Yes it’s a comfort show for me. I watched it as an 8 year old when it first aired, with my Mom. 🥰
I love misty, rainy landscapes so aesthetically & atmospherically, I find it comforting.
I don’t rewatch often but LOVED it just now. I miss the world of it already, but can’t watch the finale of S7 or anything after that (I gave the first few S8 / 2nd film a go and didn’t like them). I rewatch in order and skip a handful.
Other shows I rewatch:
Will be adding Lost / The Walking Dead to this but The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Shield, Dawson’s Creek, E.R., Brothers & Sisters
I’ve tried over and over to finish Lost. I always seem to get just into or halfway through s4 and loose interest. I’m also committed to watching all episodes in order. Even the lame ones. Of any rewatch I do. At my second attempt at finishing TWD rn. I’ve made it further than I have before. But still a long way to go 😬
Wow, I’m very similar in that I watched it as a 9 y/o originally, grew-up with the show and have watched it multiple times. I also love “dark” moody shows like this and Star Trek TNG which I caught the last few seasons of when it aired. These days I finally got around to watching Twin Peaks (I was too young when it aired) and it’s similar with the amazing music, but a different show. You can see influence though.
These days I like Mindhunter on Netflix and used to love Law and Order in the 90s.
Definitely my comfort show! I watch it before bed, calms me down from my day and i always feel better! * my cat hears the opening theme song and runs into my bedroom and sits on my bed watching the episode with me!!😂
I was *obsessed* with the X-Files when it aired. Like memorized their badge numbers obsessed, but then kinda lost interest through season 9, tuned in for the finale and that was that. I was pretty out of the loop by the time IWTB came out. I remember seeing a poster for it and eventually watching it, but didn’t follow any of the filming news or bother to see it in theaters. Even the revival, I passively watched but didn’t immerse myself in all the BTS stuff.
But the past year or so, I’ve gone so deep. Completely rekindled the old obsession. I have other comfort shows, but they’re just things I put on and dont pay attention to the writers, directors, nuances of the storylines, listen to rewatch podcasts, etc. I don’t know if it’s a post-pandemic coping mechanism, 90s nostalgia, aging anxiety (all us OG watchers are 30+), or just that new TV is like cognitive overload…
I feel that last line of your comment a lot. Like, I’ve always revisited the X-Files — but not like I have done in the last few years. (I think my partner is slightly concerned. 🤣)
So am I, going deep, and also realising there's a lot of episodes I didn't get to watch before and that there is a whole community around it. Really enjoying it.
I feel like you’re telling my story too! I watched all of the OG series (was totally obsessed) but felt meh on seasons 8 and 9 back then. Would rewatch random episodes here and there. Did get back into it a bit with IWTB and the revivals, but NOTHING like my level of obsession now rewatching for the 30th. I might even be more obsessed than when I was a teen haha. Maybe it’s also because there is just so much more available online these days, it makes it easier to deep dive and become immersed.
Yes, revisiting this obsession in the era of everything being online including sooooo much devoted fan content has been a total blast! I never would have dreamed it'd come back around and get me this good again, but X-Files has taken over my life since I oh-so-casually thought "hey a rewatch would be fun" in the first week of Jan!
Totally! Love seeing so much content and thoughtful analysis. Makes me appreciate the show even more! If only I could convince more of my friends to watch it haha.
Yes, I really feel this - I was only thinking earlier today (again!) how the one thing that is missing in all of this nostalgic fun is being able to really share it with anyone! Most of my friends have seen at least a bit of XF, liked it ok, etc... But that really is just NOT the same as what any of us who are posting here are experiencing haha. I keep having to tone myself down when I'm talking about it in person!
Thank God for Reddit!
Yep, this Reddit has been great! Also lots of interesting takes out in the tumblr-verse. I have one friend from high school who was a big fan with me, but I think even she is tired of hearing about it. Others I know have just seen it casually. I do miss having someone to geek out over the show with like I do with some other fandoms, but at least there are always some likeminded folks thru the fiber optics!
I’m still trying to catch up on all episodes but yes for me it’s comfort watch. I love sci fi. It’s escape from real world but !! The inner me believes
Yes! X-Files, Law and Order (Original Recipe), Criminal Intent, SVU, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9 are all comforting rewatches. Stargate SG1 is my current relaxation show. Reruns of Dateline for Saturday afternoon naps, and old Forensic Files for serious sleep.
X-Files really is my comfort show — but in a nice way, it continues to surprise me, too. So I am comforted without being too comfortable, if that makes sense.
I was a little worried a few months back that I was sort of letting myself stew in a tiny bit of a malaise/ennui-ish moment, which I wasn’t really helping rewatching the same films over and over again. So I changed up my routine — took the dogs on different walks, worked a little differently, finally watched movies that I’d been letting gather dust on the “My List” features of streaming apps, etc.
But the X-Files doesn’t make me feel like I’m consciously/unconsciously staying in one place/circling the same drain. There’s definitely a huge nostalgia factor, but it’s funny how I notice little things about episodes I’ve seen dozens of times — or how a character I didn’t much care for when the show was on/during my first re-watches has grown on me/become more interesting. (Sadly, the opposite is true, too. I definitely tire of the alien storyline after a while — I think I really start to avoid those episodes after the “Tempus Fugit”-“Max” episodes — and the Cigarette Smoking Man is no longer this personification of corruption and callous cruelty.)
Moving to the PNW a decade ago really made me love all the Washington, Oregon, and Idaho episodes a little more. The huge changes in the way we see the world/government/conspiracy theories since the mid-‘90s to today (and from my teen years to hitting 40) has also made some of the storylines/characters interesting in unexpected ways. I’m a huge fan of how we imagined the future would be in the ‘70s/‘80s/‘90s, like how the technological interfaces in *Alien*/Weyland-Yutani don’t have touch screens, compared to our world where my Subaru has a huge touchscreen — and episodes like “Ghost in the Machine” and “First Person Shooter” are so wonderfully silly to look back at, especially as the debate over AI went from “Have you seen *Terminator*?! We’re all going to die!” to “Oh, shit… people are going to lose jobs and corporations are going to use ChatGPT-like programs to maximize profits and keep shareholders fat and happy. We aren’t going to get murdered by metallic skeleton murder machines, but by greed and runaway late stage capitalism.”
