One thing about television is that it is endless, both in the sheer number of shows released every year and the length of each series. It takes something very special for a show to keep its viewers coming back, especially when there is always something new to watch.
Yet nothing quite compares to that one familiar, comforting series you can always return to and still find it equally charming. Here are 10 of the most rewatchable TV shows of all time that keep getting better with every rewatch.
10. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Despite being such an old series, revisiting ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ reveals just how fascinatingly well it explores adolescence, identity, trauma, sexuality and growing up. Though it often gets overshadowed by its supernatural teen drama legacy, the series’s deeper themes hold up pretty well today. We see the young vampire slayer Buffy balancing her destiny to slay the evil while wanting a normal teenage life.
Related: Top 20 Most Iconic Small-Town TV Shows Of All Time
9. Reply 1988 (2015-2016)
This period K-drama is the kind that we always return to whenever life gets a little too much. A beautiful celebration of nostalgia, family and friendship, ‘Reply 1988’ takes you back in time to the 1980s South Korea. Here, amid uncertain political and economic times, five childhood friends and their families rely on one another to get through the uncertainties of life while finding their place in the world.
8. Bob’s Burgers (2011-)
Consistently charming and wonderfully eccentric, ‘Bob’s Burgers’ makes everyday family life endlessly entertaining. Centred on the Belcher family, the series follows Bob and Linda and their three children as they run a burger restaurant in New Jersey. The characters are imperfect but lovable and the many unusual adventures they find themselves in every time never loses its appeal.
7. Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
For many viewers today, ‘Gilmore Girls’ is the ultimate comfort watch and for all the right reasons. Its autumn atmosphere, charming small-town setting and entertaining dialogue and characters are iconic. Set in Stars Hollow, we see the inseparable mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore as they navigate the everyday ups and downs of life.
6. The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
No sitcom is a better combination of childhood nostalgia and pure entertainment than ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. Will is a street-smart teenager born and raised in a working-class family in West Philadelphia. When he gets set to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle at their Bel-Air mansion, endless shenanigans follow that never get old upon a rewatch.
In Case You Missed It: Top 10 Most Autumn-Coded TV Shows Of All Time
5. Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)
The unique humour of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ somehow hits the same every single time. The wealthy and pampered Rose family get involved in an embezzlement scandal which leaves them bankrupt. They find themselves relocating to a motel in a small town they once purchased as a joke. Between adjusting to small-town living and the many hilarious situations they find themselves in, they gradually discover meaning and belonging in a unique place.
4. Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
Consistently optimistic and comforting with such a unique humour, ‘Parks and Recreation’ never gets old. Set in the parks and recreation department of a small Indiana town, the series follows the enthusiastic bureaucrat Leslie Knope and nurse Ann Perkins as they try to transform an abandoned construction site into a community park. Between bureaucratic red tape, eccentric colleagues and equally eccentric neighbours, their adventures make for wonderfully relatable television.
3. The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
The timeless storyline of ‘The Golden Girls’ makes it enjoyable at any time. The themes and jokes remarkably hold up and still remain relevant decades later, and the wonderful performances are just the cherry on top. Four women sharing a home in Miami navigate through friendship, ageing, family, sexuality and everyday life.
2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
It is the ensemble cast of characters who make ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ such a classic comfort show. Its running jokes, familiar dynamics and emotional moments never seem to lose their charm no matter how many times you rewatch it. The series follows a quirky group of detectives at a Brooklyn police precinct after Captain Raymond Holt takes charge, and together, they solve crimes, confront social issues and navigate life.
1. Derry Girls (2018-2022)
Undeniably, ‘Derry Girls’ was effortless to watch from beginning to end. Set in Derry during the final years of the Troubles, we get to see five friends attending a Catholic girls’ school and navigating adolescence. Their absurd adventures unfold against a backdrop of political unrest, making for hilarious plotlines as well as many chances to explore deeper themes. This is why every episode feels wonderfully entertaining and comforting at the same time.
You Might Also Like To Read: Top 10 TV Shows That Ended At The Perfect Time
