I’m a therapist – how good is it for your health to rewatch a comfort show like Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls fans know: When the weather turns and the leaves are falling, it’s prime time to revisit Stars Hollow.

Comfort TV reviews sure feel cozy, but according to psychotherapist Jill Lewis, MA, LCSW, there are several ways they can be a mental health booster.

And while she says you definitely shouldn’t feel guilty about playing Carole King’s “Where You Lead” on your screen, it’s good to be able to spot the signs that your binge-watching habit has become a problem.

When someone says their review is self-care, they’re not kidding. With so many stressors in everyday life, going back to a show you’ve already seen can provide a sense of security and provide a way to mentally unwind.

“There’s actually a lot of certainty in the sense that people already know this is going to happen,” Lewis, who is based in Atlanta, explained to The Post. “They know the bottom line, so they don’t necessarily have to invest as much mental energy, and they can enjoy it a little bit more.

“A lot of people see them as a security blanket — the familiarity, the security. It feels good, it’s like a hug.”

With a new show – especially something like a crime drama – you can feel “more heightened”, tense and more reactive because you don’t know what emotions will hit you, but watching something you’ve already seen can to actually be physically soothing.

“It calms our nervous system because we know what’s coming. The mind-body connection means that we don’t think so much, and we just have to be,” added Lewis. “It’s more relaxing and I don’t think our minds have to work as hard to pay attention. Then by default, it helps our bodies to calm down, to be less active, to be less tense.”

Your Netflix queue may be full of things you’ve been wanting to watch — but if you keep coming back to a show you love again and again, don’t beat yourself up.

“If it just feels good, then it’s working, right?” Lewis said.

“When people have that self-attack, my interpretation is that they’re worried about other people’s judgments of what they’re doing, rather than [thinking]’That feels good to me. I want to honor it and I want to stay in it'”.

But why Gilmore?

From January to June of 2023 — not even Gilmore Girls’ peak season — Netflix logged 500 million hours of viewing for the show, according to the New York Times. That equates to 4,668,534 people watching all 153 episodes over seven seasons.

Lewis — a certified group therapist who leads multiple interpersonal process groups that work with our feelings, taking up space, affirmation, influencing others, influencing oneself, and healthy conflict — cites the show’s humor, calling the show funny, light hearted and exciting.

“I can appreciate why a lot of people would really enjoy it and why it could help and improve people’s mental health,” she said.

“Everything I do in therapy is about relationships and building relationships, and the heart of this show is a mother-daughter relationship and a friendship. So there’s a real gift in being able to see a real relationship that works and flows, that has problems, that has struggled, that has hurt, but has so much love and so much care.”

Of course, other shows can serve the same purpose. Last month, Marie Claire shared her top 30 TV shows, including Friends, Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso, Modern Family, New Girl, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl among her picks .

The lure of an autumn review

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s world will always be associated with fall, but even beyond that association, fall makes perfect sense as the time to air an old favorite.

For one thing, Lewis points out, temperatures have dropped and daylight saving time means it gets dark earlier — so people want to stay inside and the familiar TV “can feel like a warm blanket.”

“There’s something comforting about having a little more ‘permission’ to be inside, revisiting our favorite things, when it’s a little colder and not so nice outside,” Lewis said.

But really – how much is too much?

So yes, binge-watching has health benefits — but there comes a point when a few episodes turn into a dozen a day and you might need to reassess.

“If someone isn’t experiencing life because they’re watching too much TV, that’s too much,” Lewis said. “If someone chooses to stay home over and over to watch a show instead of being social, if they stop taking care of themselves because of the shows, then that’s interfering a lot and we need to pay attention.

“If you come home and watch two episodes, but you feed yourself dinner and shower and take care of your kids and go to bed at a normal time, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”