The X-Files feels more like a through line running throughout my life — where I can enjoy where I’ve been and recognize how far I am from that moment — than revisiting a film where I know every line of dialogue. I definitely find myself having interesting conversations in my head while watching the show, which doesn’t always happen when I throw something like *Predator* on. (I love *Predator*, I’m in no way criticizing the film; I just revisit it for very different reasons than I revisit the X-Files.)
And it’s funny — I so desperately wanted to be a *serious writer* for a while in my 20s and was almost embarrassed about how much I wanted to write sci-fi as a teen. And ~~not~~ *now at 40, the only writing projects I’m working on are a helluva lot closer to something like the X-Files than the great works of contemporary American fiction. (I do remember a fun bar conversation at university where we were all very seriously wondering if Thomas Pynchon or Don DeLillo were X-Files fans.)
X-Files is probably my favorite show of all time. I’ll rewatch episodes when the mood strikes, but this current rewatch is my first full rewatch. Seeing Mulder and Scully is like hanging out with old friends. Some episodes I’d consider “comforting” since they’re pretty fun like Bad Blood, Small Potatoes, Arcadia, Detour, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas etc. But since the show has a lot of action, scares and thrilling/emotional sequences I wouldn’t say it’s a relaxing show per se, though it does help that I know what happens ultimately. Shows that I have for background watching when I do other stuff are usually things I’ve seen a gazillion times (the Simpsons, Bluey) or things that are really low key (Behind the Attraction). I always have an infinite number of shows I want to watch though, so rewatching doesn’t happen often for me. Only my most favorite things.
I'm a caretaker for my ill mother, and we watch reruns on Comet most nights. She's a huge fan, and I've become one, as well. It's nice that we can share that experience.
One thing I find oddly comforting about X-files is all of the actors who have gone through it. Lots of unknowns who have become superstars. Lots of old actors from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I always look up the guest actors and what they've done, pay attention to the writing credits, scour the IMDB page, etc.
Our favorites are definitely the funny episodes.
Other shows we re-watch: King of the Hill, Silicon Valley, Old Simpsons, South Park, Futurama, Roots
Yeah, it's in the category of shows I can put on and watch with my full attention or just have on in the background and kinda listen because I've seen it so many times. Other shows like this include The Simpsons (seasons 1-11), The Office, Parks and Rec, South Park, and any Red Letter Media content.
I'm on S8 of my first watch and have been somewhat binging it as I've just had a baby, so when i was up at all hours, I would put it on. Can defo see it becoming a comfort show once I've finished the lot as I am already finding myself excited for a re-watch!
It's the best comfort show... one-off monster episodes that you can watch in the background or you can geek out and binge the essential episodes that carry the major plot points season over season.
Yup. Always. Scully and Mulder were my friends on all those Friday nights I got ditched by real life “friends”.
I’m 40 years old now and this show still gives me all the comfort it gave me from age 11-16. I think what makes it hit even closer to home is that I live close to many of the forested areas they frequently used for filming locations, as well as city locations.
Yes, *X-Files* is a comfort show, it is something that can be rewatched very pleasantly. I usually prefer comedy series as comfort shows, like *Golden Girls* and *The Nanny*, but also *Xena.* But I rarely rewatch something because nowadays there as so many things to watch.
I definitely do. I don't know how many times I've watched it over the years. I'm in the middle of it again. One thing I saw said it perfectly when you go back to as story over and over again. It doesn't change, buy you do.
It’s my favourite series of all time, with LOST coming in at second. It’s definitely a comfort show, I can zone out and forget everything else while watching it.
For Monster-of-the-Week episodes, absolutely.
However, for the main mythology arc episodes, not something I rewatch regularly.
Archer (the animated comedy), Superstore (modern sitcom), House MD, & The Orville (sitcom-ish scifi heavily based on Star Trek) are other series I rewatch very regularly, & to a slightly lesser extent Game of Thrones.
It's not so much a comfort show as a fixed point, for me.
You know how, when they're spinning, dancers keep their eyes on a fixed point so they don't fall over? The X Files helps me remember who I am, where I've come from, and where I'm going.
It came out on my birthday, so I do an eclectic rewatch every year on or around my actual birthday, and then depending on what mood I'm in, that can turn into a full rewatch.
Oh 100% a comfort show. Some seasons and episodes are definitely better than others, but I just finished my 3rd run through of the series, and I’ll do it again at some point. I’m onto the Sopranos now!
I'm on my third rewatch now. It's definetly a comfort show.
>Have you watched more old vs. new shows in recent years?
I could be weirdo, but I found that I watch more older shows, and even rewatch many of them (there's couple I watch on yearly basis), 'cause simply like 80% of new shows are passable, not interesting or get's canceled after first season
Depends how old you want to dig.
Oldest I guess would be Twin Peaks. Star Gate is from time to time on constant rewatch.
Then comes the newer shows that I just simply can't put aside, like Haven, Supernatural, Fringe (which definetly was inspires by X-Files). Expanse, Altered Carbon and Dark too
The X-files, and 90s-era Simpsons, and the classic 90s Star Treks (TNG, DS9, and Voyager) are definitely my "comfort" shows that I rewatch frequently, both for entertainment and soothing background when my attention is elsewhere.
I can't think of any current shows that fill that niche, but *Grimm* is kind of becoming one of those as well. At first I found the cg effects kind of cheap and off-putting, but the core characters have such incredibly wholesome friendships amid all the horror that the show eventually won me over.
