15 Most Rewatchable TV Shows Of All Time

What makes a TV show rewatchable? Your time is precious, and we all have a limited amount of time on this Earth, so it’s a big commitment not only watching a TV series in its entirety but watching a TV series again. For some, they may want to revisit an old favorite because it provides a sense of comfort. It could be the perfect thing for putting on when you’re trying to relax and don’t want to get too stressed out, because you know how everything will play out. 

Comedies would largely fill out that category, but there’s nothing wrong with checking out some old dramas, too. Rewatching certain shows can give you a different perspective. You may notice details you didn’t catch the first time, like foreshadowing that displays how everything plays out in the final season. Either way, these are the most rewatchable TV shows of all time, so if you haven’t even seen them at all yet, it’s a good time to start because they could easily become something you revisit again and again and again…

For a period of time, some people proudly proclaimed that the only reason they had a Netflix subscription was to watch “The Office.” The show’s now on Peacock (including extended cuts of every episode), but that sentiment is probably truer than ever. “The Office” is the ultimate comfort watch, as there are nine seasons of shenanigans to partake in. 

The show’s obviously funny, often dancing the line between sweet humor and a far crasser variety. But there’s also something inherently relatable about watching a bunch of weirdos work at a paper company together. Even if you’ve never worked in that industry, there’s a good chance you’ve met a Michael Scott (Steve Carell), Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) or Angela (Angela Kinsey) before. 

Some seasons of “The Office” are better than others, with the first and last really failing to capture the magic the show is largely known for. But it’s a deeply human show, especially as we follow the ups and downs of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) relationship. “The Office” may make you cringe at times, but it’ll also fill you with joy. 

The 2000s were a special era in television. The medium was entering its prestige era right before the advent of streaming, and it gave us gems like “Mad Men.” 

It’s a period drama, which is always fun, set in the 1950s and primarily focuses on ad executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm). He’s a deeply flawed character, typically incapable of having any genuine relationships with anyone, although one could argue his friendship with Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) is what makes the show work as well as it does.

We see Don engage in adultery and underhandedness in the business world, but it makes it all the more fascinating to see how he develops over the course of seven seasons. Upon rewatches, he may seem funnier or sadder. Maybe you idolized him on first watch but now understand all the damage he caused. It’s a show that grows with you as you get older yourself. Even though AMC had a slew of ideas for “Mad Men” spinoffs, it’s for the best this remains a one-and-done affair, as it feels like it left no stone unturned. 

The most rewatchable shows are often the ones where you could put on any episode and not feel like you’re missing anything. It’s what allows “The Twilight Zone” to stand the test of time as an anthology series, where each episode presents a new, intriguing tale. Some episodes fill you with terror, like “It’s a Good Life,” about a young boy who can wish for anything to happen if anyone makes him mad. Others are sillier, not having much in terms of messaging. But sometimes, you need that. No matter what you’re in the mood for, “The Twilight Zone” has something for every taste.

It’s also fun going back to rewatch all of those old episodes to see what celebrities appeared on “The Twilight Zone” that you maybe didn’t recognize before. A lot of talent appeared on the series before they made it big, But famous faces aren’t the only reason why “The Twilight Zone” remains must-watch television. The show often tackled political and ideological issues that remain frighteningly relevant today, so rewatching it is a chance to gain a new perspective. 

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” didn’t just change children’s television forever — it changed the entire medium. When the Fire Nation is on the warpath, it’s up to the avatar Aang (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen), who can master all four elements, and his friends to stop the aggression. It’s normal for kids’ shows of that era, like “The Fairly OddParents” and “SpongeBob SquarePants,” to have some kind of lesson at the end of every episode, but none had as many real-world parallels as “Avatar.” 

The series is still extremely funny, but it has superb character work. As soon as you finish watching it the first time, you want to go back and catch all of the little details you missed on first watch. “Avatar” also keeps cranking out supplementary material to flesh out its world, whether it’s the sequel show “The Legend of Korra” or the live-action “Avatar” on Netflix. With wars sadly still prominent across the globe, “Avatar” is a great primer for kids on how such awful acts can be allowed to continue while also reminding them that good people are there to try to stop it. 

“Breaking Bad” is often held up as one of the best TV shows of all time, so it’s no surprise it’s also one of the most rewatchable. Even if you haven’t seen it yourself, you should know from cultural osmosis that it’s about a high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who begins making and selling meth to ensure his family’s financial stability after getting diagnosed with cancer and believing he’ll soon die anyway. 

