With the world in a constant shambles, sometimes we all need to curl up under a doona and bathe in the soft light of escapism from the nearest laptop or TV screen. And if said escapism involves rewatching the same familiar comfort shows over and over again, who are we to judge?

Here are our top picks for switching on your telly and switching off your brain. Plus special guest star entries from some of our favourite musicians, comedians and TV personalities.

Yes, there’s the Netflix reboot, but when it comes to Queer Eye there’s something to be said for the original Y2K version. We all love a good makeover story. The cast turn up, make someone’s life better and easier, and then head off on their merry way. What a concept! Sometimes fictional narratives have too many emotional ups and downs, so when I want comfort, this fits the bill. – Rashmi Mohotti, social media coordinator

I discovered Ab Fab in my formative years, and it baked itself into my psyche. It’s so unapologetically ’90s: big hair, bad behaviour, and no one ever learning their lesson. The show was meme culture before memes. If someone quoted a line, we were instantly bonded – it was like being in a secret society of sarcasm and camp. Rewatching it now feels like catching up with the unhinged aunties I never had but always wanted.

Every episode is its own little chaotic masterpiece – you can drop in anywhere and you’re instantly in that fabulous, dysfunctional world. I’ve seen them all several times and I still laugh out loud. It’s like comfort food for my brain. Every now and then I will stumble across an episode from a later season that I haven’t watched ad nauseum and it’s like striking gold! – Courtney Act, drag queen, Eurovision correspondent and alum of Australian Idol and RuPaul’s Drag Race

Rewatching Scrubs is like getting a warm hug from two friends you haven’t seen in a while. When JD and Turk start their double act, nothing can distract me – it feels like I’m laughing along with them and also trying to muscle my way in to make their duo a trio. For extra nostalgia points, the first couple of seasons are filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio, so it feels like being back in a time when HD TVs didn’t exist and you had to wait all week for a new ep to be released. – Christie Cook, campaign manager

The quick banter! The follow-shots! The gritty idealism! The soaring patriotic music! When I first watched The West Wing I felt comforted thinking these were the sorts of nice, dedicated, attractive professionals who made the cogs of international politics turn. (I was young – it was a different time!) Then Trump got elected, and I delved into The West Wing as a form of escapism. Now I go back time and again for the fantasy of good governance. No matter the season, no matter the issue – war in the Middle East or sourcing a turkey to pardon – I know that Josh, CJ and the gang are going to resolve everything for the greater good. In 42 minutes or less. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Zoe Coombs Marr

This cop comedy is endlessly rewatchable (I’m ticking over seven times through now), with quick, light episodes and some truly excellent cameos. Captain Holt (RIP Andre Braugher) remains one of the driest, funniest TV characters ever; and there’s a constant supply of quotable one-liners that manage to make their way into my everyday dialogue. As someone who works at Broadsheet, I think about Boyle’s line “My mouth is the love of my life” at least once a week. – Kendra Heil, office manager

When did we decide to stop making zany sitcoms with laugh tracks? And how can I personally appeal that decision? The Nanny is a perfect rewatch: any random ep serves up camp characters, gags aplenty, low-stakes adventures and – another thing we need to bring back – an earworm theme tune that explains the show’s entire comedic premise. Add in the consistently fabulous ’90s fashions (do we also need to bring back berets?) and it’s pure rewatching gold. – Jo Walker, special features editor

I recently did a deep dive into one of my favourite ever TV shows, Sweet and Sour. When it first aired, I thought it was a documentary exposing the inner workings of the music biz. It always surprised me that the band in the show, The Takeaways, didn’t seem to have a bass player – probably for the best. Everyone in the band was a spunk! The theme song is a bloody cracker, too! Upon rewatching it, I was surprised just how crappy it looks and sounds. But like an old cassette warped out of recognition on the dashboard of a Datsun 120Y during a sizzling Brisbane summer, that just adds to its charm. – David McCormack, Custard frontman and voice of Bluey’s dad

Who would’ve thought a BBC show about Merlin being a somewhat goofy assistant to King Arthur would still be discussed and loved almost 17 years after its debut? But there’s something magnetic about this combination of comedy, drama, camaraderie and bad-ass magic. Plus, I was a fan during high school – this show even led me to try learning Welsh (unsuccessfully) – which makes it a very endearing world to return to. – Rashmi Mohotti, social media coordinator

First airing in 1999, Futurama has been cancelled and revived more times than I can count, but the absurd jokes and clever social commentary still make me laugh out loud 25 years later. Most times on a nostalgic rewatch I’ll hit that episode (you know, the dog one) and loop back to episode 1x01, Space Pilot 3000, to relive the great late ’90s time capsule all over again. If you haven’t watched it yet, don’t sleep on it. Or actually, do. “r/FuturamaSleepers” is a real Reddit community with thousands of people who fall asleep to it religiously. Feels kinda culty, but I’m in. – Eddie Amrani, sales and partnerships executive

