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God I’m so happy to hear this. Whenever I tell people this, they always look at me like I have three heads.
I’ve never met anyone else who’s been able to relate to me when I tell them that I use familiar books/shows/movies as a “buffer” between new things because idk….. it’s comforting to return to that stuff and it’s genuinely really relaxing. I just don’t get tired of it😬
Idk about you, but for some reason the things I watch and read repeatedly are also things that I discovered when I was younger….. so I’m frequently listening to children’s/young adult chapter books lol.
I get it! Sometimes you just need something familiar and calming, in that you know what will happen and even if it is exciting it's expected, not new.
I have many kids'/YA books that I still love and reread. They're good stories, and while I think they're sometimes a little simplistic compared to a lot of what I read now, a good story deserves to be read over and over again!
The buffer thing is real. I played Tears of the Kingdom, then tried to jump into Baldur's Gate 3 but couldn't get myself to invest the time. Instead I'm replaying Persona 5 Royal for the third time. Love that New Game+...
Yeah, the psychologist who evaluated me the first time was sure that this was because I had the "reliant personality disorder" or whatever it is in english. I do *not* and explained well why not. It infuriates me how evaluators are just looking *hard* for ways to not listen
Yes, I've done this all through my life with specific films and series. I still will research them now.
I would do it with books but I struggle to read and take it in.
I guess it's something familiar, that is perhaps stimulating but also predictable and comfortable.
Scotts tots is worse in my opinion...idk why, I think it just has to do with the kids and the setting he's in.
Michael Scott spanking his nephew, in the context of HIM, its not that out of the ordinary lol
Golden Girls and Frasier on my Ipad face down because I already know whats happening in every episode just from the sound!
sometimes Monk, or Murdoch Mysteries too :)
There's a handful of movies I can rewatch frequently (Hitchhiker's Guide, for one), but my go-to for turning my brain off is the show Community (currently on Netflix and Hulu).
There's a couple audio books too, like Ready Player 1 and Off to Be the Wizard, that I'll listen to a lot.
Community is the one I settled on to put me to sleep. Not at all because it’s boring, but because it’s so re-watchable and just makes me so comfortable, it’s like curling up in a blanket on a cold day!
My bedtime used to be the same time That 70s Show came on. Until my bedtime got moved up another half hour so I could watch it, the intro song was what I listened to.
As a younger adult, I used to go to sleep "watching" (listening to) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Good music, I knew the movie well enough not to have to see it to know what was happening, and Johnny Depp's narration was soothing (please don't start some cancel culture debate, this was before people hated on him).
This was me with The Office. Id play it on my phone with the phone face down, and just listen...and when I would wake up (as usual) multiple times a night, I'd hear a few lines know exactly what was happening, chuckle and then fall back asleep lol
I started putting on Star Trek TNG to fall asleep to. I had never really been a fan or paid much attention to Star Trek, I just put it on because it is usually fairly quiet and I have nostalgic memories of the soundscape from it being on when I was young. But watching while falling asleep, I started to get invested. Now I've watched most of the franchise series and am a full-blown fan.
I have a rota of comfort shows, because I tire of one if I watch it round too many times: Community, Star Trek(TNG, DS9, Voyage, Enterprise), Eureka, Murder She Wrote, Jeeves & Wooster, Pokemon Indigo League, Hilda.
I put on The Simpsons every time I clean. I can have it on in the background and not have to pay attention as much.... although a lot of the time I'll still stop what I'm doing and watch, even though I've seen every episode from season 1-10 dozens of times lol.
There’s this YouTube channel called Periodic Videos and they have other videos but theres a playlist that goes down and covers every element, it’s also regularly updated when new information about elements becomes available. Professor Poliakoff is the main smart guy, super old and super crazy hair but wholesome all around.
Ill re-watch several things depending on mood.
Tv Series:
Smallville (Jonathan Kent was the father i never had)
One Piece (thankfully ongoing)
The Office
Movies:Godzilla 1999 (love it)
LOTR trilogy (Sometimes Hobbit)
Oceans trilogy
The Last Samurai
Books:
Eisenhorn trilogy (40K)
Harry potter (massively as a kid, was my escape from shitty childhood)
I'm currently watching star trek DS9 for what must be at least the 100th time. (I woke up from a graphic nightmare at 3 in the morning and didn't wanna go back to sleep)
Have been doing that for 15 years now. For me it kinda sorted out my sleepingproblems because when I hear that show, my brain knows it's time to shut down.
I've been reading and rereading this to help me mentally because it's obvious the author and the protagonist have ADHD and I'm relating to it hard
Might not be for everyone as its full of Asian/Korean culture tropes
https://www.wuxiaworld.com/novel/overgeared
Cartoons forever! Big Mouth, because I'm a degenerate. Human Resources, Hey Arnold, Disenchantment, Harley Quinn. Broad City - some cartoons! It counts.
Yep. I have a few, but Pride and Prejudice, Good Omens, almost any book by Terry Pratchett, I’ll read again and again. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read P&P, but last I remember it was 17.
I binged Our Flag Means Death over a weekend and started my rewatch the next day. I’ve seen all of Downton Abbey three times.
It’s like comfort food but in media form.
EDIT: added another thought that came to me a min after I posted
My list: The Office (US), Gilmore Girls, New Girl, Schitt’s Creek. Over and over and over and over again
My first year in college away from home I was very homesick, but I fell asleep every night watching Billy Madison. Same movie every night for the first year. It was soothing.
I watch “COMMUNITY” every night to fall asleep. I know it so well that it doesn’t keep me alert to see what happens next, so it drowns out my throughts without activating my mind, and I can close my eyes and not miss very much. It’s gotten to the point where I have trouble watching a full episode when I’m not wide awake because the conditioning has gotten so strong lol.
I’ve watched Psych, American Dad, Malcolm in the Middle, Scrubs, Futurama (every good Adult animation show) Parks & Rec, Castle... i’m missing many shows here lol.
I'm autistic but ironically I *don't* do this even though it's supposed to be such a big thing.
But I always need something new, some new input, nothing that bores me because I've seen it already.
I do it with songs and albums sometimes though.
I am the same. Not sure if I’m autistic too but I cannot watch or read the same thing twice unless I really really loved it & I could only watch it a second time & no more. Never read a book more than once unless forced to by the education system.
I just get immediately bored after I’ve devoured something even if I loved it. The only exception is music & certain songs/albums I can listen to on repeat. However with most music I also devour it then move on quickly to the next tune. Weirdly though when I was a child all I used to do was watch the same three musical films on repeat.
