Why we continue to watch TV episodes again what we love

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Lounge Raja sen 4 min Read 19 Apr 2025, 04:09 PM ist a still from the friends episode ‘the one with the blackout’ Summary in a world of algorithmic foreigners, where our taste is compiled by digital rulers, we regain in the softest way: with the recycling of the sea. This is how George Costanza begins his Magnum opus from a monologue in the marine biologist, a classic episode of Seinfeld (Netflix). This episode – this glorious episode, is a show known for weaving everyday absurdities in lyrical punchlines, this episode – this glorious episode. Elaine’s electronic organizer crashes a Russian novelist’s mood. Kramer cuts golf balls into the sea. And George, who is the most unlikely of heroes, delivers a bladder-by-bleeding account of the salvation of a whale that would cause Ernest Hemingway to lay down. The joke ends up, perfect and beautiful, because every storyline goes into that last punch. And, dear reader, I watched that episode hundreds of times. Hundreds. Like a chef with a favorite dish, I return, not because I forgot how it ends, but because I remember every note that hits it, and I have to taste it again. There is a special pleasure to look again. It may seem irrational initially, perhaps in this golden era of endless streaming content, where you hear about at least one new sensation every day that you simply have to hold in immediately. I haven’t started the new season of the White Lotus (Jiohotstar) yet – but ended all the long days of writing with repetitions from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Jiohotstar). Also read: It’s always summer in a sitcom, I’m not alone. Friends, The Office, Parks and Recreation (Netflix), Modern Family (Jiohotstar). It’s not just shows; These are spiritual safety blankets. In a world of algorithmic foreigners, where even our taste is composed by mysterious digital rulers, we rebel in the softest way possible: by choosing what we already know, we love. We click on Play on a favorite friends episode – mine is ‘the one with the blackout’ and ‘The one with all the resolutions’ – or simply turn to the office to see Jim smile in the camera and his eyes roll as if he is on an appointment. These shows are the vanilla ice cream after a breakup, the cape that still smells comfortable, the laughter we no longer mock, because honestly, it’s the only applause we get at the end of a long day. The numbers carry it out. According to a report by Nielsen 2020, the US version of The Office (Netflix) was the most streamed performance in the US that year, with more than 57 billion minutes watched. It’s not new. It’s not trendy. It’s a show that ended in 2013, and it’s not even good. Similarly, friends and Seinfeld still keep in viewers worldwide, and their repetition rights have traded in a hundred million dollars transactions between platforms. Why? It’s not just the nostalgia. It’s not just the jokes. It’s something deeper. The psychologist Jaye Derrick at the University in Buffalo can call it ’emotional recovery’. Her research shows that returning to favorite TV series helps restore our exhausted restraint and motivation. In a world that gives us energy via email, accounts, news cycles, existential anxiety … we give our groove back. Or make it feel like we have a groove. One study showed that participants who simply thought about their favorite performance returned faster after demanding tasks. Another one revealed that we were instinctively looking for a difficult day. It is not because it challenges us, but because it is not. In it lies the rubbing. Familiarity is an antidote to chaos. There is something wonderfully meek about knowing all the corner, which has already been joke for the joke, and all the incident saw two beats before it lands. This is called perceptual fluency: the ease with which our brain processes the familiar material. This is the same reason why we humiliated the same songs, read the same books, and yes, in the row in one Brooklyn-nine cold open where Jake sings the Backstreet Boys. There is also the theory of social surrogacy – the academic talk to say that we treat our favorite characters like friends. If life gets lonely, Monica and Chandler are there. If no one gets our humor, Leslie Knope gets us. It’s not just repetitions, it’s relationships. We know their defects, their rhythms, their bows. If they look again, it’s not repetition – it’s a reunion. And yes, comfort is important. It is not weakness, it is wisdom. Why on a brand new series of gambling that can leave us empty, when we can maintain serotonin through repetitions that have already proven their value? Like a finely outdated whiskey, a perfectly structured sitcom episode becomes smoother, more powerful, more reliable with every year passing. So yeah, it’s a confession. More often I watched the same beloved Simpsons and Signfeld episodes as I watched too many new shows that I really have to write about in this column. I choked moments in the same good place. I hacked the same Frasier Witticisms over and over, a man who knows the punchline but still finds joy in the delivery. I didn’t, despite the repetition, but therefore. Watching a well -worn episode is much like listening to a song you already like. You know every partner, every turn, every emotional swell – and that’s exactly why you play it again. It is not new, but it is necessary. It doesn’t surprise you, but it still enjoys you. Consistent. And in a world that continues to throw curve, it is sometimes the curve of the same old laughter that revolves around you like an echo of the best days of your life. Play it again, Sam. Or better yet, play it again, Kramer. Streaming Tip of the Week: The Diamond Heist (Netflix) is a new three -way documentary about the exciting and, honestly, incredible time that a lot of crooks stormed the millenium dome in London in search of a 203 -carat diamond worth more than 200 million pounds. The series is produced by Guy Ritchie and is film and fascinating. Also read: Watch a rare caravaggio, catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Features Mint Specials