably the most complex character in many ways, dealing with racism, ageism, homophobia and fighting his own personal failings as a parent along the way. It is hard to imagine anyone else in that role, though apparently he was not the first choice.
Give it a few episodes if you haven’t already, and I’d be surprised if you are not amused.
7. Outlander (2014 – 2026)
Yes, Outlander. And no, I don’t care about any historical inaccuracies – the show is about time travel, after all, and I’m usually able to separate history from entertainment. Because, it is also stunning to watch, phenomenally acted (and an absolute robbery that both lead actors have never been nominated) and intensely romantic.
Of course it is not perfect; I’m sure there are more than a few people out there who have torn apart the way in which the characters travel through time, how the changes ripple through time, and how they manage to get to the right year.
There are still more who are upset about changes from the books (as always) and frustrated with the length of time between seasons being released. But, at its heart, this is a love story – between Jamie and Claire, but also Roger and Brianna, Fergus and Marsali, and so much more. The love spills far over from romantic love into the love of family, of brothers and sisters, of children, of those who are family through ties beyond blood. It is also a love story to Scotland, with the early seasons taking in both the stunning beauty and the harshness of the Scottish landscape, along with some spectacular castles: Doune, Craigmillar, Midhope and Blackness for a start.
The impact the show has had on Scottish tourism is hard to quantify but is unquestionable – increased attendance at the sites used for filming and interest in Scottish heritage, evident in the fact that there are no fewer than 10 companies offering ‘Outlander tours’, while Visit Scotland itself has designed a map of Outlander filming locations.
Romantic, tragic, heart-warming and heart-rending, Outlander draws you into its world immediately, and it is very hard not to want to find out what will happen next. While the situations may be dramatized, the personal relationships are genuine and the tragedies ring true. There are a few slower seasons or episodes that I will speed past, and the later seasons, all based in North Carolina at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, are not quite as compelling, but it is fascinating to watch the characters age and grow, and the Fraser family expand. The writers have done well to weave mysteries and background storylines throughout the years that they seem finally to be drawing to a close as the final season airs, even if a few of them have enraged fans or caused a bit of confusion. And of course, the entire cast is not hard on the eyes…
Pure indulgent entertainment TV – one has to have an escape.
8. Brooklyn 99 (2013 – 2021)
Again, this show is just plain funny. Like Modern Family, Brooklyn 99’s characters are absurd caricatures that also ring true in so many ways. Much more laugh-out-loud funny, the show also draws you quickly into caring for these officers, even as they make ridiculous mistakes and dodge incompetencies.
While probably accused of being overly woke by some, the show is also one of the first both to present storylines that question society and to portray characters as society would like them to be, bucking tropes.
Muscle-man Terry is a devoted family man who spends part of the first season dealing with his anxiety as to the danger in his job. Tough man Holt is a gay black police captain who is not afraid to address the difficulties he faced as he rose through the ranks. Rosa is tough as nails but battles with being true to her identity in a way that may alienate her family. Jake starts the show as an absurd man-baby, but in one of the better character arcs on TV, falls in love with a friend and colleague and becomes a devoted husband and father. He is fantastically un-toxic in his masculinity, and in his relationship, dodging tropes that TV writers often use. This comes, I understand, from the actor’s real love story with his own wife, which is the kind of art-imitating-life that leaves one hopeful about humanity. The job of police officer is not without danger, and the show addresses this on several occasions, with characters going to jail, into witness protection, and facing death threats.
In the later seasons, there are more serious issues addressed, in particular racism, and there was a slight level of discomfort in a comedy show about the police in a time when attitudes against the police were conflicted in much of the US.
Despite all this, though, I swear it is a comedy – and like all good comedy, it comes with real messages and stories to tell. The Halloween Heist episodes are particularly brilliant.
9. The X-Files (1993 – 2002)
A note on the dates – I am counting only the first run of the show, and not the re-boot in 2016.