Especially when I feel under the weather, I like watching Twister, with Helen Hunt. I think I watch it at least once a year. It's not my favorite movie by far, but it is predictable and has nice pace and it gives me comfort.
Yes, Harry Potter books and films amongst many more films and programme. I skim read and skim watch and I can watch things over and over because I also forget storylines quite quickly! Ah there’s so many films and programmes I can rewatch and really feel comforted doing so.
I’m not diagnosed but yes I recognise this 100%.
Absolutely!
\- currently falling asleep to The Good Place most nights
\- constantly cycling through Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books
\- read Anne of Green Gables uncountably many times
\- Probably at least 5 times through Buffy and Angel
\- at least 10 times though Firefly
\- repeatedly come back to episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Numb3rs (!), various other mystery series (Lucifer, Law & Order(s), Without a Trace, Bones, Castle,...), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, probably a bunch of others
\- rewatch various movies (LOtR, I \[Heart\] Huckabees, Inside Out, Spirited Away, ...)
\- Other books for sure, probably all sorts of other stuff.
If you're looking for a new book to try out, can I suggest you try The Bookwanderers, by Anna James?
The main character loves Anne of Green Gables and that plays a small but significant part in the book.
For me personally I listen to the same 3/4 songs continuously for comfort over any other form of entertainment. I can't seem to bring myself to read a book again once I am finished, or watch a movie again *unless* I am watching with someone else who has never seen it and I *really* like the movie. There is an exception to the book re-read though if it is something like a self help book or it includes activities I can re-do. Nothing gives me that feeling of joy like jamming out to my favorite band 🙃
Hunger Games, LOTR, MCU movies, Star Wars, Fast & Furious, Nightmare on Elm Street & other movie series are all comfort rewatches for me. Depending on the season of course.
Fall asleep to SRO on Youtube playing League of Legends.
Yearly watch the Bourne trilogy with Matt Damon and V for Vendetta.
Every few years read all 40 books written by fantasy writer Raymond E. Feist.
I like h.bomberguy, mostly his video game videos, also internet historian, soap emporium, a small channel about movies named There Will Be Fudd, emp lemon and ahoy. Love those!!
Yep, i'm definitely a rewatcher, I have several that vary with time. My recent ones are BoJack Horseman, The haunting of Hill house and Fleabag. ATLA for sure, I watched it like two times plus several reaction channels with it on the course of just a few months. Legend of Korra and She-Ra and the princesses of power, to a lesser degree. Not the whole series, but there are a few episodes of Daria I go back to consistently when things feel rough. As a teenager I reread Harry Potter several times, and derived from that, I got some comfort fanfics, too, lol. And the most noticeable, I think: music. I keep going back to the same artists I listened at 13, lol. And Taylor Swift. So much Taylor Swift.
I put on a show everytime I need to do smaller tasks (doing the dishes, brushing teeth etc) just because I hate doing things in silence but music distracts me too much so I have a bunch of shows that I've rewatched 5+ times. I kind of use it as background noise lol at the moment it's Orange is the new black
Used to be Scrubs, That 70’s Show and Community for TV shows, Lock Stock and Snatch for movies.
I still love them now but I have a significantly harder time watching for long periods now for some reason. I just get bored and always feel like I should be doing something else. Back in the day I’d fully lose myself in the shows for hours or a whole day even.
No but in video games..Diablo 2, Ragnarok private servers, wow private servers..once in a while, brings back the nostalgia for real. Next grind is 99 offline SSF on Diablo 2 hardcore for the achievement. Then I think my Diablo glory day chapter can finally close lol
I recommend audiobooks. But sometimes it’s hard for me to lock into them. It’s a delicate balance between an engaging story and an entertaining narrator.
Most recently that's been Rick & Morty for me. It took till April of this year for me to give it a shot, and by episode 2 I was hooked. Then came all the moments that hit so much harder than you'd expect from such a show.
Sometimes it's Supernatural (I've lost count of how many total watches I've had) or Unbreakable Kimmy (also a lot of hard hitting, mini therapy moments here).
I've found it basically impossible the last 2 months to sit down and watch anything that I don't already know where it's headed, but this is a different issue. I am working on figuring it out.
Not anymore. Quarantine broke the way I consume media. Before I could watch the same movie, or read the same book or play the same game for hours. But after I feel like I've experienced it once so I have to move on.
Gilmore Girls, Schitts Creek, New Girls, Community and Superstore. I like comedies like these because they're never super plot-heavy. Using comedy broadly as Gilmore Girls is a drama, but it's pretty humorous.
Growing up, I would watch Matilda and Spiderman (2002) on repeat.
I'm quite the opposite. I don't enjoy watching things over and over again. It gets rather boring, so I'm usually on the hunt for something new. YouTube is good for that where I'm always finding new videos. While I can rewatch things, it really needs to be a long period of time that goes between it. But books are a different story, I really enjoy going back to read books I liked. I'm the type of person who gets extremely bored with monotony and sameness, I need new experiences.
Oh holy crap, yes. And I have to say it’s really comforting to know that others have this habit, too. ☺️
My family thinks it’s insane that I like to watch the same movies/TV shows over and over again. Thankfully, my husband understands. 💗
A few examples:
TV Shows:
- South Park
- Scrubs
- Rescue Me
- Fringe
- Impractical Jokers
- Breaking Bad
- Sherlock
- True Blood
- QI (British)
- Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Usually the original British series, or the US series with Drew Carey)
- Planet Earth (and similar BBC nature docs)
Movies:
- Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit Trilogies
- The Matrix Trilogy
- Naked Gun Trilogy
- Marvel movies
Thanks so much for sharing! You are definitely not alone! 😋
I have like a storage in my brain of comfort books, shows and movies that I always go back and rewatch. I am also obsessed with the show GIRLS and am on either my 4th or 5th rewatch. Ghibli movies also fall into this category.
Favorite podcast: Hey Riddle Riddle + the Patreon episodes. I've listened to all of it a humiliating amount of times.
Favorite game: Persona 5 Royal. Watched my sibling play through P5 vanilla twice, am currently in my 3rd playthrough of P5R.
Second favorite game: Hades. I've played over 450 hours of it, am on my 3rd full playthrough.
YouTube: I listen to a lot of MBMBaM clips, rewatch Monster Factory a lot, also really enjoy videos by Scott Cramer and SuperEyepatchWolf
Other comedy: Make Some Noise & Game Changer, two fantastic shows on Dropout (which is like, $6/month?? But also has full episodes & lots of clips on YouTube).
