The Ultimate Comfort TV Index

01 Dec | BY Betway Insider | MIN READ TIME |

New research from Betway combines scientific analysis and viewer insights to reveal the most comforting TV shows of all time.

There is something special about a true comfort TV show, the kind of series you can return to again and again, no matter the mood. These are the shows that wrap around you like a soft blanket, offering familiarity, warmth and a guaranteed lift. But what actually makes a TV show comforting, and can we measure it?

To find out, the team at Betway Casino carried out in-depth research that combined colour, language and music analysis with survey insights to once and for all crown the most comforting TV show. The analysis researched the following metrics for 22 of the most well-known comfort TV shows:

Warm visual colour analysis: Using AI image detection, we examined still images of five key locations from each TV show, scoring them based on the number of colours in each that have warm hues.
Positive sentiment in scripts: We used AI to examine the scripts of each show’s top five rated episodes to quantify the percentage of positive sentiment.
Theme song BPM analysis: Research shows 145 BPM is the happiest tempo, so we measured each show’s theme tune against this peak feel-good rhythm, scoring it by how far away its average BPM is from this tempo.
Episode length alignment: Our survey revealed 38.4 minutes is the perfect comfort show length, and we scored each series based on how close they come to this length.
Rewatchability from viewers: We surveyed how many times people in the UK have watched each show from start to finish, which is a key factor in comfort TV.
Happiness lift: We asked viewers to estimate how much happier each show makes them feel.

By combining science, colour analysis, sentiment mapping and the viewing habits of 2,000 people in the UK, we created the first holistic index revealing the most comforting TV shows.

It’s official: Friends is the most comforting TV show

According to our full weighted scoring system, Friends is officially the most comforting TV show overall. It shines across nearly every area of our index, from visual warmth to theme song, and from script sentiment to rewatchability.

Friends

Friends scores 90% warm visuals, which means most of its key scenes sit in a cosy, inviting colour palette. Its instantly recognisable theme song is also close to the scientifically happy 145 BPM mark, so the feel good effect begins within the first few seconds of every episode.

Comfort TV boosts happiness largely because it’s so easy to watch, and re-watch. In our survey, 45% of people identified “ease of watching” as a top comfort trait, underscoring how important simplicity is to feeling relaxed. Shows like Friends embody this perfectly: episodes are short, storylines are straightforward, and you can skip around without ever feeling lost. That low-effort experience pays off emotionally with respondents saying watching it improves their happiness levels by around 54%.

Running jokes matter too, and 25% of people told us familiar humour is important in a comfort show. Friends delivers that at scale, from “We were on a break” to pivot memes and Chandler’s sarcastic one-liners. Those repeated punchlines and character quirks make the show feel familiar, even when you do not remember every detail of the plot.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City ranks second thanks to a strong set of scores across the board. Its visuals skew warm, its theme song sits close to the uplifting tempo zone and survey respondents give it a solid happiness boost. It is also a series many people have rewatched, which fits with the 15% of viewers who say that having lots of episodes is a key part of comfort TV.

Its focus on friendship, dating disasters and personal growth taps into the 24% who look for relatable storylines, as well as those who appreciate happy endings and emotional payoffs, even when the characters are navigating messy lives.

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother brings together upbeat pacing, a theme song close to the happy BPM target and an above average positive sentiment score in its scripts. It is rich in running gags, which matters given that a quarter of viewers say they want familiar humour in their comfort shows.

It also performs well on happiness. In our mood question, people said it improves their happiness by 52.9% confirming that viewers feel a strong boost after spending time with Ted, Robin, Barney, Marshall and Lily.

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls ranks among the top five for overall comfort and tops our happiness index, with viewers estimating a 57.6% increase in happiness after watching. This supports the 16% who selected nostalgia as a key ingredient, because Gilmore Girls is a nostalgic favourite for many.

The series trades on warmth in a different way to some of the brighter sitcoms. Its small town setting, quick dialogue, layered relationships and sense of community speak directly to the 8% who say a strong sense of community matters, as well as those who chose romantic storylines and happy endings as top traits.

The Golden Girls

The Golden Girls completes our overall top five with a 53.2% positivity score in its scripts and high rewatchability. Its gentle humour, emotional honesty and found family dynamic align neatly with what people told us they want from comfort TV.

The show especially speaks to those who value positive messages and community. 17% of respondents highlighted positive messages, and The Golden Girls is full of them, often combining heartfelt moments with light, warm humour.

Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls make viewers the happiest

According to our happiness increase scores, Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls are the two TV shows that make viewers feel the happiest, both averaging an impressive 57.6% increase in happiness. Even though Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama, viewers clearly connect with its mix of romance, friendship, character development and emotional storytelling. These long running relationships and dramatic turning points often create a strong emotional payoff that leaves people feeling uplifted.