Lizzy Hoo

I was definitely too young to watch this glam soapie from Darren Star (Beverly Hills, 90210, Sex and the City, Emily in Paris) when it first came out, but I was hooked. It had sensational storylines, chaotic characters, and melodrama that never let up. Plus, an iconic apartment block with a handy pool for people to get thrown into. Melrose also introduced me to Heather Locklear’s savage and stylish Amanda Woodward, consistently ranked as one of the greatest TV villains ever. Each time I rewatch it’s just as wild, intense and entertaining as I remember. – Sian Whitaker, managing director

Watching the characters in Sunny is like reassuring yourself that, no matter how much of a mess your life is, at least you’re not them. The Gang is irredeemable in the funniest and most disturbing of ways. The sheer chaos – along with unhinged, stick-to-your-brain musical numbers like Nightman – never stops being funny, no matter how many times I go back. – Kendra Heil, office manager

I remember watching John Clarke’s Sydney Olympics mockumentary when it came out and not quite getting it. I was old enough to enjoy the cynicism and the silliness, but didn’t yet have the grim life experience to know how accurate its portrayal of Aussie bureaucratic inertia, political bastardry and gormless nepotism really was. That may not sound like a comfort watch, but Clarke’s writing has a Lewis Carroll quality that brings absurdity to the fore. As I’ve rewatched The Games over the years, it’s only become funnier and more relevant – especially with Brisbane 2032 looming. – Kit Kriewaldt, subeditor

Alice Zaslavsky

Concetta Caristo

I hate to be a cliche woman-of-a-certain-generation, but I am. And who doesn’t want to settle in for a serve of bonkers 2000s fashion, ludicrous storylines, turn-of-the-millennium interior design and characters that you just love to hate? But also love. And hate. Gosh, it’s a rollercoaster and one I’ll line up for again and again.

With my 2025 goggles on, there’s loads on SATC that wouldn’t fly today (let’s start with the generic casting and the list is long from there), but there’s something really compelling about watching four single women living in NYC navigating the dating scene in a simpler time, pre dating apps and social media. We were yet to develop a lot of the language around the bad behaviours they encountered (I mean, we all now know that Mr Big is an avoidant with narcissistic tendencies), but this exploration genuinely helped us on our way to learning how to navigate the world and taking our power back. Not much is left unsaid and there’s a brashness and optimism about these women that you just want to be around.

Ultimately, it’s their friendships that hold the show together, and there’s real joy seeing female relationships explored in all their complexities. The usual end goal of happy-ever-after was not the main objective and this was, and still is, a radical act in TV. – Myf Warhust, ABC’s Spicks and Specks

This stupid, brilliant, funny, endearing show is a constant rewatch for me. The fanbase is dedicated (#sixseasonsandamovie), and there’s just something about a group of misfits becoming best friends that never fails to make me happy. How good is it that we get to watch that over and over again? – Julia Monaco, group campaign manager

This was my age group’s version of Friends: another sitcom set in New York with all the quirky characters and parasocial camaraderie, plus a recurring bar for them all to hang out in. I watched the show religiously after long days at uni or my part-time job. Coupled with a box of pizza Shapes, it gave me much joy. The ending is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries I think Graham Hancock is still trying to solve. – Jessica Kirsopp, senior media partnership manager

The Office came into my life at uni and I connected with it instantly: its dry, awkward humour is exactly my kind of funny. I watched it on TV, bought the DVD box sets, and now find myself watching clips on Youtube – it never bores me. David Brent’s motivational talks and the Christmas specials still stand out as the funniest viewing. – Sian Whitaker, managing director

We’re still being blessed with new RPDR seasons and spinoffs today. But there’s something especially iconic about the early years, before Instagram, before Tiktok, before all the botox. I’m talking seasons four through eight specifically (maybe nine?) and All Stars 2, obviously. Not only are they filled with historic drag moments, they also teach you so much about the artform and what it means to the queens. – Julia Monaco, group campaign manager

When this came out, I was living in a share house, studying and working full-time, and totally didn’t have anything figured out. Seeing that, plus the queer-leaning friendship, represented on screen was comforting – and fun. Broad City is articulate, sharp as hell, very much of its time, and still funny without being crass. And the celebrity cameos! RuPaul, Whoopi Goldberg, Hillary Clinton, Alan Cumming. Yas yas yas. – Ange Yu, studio program manager