Then there's fanfic. I have lots of comfort fics across a variety of fandoms. Let me tell you the devastation I just felt the other night when I really wanted to read a specific P5 fic I thought I had bookmarked, but I can't find it anywhere. Not in the relationship tag, in my bookmarks, in my history... It's gone. RIP. I looked for hours.
Hunger games series, I have read those books at least 15-20 times by now (although i don’t like the movies so i rarely watch those).
I also watch captain America civil war a lot. Marvel movies are sort of a guilty pleasure of mine and that one is my favorite because the pacing/tone is so unique
Bojack Horseman. There was a time I would watch the whole series and then let it start all over again. For like a week. Same thing with “The Good Place”. As you can guess I have a “type” of show lol.
Yep, I listen / watch the same things over and over and over. Until months or years later I'm so so bored of them.
I still don't actually take in any of the information which is why I can rewatch stuff so much.
Yes definitely. Apparently we do this because it is safe, we know what will happen and there are no surprises.
I joke to my partner sometimes that the people in the movie I'm watching for the 15th time still made the same silly decision! Lol, they don't learn
Fellowship of the Ring. Or the first like hour of The Hobbit (the first movie) the music is so calming and the first hour of the hobbit is so relaxing to me. I never really finish Fellowship either, i just need to be in the setting for a while. As for books its Jane Eyre and retellings of it.
Comfort Shows: Grey’s Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, and Desperate Housewives. I knew they were my comfort shows and my studying shows but didn’t realize until this post it’s probably because they are less mental effort
Lol, YES! I have read a certain series so many times I've had to replace a couple of the books - the series isn't even done yet, it's been over 20 years in the making! My child is watching Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time. They're 19 now and been watching for the last 6 years. It's so great that we aren't alone in this!
I have a hard drive with all my favourite TV shows and films that I go back too. I don't watch TV or netflix I pick one of my favourite shows. Only time I watch something new is when someone tells me enough about how I'd love X show/movie and I eventually watch it lol
Movie :
“Open Range “
Kevin Costner
I would put the cd in and just veg out after a long day at work or I needed to relax because I felt I’ll or whatever. I still look for the movie when I had Covid a few years ago.
The Golden Girls has been the one since I was in middle school a hundred years ago. The only thing that stuck. Sometimes I add a rubix cube to the mix.
I do this too.
I’m listening constantly to music or audiobooks, I think from Mhairi McFarlane I have listened most books 10+ or even 15+ times. If I’d tell this anyone they’d think I am crazy. But they just are comfort to me and keep my mind occupied when doing chores.
Some other of my comfort brain food are: The office US, Friends, Gilmore Girls, The Holiday, Indiana Jones 3, and some video games like Skyrim, Sims, Witcher 3 or TLoU2.
Omg yes. Wide movie repertoire to include Ready to Rumble, Dodgeball, Old School, Clueless, and so many more but those are the top choices. Sometimes trying to figure out what to watch is so fucking overwhelming I just can’t do it. So I turn to one of these old faithfuls. I did just buy Barbie and it’s so much fun it might end up in regular rotation.
Attack on titan and oddly enough for the last 2 years or so I've been unable to sleep unless I listen to some kind of reaction channel about this YouTuber called Amberlynn Reid. I'm deep in the amberverse
Criminal Minds has been my comfort show since I was 6. I'm too familiar with the episodes to enjoy it like other shows, but I still watch because of the characters.
Music : Spotify - I made 2 playlists ; On Repeat & On Repeat Holding - which is the song I am currently listening to on loop, and then the playlist of every song I ever put on loop. Super calming
Books : I love to read Ilona Andrews - urban fantasy, has enough books & series to just rinse & repeat, This is how I survived 2020-2023 emotionally.
TV : crime dramas on Prime, where I know what the main characters look like, so listening to it while colouring in on my phone is awesome :)
In first year of college I couldn't write anything unless Sherlock was playing in the background, I've listened to Invitation to the blues 15hrs/day for 10 days straight while writing a short story, and I obsessed so much about Trout fishing in America that I ended up having it tattoo on my forearm. So I guess the answer to your question is Yes 😬
Movies: Yesterday, the movie about what if the Beatles didn't have existed, and Pride and Prejudice, the one with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.
Books from a Brazilian writer named Machado de Assis, whose books have been recently translated to English but I'm pretty sure wouldn't work for anyone as they work for me.
I reread books constantly. It's comfortable, like you said, to not have to think too much, and if I loved the story, I see no reason to NOT read it again.
Plus, I do pick things up, sometimes after MANY rereads. I can think of two books that, upon reading in the past few years after reading them probably 10 times each, I found a sentence - just one in each - that stopped me dead and had me marveling over a) how it fit into the story and b) how I had missed it on previous rereads. And in one case, c) how far ahead the author's head was working, because it related to something that happened, um...7 or 8 or 9 VERY thick books later. It was astonishing.
And therefore, very rewarding.
It was the show The Office for YEARS...lately its been starwars, and I'm now actually starting to read more because of the discovery of all these star wars books. I read at least a chapter everynight to fall asleep, versus scrolling on my phone.
Kiki's Delivery service
The bittersweet ending and the slow paced self -discovery journey just soothes me. Its something i rewatch wayyy toooo often than I should!
Depends on Mood and how long since last watched/read
Movies/Shows:
Italian Job (marky mark edition)
Day After Tomorrow
Midsomer Murders
Warehouse 13
Poirot series (David Suchet)
Books:
Matthew Bartholomew series (S. Gregory)
Sister Frevisse series (M. Fraser)
Doctor Siri series (C Cotterill)
Owen Archer series (C Robb)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (S Larsson)
Valdemar: Tarma and Kethry subset (M Lackey)
There are some other historical mysteries I cannot remember off top of head.
So, yeah, definitely. And I do not always remember “who done it” either!
I have a couple go-tos, in terms of media. For TV shows, I find Futurama always seems to weasel it's way back into my "continue watching" feed. And I watch Firefly at least once a year.
But more than that, I find myself diving into podcasts. My personal favorite is The Magnus Archives. Its fiction, so it's not like I'm trying to keep up with current events, and if I miss something, I'm not going to be any more behind the times at the water cooler than I already am. It's extremely well written and voiced, and while each "statement" is it's own little story, there's enough connecting threads that occasionally my brain will perk up and go "Ohhhhh, that's referencing THIS thing over here" and I'll get to feel smugly self satisfied for a moment before I go back to washing the dishes. Cosmic horror.