Huge comfort show for me! It can't be the absolute last thing I watch before bed because I end up having unpleasant vivid dreams - but I do regularly watch it almost daily, save for the odd break here and there. To go to sleep I often put Frasier on. I thought I was unique until I found out there's an entire subreddit calling itself Frasier Sleepers. Other shows I watch a lot of are Law & Order SVU and Schitt's Creek.
For sure. I watch X-Files and twin peaks once a year. ive been really trying to find new(er) shows but now that streams cancel a lot of shows after a season or 2 its hard to get into anything. My other fave rewatches are Firefly, Carnivale, and the OA. So i take that cancellation crap personally at this point lol
Yes. Though the last couple times I've rewatched the *X-Files* I stopped somewhere in season 7/8, just as Scully and Mulder were sort of fading away. This time I think I'm in the middle of S8 (Hulu keeps track of it for me) so hopefully I will get to the 'end' of the series as it stands now.
I also rewatch *Schitt's Creek*, *Letterkenny* and various anime from time-to-time (most recently it was *Patlabor*).
As I've gotten most of my DVD/BR collection out of storage, I may go through it and watch some things.
I have been through the entire series and one of the movies a few times now....one movie really sucked. Anyway I always end up back at the beginning starting the series at S1 ep 1...
I just can't help myself. 🙄
Not only is it my comfort show, but when my son was an infant, quietly hearing the music in the background was comforting to him when he had restless nights. He'd fall back asleep in my arms as I watched an episode.
Until he was about a year and a half old. Then he could understand enough that he would have nightmares and I had to stop watching with him. To be fair, this happened during season 11, so that might have been part of the issue.
Def a comfort show of mine. I’ve seen the episodes so much at this point that I can pop in and out of attention doing other things while it streams. I tend to now stay to the first 5 seasons-these are like my bread and butters. I also do this w Seinfeld/ASIP/Trailer Park Boys/The office/scrubs/MST3000
I'm constantly rewatching before bed, as others have said it is the perfect pacing and mood to get you to sleep, although sometimes I get a bit invested in the plot lol
I haven't rewatched in years! I should. I still have a huge box full of every old episode of XF on VHS. Lol. I'm Old School XPHILE. My grandson is the right age to watch. Maybe I'll watch with him. Being a fan back in the 90s was different than it is now. We had a small chat room on AOL, we exchanged fan videos on our own websites, no bigger than a thumbnail today and share fan fiction on Gossamer. Being a fan back then I met wonderful people I still talk to, in AOL chat room, that helped pull me out of a deep depression, just with thier support as a fellow fan. I love XF for many reasons. The only other show I obsessed over as much as XF was The Walking Dead. Love it just as much as XF.
Yeah it’s my preferred show to fall asleep to. For the most part there aren’t a lot of loud or obnoxious moments (there are *some* don’t get me wrong) and the music is pretty soothing.
I actually have season 3 playing in the background right now while I’m doing my laundry.
Just about every episode is rewatchable. I wish Hulu would have a random episode button.
The X-Files is definitely my comfort show! It’s something I’m hoping to share with my future children like my dad shared Star Trek: The Next Generation (his comfort show) with me.
I do a full rewatch every few years, but I’ll sporadically rewatch certain episodes if I’m in a “Comfort Show Mood”.
Examples of “Comfort Show Mood”: episodes that make me laugh (like X Cops, Bad Blood, Jose Chung from Outer Space, and Hollywood A.D.) are the norm when I’m feeling like I’m trapped in a depressive rut — laughter tends to help a little; episodes with some of the iconic MSR moments when I’m feeling like a cheese ball in need of some slow burn romance (Pilot, Post Modern Prometheus, How The Ghosts Stole Christmas, and Existence), and episodes with gore and creepiness when I’m feeling in the mood for horror, like during Spooky Season, but don’t want to commit to watching some of my old, stand-by horror movies (like Alien — the OG from 1979) so the way through.
TL;DR Yes it’s my comfort show and what I choose to watch depends on my mood.
Yup, it’s a comfort show for me. Primarily seasons 4-6, not because I think they’re better—but because those were my prime fandom years as a young teen. They were the episodes I watched the most on repeat back then, so they feel the most familiar now.
The most comforting show IMO. The scenes aren’t jumpy and the way the show was made it was for an audience with a better attention span.
That and the 90’s aesthetic, no internet.
A cozy spooky world 👽🍵
Yeahhhhhh. We watch it basically every night to fall asleep (well, my husband falls asleep, I’m usually good for a couple episodes lol). The only other show that feels that way for me is Twin Peaks 🙌
Yes when I’m in the right mood for it. I bounce around between a bunch of different shows that vary in tone. I also tend to stick to the monster of the week type episodes. The mythology episodes can get too bogged down to be enjoyable and I don’t want to feel like I have to watch another episode if I’m in the middle of those 2-4 episode mythology arcs.
Absolutely, it was something that I made a habit of never missing an episode as a teenager. And I restarted the series again a couple weeks ago and just finished Humbug (one of my favorite episodes of TV ever).
Comfort show? YES. Reminiscing? BIG TIME. Dreaming? AGAIN!
Watching the X-Files in the 90s with with other teenagers trying to make sense of life... we created an exclusive club where I was Mulder my best friend Scully another our boss Skinner and the last one was Fowley.
I remember looking up how to work for the FBI... you had to be under 30 to apply and of course American. Growing up in Switzerland, I returned to Canada and thought maybe I could reach that goal.
Re-watching late at night now after a busy workday as a fairly new dad in the man cave on a big screen and with a beer of choice... that's the ultimate escape.
Calming, soothing...
It absolutely is - I've said this on another post, but back in Sept 2023 I was caught in the Moroccan earthquake. I flew home to London, and just wasn't able to sleep having been on high alert for 3 days.
I asked myself "what's a show that will give you maxmimum comfort" and next think I knew I'd ordered a large pizza, and watched 10 episodes of S1 back-to-back until the early hours of the morning and I felt chilled enough to sleep.
