Particularly in the age of streaming, comfort rewatch TV shows have become incredibly popular, and while there are a host of fan favorites, including even newer and ongoing Netflix or Apple TV shows like Virgin River and Ted Lasso, there is one decade that continues to dominate in this area. With modern day streaming, shows have generally taken on one particular formula, which typically involves around 8 episodes per season and at least a year between season releases.
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Even very popular shows with high budgets, like Bridgerton and Stranger Things, fall into this category—and the latter actually consistently took more than a year between seasons. Yet, in the 2000s, TV shows often had upwards of 20 episodes per season, and seasons were more often than not released much more closely together. It is perhaps for that reason that the 2000s continue to be the golden era of comfort rewatches, even decades later, and these 7 shows prove it.
Lost
Lost was a fan-favorite TV show for years following its 2004 release, in large part because of its charming ensemble cast and mind-bending storylines. However, the show ultimately ended up becoming very controversial, primarily because of its ending. Many were frustrated because they believed the Lost finale meant that all the characters had been dead the whole time, although that wasn’t the case. The conclusion had actually revealed that they were now going into the afterlife together.
With that understanding of the show’s ending, Lost remains a brilliant show (with, yes, a brilliant ending, even if many questions were left on the table). More than that, it is truly among the best comfort rewatches. The characters, even many years later, continue to be lovable, and the thrills remain captivating, even once audiences know where they are going.
How I Met Your Mother
Yet another show with a controversial ending, How I Met Your Mother, released in 2005, remains one of the best comfort rewatches, despite the conclusion being frustrating or disappointing for many fans. What makes the show endearing despite that ending is how genuinely funny the sitcom is and how great the friendships and even the relationship dynamics are.
In fact, more than 20 years after the show debuted, the nostalgia for How I Met Your Mother runs deep, and this project continues to define the careers of those who were on it, from Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan to Neil Patrick Harris and more. Of course, these actors have also all moved on to new shows and movies, but these characters remain incredibly popular with and beloved by fans, and that alone makes the show comforting to jump back into.
Gilmore Girls
Even before it became a comfort rewatch, Gilmore Girls, which debuted in 2000, was simply a feel-good show. The story centers on a single mom, Lorelai, and her daughter, Rory, who are incredibly close not only because it was almost exclusively just the two of them in their household but also because Lorelai was very young—16, to be exact—when she had Rory. This gave the mother and daughter more of a friendship dynamic than a typical parent and child relationship.
In addition to that, though, everything about Gilmore Girls was basically made to comfort viewers. The town of Stars Hollow is beautiful and peaceful, and even the more tense or tough storylines in the show still feel much more toned down than anything one would find in a drama or action story, especially today. Many fans actually revisit this show yearly, especially around Christmastime, proving what an excellent comfort rewatch it is.
Parks and Recreation
As has become Michael Schur’s signature style over the last few decades, Parks and Recreation is an absolutely delightful, funny, and heartwarming show, and it makes for a perfect comfort rewatch. Released in 2009, the show stars a number of actors who are massive names in the industry, from leading lady Amy Poehler, who plays the quirky (to say the least) Leslie Knope, to the ensemble cast including Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, and Adam Scott.
The series isn’t just star-studded, though. It is truly full of heart, and, unlike some other inclusions on this list, it has an incredibly satisfying ending that makes it all the easier to revisit time after time.
Modern Family
The 2009 sitcom Modern Family is yet another perfect comfort rewatch, and it likewise has a brilliant cast. In fact, while a family drama is far from a new concept, this show manages to be a standout because its myriad characters are so different, yet they all manage to be fully fleshed out. Within the many family relationships, there are also just as many unique dynamics, each complicated in their own way, which makes it a much more interesting story than many shows in the same genre.
In addition to that, Modern Family is just genuinely funny. It’s no coincidence that even years after the shows conclusion, the internet continues to be flooded with memes and clips from the show—and, impressively, this applies to every leading character, who each had their own meme-able moments and times to shine.
Supernatural
Although most of the inclusions on this list are primarily heartfelt comedies and Supernatural certainly is not, this show remains one of the best comfort rewatches of all time. The show ran for an impressive 15 seasons and just as many years, spanning 2005 to 2020, and while not all seasons were equally good (season 7, that means you), the show overall is one that audiences absolutely can revisit over and over again.
In fact, not only are fans of Supernatural known to do exactly that, but also, six years after the show concluded, Supernatural-specific conventions are still flooded with guests who are thrilled to meet the actors and hear from them during panels, further demonstrating the staying power this show has. Granted, Supernatural’s ending is far from feel-good; it’s actually devastating. However, this show remains among the best comfort rewatches all the same.
The Office
Finally, arguably the single greatest comfort rewatch of all time, The Office cements the 2000s as the ultimate decade for the best rewatchable TV shows. The Office debuted in 2005 to a rocky first season that was met with mixed reception, but it became an absolute classic and a massively popular TV show.
This is in part because The Office is sincerely hilarious—multiple episodes are frankly among the funniest episodes of television overall—but the show also delivers on much deeper messages, beautiful storylines, and relationships that fans continue to connect with. This show also had a thoroughly satisfying ending, making it an ideal show to revisit as a comfort rewatch.
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