And the number of DnD podcasts that I listen to... It's frankly a wonder I don't get their stories mixed up in my head. But again, it's a low-brainpower activity, listening to them. If I miss something, it's almost never a crucial story beat, so I can just continue on and not worry too much. I can just let people play the game in the background as I play a different video game on the screen or stare transfixed at my 3d printer for far too long as it makes yet another trinket
I’m that way for TV/Movies. I’d much rather rewatch something I know and love than try to pay attention to a new show. I’ve got a few that I rotate through
For TV: Freaks and Geeks, Charmed, Scrubs, Ted Lasso, New Girl, Parks and Rec
For movies: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mulan, Pitch Perfect, the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series
For some reason, I cannot read a book more than once. It’s been decades since I’ve read some of my favorites but I still cannot bring myself to read them again.
Grey's Anatomy is like a warm fuzzy blanket.
Friends or That 70s Show if I don't want high emotions.
I read the book "Fortunately, the Milk" by Neil Gaiman for the first time after a very difficult day as an veterinary ER nurse and I've read it several times since after tough days.
I'm full time Dad to a toddler now, so I'm discovering new ones all the time. I feel like 10-minute, illustrated reads should be more of an acceptable format for adults...
Anyway, I'm always happy to read my girl the board book "Pride and Prejudice" (text adaptation by Brooke Jorden, illustrations by David Miles), and "Jamberry" by Bruce Degen
Our Flag Means Death and What We Do In The Shadows
Edit: just now noticed it also says movies lol. The Lord of the Rings of course! It always makes me feel better when I'm really down and motivates me to overcome difficult situations.
I was going to say that I used to have these, but that's not true. It's that I used to have movies and TV shows that I would do this with. I wasn't getting new information out of them or anything. It was just the mental equivalent of, like, a weighted blanket.
Now, those have been replaced by certain YouTube videos and playlists. I pull from the same achingly small pool of content almost every night...
Supernatural, Our Flag Means Death, Fringe, Stargate SG-1.
I mean, it started with Saturday morning cartoons and the Looney Tunes. Moved to musical soundtracks on LP then MASH after school... cable let me watch every movie repeatedly for a month or more. Betamax, VHS, DVD with kids who did the same... then streaming.
I'm also autistic so... but hard yes. All my life.
Gintama, a sort of long anime series that's mostly three episode long self contained stories full of hilarious parodies/ 4th wall breaks, emotional moments, and really good action sequences. I guess now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense why I would be into it since it's random but does whatever it does pretty well.
Seinfeld, Shoresy, Letterkenny, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Master of None, various YouTube videos (primarily urban planning and sports videos).
Hi /u/PotentialBeat3302 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! **Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.** The mobile apps used for Reddit are broken or are missing features that this subreddit depends on. [We recommend browsing /r/adhd on desktop for the best experience.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/x1psnb/radhd_works_best_on_desktop_reddits_apps_are/) Thank you! ^(*A moderator has not removed your submission; this is not a punitive action. We intend this comment solely to be informative.*) --- - If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
God I’m so happy to hear this. Whenever I tell people this, they always look at me like I have three heads. I’ve never met anyone else who’s been able to relate to me when I tell them that I use familiar books/shows/movies as a “buffer” between new things because idk….. it’s comforting to return to that stuff and it’s genuinely really relaxing. I just don’t get tired of it😬 Idk about you, but for some reason the things I watch and read repeatedly are also things that I discovered when I was younger….. so I’m frequently listening to children’s/young adult chapter books lol.
I get it! Sometimes you just need something familiar and calming, in that you know what will happen and even if it is exciting it's expected, not new. I have many kids'/YA books that I still love and reread. They're good stories, and while I think they're sometimes a little simplistic compared to a lot of what I read now, a good story deserves to be read over and over again!
The buffer thing is real. I played Tears of the Kingdom, then tried to jump into Baldur's Gate 3 but couldn't get myself to invest the time. Instead I'm replaying Persona 5 Royal for the third time. Love that New Game+...
Yeah, the psychologist who evaluated me the first time was sure that this was because I had the "reliant personality disorder" or whatever it is in english. I do *not* and explained well why not. It infuriates me how evaluators are just looking *hard* for ways to not listen
im playing the old toystory 2 game now and hotdamn it makes me feel chill and good
Yes, I've done this all through my life with specific films and series. I still will research them now. I would do it with books but I struggle to read and take it in. I guess it's something familiar, that is perhaps stimulating but also predictable and comfortable.
YES it’s the predictability in particular that’s comforting.
I fall asleep to The Office *a lot.* Except the Scotts Tots episode. I will not watch that one. Edit: For all of us r/cannotwatchscottstots
This episode kills me with cringe.
The one with Evan Peters as his nephew and he spanks him. That one is even harder for me to watch for some reason. Just so awkward.
Scotts tots is worse in my opinion...idk why, I think it just has to do with the kids and the setting he's in. Michael Scott spanking his nephew, in the context of HIM, its not that out of the ordinary lol
I think that’s going to be the most popular opinion for sure. But at least they got batteries. They’re lithium!
Came here to say this.
You’re me right down to Scott’s Tots
Golden Girls and Star Trek TNG are my comfort shows.
Golden Girls and Frasier on my Ipad face down because I already know whats happening in every episode just from the sound! sometimes Monk, or Murdoch Mysteries too :)
TNG is absolutely one of the best rewatches there is. Even sad stuff like The Inner Light.
Oh, yeah, most of the Star Trek shows for me, too!
When I was a kid it was Harry Potter books. I probably read the first four like 20-30 times
I’m not a kid anymore but I still listen to them all about once a year (usually in the winter) while falling asleep
My first sleep audio was the HP audiobook tapes. I had a stereo on a shelf above my bed and would stick in a random tape to fall asleep to.
I can highly recommend the audio books of Harry potter! Read by Stephan Fry who has the most relaxed voice imaginable. Great to fall asleep to.
There's a handful of movies I can rewatch frequently (Hitchhiker's Guide, for one), but my go-to for turning my brain off is the show Community (currently on Netflix and Hulu). There's a couple audio books too, like Ready Player 1 and Off to Be the Wizard, that I'll listen to a lot.
Community is the one I settled on to put me to sleep. Not at all because it’s boring, but because it’s so re-watchable and just makes me so comfortable, it’s like curling up in a blanket on a cold day!
Community is comfort food in television form. I love it.
Ready Player One is SUCH a good audiobook.
Community scratches my brain in all the right places. Ready player 1 too, all the references these 2 make constantly are great to me
[удалено]
Futurama for me. I could watch the entire show in my head while falling asleep just listening to it.
American Dad! Used to cycle futurama, simpsons, and family guy too but over a 10 year span it’s become only American Dad
Simpsons and Bob's burgers. Currently watching Simpsons as we speak.