It’s a show all about change. Walter begins the series as a man doing a bad thing but for somewhat noble reasons. As it continues, Walt becomes more despicable by the episode. There’s some real whiplash watching the “Breaking Bad” finale compared to the pilot where Walt is so much meeker. The real joy of rewatching “Breaking Bad” is catching all the little moments of foreshadowing, even when it comes to small details like Ted (Christopher Cousins) tripping over his rug before he has a much more severe accident over the same rug. “Breaking Bad” is a series that rewards close attention. 

When a show has over 800 episodes, it becomes rewatchable solely based on the fact that there’s so much material to go back and revisit. But with “The Simpsons,” the pièce de résistance is clearly those early seasons, specifically seasons 3 through 8, if you want to see some of the best comedy of your life.

In those years, “The Simpsons” was untouchable, with a truly astonishing jokes-per-minute ratio. Just go back and watch “22 Short Films About Springfield” or “Homer Loves Flanders,” and you’re bound to see plenty of jokes and memes you’ve come across in your daily life. But you also don’t want to ignore the later seasons. The quality may have declined a bit, but there are gems to be found. 

As is the case with any show from the 1990s, some “Simpsons” jokes haven’t aged well. But you’ll likely be surprised at how well other episodes have aged, especially those concerned with political topics, like season 6’s “Sideshow Bob Roberts.” Few shows will ever be able to match the wit and hilarity of “The Simpsons.” 

Many TV shows have tried to follow in the footsteps of “The Simpson,” and while its influence is definitely present with “Bob’s Burgers,” it’s a different animated series marching to the beat of its own drum. Yes, it’s about a family that often struggles with financial issues, but a core difference is that they all seem to like each other. Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) is nowhere near the jerk that Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) is. 

“Bob’s Burgers” has had its own evolution that makes rewatching so great. At the beginning, the show learned into edgier humor that would be more at home on “Family Guy.” But as the series progressed, those edges got sanded away, and it’s moved away from mean-spirited humor without sacrificing what made these characters great to begin with. Some people may like those early days, but “Bob’s Burgers” has become one of the more sentimental animated sitcoms in recent memory, with episodes like “The Amazing Rudy” honing in on a tragic side character we always wished would get more screen time. 

Let’s be honest, reality can all be a bit too much sometimes. You want to stay engaged and be aware of what’s going on, but when it comes to taking care of your mental health, it can be advantageous to unwind for a couple of hours with a comfort watch. Things don’t get much more comforting than with “Gilmore Girls.” 

Set in Stars Hollow, where it’s always autumn for some reason, the series picks up with mother-daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel), who are trying to navigate their respective professional and romantic lives. But things are never stressful for too long. It’s like the show takes place in a Norman Rockwell painting where everything’s nice most of the time. 

It’s a low-stakes drama (with ample hilarious moments) that you’ll want to revisit repeatedly. It’s soothing with the way the characters rapidly speak, almost functioning as ASMR. Just add a fuzzy blanket and some hot cocoa, and a “Gilmore Girls” marathon is all you need to feel at ease. 

When you want something a bit more fast-paced, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has jokes and gore galore. Across seven seasons, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Scooby Gang go up against a host of adversaries. Some can be kind of silly in retrospect, but others have aged amazingly well. The episode “Hush” continues to freak us out all these years later. 

There’s plenty of action with Buffy fighting everything from vampires to flesh-eaters to all sorts of ghouls. But it’s the central friendships that’ll keep you coming back for more. You become invested in these characters and genuinely care for them when they’re in danger. Even if you already know who makes it out alive, you’ll still fear for them when all hope seems lost. 

Ultimately, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has everything you could want out of a TV show. There’s humor, action, romance, and drama, often all within the same 42-minute span. Even watching it today, “Buffy” feels like a revelation. 

A lot of sitcoms need their characters to stay the same so that they can do similar storylines from one season to the next. Part of the joy of rewatching “Schitt’s Creek” is seeing how the Rose family steadily changes. The show begins with the wealthy Roses losing all of their money, forcing them to move to the small town of Schitt’s Creek and try to rebuild their lives. 

As one might assume, the Roses start as typical rich jerks, but as time goes on, they come to appreciate this simpler way of living. But no matter what season you dive into, you’re in for hilarity. “Schitt’s Creek” has no shortage of instantly quotable lines, many of which come from the late, great Catherine O’Hara as the iconic Moira Rose. 