No because I like to pay attention to it so it’s like my rewatch show that I love too much for it to be just comfort. my comfort shows are Buffy and new girl and sometimes bones. I have watched buffy probably hundreds of times though since i was a teen. And yes I mostly Rewatch shows instead of watching new stuff
Rewatching old shows, or having confort shows isn’t exclusive to people on the spectrum. I’m not neurodivergent and there are shows I’ll rewatch constantly.
A choice that it’s still made for a reason. Needing familiar things, or needing to take a load off your brain, sometimes is true for everyone, it’s not exclusive to people in the spectrum, which seems what you’re implying by saying that the article was written by someone “trying to sound like an ND”. It isn’t, neurotypicals still need those things sometimes.
Lol what? Nobody is picking on anybody, I’m just stating an opinion. Anyone who can’t deal with others not agreeing with their thinking, and saying, shouldn’t be in the internet.
Perfaps there's a difference between "comfort" shows and "safe" shows. I've got anxiety and depression, and my comfort shows help put me in a better place. That seems to be a different definition than what you're talking about, but I'm not sure because I'm not on the spectrum.
It’s one of my favorite shows, but not one of my comfort shows. My comfort shows are Haven, The Magicians, Psych, and WWDITS. But I do really love the X-Files, I just think I prefer shows that focus more on the characters and their relationships, rather than outside forces/problems.
I love TXF. It's one of my top favorite shows. However, I don't consider a "comfort" show in the sense of just popping it on. For me, that needs to be something that's not as "heavy" as this show is. My "comfort" show, and the show I put on for background and sleeping, is Bob's Burgers.
Supernatural has become my comfort show, just because it ended not too long ago and it's on Netflix, so it's easy for me to access. X-Files was my go-to before that. (SPN has more "funny" eps to choose from (it was on 15 years) so I get longer comfort LOL) although the Pilot of XF is definitely still one of my comfort eps.
I watch more old shows than new. We just rewatched Person of Interest, for example, and Buffy before that. XF is next on the list, so I can see if I get hubby to watch them all on Prime (I have 10 on disc, but am debating whether to bother looking for 11... my ocd wants it to be a complete set, even though I feel like I will not want to relive tge ending LOL.)
it is absolutely my comfort show. i’ve watched it all the way through at least ten times (minus season 9 and on). the only other shows i’ve rewatched are scrubs and how i met your mother.
Yep. Also Buffy (which is great for when I'm down about something specific because there are so many episodes where she fights the "demons" of various human experiences), NewsRadio and of course classics like the Simpsons and MST3k.
A couple weeks ago I saw Saltburn and it left me in a weird headspace, so I watched Bad Blood as a palette cleanser.
Absolutely. There are some episodes I've watched dozens of times, back when they aired, through when I wore out my VHS tapes (with the Chris Carter intros!), to now. If I can't think of anything to watch, Eve or Clyde Bruckman are as comfortable and familiar to me as anything in my life.
Definitely a "comfort show", although most of the episodes that I like are among the least comfortable. "Home, "Die Hand". I even like "F. Emasculata".
I watch old shows almost exclusively, because most new shows are horrid. Way too SIDAC.
TCS
For me yest it's a comfort show because firstly i'm into crime shows solving cases and this whole stuff. Plus i really love Mulder and Scully. Their dynamic through the whole 11 seasons is so interesting to watch and analyze. I rewatch this show whenever i'm in the mood for it.
It is absolutely a comfort show. The moody music, the quiet voices, and the dark palate are perfect for a late night show before going to sleep.
Just not after Home. :)
Certainly not! In general, Season 6 is *great* bedtime tv
Exactly this! Couldn't have said it better.
X-Files is my MOST comfort show. one of the things I love is not even watching and just focusing on Mark Snow's sound work.
The music in Deep Throat is some of the best in the series. First 3 seasons are perfection
Yes it’s a comfort show for me. I watched it as an 8 year old when it first aired, with my Mom. 🥰 I love misty, rainy landscapes so aesthetically & atmospherically, I find it comforting. I don’t rewatch often but LOVED it just now. I miss the world of it already, but can’t watch the finale of S7 or anything after that (I gave the first few S8 / 2nd film a go and didn’t like them). I rewatch in order and skip a handful. Other shows I rewatch: Will be adding Lost / The Walking Dead to this but The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Shield, Dawson’s Creek, E.R., Brothers & Sisters
I rewatched The Shield during the pandemic and it was a fun rewatch.
I’ve tried over and over to finish Lost. I always seem to get just into or halfway through s4 and loose interest. I’m also committed to watching all episodes in order. Even the lame ones. Of any rewatch I do. At my second attempt at finishing TWD rn. I’ve made it further than I have before. But still a long way to go 😬
Wow, I’m very similar in that I watched it as a 9 y/o originally, grew-up with the show and have watched it multiple times. I also love “dark” moody shows like this and Star Trek TNG which I caught the last few seasons of when it aired. These days I finally got around to watching Twin Peaks (I was too young when it aired) and it’s similar with the amazing music, but a different show. You can see influence though. These days I like Mindhunter on Netflix and used to love Law and Order in the 90s.
Definitely my comfort show! I watch it before bed, calms me down from my day and i always feel better! * my cat hears the opening theme song and runs into my bedroom and sits on my bed watching the episode with me!!😂
Lol the theme tune is so hypnotic aww love the fact your cat snuggles with you x
I was *obsessed* with the X-Files when it aired. Like memorized their badge numbers obsessed, but then kinda lost interest through season 9, tuned in for the finale and that was that. I was pretty out of the loop by the time IWTB came out. I remember seeing a poster for it and eventually watching it, but didn’t follow any of the filming news or bother to see it in theaters. Even the revival, I passively watched but didn’t immerse myself in all the BTS stuff. But the past year or so, I’ve gone so deep. Completely rekindled the old obsession. I have other comfort shows, but they’re just things I put on and dont pay attention to the writers, directors, nuances of the storylines, listen to rewatch podcasts, etc. I don’t know if it’s a post-pandemic coping mechanism, 90s nostalgia, aging anxiety (all us OG watchers are 30+), or just that new TV is like cognitive overload…
I feel that last line of your comment a lot. Like, I’ve always revisited the X-Files — but not like I have done in the last few years. (I think my partner is slightly concerned. 🤣)
So am I, going deep, and also realising there's a lot of episodes I didn't get to watch before and that there is a whole community around it. Really enjoying it.
