Television can be a temporary emotional escape from the world. It can help students through a tough day with funny one-liners, relatable characters, and a sense of community. Shows can be a safe space while bringing people comfort. Senior Tricia Bratton has been watching the sitcom “Community” since she was in seventh grade and still finds herself coming back to it for the comfort it brings her after tiresome days.
“[The show] is like a sense of family because it’s a bunch of random people from all different sorts of life, and they’re coming together. I would highly recommend it; the show is hilarious. It has some really good actors before they were famous, and you can tell that they were such diamonds in the ruff. The show does a really good job at balancing being funny and comedic, while also tackling real-world issues and problems within families and different dynamics. It just handles itself really well,” said Bratton.
Especially during winter, when it can be harder to get through the short days and long nights, it can be nice to have a show to come home to. People find comfort and familiarity during uncertain times. Many students have positive associations with the shows they watched in their adolescence, including Bratton
“[The show] feels familiar and nostalgic at times, like when I’m watching it in the wintertime, because that’s when I first started watching it. ‘Community’ just brings me a sense of safety; I could quote every episode mid-line, probably,” said Bratton. “Every time I watch it, I notice something new that I didn’t before; it’s kind of like an Easter egg hunt. I see a lot of aspects of what happened in my own life within personal relationships, because it doesn’t try to dumb it down to the readers. It’s not trying to take itself too seriously or anything, but when it does have serious moments, you can really connect to what the show’s trying to tell you.”
TV shows can influence the people students will become. Many students like sitcoms because not only can something new be found every time, but it doesn’t take much mental fortitude or emotion to watch. These shows can be put in the background while doing homework or other activities. Senior Adam Miller has been watching “Parks and Recreation” since Covid and believes the show has influenced his humor to this day.
“I get a lot of my humor from it. It’s how I process information, how I format a joke; all of that kind of stuff is very much because of that show. It makes me happy. It makes me feel safe in a way. When I’m watching the show, I’m like, ‘I know this’. This is familiar to me,” said Miller.
Many shows, especially sitcoms, let viewers step away from reality in order to take a break in a fictional world that is safe from everyday problems. These types of shows provide a routine for the watcher to predict the next episode, so it isn’t something new or shocking; it gives the brain a rest. Miller likes the entire show of Parks and Recreation from beginning to end; even though the end of the second season and the beginning of the third are his favorites, he has no complaints about the whole show.
“I feel like there’s not a whole lot that I would change about [Parks and Recreation]. It’s a really good show from beginning to end; there’s not really a bad season or a bad episode. There’s always something to like about every part,” said Miller.
The repetition in sitcoms and other types of comfort TV shows allows students to feel safe, giving them a release from the stresses and anxiety caused by the day before. Miller recommends “Parks and Recreation” for all people, especially for an escape or just a good laugh. He believes you don’t have to understand the references to have fun with the show.
“I feel there’s not really a specific type of person that would like it. If you like laughing and watching the show, There are nerdier references in the show. It’s nerdy, but at the same time, the references kind of explain the nerdiness [to its watchers],” said Miller.
Most forms of media have a moral lesson to teach. In comfort TV shows, the repetitive viewing further enforces these moral beliefs. People can connect with the character they are shown constantly, reinforcing a sense of companionship for the watchers. Junior Chloe Horton has been a fan of the Netflix hit show “Stranger Things” since its debut and thinks it displays important underlying themes.
“ I think ‘Stranger Things’ is very important. It’s about friendship; I feel like it made me value my friends more, and it shows me how important they are. Whenever I’m bored, I watch it,” said Horton. “The show makes you feel excited. It makes you feel a lot of emotions, actually. It kind of depends on what’s happening when I’m watching the show. This last season that I watched was so good. I am just so excited for the next part to come out because I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it also makes me feel scared because I’m so attached to everything. I don’t want anybody to die or get hurt or anything bad [to happen].”
It can be important for shows to have diversity so that a wide variety of people feel seen, empathy is reinforced, and understanding is created within its audience so that specific groups feel represented in order to break down harmful stereotypes. Finding someone to relate to in a show can be the deciding factor for finishing it. Horton thinks “Stranger Things” is a perfect show for any and all viewers, because anyone can find a way to relate to the show.
“I feel there will always be someone who’s intrigued by the show, or there will always be someone who a person can probably relate themselves to or find something similar in the character from themselves. There’s a lot of diversity in the show about different characters, ” said Horton.