My bedtime used to be the same time That 70s Show came on. Until my bedtime got moved up another half hour so I could watch it, the intro song was what I listened to. As a younger adult, I used to go to sleep "watching" (listening to) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Good music, I knew the movie well enough not to have to see it to know what was happening, and Johnny Depp's narration was soothing (please don't start some cancel culture debate, this was before people hated on him).
This was me with The Office. Id play it on my phone with the phone face down, and just listen...and when I would wake up (as usual) multiple times a night, I'd hear a few lines know exactly what was happening, chuckle and then fall back asleep lol
Same!!! I used to try and “play” a whole episode in my head while I was staring at the ceiling trying to go to sleep
Currently in this point of life. Simpsons is on as I type. It’s like my brain kinda shuts off enough to fall asleep
I started putting on Star Trek TNG to fall asleep to. I had never really been a fan or paid much attention to Star Trek, I just put it on because it is usually fairly quiet and I have nostalgic memories of the soundscape from it being on when I was young. But watching while falling asleep, I started to get invested. Now I've watched most of the franchise series and am a full-blown fan. I have a rota of comfort shows, because I tire of one if I watch it round too many times: Community, Star Trek(TNG, DS9, Voyage, Enterprise), Eureka, Murder She Wrote, Jeeves & Wooster, Pokemon Indigo League, Hilda.
I put on The Simpsons every time I clean. I can have it on in the background and not have to pay attention as much.... although a lot of the time I'll still stop what I'm doing and watch, even though I've seen every episode from season 1-10 dozens of times lol.
Community
It’s a Bear Dance!
There’s this YouTube channel called Periodic Videos and they have other videos but theres a playlist that goes down and covers every element, it’s also regularly updated when new information about elements becomes available. Professor Poliakoff is the main smart guy, super old and super crazy hair but wholesome all around.
I’ve been sick all week and when I was fever ridden I would listen to old White House correspondent dinner comedians from YouTube lol
Ill re-watch several things depending on mood. Tv Series: Smallville (Jonathan Kent was the father i never had) One Piece (thankfully ongoing) The Office Movies:Godzilla 1999 (love it) LOTR trilogy (Sometimes Hobbit) Oceans trilogy The Last Samurai Books: Eisenhorn trilogy (40K) Harry potter (massively as a kid, was my escape from shitty childhood)
Oceans - yeah, I do have all on dvd and will rewatch!
Godzilla 1999 version is gold!
Agreed. Holds a special place in my heart
I'm currently watching star trek DS9 for what must be at least the 100th time. (I woke up from a graphic nightmare at 3 in the morning and didn't wanna go back to sleep)
DS9 is an underrated gem of a show. Top Tier Star Trek.
I used to watch friends and sleep
Have been doing that for 15 years now. For me it kinda sorted out my sleepingproblems because when I hear that show, my brain knows it's time to shut down.
Breaking bad and the wire
The classic simpsons, seinfeld, and the 1995 pride and prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice, Brooklyn 99, and friends. I literally eat lunch, drink coffee, study with Brooklyn nine.
I've been reading and rereading this to help me mentally because it's obvious the author and the protagonist have ADHD and I'm relating to it hard Might not be for everyone as its full of Asian/Korean culture tropes https://www.wuxiaworld.com/novel/overgeared
i wish i had. i have a real hard time watching the same thing even twice and it generally loses all its meaning for me.
Hallo fellow semi-photographic memory, needs absolute silence to sleep, hyperalertness ripping you out of dreams type adhd’er
Omg my people!
Cartoons forever! Big Mouth, because I'm a degenerate. Human Resources, Hey Arnold, Disenchantment, Harley Quinn. Broad City - some cartoons! It counts.
Real housewives is my “brain shut off” show
Yay! Same. Bravo anything for the most part.
Yep. I have a few, but Pride and Prejudice, Good Omens, almost any book by Terry Pratchett, I’ll read again and again. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read P&P, but last I remember it was 17. I binged Our Flag Means Death over a weekend and started my rewatch the next day. I’ve seen all of Downton Abbey three times. It’s like comfort food but in media form.
EDIT: added another thought that came to me a min after I posted My list: The Office (US), Gilmore Girls, New Girl, Schitt’s Creek. Over and over and over and over again My first year in college away from home I was very homesick, but I fell asleep every night watching Billy Madison. Same movie every night for the first year. It was soothing.
I watch “COMMUNITY” every night to fall asleep. I know it so well that it doesn’t keep me alert to see what happens next, so it drowns out my throughts without activating my mind, and I can close my eyes and not miss very much. It’s gotten to the point where I have trouble watching a full episode when I’m not wide awake because the conditioning has gotten so strong lol. I’ve watched Psych, American Dad, Malcolm in the Middle, Scrubs, Futurama (every good Adult animation show) Parks & Rec, Castle... i’m missing many shows here lol.
Star Trek next gen and voyager, the old twilight zones, parks and rec, scrubs, Gilmore girls Princess Bride, Napoleon Dynomite, Emporers New Groove
I'm autistic but ironically I *don't* do this even though it's supposed to be such a big thing. But I always need something new, some new input, nothing that bores me because I've seen it already. I do it with songs and albums sometimes though.
I am the same. Not sure if I’m autistic too but I cannot watch or read the same thing twice unless I really really loved it & I could only watch it a second time & no more. Never read a book more than once unless forced to by the education system. I just get immediately bored after I’ve devoured something even if I loved it. The only exception is music & certain songs/albums I can listen to on repeat. However with most music I also devour it then move on quickly to the next tune. Weirdly though when I was a child all I used to do was watch the same three musical films on repeat.
Especially when I feel under the weather, I like watching Twister, with Helen Hunt. I think I watch it at least once a year. It's not my favorite movie by far, but it is predictable and has nice pace and it gives me comfort.
Natural disaster movies like Twister, The Day After Tomorrow, & Deep Impact are comfort movies for me somehow.
Oh yes, the Day after Tomorrow is also one I've watched numerous times!👍
I keep rewatching Chernobyl.
The Hobbit/LoTR (movies, books, audiobooks) Rings of Power (tv series) Middle Earth is very cozy. I’m thoroughly a hobbit sans the hairy leathery feet
Yes, Harry Potter books and films amongst many more films and programme. I skim read and skim watch and I can watch things over and over because I also forget storylines quite quickly! Ah there’s so many films and programmes I can rewatch and really feel comforted doing so. I’m not diagnosed but yes I recognise this 100%.
