Helplessness and anger are all too familiar in 2018, but sometimes the best self-care is to take a break from reality and indulge in some comfort TV.
It is our balm against the relentless news cycle, our safety blanket at the end of a long day – and it pairs well with an actual blanket too. Here are 10 shows from the past six months that helped us get through, well, the past six months.
SEE ALSO:The 10 best new shows of 2018 (so far)Netflix’s Queer Eyereboot was the runaway hit of the winter, the show that achieved what so much media has strived for since the Trump presidency: to bring people together in divisive times. The new Fab Five are aspirationally empathetic and intersectional, and the people whom they meet and transform end up bettered ways they could never have imagined — as do we as an audience.
Where to watch:Netflix
When Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Twitter was flooded with well-wishes and endorsements for the remarkable comedy (including from celebrity fans Mark Hamill, Guillermo del Toro, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Sean Astin), which speaks to just how widely this warm, funny, brilliant show appeals.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which was eventually renewed at NBC, boasts a diverse cast and skillfully tackles social issues – but above all, it is a show about characters you grow to truly care about and for whom you want nothing but the same happiness they bring you.
Where to watch: Hulu
Credit: santiago felipe/FilmMagicDrag Raceis so much more than just a no-holds-barred drag queen competition show, though it is also that. Headed by the titular RuPaul (known affectionately to fans and friends as Ru), each episode celebrates what it means to be unique and in pursuit of your dream. The show covers more bases than you can count, but is probably best summed up by its tagline: If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?
Where to watch:VH1 (with subscription)
You wouldn’t typically turn to philosophers like Kant and Hume for comfort TV, but that’s what so incredible and enjoyable about The Good Place: it brilliantly subverts your expectations of a sitcom, while never failing to be the best damn sitcom around. The show’s ability to distill complex ideas into lovable characters and laughs is unparalleled. And it’s also the kind of comfort TV you can walk away from feeling like you didn’t just let your brain rot for 22 minutes.
Where to watch: Netflix/Hulu
This humble British comedy is one of the most beautiful, relatable ruminations on modern love that you can find. Season 3 released on Netflix just as the year began, and though it tests its central couple, it does so within reason, within safety, without throwing implausible obstacles at two people who might finally be in the right place at the right time.
The comfort of Lovesickis in its recognition that every relationship – a one-night stand, an unrequited love, a wholesome friendship – is valid, and that they all become part of us over time.
Where to watch: Netflix
In arguably its most bizarre and effervescent season to date, the Netflix show about abducted former “mole woman” Kimmy and her kooky New York life soars with just six new episodes in 2018. Highlights include an American Vandal-esque documentary parody, a cloned stepmother, and a truly deranged school play.
Creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock said that after 2019’s new episodes, they want to ultimately make a feature film with these characters. We can hardly imagine such pure joy.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Simpsons’ abysmal response to the Apu controversy pretty much robbed us all of our favorite animated family, but Bob’s Burgershas stepped up to the plate over this past year, raising the bar on experimental episodes. It started with the premiere of Season 8, animated entirely by different fan art. But what truly make Bob’s Burgersthe ultimate comfort food is a) it’s literally about burgers, and b) the clog-your-heart-with-so-much-love antics of its core characters.
Where to watch: Hulu
After the backlash from the White House Correspondents Dinner, comedian Michelle Wolf needed a break from politics. Luckily, we all needed breaks too. And so far her variety-show-meets-late-night approach to her weekly Netflix show perfectly balances awareness and entertaining goofs. She avoids the didacticism of other late night shows, while also delivering salient commentary on cultural zeitgeist.
Where to watch: Netflix
NBC's classic workplace comedy movies out of the office and into the great American superstore, a place we all know too well. You'd think the show would run out of storylines within this massive, Target-esque setting, but it never grows stale. On the contrary, it's a fresh delight every week populated by endearing oddballs and amusing relationships.
Where to watch: Hulu
Finally: a baking show for millennials. The premise of Nailed Itis based on the internet meme of people epically failing recreations of elaborate online recipes. If you’re looking for perfection, opulence, or anything edible, this isn’t the show for you. But comedian and host Nicole Byer delivers endless charm and hilarity instead – as do the contestants, who can’t bake for shit but find a way into your heart anyway.
Where to watch:Netflix
Alison Foreman contributed to this article.
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