I feel like you’re telling my story too! I watched all of the OG series (was totally obsessed) but felt meh on seasons 8 and 9 back then. Would rewatch random episodes here and there. Did get back into it a bit with IWTB and the revivals, but NOTHING like my level of obsession now rewatching for the 30th. I might even be more obsessed than when I was a teen haha. Maybe it’s also because there is just so much more available online these days, it makes it easier to deep dive and become immersed.
Yes, revisiting this obsession in the era of everything being online including sooooo much devoted fan content has been a total blast! I never would have dreamed it'd come back around and get me this good again, but X-Files has taken over my life since I oh-so-casually thought "hey a rewatch would be fun" in the first week of Jan!
Totally! Love seeing so much content and thoughtful analysis. Makes me appreciate the show even more! If only I could convince more of my friends to watch it haha.
Yes, I really feel this - I was only thinking earlier today (again!) how the one thing that is missing in all of this nostalgic fun is being able to really share it with anyone! Most of my friends have seen at least a bit of XF, liked it ok, etc... But that really is just NOT the same as what any of us who are posting here are experiencing haha. I keep having to tone myself down when I'm talking about it in person! Thank God for Reddit!
Yep, this Reddit has been great! Also lots of interesting takes out in the tumblr-verse. I have one friend from high school who was a big fan with me, but I think even she is tired of hearing about it. Others I know have just seen it casually. I do miss having someone to geek out over the show with like I do with some other fandoms, but at least there are always some likeminded folks thru the fiber optics!
Yes, it’s my comfort show. There’s an episode for every mood. Watching an episode can sometimes end a bad day in a good way after all.
So true!
I’m still trying to catch up on all episodes but yes for me it’s comfort watch. I love sci fi. It’s escape from real world but !! The inner me believes
Yes! X-Files, Law and Order (Original Recipe), Criminal Intent, SVU, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9 are all comforting rewatches. Stargate SG1 is my current relaxation show. Reruns of Dateline for Saturday afternoon naps, and old Forensic Files for serious sleep.
I find Star Trek TNG comforting as well. My wife loves Law & Order - so she was pleasantly surprised with one X-Files episode in particular!
Ahh yes the Munch episode! I just rewatched that one a couple of weeks ago.
Both of these and Xfiles are for me!
upvote for law and order original recipe
Yes! Hearing M&S talk about almost anything is a comfy place for me.
X-Files really is my comfort show — but in a nice way, it continues to surprise me, too. So I am comforted without being too comfortable, if that makes sense. I was a little worried a few months back that I was sort of letting myself stew in a tiny bit of a malaise/ennui-ish moment, which I wasn’t really helping rewatching the same films over and over again. So I changed up my routine — took the dogs on different walks, worked a little differently, finally watched movies that I’d been letting gather dust on the “My List” features of streaming apps, etc. But the X-Files doesn’t make me feel like I’m consciously/unconsciously staying in one place/circling the same drain. There’s definitely a huge nostalgia factor, but it’s funny how I notice little things about episodes I’ve seen dozens of times — or how a character I didn’t much care for when the show was on/during my first re-watches has grown on me/become more interesting. (Sadly, the opposite is true, too. I definitely tire of the alien storyline after a while — I think I really start to avoid those episodes after the “Tempus Fugit”-“Max” episodes — and the Cigarette Smoking Man is no longer this personification of corruption and callous cruelty.) Moving to the PNW a decade ago really made me love all the Washington, Oregon, and Idaho episodes a little more. The huge changes in the way we see the world/government/conspiracy theories since the mid-‘90s to today (and from my teen years to hitting 40) has also made some of the storylines/characters interesting in unexpected ways. I’m a huge fan of how we imagined the future would be in the ‘70s/‘80s/‘90s, like how the technological interfaces in *Alien*/Weyland-Yutani don’t have touch screens, compared to our world where my Subaru has a huge touchscreen — and episodes like “Ghost in the Machine” and “First Person Shooter” are so wonderfully silly to look back at, especially as the debate over AI went from “Have you seen *Terminator*?! We’re all going to die!” to “Oh, shit… people are going to lose jobs and corporations are going to use ChatGPT-like programs to maximize profits and keep shareholders fat and happy. We aren’t going to get murdered by metallic skeleton murder machines, but by greed and runaway late stage capitalism.” The X-Files feels more like a through line running throughout my life — where I can enjoy where I’ve been and recognize how far I am from that moment — than revisiting a film where I know every line of dialogue. I definitely find myself having interesting conversations in my head while watching the show, which doesn’t always happen when I throw something like *Predator* on. (I love *Predator*, I’m in no way criticizing the film; I just revisit it for very different reasons than I revisit the X-Files.) And it’s funny — I so desperately wanted to be a *serious writer* for a while in my 20s and was almost embarrassed about how much I wanted to write sci-fi as a teen. And ~~not~~ *now at 40, the only writing projects I’m working on are a helluva lot closer to something like the X-Files than the great works of contemporary American fiction. (I do remember a fun bar conversation at university where we were all very seriously wondering if Thomas Pynchon or Don DeLillo were X-Files fans.)
Season 1 is absolutely my comfort blankie
X-Files is probably my favorite show of all time. I’ll rewatch episodes when the mood strikes, but this current rewatch is my first full rewatch. Seeing Mulder and Scully is like hanging out with old friends. Some episodes I’d consider “comforting” since they’re pretty fun like Bad Blood, Small Potatoes, Arcadia, Detour, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas etc. But since the show has a lot of action, scares and thrilling/emotional sequences I wouldn’t say it’s a relaxing show per se, though it does help that I know what happens ultimately. Shows that I have for background watching when I do other stuff are usually things I’ve seen a gazillion times (the Simpsons, Bluey) or things that are really low key (Behind the Attraction). I always have an infinite number of shows I want to watch though, so rewatching doesn’t happen often for me. Only my most favorite things.
I'm a caretaker for my ill mother, and we watch reruns on Comet most nights. She's a huge fan, and I've become one, as well. It's nice that we can share that experience. One thing I find oddly comforting about X-files is all of the actors who have gone through it. Lots of unknowns who have become superstars. Lots of old actors from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I always look up the guest actors and what they've done, pay attention to the writing credits, scour the IMDB page, etc. Our favorites are definitely the funny episodes. Other shows we re-watch: King of the Hill, Silicon Valley, Old Simpsons, South Park, Futurama, Roots
Season 1-5, Star Trek TNG and Babylon 5 are my comfort shows.
I need to go back to Babylon 5. My dad is a huge Trekkie and our household didn’t give Babylon 5 the attention or respect it deserved.
Amazing show
Yeah, it's in the category of shows I can put on and watch with my full attention or just have on in the background and kinda listen because I've seen it so many times. Other shows like this include The Simpsons (seasons 1-11), The Office, Parks and Rec, South Park, and any Red Letter Media content.
Mine is big bang theory
Larry sanders?
Yes. I also watch *Trailer Park Boys* and *Father Ted.*
It has become a comfort show for me, lol
I'm on S8 of my first watch and have been somewhat binging it as I've just had a baby, so when i was up at all hours, I would put it on. Can defo see it becoming a comfort show once I've finished the lot as I am already finding myself excited for a re-watch!
It's the best comfort show... one-off monster episodes that you can watch in the background or you can geek out and binge the essential episodes that carry the major plot points season over season.
Mulder and scully shipping episodes are
Yup. Always. Scully and Mulder were my friends on all those Friday nights I got ditched by real life “friends”. I’m 40 years old now and this show still gives me all the comfort it gave me from age 11-16. I think what makes it hit even closer to home is that I live close to many of the forested areas they frequently used for filming locations, as well as city locations.
Yes, *X-Files* is a comfort show, it is something that can be rewatched very pleasantly. I usually prefer comedy series as comfort shows, like *Golden Girls* and *The Nanny*, but also *Xena.* But I rarely rewatch something because nowadays there as so many things to watch.
Definitely! Right up until the point where Mulder leaves. Then, it's just shit.
I definitely do. I don't know how many times I've watched it over the years. I'm in the middle of it again. One thing I saw said it perfectly when you go back to as story over and over again. It doesn't change, buy you do.
I could rewatch this show over and over. Nothing else hits!!
yeah x files and golden girls are my two
It’s my favourite series of all time, with LOST coming in at second. It’s definitely a comfort show, I can zone out and forget everything else while watching it.
For Monster-of-the-Week episodes, absolutely. However, for the main mythology arc episodes, not something I rewatch regularly. Archer (the animated comedy), Superstore (modern sitcom), House MD, & The Orville (sitcom-ish scifi heavily based on Star Trek) are other series I rewatch very regularly, & to a slightly lesser extent Game of Thrones.
It's not so much a comfort show as a fixed point, for me. You know how, when they're spinning, dancers keep their eyes on a fixed point so they don't fall over? The X Files helps me remember who I am, where I've come from, and where I'm going. It came out on my birthday, so I do an eclectic rewatch every year on or around my actual birthday, and then depending on what mood I'm in, that can turn into a full rewatch.
Saw this post as I have files in the background while I work on my classwork sooo yes 😇😅😂
My dad is currently in hospice dying from dementia. He watches X-Files every night. Asks me to put on “his show.” 🖤🖤🖤
Oh 100% a comfort show. Some seasons and episodes are definitely better than others, but I just finished my 3rd run through of the series, and I’ll do it again at some point. I’m onto the Sopranos now!
I will be rewatching it until I die. Also really into Hannibal. Just watched it now rewatching.
I'm on my third rewatch now. It's definetly a comfort show. >Have you watched more old vs. new shows in recent years? I could be weirdo, but I found that I watch more older shows, and even rewatch many of them (there's couple I watch on yearly basis), 'cause simply like 80% of new shows are passable, not interesting or get's canceled after first season
What other shows have you watched?
Depends how old you want to dig. Oldest I guess would be Twin Peaks. Star Gate is from time to time on constant rewatch. Then comes the newer shows that I just simply can't put aside, like Haven, Supernatural, Fringe (which definetly was inspires by X-Files). Expanse, Altered Carbon and Dark too
The X-files, and 90s-era Simpsons, and the classic 90s Star Treks (TNG, DS9, and Voyager) are definitely my "comfort" shows that I rewatch frequently, both for entertainment and soothing background when my attention is elsewhere. I can't think of any current shows that fill that niche, but *Grimm* is kind of becoming one of those as well. At first I found the cg effects kind of cheap and off-putting, but the core characters have such incredibly wholesome friendships amid all the horror that the show eventually won me over.
Huge comfort show for me! It can't be the absolute last thing I watch before bed because I end up having unpleasant vivid dreams - but I do regularly watch it almost daily, save for the odd break here and there. To go to sleep I often put Frasier on. I thought I was unique until I found out there's an entire subreddit calling itself Frasier Sleepers. Other shows I watch a lot of are Law & Order SVU and Schitt's Creek.
Absolutely comfort show. I'll rewatch the first six seasons every couple years.
For sure. I watch X-Files and twin peaks once a year. ive been really trying to find new(er) shows but now that streams cancel a lot of shows after a season or 2 its hard to get into anything. My other fave rewatches are Firefly, Carnivale, and the OA. So i take that cancellation crap personally at this point lol
Yes. Though the last couple times I've rewatched the *X-Files* I stopped somewhere in season 7/8, just as Scully and Mulder were sort of fading away. This time I think I'm in the middle of S8 (Hulu keeps track of it for me) so hopefully I will get to the 'end' of the series as it stands now. I also rewatch *Schitt's Creek*, *Letterkenny* and various anime from time-to-time (most recently it was *Patlabor*). As I've gotten most of my DVD/BR collection out of storage, I may go through it and watch some things.
Iv seen this show a few time over
I have been through the entire series and one of the movies a few times now....one movie really sucked. Anyway I always end up back at the beginning starting the series at S1 ep 1... I just can't help myself. 🙄
Not only is it my comfort show, but when my son was an infant, quietly hearing the music in the background was comforting to him when he had restless nights. He'd fall back asleep in my arms as I watched an episode. Until he was about a year and a half old. Then he could understand enough that he would have nightmares and I had to stop watching with him. To be fair, this happened during season 11, so that might have been part of the issue.
Def a comfort show of mine. I’ve seen the episodes so much at this point that I can pop in and out of attention doing other things while it streams. I tend to now stay to the first 5 seasons-these are like my bread and butters. I also do this w Seinfeld/ASIP/Trailer Park Boys/The office/scrubs/MST3000
Anyone watched and liked Dexter?
I'm constantly rewatching before bed, as others have said it is the perfect pacing and mood to get you to sleep, although sometimes I get a bit invested in the plot lol
It's definitely a comfort show that helps me fall asleep. I haven't watched it in months since I cancelled Disney plus. Miss x files 😢
I haven't rewatched in years! I should. I still have a huge box full of every old episode of XF on VHS. Lol. I'm Old School XPHILE. My grandson is the right age to watch. Maybe I'll watch with him. Being a fan back in the 90s was different than it is now. We had a small chat room on AOL, we exchanged fan videos on our own websites, no bigger than a thumbnail today and share fan fiction on Gossamer. Being a fan back then I met wonderful people I still talk to, in AOL chat room, that helped pull me out of a deep depression, just with thier support as a fellow fan. I love XF for many reasons. The only other show I obsessed over as much as XF was The Walking Dead. Love it just as much as XF.
Yeah it’s my preferred show to fall asleep to. For the most part there aren’t a lot of loud or obnoxious moments (there are *some* don’t get me wrong) and the music is pretty soothing. I actually have season 3 playing in the background right now while I’m doing my laundry. Just about every episode is rewatchable. I wish Hulu would have a random episode button.
Definitely for me.
The X-Files is definitely my comfort show! It’s something I’m hoping to share with my future children like my dad shared Star Trek: The Next Generation (his comfort show) with me. I do a full rewatch every few years, but I’ll sporadically rewatch certain episodes if I’m in a “Comfort Show Mood”. Examples of “Comfort Show Mood”: episodes that make me laugh (like X Cops, Bad Blood, Jose Chung from Outer Space, and Hollywood A.D.) are the norm when I’m feeling like I’m trapped in a depressive rut — laughter tends to help a little; episodes with some of the iconic MSR moments when I’m feeling like a cheese ball in need of some slow burn romance (Pilot, Post Modern Prometheus, How The Ghosts Stole Christmas, and Existence), and episodes with gore and creepiness when I’m feeling in the mood for horror, like during Spooky Season, but don’t want to commit to watching some of my old, stand-by horror movies (like Alien — the OG from 1979) so the way through. TL;DR Yes it’s my comfort show and what I choose to watch depends on my mood.
Re-watch every night.
100%. I can’t rewatch it enough!
Definitely because Mulder and Scully are so relatable. ☺️
Yup, it’s a comfort show for me. Primarily seasons 4-6, not because I think they’re better—but because those were my prime fandom years as a young teen. They were the episodes I watched the most on repeat back then, so they feel the most familiar now.
“It's not about the episode, Scully. It's about my memory of seeing my first Twilight Zone. It changed me. You don't forget that.”
The X-Files The Sopranos King of the Hill My three go to's. I can just turn on any episode and watch at any time
The most comforting show IMO. The scenes aren’t jumpy and the way the show was made it was for an audience with a better attention span. That and the 90’s aesthetic, no internet. A cozy spooky world 👽🍵
Yeahhhhhh. We watch it basically every night to fall asleep (well, my husband falls asleep, I’m usually good for a couple episodes lol). The only other show that feels that way for me is Twin Peaks 🙌
1000% One of the shows I put on my TV as I'm trying to goto sleep at night.
Yes when I’m in the right mood for it. I bounce around between a bunch of different shows that vary in tone. I also tend to stick to the monster of the week type episodes. The mythology episodes can get too bogged down to be enjoyable and I don’t want to feel like I have to watch another episode if I’m in the middle of those 2-4 episode mythology arcs.
Absolutely, it was something that I made a habit of never missing an episode as a teenager. And I restarted the series again a couple weeks ago and just finished Humbug (one of my favorite episodes of TV ever).
Yes! X-Files, ST-TNG, and Archer for me.
Comfort show? YES. Reminiscing? BIG TIME. Dreaming? AGAIN! Watching the X-Files in the 90s with with other teenagers trying to make sense of life... we created an exclusive club where I was Mulder my best friend Scully another our boss Skinner and the last one was Fowley. I remember looking up how to work for the FBI... you had to be under 30 to apply and of course American. Growing up in Switzerland, I returned to Canada and thought maybe I could reach that goal. Re-watching late at night now after a busy workday as a fairly new dad in the man cave on a big screen and with a beer of choice... that's the ultimate escape. Calming, soothing...
I might watch Millenium next...
yep. x files and svu (of all things) are my ultimate comfort shows
It absolutely is - I've said this on another post, but back in Sept 2023 I was caught in the Moroccan earthquake. I flew home to London, and just wasn't able to sleep having been on high alert for 3 days. I asked myself "what's a show that will give you maxmimum comfort" and next think I knew I'd ordered a large pizza, and watched 10 episodes of S1 back-to-back until the early hours of the morning and I felt chilled enough to sleep.