I like to think of the Star Trek cinematic universe as “competence porn”: shows focusing on motivated and wildly intelligent people (in space, in silly uniforms) collectively solving problems and ethically kicking arse. During lockdowns, Voyager became my fave. A group of people locked together in a small space, surrounded by danger, with no idea how long it will take to get “home”? Too relatable. On Voyager, sometimes the enemy is the Borg, sometimes it’s alien cheese. Luckily, there’s a coffee-loving captain and a group of science dorks to keep us safe. – Jo Walker, special features editor

Dilruk Jayasinha

Pretty Little Liars will forever be tangled up with my high school years. I’d stream each new ep as it came out (on dodgy pre-Netflix sites riddled with viruses) so I could debrief and discuss with my mates the next day. Rewatching it now feels like visiting a group of old friends ... if those friends were constantly being stalked, blackmailed and presumed dead. My brain has conveniently wiped entire plotlines and characters, so every rewatch somehow feels like the first. – Ella Witchell, junior graphic designer

It was only on air for a brief window (cancelled by hapless NBC execs after a single season – an injustice whose sting reportedly fuels producer Judd Apatow’s success to this day) – but in 2000 Freaks and Geeks felt head and shoulders above anything else on TV. When I was 13, it seemed to encapsulate everything I found so achingly cool about the “slacker” generation: the Converse and surplus army jackets; the weary, eye-rolling anti-authoritarianism. Today what makes it so compelling is the same thing that apparently spooked NBC: its relatability, depicting in eye-watering detail the confusion and sheer awkwardness of being a teenager. Then there’s the immense likeability of this oddball collection of kids, played by a baseball card collection of then-emerging talent including James Franco, Seth Rogen, Busy Phillips and Jason Segal. – Annie Toller, deputy branded content editor

Simpsons quotes were playground currency at my school, but that’s not the reason the show (or at least seasons one to 12) is seared into my brain. For me, The Simpsons brings back childhood memories of getting up before anyone else on Saturday mornings and sneaking downstairs to claim the TV for a three-hour Springfield marathon. It’s a series that’s made to be rewatched – the jokes come so thick and fast, there’s always a background visual gag or a throwaway line just waiting to be discovered. – Kit Kriewaldt, subeditor

This almost doco-style Aussie bogan comedy has kept me afloat during many periods in my life. Whether it be feeling homesick in a foreign country, moving house or bonding with my siblings, Kath & Kim is guaranteed to make me laugh out loud, no matter which random episode I decide to rewatch. Now look at moiiii and hit play if you want to empty your mind. – Evie Baker, photo editor

My first year of high school coincided with seven sporty students arriving at Solar Blue, a fictional surf academy on Sydney’s northern beaches. Season one had me absolutely hooked – and manifested completely unrealistic expectations of what was in store during my teen years. Coaches battling with teachers over what’s more important: the waves or class. The moral dilemma of German exchange students stealing local surfers’ spots in the line-up. Choosing between modelling bikinis or getting barrelled. Would I be scoring that precious wild card, fast-tracking onto the pro circuit? Pretty out-there for someone who exclusively surfed a foamie during school holidays. Those (narrow-viewed) Aussie-dream school days by the beach, with soft-core Home & Away-style drama, were a nice dream. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor

Lucy Bell Bird

Watching the characters in Lena Dunham’s Girls grow up over the show’s six seasons, I always have little moments where I realise how much I’ve grown, too. I started watching in real time in 2012, when I was in year 10. I loved it but didn’t really understand it. Then one winter when I was 25, I was staying in Greenpoint (where much of the show takes place) and dealing with a maddening Brooklyn fuckboy. Seeing Dunham’s character navigate her relationship with her own Brooklyn fuckboy (Adam Driver) I remember finally relating to the characters, and having the distinct feeling that I was growing up (gross). Now I’m 29 and rewatching season one, I just want to hold these girls (and probably my early-20s self) and let them know everything will be okay. – Audrey Payne, Melbourne food and drink editor

I saw the original show when I was a kid – it was aired in Spain in the mid ’80s and all us kids wanted to be Starbuck. The 2004 version reminds me of fights with my DVD player to recognise the discs. And the concept of what makes a human human. I’ve returned to the miniseries and the first season a few times now – the rest tends to stretch the plot. – Jaume Llobregat, solutions architect

My dad introduced me to 30 Rock (and inadvertently, Tina Fey) when I was at uni and it changed my life. Not only did it gift me one of my all-time favourite TV characters, Liz Lemon, but also a cast of hilarious women I’d go on to idolise: Jane Krakowski, Elizabeth Banks, Aubrey Plaza, Rachel Dratch and … Salma Hayek? Whenever I need a reminder that life can still be funny – especially when it doesn’t feel that way – I go back for a rewatch. – Julia Monaco, group campaign manager

Ash Williams