The Allure Of A Rerun
Christine Rose Sebastian
SY B.Sc.
picture source: www.pinterest.comÂ
Friends, let’s be real. We have all been there. The streaming service is switched on and myriads of choices are presented to us. There are superhero sagas, quirky indie dramas, true-crime documentaries – you name it. Somehow, the cursor always seems to take the familiar route back to our favourite show. I know from personal experience that when I open Netflix in an attempt to “broaden my horizons” by watching something new, I somehow always end up in the bullpen of the 99th precinct of the NYPD or at Luke’s diner in the small quaint town of Stars Hollow or amongst the luxury real estate agents at the Oppenheim group or DDRE global. What can I say? They exert an almost magnetic pull, a siren song of comfort and laughter. Because really, deep within all of us, isn’t there a part that believes that the rest of humanity is watching “Friends” or “Modern Family” on an eternal loop just like we are?
But what is it about those time-tested and beloved shows, where every plot twist and the punchline is so etched into our memory? that we are hooked to the show for the 24673457th time? It’s like that jacket you can not stop wearing despite how worn out it is. In some ways, it gives you emotional sustenance. Scientists of the mind tell us that repetition breeds affection. Essentially, our mind is developing a fondness for familiarity.
Reruns play into a fascinating mental phenomenon: the mere-exposure effect. The more we are exposed to something, the more we tend to like it. So those countless nights spent curled up with your favourite show on TV? It becomes a warm blanket—happy memories filling you up. It is a mental shortcut to feeling good, a way of recapturing a simpler time in your life.
Further, it’s hard to argue that reruns aren’t a remarkable source of comfort. Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us, and sometimes, the prospect of having to emotionally invest in the next new show becomes just another tiring task after a long day of tackling the real world. Reruns, on the other hand, are like a warm hug. They’re predictable, familiar, and guaranteed to bring a smile (or bouts of laughter, thanks to characters like Joey Tribbiani and Michael Scott) to your face. You know the characters won’t leave you emotionally shattered (unless you’re a psycho who enjoys watching tear-jerking scenes over and over again), and the storylines always wrap up neatly by the end of the episode.
Now here’s an interesting tidbit. It is at the crossroads of the elements of psychology and economics where we find behavioural economics. And so, as a student of economics, the whole concept of going through several re-runs of a show instead of watching something new reminds me an awful lot of a concept rooted in psychology, but one that is also studied predominantly under behavioural economics: confirmation bias. Confirmation bias talks about how our brains are wired to look out for things that confirm what we already believe and know. Watching a new show requires quite a bit of cognitive effort in terms of processing a whole lot of unfamiliar plots, characters, and settings. Reruns, however, offer a mental vacation. Our brains already know we enjoy it, and there is no chance of wasting precious cognitive resources on something that might come across as not good enough. Amusingly, it’s not just reruns that offer this comfort zone. If you think about it, you will realise that the world of fan fiction thrives on the same principle. For many fans, delving into fan-written stories about their favourite shows isn’t cumbersome because they technically aren’t consuming new content. For them, it’s about expanding on a world they already know and love. There is no need for them to invest mental energy in understanding new characters or certain settings. They can jump right into fresh adventures with beloved characters, all within the framework of the show’s universe.
So the next time you are drawn to your favourite sitcom, seemingly for the hundredth time, and can’t seem to resist the urge, let it be. It’s not just mindless escapism. It’s a deep-seated human desire for comfort, familiarity, and a good dose of laughter—all wrapped up in a comforting blanket of nostalgia. Besides, who knows? Perhaps this time, you will finally come across a hidden gem, maybe the next most hilarious Chandler Bing quote, or even a subtle foreshadowing detail you had missed before. Because after all, there is always something new to discover in the comfort of the old.