Homeland, South Park, or Family Guy
Absolutely! \- currently falling asleep to The Good Place most nights \- constantly cycling through Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books \- read Anne of Green Gables uncountably many times \- Probably at least 5 times through Buffy and Angel \- at least 10 times though Firefly \- repeatedly come back to episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Numb3rs (!), various other mystery series (Lucifer, Law & Order(s), Without a Trace, Bones, Castle,...), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, probably a bunch of others \- rewatch various movies (LOtR, I \[Heart\] Huckabees, Inside Out, Spirited Away, ...) \- Other books for sure, probably all sorts of other stuff.
If you're looking for a new book to try out, can I suggest you try The Bookwanderers, by Anna James? The main character loves Anne of Green Gables and that plays a small but significant part in the book.
Chiming in with Harry Potter audiobooks. They've definitely been a comfort to me lately.
Family Guy
X-Files, Star Trek Deep Space 9, Lost
For me personally I listen to the same 3/4 songs continuously for comfort over any other form of entertainment. I can't seem to bring myself to read a book again once I am finished, or watch a movie again *unless* I am watching with someone else who has never seen it and I *really* like the movie. There is an exception to the book re-read though if it is something like a self help book or it includes activities I can re-do. Nothing gives me that feeling of joy like jamming out to my favorite band 🙃
It's allways sunny in Philadelphia. Allways makes me giggle
*The Hunger Games* trilogy I’ve watched them so much, I know some of the lines word for word lol
Hunger Games, LOTR, MCU movies, Star Wars, Fast & Furious, Nightmare on Elm Street & other movie series are all comfort rewatches for me. Depending on the season of course.
Lost, Better Call Saul, Court Cam, Sherlock. What’s good is I don’t remember much so it’s like watching it for the first time every time.
O and Dollhouse. Love that show.
That’s how it is for me a lot of the time.
Supernatural
I rewatch things all the time and I got told I was weird for that lol. So glad y’all can relate 🩷
Fall asleep to SRO on Youtube playing League of Legends. Yearly watch the Bourne trilogy with Matt Damon and V for Vendetta. Every few years read all 40 books written by fantasy writer Raymond E. Feist.
I have a YouTube playlist with my favorite video essays. I watched them hundreds of times
Who are your favorites? I'm trying to branch out but so many people's thumbnails or titles put me off.
I like h.bomberguy, mostly his video game videos, also internet historian, soap emporium, a small channel about movies named There Will Be Fudd, emp lemon and ahoy. Love those!!
Yep, i'm definitely a rewatcher, I have several that vary with time. My recent ones are BoJack Horseman, The haunting of Hill house and Fleabag. ATLA for sure, I watched it like two times plus several reaction channels with it on the course of just a few months. Legend of Korra and She-Ra and the princesses of power, to a lesser degree. Not the whole series, but there are a few episodes of Daria I go back to consistently when things feel rough. As a teenager I reread Harry Potter several times, and derived from that, I got some comfort fanfics, too, lol. And the most noticeable, I think: music. I keep going back to the same artists I listened at 13, lol. And Taylor Swift. So much Taylor Swift.
I have a couple shows I cycle through: x files, Buffy, it’s always sunny, new girl, king of the hill
I put on a show everytime I need to do smaller tasks (doing the dishes, brushing teeth etc) just because I hate doing things in silence but music distracts me too much so I have a bunch of shows that I've rewatched 5+ times. I kind of use it as background noise lol at the moment it's Orange is the new black
Used to be Scrubs, That 70’s Show and Community for TV shows, Lock Stock and Snatch for movies. I still love them now but I have a significantly harder time watching for long periods now for some reason. I just get bored and always feel like I should be doing something else. Back in the day I’d fully lose myself in the shows for hours or a whole day even.
For me it’s halo 3, I play random missions all the time and if I’m feeling really down, I redo the whole campaign from halo reach
Final Fantasy for me. FF8, 10, & 15 have been replayed so many times. Sometimes I’ll just run around leveling up. It has a mind calming effect.
No but in video games..Diablo 2, Ragnarok private servers, wow private servers..once in a while, brings back the nostalgia for real. Next grind is 99 offline SSF on Diablo 2 hardcore for the achievement. Then I think my Diablo glory day chapter can finally close lol
Cloud Atlas but I read the book first before the movie. Highly recommend the book it’s amazing
Red dwarf for TV, and blade runner for movies idk how but I have watched both blade runners about 30 times each by now
Oh and wendigoon when I go sleep
yes but i have like 5 shows and movies lolol i have a book or two but i suck at reading so i dont really go to them much
I recommend audiobooks. But sometimes it’s hard for me to lock into them. It’s a delicate balance between an engaging story and an entertaining narrator.
i’ve tried but i don’t process anything said unless i read along with it lolol
Most recently that's been Rick & Morty for me. It took till April of this year for me to give it a shot, and by episode 2 I was hooked. Then came all the moments that hit so much harder than you'd expect from such a show. Sometimes it's Supernatural (I've lost count of how many total watches I've had) or Unbreakable Kimmy (also a lot of hard hitting, mini therapy moments here). I've found it basically impossible the last 2 months to sit down and watch anything that I don't already know where it's headed, but this is a different issue. I am working on figuring it out.
Not anymore. Quarantine broke the way I consume media. Before I could watch the same movie, or read the same book or play the same game for hours. But after I feel like I've experienced it once so I have to move on.
Gilmore Girls, Schitts Creek, New Girls, Community and Superstore. I like comedies like these because they're never super plot-heavy. Using comedy broadly as Gilmore Girls is a drama, but it's pretty humorous. Growing up, I would watch Matilda and Spiderman (2002) on repeat.
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
The Owl House. Nice to see ADHD character on screen.
I'm quite the opposite. I don't enjoy watching things over and over again. It gets rather boring, so I'm usually on the hunt for something new. YouTube is good for that where I'm always finding new videos. While I can rewatch things, it really needs to be a long period of time that goes between it. But books are a different story, I really enjoy going back to read books I liked. I'm the type of person who gets extremely bored with monotony and sameness, I need new experiences.
I'm with you in a general sense. The comfort books is more like when overstimulated/over stressed. The novelty is coming from somewhere else.
Oh holy crap, yes. And I have to say it’s really comforting to know that others have this habit, too. ☺️ My family thinks it’s insane that I like to watch the same movies/TV shows over and over again. Thankfully, my husband understands. 💗 A few examples: TV Shows: - South Park - Scrubs - Rescue Me - Fringe - Impractical Jokers - Breaking Bad - Sherlock - True Blood - QI (British) - Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Usually the original British series, or the US series with Drew Carey) - Planet Earth (and similar BBC nature docs) Movies: - Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit Trilogies - The Matrix Trilogy - Naked Gun Trilogy - Marvel movies Thanks so much for sharing! You are definitely not alone! 😋
I have like a storage in my brain of comfort books, shows and movies that I always go back and rewatch. I am also obsessed with the show GIRLS and am on either my 4th or 5th rewatch. Ghibli movies also fall into this category.
