Gilmore Girls fans know: When the weather turns and the leaves are falling, it’s prime time to revisit Stars Hollow.
Comfort TV rewatches no doubt feel cozy, but according to psychotherapist Jill Lewis, MA, LCSW, there are several ways they can be a mental health boost.
And while she says you definitely shouldn’t feel guilty about Carole King’s “Where You Lead” replaying on your screen yet again, it’s good to be able to spot the signs that your TV binge habit has become a problem.
When someone says their rewatch is self-care, they’re not kidding. With so many stressors in everyday life, returning to a show that you’ve already seen can provide a sense of security and offer a way to mentally power down.
“There’s actually a lot of safety in the sense that people already know that’s going to happen,” Lewis, who is based in Atlanta, explained to The Post. “They know the ending, so they don’t necessarily have to invest as much mental energy and they get to enjoy it a little bit more.
“A lot of people also find them like a security blanket — the familiarity, the safety. It feels good, it’s like a hug.”
With a new show — especially something like a crime drama — you can feel “much more heightened,” tense, and more reactive because you don’t know which emotions will hit you, but watching something you’ve already see can actually be physically calming.
“It calms our nervous system because we know what’s coming. The mind-body connection gets to not think so much, and we get to just be,” Lewis added. “It’s more relaxing, and I don’t think our mind has to work so hard to pay attention. Then by default, that helps our bodies calm, be less active, be less tense.”
Your Netflix queue may be filled with things you’ve been meaning to watch — but if you return to a show you love again and again, don’t beat yourself up.
“If it does just feel good, then it’s working, right?” said Lewis.
“When people have that self-attack, my interpretation is they’re worried about other people’s judgments of what they’re doing, rather than [thinking], ‘This feels good to me. I want to honor it, and I want to stay in it.’”
But why Gilmore?
From January to June of 2023 — not even peak Gilmore Girls season — Netflix recorded 500 million viewing hours for the show, according to the New York Times. That’s the equivalent of 4,668,534 people watching all 153 episodes across seven seasons.
Lewis — a certified group therapist who runs multiple interpersonal process groups working on our feelings, taking up space, assertion, impact on others, impact on ourselves, and healthy conflict — cites the show’s humor, calling the show funny, light-hearted, and uplifting.
“I can appreciate why many people would really enjoy it and why it could help and uplift people’s mental health,” she said.
“Everything that I do in therapy is about relationships and relationship building, and the heart of this show is a mother and daughter relationship and a friendship. So there is a real gift in being able to see a real relationship that ebbs and flows, that has problems, that has struggled, that has hurt, but it has so much love and so much care.”
Of course, other shows can serve the same purpose. Last month, Marie Claire shared its 30 best comfort TV shows, including Friends, Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso, Modern Family, New Girl, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gossip Girl among its picks.
The allure of an autumn rewatch
Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s world will always be associated with fall, but even beyond that connection, autumn makes perfect sense as the time to stream an old favorite.
For one thing, Lewis points out, temperatures have dropped, and daylight savings time means it gets dark earlier — so people want to stay inside, and familiar TV “can feel like a warm blanket.”
“There is something kind of relieving to have a little more ‘permission’ to be inside, rewatching our favorite stuff, when it’s a little colder and not as nice out,” Lewis said.
But really — how much is too much?
So yes, a comfort rewatch has health benefits — but there is a point when a couple episodes turns to a dozen a day and you may need to reevaluate.
“If someone is not experiencing life because they’re binge watching TV, it’s too much,” Lewis said. “If someone is choosing to stay at home repeatedly to watch a show rather than be social, if they stop taking care of themselves because of shows, then it’s interfering too much and we need to pay attention.
“If you come home and watch two episodes but you feed yourself dinner and you take a shower and you take care of your kids and you go to bed in a normal time, I think there’s nothing wrong with that.”
