5 Comfort TV Shows For When You Need to Recharge

I ended last week with absolutely no energy. After working several 15 hour days in a row and getting very little sleep all week, I was a total mess by the time Saturday rolled around. I knew I needed to hunker down at home over the weekend and recharge my batteries. Everyone has their own method for recharging – working out, going out with friends, sleeping for 13 hours straight. My coping mechanism? Rewatching some of my favorite comfort TV shows. You know what I’m talking about! Shows you’ve watched from start to finish a million times. Shows that just make you feel like you’re hanging out with old friends. Today I’m sharing five comfort TV shows that always lift my spirits.

1. The West Wing

I can hardly describe how deep my love of The West Wing runs. Early exposure to The West Wing is a big part of why I went to work in politics. The West Wing reminds me that it can be cool to be smart and hard working and kind of nerdy. Like many people, the optimism of the Bartlett administration is keeping me going through these dark Trump days. While Josh and Donna aren’t really #goals for me, I could watch them fall in love over and over again. Right now I’m in the middle of a very slow rewatch, watching one episode a week to line up with the incredible The West Wing Weekly podcast. If you’re a West Wing fan and haven’t started listening to the podcast yet, you’re really missing out.

2. Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation is another favorite about optimistic goobers working in government. As everyone knows, Leslie Knope is my spirit animal. She’s a workaholic but she never forgets that family and friendship trump work every time. While many people see Leslie and Ben as the true Parks and Rec love story, the relationships I love the most are the ones that Leslie has with Ann, and April, and Ron (and also Joe Biden, of course).

3. How I Met Your Mother

I’m a hopeless romantic, and How I Met Your Mother feeds my soul like no other. I know a lot of people really despise Ted Mosby, but his endlessly optimistic approach to finding love just speaks to me. I’m not ashamed to admit that I weep every time I watch the finale. However, in my opinion, the real heroes of How I Met Your Mother are Marshall and Lily. They keep the spark alive in their relationship through every stage, and always maintain a tremendous amount of respect for each other. I don’t know anyone else who loves How I Met Your Mother the way I do, so if you’re a superfan too, please hit me up so we can discuss!

4. Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights is a show I never, ever thought I’d find myself obsessed with. I mean, it’s about football. And small town Texas life. And football. But to say that Friday Night Lights is just about football and Texas is to miss the point. It’s about community, family, love, and marriage. Tami Taylor is the wisest fictional character you’ll ever get to know, Coach is king of the motivational speech. Also, two words – Tim. Riggins. I can’t even. Most importantly, thanks to Friday Night Lights, I now understand what “Go for two!” means and can fake my way through conversations about football without sounding like a complete idiot.

5. The Office

The Office is the first TV show I ever binge watched. I’ve probably seen every episode at least five times at this point, but every time I watch it, I fall in love all over again. Dwight and Michael’s hapless antics. Pam and Jim’s perfect love story. Erin’s joyful cluelessness. Andy’s musical stylings. In every episode, there is at least one moment that makes me giggle till I’m about to cry. Also, I’m not embarrassed to admit that my mom and I have watched the dancing scene from Pam and Jim’s wedding so many times that we can now reenact the whole thing from memory.

What comfort TV shows do you watch when you need to recharge your batteries?