The Real Reason You Keep Rewatching the Same Shows

You have 30,000 unwatched titles across your streaming apps. And yet, you just started The Office again. For the fifth time.

It's Not Laziness

Rewatching comfort shows is a well-documented psychological phenomenon. When we're stressed, tired, or overwhelmed, our brains seek predictability. A show you've seen before requires zero cognitive effort — you know what's going to happen, you know you'll enjoy it, there's no risk of wasting time on something bad.

In a world full of uncertainty, that predictability is genuinely soothing.

When It Becomes a Problem

Comfort rewatching becomes a problem when it replaces all new discovery. If you haven't watched a new movie or show in months because you keep defaulting to the familiar, you're missing out on experiences that could surprise, challenge, and delight you.

The Middle Ground

The solution isn't to force yourself to watch experimental arthouse cinema when you're exhausted. The solution is to lower the friction of finding something new that you're confident you'll enjoy.

That's the GoodWatch approach: one recommendation, backed by data, matched to your mood. The cognitive effort of choosing drops to near zero — almost as easy as pressing play on your comfort show, but with the reward of something fresh.

Keep your comfort shows. But maybe give Tuesday nights to something new.