Gilmore Girls earns the same top happiness score for very different reasons. Its wholesome setting, gentle humour, tight knit community and warm family relationships create a feel good atmosphere that viewers repeatedly turn to. The blend of nostalgia, comfort and emotional closeness makes it a reliable mood booster.

In third place is Suits with a 56.3% happiness increase, showing that its mix of fast paced storylines and charismatic characters provides more comfort than many might expect. The Good Place follows with 54.5%, which reflects its optimistic tone and uplifting moral themes. Friends and Bridgerton both score 53.9%, rounding out the top performers and demonstrating the power of familiar characters, romantic arcs and reassuring story structure to boost people’s mood.

Brooklyn 99 and Schitt’s Creek have the most positive sentiment in their scripts

Our script sentiment analysis shows that Brooklyn 99 has the most positive dialogue of all the shows in the study, scoring 61.8% positive sentiment. This result matches the show’s tone, since many episodes follow characters through personal development, supportive friendships and light hearted storylines that end on reassuring or hopeful notes. There is often a sense of resolution, which helps maintain a consistently upbeat mood.

In second place is Schitt’s Creek with 61.6% positive sentiment, only slightly behind Brooklyn 99. The show focuses heavily on personal transformation and acceptance, which creates a warm emotional atmosphere. Viewers often highlight its kindness, slow burning character growth and the affirming nature of the relationships within the community.

Third place goes to Frasier, scoring 59.8%, which reflects the blend of gentle humour and heartfelt emotional beats that run through the series. Although Frasier centres on the lives of adults dealing with everyday frustrations, episodes often conclude with thoughtful or optimistic moments that elevate its overall tone.

New Girl ranks fourth with 58.2% positive sentiment, supported by its cheerful dialogue, comedic friendships and focus on supportive relationships. The sitcom balances humour with emotional warmth, which contributes to its strong positivity score.

Completing the top five is Parks and Recreation at 56.4%, praised for its upbeat writing, hopeful political storylines and characters who consistently look for the good in situations. The show’s optimistic worldview aligns strongly with the qualities people told us they look for in comfort TV.

Frasier is the most bingeable TV show with viewers having watched it 10 times on average

Our survey suggests Frasier is the ultimate comfort rewatch: on average, respondents have watched the series from start to finish around 10 times (9.7). Its mix of clever wordplay, cosy Seattle settings and low-stakes, character-driven plots makes it perfect “background TV” that people can return to again and again without it ever feeling stressful.

Friends isn’t far behind, with viewers rewatching the full series around nine times (9.1) – the tight-knit friendship group, familiar apartments and highly quotable jokes make it an endlessly repeatable staple.

In third place, The Golden Girls has been rewatched about eight times on average (8.0), which speaks to how timeless its humour and found-family warmth still feel, despite being an older show.

Big bang by name and by binge factor, The Big Bang Theory has been watched from start to finish almost eight times (7.9) on average, likely thanks to its sheer number of episodes and light, joke-heavy format that’s easy to keep on rotation.

Rounding out the top five, Arrested Development has been rewatched just over seven times (7.3). Its rapid-fire gags and layered callbacks reward repeat viewing, encouraging fans to go back through the story multiple times to catch every in-joke.

So, what truly makes a TV show comforting? Our research shows it is a blend of warm visuals, uplifting scripts, familiar characters and the kind of storytelling people love to return to, again and again.

Sources and methodology

To create the Comfort TV Index, we compiled a seed list of popular TV shows and ranked them using a combination of scientific analysis and survey data. Each show was assessed using the following metrics:

Warm visual analysis
Colour palette: https://www.canva.com/colors/color-palette-generator/
Hue angle tool: https://www.colorhexa.com
Five still images of key locations were analysed for each show. The dominant colours were extracted and their hue angles recorded. Warm hues (0 to 180 degrees) were counted and converted into a Warmth Percentage for each show.

Theme song BPM
Tool: https://tunebat.com
Happiest BPM research: https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/music-happiness-neuroscience.html
Each theme song’s BPM was measured and scored based on how close it was to the optimum happy tempo of 145 BPM.

Script positive sentiment
Scripts from the top rated episodes were analysed using ChatGPT to calculate percentages of positive, neutral and negative sentiment.

Average episode length
Typical runtimes were collected through desk research. Scores were based on the difference between each show’s average episode length and the ideal comfort length of 38.4 minutes, as identified in our survey.

Survey insights
We surveyed 2,000 UK adults aged 25 and over in November 2025. Results were used to determine: