If you ask anyone, I am the number one advocate for a good therapist. Seriously, I have an amazing one. But sometimes, you just need that extra comfort that only comes from a good show. For me, that comfort comes in the form of sitcoms. I can recite each line of New Girl like I’m performing a monologue, and I know all the best plot points in Brooklyn 99. These shows are more than just shows to me; they’re like coming home to family after a particularly tough day. Sitcoms give me a way to escape the mundane world I seem to be stuck in, and show me that life can be lighthearted and funny. They’re like therapy, the kind you don’t have to pay for.Â
There is something uniquely comforting about knowing exactly how an episode will end before it even begins. In twenty-something minutes, the problem will be solved, the misunderstandings will be cleared up, and everyone will end up in the same familiar places they always are. No matter how chaotic the episode might get, everything always eventually settles back to normal. When real life gets unpredictable, deadlines pile up, tragedies happen, my hair does that weird thing again, that kind of structure feels grounding. It feels safe knowing that I can go home, flip on an episode, and be transported to another planet where things make me feel sane. Sitcoms offer me a sense of control in a world that rarely feels controllable.Â
Sitcoms are like low-maintenance friends. They ask very little of you, especially when you have very little to give. They don’t require emotional stamina or intense focus. I don’t have to brace myself for plot twists, emotional rollercoasters, or devastating endings. I can watch them while half-asleep, folding laundry, or while staring at the ceiling after a long day. Sometimes, they are just background noise filling the silence, but other times they’re the only thing that can quiet my thoughts and get my breathing back to normal. They meet me exactly where I am, tired, overwhelmed, and in need of something easy.Â
Each sitcom I love serves a different emotional purpose. New Girl feels like chaos wrapped in warmth, reminding me that being an awkward and sometimes overly emotional teacher is perfectly normal and definitely not something to apologize for. Brooklyn 99 is pure optimism, proof that kindness and humor can exist even in stressful environments. The Office is familiar and comfy, almost like returning to the same place over and over because you know you belong there. And Abbott Elementary, especially as a teacher, gives me hope that passion can survive even in imperfect systems. These characters start to feel like people I know, flawed, ridiculous, caring people who somehow make their way through life anyway.Â
Therapy helps me understand myself. Sitcoms help me get through the day. They don’t fix my problems, but they make those problems feel lighter for a little while. Laughter helps break the tension in a way nothing else really can, and watching other people’s fictional messes puts my own into perspective. When I see my beloved characters fail, embarrass themselves, argue, and still be loved, it reminds me that perfection is never the goal. Surviving and finding moments of joy is.Â
There is often this idea that coping has to look productive, like journaling, meditating, exercising, or constantly working on self-improvement. And while all of those things can be helpful, they aren’t always accessible when you’re already drained. Sometimes rest looks like staying in bed and rewatching the same episode for the hundredth time. Sometimes healing looks like laughing at the same joke you already know is coming.Â
So no, sitcoms are not a replacement for real therapy. But they are a form of comfort, consistency, and small joy that I refuse to feel embarrassed about. In a world that constantly demands growth, productivity, and emotional strength, choosing something simple and familiar can be its own kind of survival. And if that survival comes with cheesy laugh tracks, quirky characters, and twenty-something minutes of peace, that’s cheaper than therapy and way easier to schedule.