This show was epic and lives inevitably in the zeitgeist of the mid-90s. I remember watching it on TV and being terrified by some of the episodes (“Gargoyle” in particular scared the heck out of me), and fascinated by others (“All Souls” always stands out). Mulder and Scully were infinitely cool, smart, mysterious, and the show had long-term impact on many viewers, in particular girls who increasingly became interested in STEM due to the ‘Scully effect’.
But I went off to school and missed many of the later seasons, and other than watching the famous Millennium episode, missed out on a lot of the show. Then, when I was living on my own in the mid-2000s, I bought the first season cheaply online, and positively devoured it. In no time at all, I bought the second season, and soon ended up properly binging (before Netflix was even a thing) all the way up to season eight. Then I think I slowed down and re-watched it all again, able to appreciate now the gradual entanglement of the alien conspiracy – which yes, did go a bit off the rails towards the end – and the love both friendly and romantic that developed between Mulder and Scully. I was able to appreciate the really fantastic acting by both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, but also of Mitch Pileggi as their often-tortured but loyal boss Skinner.
What I liked most of all was that the serious alien conspiracy episodes were often alleviated by more general ‘monster of the week’ ideas but done in a purely X-Files way that addressed ideas like Bigfoot, Nessie/Champie, evil dolls, and any number of genuine biological mysteries. Many of these stories were left ambiguous, or with the answer never to be known for sure, in particular the episodes with ‘critters’ like ‘Ice’ or ‘Darkness Falls’ in season one. The creator and writers also spent a great deal of time exploring the idea of faith, usually through Scully’s Catholic upbringing but not always, which was what intrigued me about ‘All Souls’ many years ago.
There are also the primarily comedic episodes that are often tongue-in-cheek and show that both lead actors were capable of much more than just being serious and which invited some great guest actors. Standouts include: ‘Humbug’, based around a circus freak show; ‘Bad Blood’, their take on a vampire story; ‘Small Potatoes’; ‘The Post-Modern Prometheus’, a take on Frankenstein; and many more. They are not always laugh-out-loud funny, but they are incredibly well done.
Bottom line, there is so much more to the X-Files than just aliens and conspiracy, and perhaps most compelling of all is the unbreakable connection between the lead characters, almost from day one.
Some of these choices may surprise you, and there were a few shows that I considered writing about but did not quite make the list. One is Friends, which was forced upon us through endless re-runs for more than a decade after the last episode aired. I was never a big fan, to be honest, and some of the sexism and societal toxicity has really not aged well. It isn’t one I seek out.
Castle was also on the list for a while, but after a few re-watches it became difficult to watch again, and the stories of the deterioration of the behind-the-scenes relationship of the two main actors is hard to ignore.
M*A*S*H was another show with endlessly looped re-runs for most of my childhood and I do love to watch it when I can, though it also has not aged particularly well and it is not on much anymore. Not exactly comfort TV, but it does take me back to my childhood, watching with my grandmother.
Shows that would have been on this list until about 5 years ago are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the spin-off Angel, both of which I watched so often that I won a Buffy trivia contest put on by a friend. I will always love those shows, which again carry me back to my high school years, though they are harder to re-watch as I have gotten older and some of the stories that have come out since about Joss Whedon are really distressing. His other shows, Firefly and Dollhouse generally rank on my list of shows that I wish we could have watched more of, but were dropped quickly. I will always love Buffy, but I now know it so well that a re-watch is not likely anytime soon.
Finally, on a side note, while I have never before had a chance to re-watch, I am really enjoying re-watching ER, which was recently released on UK Netflix. It is a fascinating reminder of how far we have come but also how far we have not. The show was more diverse than most of its day – Hispanic, Black and female characters all relatively well-represented for the 90s – and addressed head-on some serious issues of race, HIV, gang violence, PTSD and addiction. It lacks some of the soapy quality of later medical shows, though there is plenty of drama, and in many ways could be taking place now rather than 30 years ago. It is easy to see why it was one of the most popular shows on TV, ranked some really top-name guest stars (Alan Alda, William H Macy, Rosemary Clooney, Kristen Dunst, Lucy Liu, Ewan McGregor to name a few as well as Mariska Hargitay shortly before her stint began on SVU), and ran for 15 seasons.
The Wandering Medievalist 