# Do you have shows you watch repeatedly just because you like hanging out with the characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491 "2016-09-10T01:30:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/41 "2016-09-11T19:04:03Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I just have to say, **ThelmaLou** , how much I always enjoy your threads. (Also your contributions to them.) This thread has given me a lot of new places to visit when I need to have a break from reality. It’s also reassuring to know that other people put the TV on to familiar shows as background; I thought maybe it was just me. > > And I forgot to mention MASH. If Alan Alda can’t make you feel better about life, no one can. Thank you. You’re very kind. 🙂 I also like the fact that others do this. These days we need to retreat from reality more than ever. :rolleyes: Re Murder She Wrote: Cabot Cove, Maine, must have the highest per capita murder rate in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_Sweden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Duke\_Sweden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_Sweden)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/42 "2016-09-11T19:07:45Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > I came in here to say that the show isn’t that good writing-wise, but I enjoy mostly all the characters and they’re really the only reason I’ll still watch. Same here. In fact, after watching every episode about 15 times, they’re starting to get on my nerves, just like real friends. I think Penny is the only one without an episode where she gets on my nerves. But every time I watch the episode in the bowling alley where Penny breaks up with Leonard, I want to seriously kick him in the nuts for being such a pathetic needy douche. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/43 "2016-09-11T19:19:03Z")
I think some of you are missing the point. Hanging with the Scoobies? Are you _insane_? Ditto the Firefly 'verse. Ditto MASH. Living in those universes as a NPC is a guaranteed ride to Painful Death. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/44 "2016-09-11T19:40:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I think some of you are missing the point. Hanging with the Scoobies? Are you _insane_? Ditto the Firefly 'verse. Ditto MASH. Living in those universes as a NPC is a guaranteed ride to Painful Death. I am definitely missing the point. Please explain. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/45 "2016-09-11T19:47:44Z")
Don’t mind me. I just skimmed the thread and read it as “What characters would you like to hang out with?” Not “What shows are _comfort shows_?” **Buffy** may be a comfort show but hanging with those characters will get you killed fast. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/46 "2016-09-11T23:54:51Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Don’t mind me. I just skimmed the thread and read it as “What characters would you like to hang out with?” Not “What shows are _comfort shows_?” **Buffy** may be a comfort show but hanging with those characters will get you killed fast. Yeah, for example, have lunch with Jessica Fletcher weekly and odds are you will be dead before the end of the year. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/47 "2016-09-12T01:30:35Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Old and geeky, I guess, but I’ve rewatched Babylon 5 through four or five times over the years, in small part because I do like to hang out with the characters, and because it’s one of the very few fictional universes I’d like to John Carter into. 🙂 I’ve never seen Babylon 5 but I see my library has the series…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sine\_Nomine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sine_nomine/32/513_2.png) [@Sine\_Nomine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sine_Nomine)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/48 "2016-09-12T03:46:14Z")
Not as much TV, but there are some YouTubers I’ll rewatch to relax, particularly TheRunawayGuys and Lucahjin. A few years ago, I was housebound for six weeks recovering from surgery. A few weeks in, the house started to feel FAR too quiet (I live alone), so I started playing YouTube in the background throughout the day. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/49 "2016-09-12T04:20:06Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Lately, it’s been _The Greatest American Hero_ for me, flaws and all. Also _Firefly_ and _Alien Nation_. Hey, thanks for mentioning this! I didn’t realize _Alien Nation_ was available. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/50 "2016-09-12T15:53:51Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I keep going to Harlan, Kentucky I heartily approve. Also, and it hardly needs to be said, I have spent many, many happy hours in Springfield. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Fairway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Mrs\_Fairway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Fairway)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/51 "2016-09-12T17:11:52Z")
Parks and Recreation. I feel like I know those people and I would hang with them all the time if I did. I sometimes have it in the background while I do housework. I watch Lonesome Dove every Fall and have since it came on. It’s so comforting, like being with your family and knowing what story your uncle is about to tell. Best with a bowl of chili or homemade soup. Any of the Bourne movies (including the Jeremy Renner version) are a comfort background as well. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/52 "2016-09-12T17:38:21Z")