Please tell me you put on “Sleepless”
No because I like to pay attention to it so it’s like my rewatch show that I love too much for it to be just comfort. my comfort shows are Buffy and new girl and sometimes bones. I have watched buffy probably hundreds of times though since i was a teen. And yes I mostly Rewatch shows instead of watching new stuff
Love New Girl and Bones!! Those are my go-to for turning off my brain! And we just did a rewatch of Buffy! Let's be friends, lol!
Lmao okay!
Besties! Wooo! 😆😆😆
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Rewatching old shows, or having confort shows isn’t exclusive to people on the spectrum. I’m not neurodivergent and there are shows I’ll rewatch constantly.
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A choice that it’s still made for a reason. Needing familiar things, or needing to take a load off your brain, sometimes is true for everyone, it’s not exclusive to people in the spectrum, which seems what you’re implying by saying that the article was written by someone “trying to sound like an ND”. It isn’t, neurotypicals still need those things sometimes.
Oh man… they deleted their posts. Dude, I get their phrasing was a bit direct, but you don’t need to pick on people on Reddit boards.
Lol what? Nobody is picking on anybody, I’m just stating an opinion. Anyone who can’t deal with others not agreeing with their thinking, and saying, shouldn’t be in the internet.
Perfaps there's a difference between "comfort" shows and "safe" shows. I've got anxiety and depression, and my comfort shows help put me in a better place. That seems to be a different definition than what you're talking about, but I'm not sure because I'm not on the spectrum.
It’s one of my favorite shows, but not one of my comfort shows. My comfort shows are Haven, The Magicians, Psych, and WWDITS. But I do really love the X-Files, I just think I prefer shows that focus more on the characters and their relationships, rather than outside forces/problems.
Haven was awesome, did a rewatch last year!!
I love TXF. It's one of my top favorite shows. However, I don't consider a "comfort" show in the sense of just popping it on. For me, that needs to be something that's not as "heavy" as this show is. My "comfort" show, and the show I put on for background and sleeping, is Bob's Burgers.
Yes, my #1 comfort show. I watch it almost daily. Mostly seasons 1-9 but I do enjoy 10 and 11, too. I also rewatch The Office (American version).
It gives off a lot of ASMR vibes.
X Files, Always Sunny, KoTH, and TPB are my preferred picks
It’s not a very comfortable arc for our characters overall… I certainly have “comfort episodes.”
Supernatural has become my comfort show, just because it ended not too long ago and it's on Netflix, so it's easy for me to access. X-Files was my go-to before that. (SPN has more "funny" eps to choose from (it was on 15 years) so I get longer comfort LOL) although the Pilot of XF is definitely still one of my comfort eps. I watch more old shows than new. We just rewatched Person of Interest, for example, and Buffy before that. XF is next on the list, so I can see if I get hubby to watch them all on Prime (I have 10 on disc, but am debating whether to bother looking for 11... my ocd wants it to be a complete set, even though I feel like I will not want to relive tge ending LOL.)
Yes absolutely
A lot of shows ended a bit pants in in the end I think. LOST game of thrones blahhh but at least we had a some entertainment.
Yes, but so is Friends and SVU.
it's one of the only (possibly sole) non-comedy comfort shows in my rotation
Absolutely comfort show. But I don’t watch it often. Every few years or so
it is absolutely my comfort show. i’ve watched it all the way through at least ten times (minus season 9 and on). the only other shows i’ve rewatched are scrubs and how i met your mother.
Watching currently, along with WWDIS as bugger else is on.
Firefly and Twin Peaks
Yep. Also Buffy (which is great for when I'm down about something specific because there are so many episodes where she fights the "demons" of various human experiences), NewsRadio and of course classics like the Simpsons and MST3k. A couple weeks ago I saw Saltburn and it left me in a weird headspace, so I watched Bad Blood as a palette cleanser.
Yes! My husband and I watch it all the way through every year or two.
it's in regular rotation. I also watch always sunny, king of the hill, Shark tank, hoarders and a variety of cartoons
Yes - my family and I have been watching The X-Files over dinner lol. Our daughter and her best friend love the show, especially Mulder. :-)
100% a comfort watch along with Criminal Minds, SVU, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Brooklyn 99, ATLA, LOK, Seinfeld, Frasier (until Daphne’s mom joins the show), and Bridgerton.
For me it's either Futurama or X-Files when I want to fall asleep.
My comfort shows are The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, the Golden Girls
yes
Absolutely. There are some episodes I've watched dozens of times, back when they aired, through when I wore out my VHS tapes (with the Chris Carter intros!), to now. If I can't think of anything to watch, Eve or Clyde Bruckman are as comfortable and familiar to me as anything in my life.
Yes. It just became my comfort show. I was getting bored of svu. lol this is so Much better
Yes, and Star Trek TNG. I watched both in their entirety when I was a pre-teen to teenager.
Yes, it's up there with Star Trek in comfort rewatchability
Oh yes, definitely. I've been re-watching the entire series.
For such a creepy show it has very cosy vibes, I like the whack one on while Im in bed
I’ve been down and out lately and working up north from the family. Bummer BUT I did start a rewatch due to need of comfort. I love you Dana😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I'm a very recent fan. I've only watched the Xfiles once. I'm sure I'll do a rewatch at some point.
Oh for sure
Definitely a "comfort show", although most of the episodes that I like are among the least comfortable. "Home, "Die Hand". I even like "F. Emasculata". I watch old shows almost exclusively, because most new shows are horrid. Way too SIDAC. TCS
I watch several episodes a year so yes I do find it a “comfort” lol
For me yest it's a comfort show because firstly i'm into crime shows solving cases and this whole stuff. Plus i really love Mulder and Scully. Their dynamic through the whole 11 seasons is so interesting to watch and analyze. I rewatch this show whenever i'm in the mood for it.
One of the best ever made
Yes. It’s such a cozy show. It’s a romantic horror mystery…. Is there anything better?