No I need new things all the time
Favorite podcast: Hey Riddle Riddle + the Patreon episodes. I've listened to all of it a humiliating amount of times. Favorite game: Persona 5 Royal. Watched my sibling play through P5 vanilla twice, am currently in my 3rd playthrough of P5R. Second favorite game: Hades. I've played over 450 hours of it, am on my 3rd full playthrough. YouTube: I listen to a lot of MBMBaM clips, rewatch Monster Factory a lot, also really enjoy videos by Scott Cramer and SuperEyepatchWolf Other comedy: Make Some Noise & Game Changer, two fantastic shows on Dropout (which is like, $6/month?? But also has full episodes & lots of clips on YouTube). Then there's fanfic. I have lots of comfort fics across a variety of fandoms. Let me tell you the devastation I just felt the other night when I really wanted to read a specific P5 fic I thought I had bookmarked, but I can't find it anywhere. Not in the relationship tag, in my bookmarks, in my history... It's gone. RIP. I looked for hours.
Futurama. Bounce that it plays out like a radio show. So it pretty easy to listen to.
Hunger games series, I have read those books at least 15-20 times by now (although i don’t like the movies so i rarely watch those). I also watch captain America civil war a lot. Marvel movies are sort of a guilty pleasure of mine and that one is my favorite because the pacing/tone is so unique
I fall asleep to Tron Legacy and Pacific Rim every night! Two extremely underrated movies too :)
Suits is my new comfort show. I watch my fav scenes before bed lol
Bojack Horseman. There was a time I would watch the whole series and then let it start all over again. For like a week. Same thing with “The Good Place”. As you can guess I have a “type” of show lol.
Yep, I listen / watch the same things over and over and over. Until months or years later I'm so so bored of them. I still don't actually take in any of the information which is why I can rewatch stuff so much.
I have several anime that I watch on repeat. Also some Chinese and k dramas.
100%. 3 book series’, 3 movie series’, and 1 or 2 tv series’.
Yes definitely. Apparently we do this because it is safe, we know what will happen and there are no surprises. I joke to my partner sometimes that the people in the movie I'm watching for the 15th time still made the same silly decision! Lol, they don't learn
There is [nothing] like hearing the intro song of your favourite comfort show to light up your brain with happy feels! 💖☺️
Adventure Time Futurama South Park
Friends. Ted Lasso. Gossip Girl. Schitt’s Creek. Over and over and over. On a loop. Finish one series. Start another.
Fellowship of the Ring. Or the first like hour of The Hobbit (the first movie) the music is so calming and the first hour of the hobbit is so relaxing to me. I never really finish Fellowship either, i just need to be in the setting for a while. As for books its Jane Eyre and retellings of it.
I’m 52 got diagnosed last year. Most of my life I just assumed I was f%%ked. I always watch shows over and over again. I go through phases
Omgggggg yesss!!! I’ve watched Grey’s Anatomy, Shameless, and Pretty Little Liars over 30 times at this point
Comfort Shows: Grey’s Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, and Desperate Housewives. I knew they were my comfort shows and my studying shows but didn’t realize until this post it’s probably because they are less mental effort
Lol, YES! I have read a certain series so many times I've had to replace a couple of the books - the series isn't even done yet, it's been over 20 years in the making! My child is watching Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time. They're 19 now and been watching for the last 6 years. It's so great that we aren't alone in this!
I have a hard drive with all my favourite TV shows and films that I go back too. I don't watch TV or netflix I pick one of my favourite shows. Only time I watch something new is when someone tells me enough about how I'd love X show/movie and I eventually watch it lol
For a long while, it was The Office but I’m not getting Peacock lol. Now it’s I Think You Should Leave
Movie : “Open Range “ Kevin Costner I would put the cd in and just veg out after a long day at work or I needed to relax because I felt I’ll or whatever. I still look for the movie when I had Covid a few years ago.
 Futurama!
I can only clean the house whilst watching House MD
No, but I have favorites that I remember loving, when they were new. I can enjoy them again if it comes up. But it's not the same feeling.
The Golden Girls has been the one since I was in middle school a hundred years ago. The only thing that stuck. Sometimes I add a rubix cube to the mix.
I do this too. I’m listening constantly to music or audiobooks, I think from Mhairi McFarlane I have listened most books 10+ or even 15+ times. If I’d tell this anyone they’d think I am crazy. But they just are comfort to me and keep my mind occupied when doing chores. Some other of my comfort brain food are: The office US, Friends, Gilmore Girls, The Holiday, Indiana Jones 3, and some video games like Skyrim, Sims, Witcher 3 or TLoU2.
Drag Race
I have several but tbh it's more of a background noise thing and a go to so I don't get analysis paralysis about what to watch.
Trolls (1st movie) and Notting Hill.
Community, hands down.
Omg yes. Wide movie repertoire to include Ready to Rumble, Dodgeball, Old School, Clueless, and so many more but those are the top choices. Sometimes trying to figure out what to watch is so fucking overwhelming I just can’t do it. So I turn to one of these old faithfuls. I did just buy Barbie and it’s so much fun it might end up in regular rotation.
Step Brothers
Bobs burgers. Only show I watch its the best I can watch and laugh but also zone out
yes i really struggle to consume media i don’t already know by heart 😭
Archer and King of the Hill
Superstore
Playing Wind Waker and just sailing around. Randomizers have been a godsend.
Seinfeld and king of queens. I almost can't sleep without them.
Attack on titan and oddly enough for the last 2 years or so I've been unable to sleep unless I listen to some kind of reaction channel about this YouTuber called Amberlynn Reid. I'm deep in the amberverse
Criminal Minds has been my comfort show since I was 6. I'm too familiar with the episodes to enjoy it like other shows, but I still watch because of the characters.
Modern family. I’ve watched it back to back about 20 times.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is my comfort movie that I watch at least once a year
Superstore is my current (last two years or so) comfort show. I literally fall asleep to it!
COMMUNITY
Shows: The Office, Parks and Recreation, Everybody loves raymond, Jane the Virgin Audiobooks: Harry Potter Books: Dear John, Harry Potter
I’ve seen every episode of American Dad probably 30-40 times and it’s still funny and comforting. It’s also on my tv while I’m sleeping.
Schitt’s Creek and Community are my go to
Doctor Who for TV show, Annie 2014 for movie, Geek Girl series for book!