A&E’s _Nero Wolfe_ series from the 2001/2002. Starred Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin. A real tour de force of characterization, set decoration, costuming and production values. Each episode was movie quality. I loved all of it, especially the interiors of Wolfe’s house, the clothes they wore, and the characters themselves. I could easily and happily have hung out in that house and with those guys for quite some time. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/53 "2016-09-13T00:16:21Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > A&E’s _Nero Wolfe_ series from the 2001/2002. Starred Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin… Ahhhhhh! I totally agree! Excellent television. Did you ever see Timothy’s poppa Jim Hutton as ELLERY QUEEN in 1975-76? David Wayne played Inspector Queen, and they had a magnificent array of guest stars: Vincent Price, Don Ameche, Eve Arden, Rudy Vallee, Joan Collins, George Burns, Victor Buono, etc. A fun gang to hang out with as well. Plus the lovely “Challenge to the Viewer” before each final commercial break, when Hutton would break the fourth wall to tell you he’d nailed the killer and that you should have, too. “Remember that the revolver had only one bullet, in the fourth chamber. And that the intercom was OFF. And there was a half-empty wine bottle, but no dirty glasses. And the parrot was dead.” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/54 "2016-09-13T01:02:51Z")
I definitely remember the Ellery Queen series. Is Nero Wolfe streaming anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/55 "2016-09-13T01:34:14Z")
I’ve been watching full episodes on YouTube. In “Murder is Corny,” Chaykin does Wolfe’s speech on the proper preparation of sweet corn verbatim from the books! “American housewives themselves should be boiled in water!” ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/56 "2016-09-13T01:34:19Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > A&E’s _Nero Wolfe_ series from the 2001/2002. Starred Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin. A real tour de force of characterization, set decoration, costuming and production values. Each episode was movie quality. I loved all of it, especially the interiors of Wolfe’s house, the clothes they wore, and the characters themselves. I could easily and happily have hung out in that house and with those guys for quite some time. This for me too. Besides the brownstone, I hang out on the Satellite of Love, in Cicely, Alaska, Barton Cottage, The Gem and Port Wenn. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/57 "2016-09-13T01:55:01Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Ahhhhhh! I totally agree! Excellent television. > > Did you ever see Timothy’s poppa Jim Hutton as ELLERY QUEEN in 1975-76? David Wayne played Inspector Queen, and they had a magnificent array of guest stars: Vincent Price, Don Ameche, Eve Arden, Rudy Vallee, Joan Collins, George Burns, Victor Buono, etc. > > A fun gang to hang out with as well. Plus the lovely “Challenge to the Viewer” before each final commercial break, when Hutton would break the fourth wall to tell you he’d nailed the killer and that you should have, too. “Remember that the revolver had only one bullet, in the fourth chamber. And that the intercom was OFF. And there was a half-empty wine bottle, but no dirty glasses. And the parrot was dead.” No, unfortunately I never saw _Ellery Queen_ with Jim Hutton. Perhaps I’ll see if it’s available on Netflix or Youtube. Thanks. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Is Nero Wolfe streaming anywhere? Don’t know about streaming other than what may be on Youtube. But if you have Netflix with DVDs the series is available there. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/58 "2016-09-13T02:25:31Z")
The two mystery shows “Father Brown Mysteries” and “Death in Paradise.” The characters of the ensemble cast are so much fun, I’d love more than anything to be there with them. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/59 "2016-09-13T16:24:26Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > The two mystery shows “Father Brown Mysteries” and “Death in Paradise.” The characters of the ensemble cast are so much fun, I’d love more than anything to be there with them. Are you referring to the newish “Father Brown” starring the guy who played Mr. Weasley in the “Harry Potter” movies? I’ve only watched “The Eye of Apollo,” which is one of my favorite Chesterton Father Brown stories, and I thought they made a mess of it. Try the 1974 series starring the great Kenneth More. Cheap-ass production values, but the writing and acting was great. Did an excellent job with “The Secret Garden,” the second Brown story and possibly the best of all. If you find a corpse with a severed head, don’t always assume that the head belonged to the body. I can’t picture Holmes or Wolfe deducing that…but it occurs to Brown’s screwy little brain… ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491/60 "2016-09-13T17:11:27Z")
“Big Bang Theory”, “Seinfeld”, and “My Name Is Earl” make the top three in my list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-shows-you-watch-repeatedly-just-because-you-like-hanging-out-with-the-characters/765491.md?page=4)