Ever found solace in the familiar frames of a beloved TV show? Let's delve into the intriguing concept of rewatching old TV shows and its potential impact on our emotional well-being. Could these nostalgic trips be more than just a comforting pastime?
With the amount of new shows to choose from reaching overwhelming levels, audiences are choosing to rewatch their favorite series instead.
Why, then, is there a growing trend for people brushing aside glowing reviews and friends’ recommendations and deciding to hit “repeat” on shows they have watched time and time again?
- The most streamed programme in the US last year was The Office, which finished in 2013 after nine series.
2020 was the year of the rewatch
The most streamed programme in the US last year was the American version of The Office
- Streaming services jostle at great expense over the rights to add classic hits to their libraries
- Rights holders to some of TV’s best-known shows have made big money
- At the same time, the fact that these classic series have become TV land’s hottest property has been reflected in the audio world too
- Name a TV hit and, chances are, there’s an accompanying podcast taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane
- Often – as is the case with Office Ladies, featuring Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey – these series are helmed by former cast members of the show.
The therapeutic power of old and familiar TV
Comedies are perfect rewatching material
- Laughing lowers stress and releases dopamine, while the individual episodes of a sitcom, in particular, are less reliant on plot for their effect
- Funny one-liners and comedic set-pieces seem to hold up to repeat viewing better than dramas that hang on suspense
- Sitcoms also provide a static world, be it a workplace or a set of New York apartments, with characters who maintain a consistent personality that sees them act to type regardless of the situations they find themselves in