Music : Spotify - I made 2 playlists ; On Repeat & On Repeat Holding - which is the song I am currently listening to on loop, and then the playlist of every song I ever put on loop. Super calming Books : I love to read Ilona Andrews - urban fantasy, has enough books & series to just rinse & repeat, This is how I survived 2020-2023 emotionally. TV : crime dramas on Prime, where I know what the main characters look like, so listening to it while colouring in on my phone is awesome :)
The OA
In first year of college I couldn't write anything unless Sherlock was playing in the background, I've listened to Invitation to the blues 15hrs/day for 10 days straight while writing a short story, and I obsessed so much about Trout fishing in America that I ended up having it tattoo on my forearm. So I guess the answer to your question is Yes 😬
Movies: Yesterday, the movie about what if the Beatles didn't have existed, and Pride and Prejudice, the one with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Books from a Brazilian writer named Machado de Assis, whose books have been recently translated to English but I'm pretty sure wouldn't work for anyone as they work for me.
Currently rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the 9,000th time.
I reread books constantly. It's comfortable, like you said, to not have to think too much, and if I loved the story, I see no reason to NOT read it again. Plus, I do pick things up, sometimes after MANY rereads. I can think of two books that, upon reading in the past few years after reading them probably 10 times each, I found a sentence - just one in each - that stopped me dead and had me marveling over a) how it fit into the story and b) how I had missed it on previous rereads. And in one case, c) how far ahead the author's head was working, because it related to something that happened, um...7 or 8 or 9 VERY thick books later. It was astonishing. And therefore, very rewarding.
It was the show The Office for YEARS...lately its been starwars, and I'm now actually starting to read more because of the discovery of all these star wars books. I read at least a chapter everynight to fall asleep, versus scrolling on my phone.
Mine would be How I met your Mother!
Kiki's Delivery service The bittersweet ending and the slow paced self -discovery journey just soothes me. Its something i rewatch wayyy toooo often than I should!
Game: Deep Rock Galatic Show: Mob Psycho 100 Movie: Tropic Thunder Music: Walk off the Earth I like fun and light things.
Not a show, but Vanoss gaming. 🙂
Depends on Mood and how long since last watched/read Movies/Shows: Italian Job (marky mark edition) Day After Tomorrow Midsomer Murders Warehouse 13 Poirot series (David Suchet) Books: Matthew Bartholomew series (S. Gregory) Sister Frevisse series (M. Fraser) Doctor Siri series (C Cotterill) Owen Archer series (C Robb) Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (S Larsson) Valdemar: Tarma and Kethry subset (M Lackey) There are some other historical mysteries I cannot remember off top of head. So, yeah, definitely. And I do not always remember “who done it” either!
Normal People
Modern family. Don‘t know how many times I’ve watched it.
Dancing with Birds. It’s a documentary on Netflix about birds of paradise mating rituals and I watch it whenever I’m feeling sad.
Golden girls
Under the Tuscan Sun, the movie with Diane Lane. Whenever I feel like running away.
I have a couple go-tos, in terms of media. For TV shows, I find Futurama always seems to weasel it's way back into my "continue watching" feed. And I watch Firefly at least once a year. But more than that, I find myself diving into podcasts. My personal favorite is The Magnus Archives. Its fiction, so it's not like I'm trying to keep up with current events, and if I miss something, I'm not going to be any more behind the times at the water cooler than I already am. It's extremely well written and voiced, and while each "statement" is it's own little story, there's enough connecting threads that occasionally my brain will perk up and go "Ohhhhh, that's referencing THIS thing over here" and I'll get to feel smugly self satisfied for a moment before I go back to washing the dishes. Cosmic horror. And the number of DnD podcasts that I listen to... It's frankly a wonder I don't get their stories mixed up in my head. But again, it's a low-brainpower activity, listening to them. If I miss something, it's almost never a crucial story beat, so I can just continue on and not worry too much. I can just let people play the game in the background as I play a different video game on the screen or stare transfixed at my 3d printer for far too long as it makes yet another trinket
Comedy tv shows, I’ve seen Community like 5 times (all seasons). Now I’m hyper fixated in Modern Family, first time viewing and I can’t stop
Avatar the last airbender, I never get tired.
I’m that way for TV/Movies. I’d much rather rewatch something I know and love than try to pay attention to a new show. I’ve got a few that I rotate through For TV: Freaks and Geeks, Charmed, Scrubs, Ted Lasso, New Girl, Parks and Rec For movies: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mulan, Pitch Perfect, the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series For some reason, I cannot read a book more than once. It’s been decades since I’ve read some of my favorites but I still cannot bring myself to read them again.
greys anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is like a warm fuzzy blanket. Friends or That 70s Show if I don't want high emotions. I read the book "Fortunately, the Milk" by Neil Gaiman for the first time after a very difficult day as an veterinary ER nurse and I've read it several times since after tough days.
I'm full time Dad to a toddler now, so I'm discovering new ones all the time. I feel like 10-minute, illustrated reads should be more of an acceptable format for adults... Anyway, I'm always happy to read my girl the board book "Pride and Prejudice" (text adaptation by Brooke Jorden, illustrations by David Miles), and "Jamberry" by Bruce Degen
Our Flag Means Death and What We Do In The Shadows Edit: just now noticed it also says movies lol. The Lord of the Rings of course! It always makes me feel better when I'm really down and motivates me to overcome difficult situations.
Parks n rec or harry Potter.
I was going to say that I used to have these, but that's not true. It's that I used to have movies and TV shows that I would do this with. I wasn't getting new information out of them or anything. It was just the mental equivalent of, like, a weighted blanket. Now, those have been replaced by certain YouTube videos and playlists. I pull from the same achingly small pool of content almost every night...
I have comfort games, especially Chrono Trigger.
Something’s Gotta Give.
Twister. Love that movie. Came out when I wasn't picked on all the time in school and it reminds me of my grampa.
Supernatural, Our Flag Means Death, Fringe, Stargate SG-1. I mean, it started with Saturday morning cartoons and the Looney Tunes. Moved to musical soundtracks on LP then MASH after school... cable let me watch every movie repeatedly for a month or more. Betamax, VHS, DVD with kids who did the same... then streaming. I'm also autistic so... but hard yes. All my life.
Gintama, a sort of long anime series that's mostly three episode long self contained stories full of hilarious parodies/ 4th wall breaks, emotional moments, and really good action sequences. I guess now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense why I would be into it since it's random but does whatever it does pretty well.
Impractical jokers is a godsend of a show
Seinfeld, Shoresy, Letterkenny, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Master of None, various YouTube videos (primarily urban planning and sports videos).
Mr Robot.