“Schitt’s Creek” makes for great comfort viewing. There are bound to be jokes you missed the first time around you only notice upon revisiting. If nothing else, rewatching “Schitt’s Creek” will make you appreciate the genius that was O’Hara’s comedic style. 

Sometimes you just need to watch a sitcom where you know everybody’s names. “Cheers” is the gold standard of comedic television, setting the standard for many sitcoms to follow. Most of the time, the show’s just about a group of people hanging out in a bar, and that kind of third place setting would worm its way into shows like “How I Met Your Mother.” It also perfected the will they/won’t they romance years before “The Office” or “Abbott Elementary” with the eternal question of whether Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) would ever get together.

Those two may ground the series, but “Cheers” is fleshed out with a fantastic assortment of oddballs who frequent Cheers. There’s the perpetually unemployed Norm (George Wendt) and intellectual Frasier (Kelsey Grammer). Rewatching “Cheers” (especially the best episodes) makes you feel like a patron at the bar yourself. It’s like checking in with old friends, and even when you know the punchlines, the dialogue’s so quick and witty you won’t mind hearing the same old stories again. 

“Parks and Recreation” is one of those shows where every character, no matter how minor they might be, is probably someone’s favorite. Of course, it’s always fun to watch Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler) perpetual optimism, but then you have the other members of the Pawnee, Indiana Parks & Rec department who have their own strengths and follies, as well as the kooky characters who show up for the town hall meetings and cause chaos. 

“Parks and Recreation” takes a more optimistic view of politics, showing how there are still good people out there willing to fight the good fight. There’s already enough cynicism in the world to where it’s nice to rewatch a show that wants to believe in the good of people. It makes you feel good inside, even when things don’t go Leslie’s way. She has an excellent support system, and it serves as a good reminder that our communities are what should keep us going. It’s a good thing “Parks and Recreation” didn’t become an “Office” spinoff, because it’s so much better as its own thing. 

Some TV shows you can only fully appreciate once you get older. A lot of folks likely watched “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” for the first time when they were kids or teenagers. They related to Will (Will Smith) and his various antics or wanted to see Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) do his eponymous dance. 

But if it’s been a while since you’ve seen “Fresh Prince,” it’s worth a rewatch. When you go back and watch it as an adult, you may find yourself relating more to Uncle Phil (James Avery). It’s clear he has deep compassion toward Will, even if he can come off as strict. He isn’t a strict authoritarian but genuinely wants what’s best for his boys. 

As far as shows from the ’90s are concerned, “Fresh Prince” has aged pretty well. Many jokes still land, and “Fresh Prince” wasn’t afraid to tackle serious issues that still plague society today, like racism and classism. It’s the perfect show one can introduce to their own kids.  

Carol (Rhea Seehorn) from “Pluribus” has the right idea: If the world ended, we’d probably cope by watching a “Golden Girls” marathon, too. A comedy can only be as good as the timing and chemistry within its central cast, and the four ladies at the heart of this show — Betty White, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan — could play off of each other like nobody’s business.

This is seen in some of the best “Golden Girls” episodes, like “The Actor” where three of the ladies all start dating the same man they’re in a play with. It all leads to a wonderful climax when they realize what’s happening, and the play they’re in falls into disarray. But you don’t need to look for to see why “The Golden Girls” is worth rewatching. Practically every episode contain hilarious one-liners. The girls may bicker and argue occasionally, but they care deeply for one another, which makes you want to come back to see what’s next for this found family. 

Rewatching “Friends” is like stepping into a time machine to revisit the ’90s. It represents a simpler time before smartphones and social media were ever-present in the zeitgeist. You can go back and watch any episode throughout its 10-season run and just find people hanging out. Yes, it doesn’t make sense how these people can afford their lifestyles and manage to hang out as often as they do. But that’s besides the point. “Friends” shows the carefree life we all wish we had where we could drop into a buddy’s apartment at a moment’s notice and be welcomed with open arms. 

“Friends” never really gets bogged down with too much drama. When there are issues between characters, they typically get resolved within an episode or two. We’re here for the laughs, and if you’ve already seen the show, then you know exactly what happens. 

It makes for a great rewatch any time of year, as some of the best “Friends” episodes are the Thanksgiving specials you’ll want to put on around November. When you need to escape from life’s havoc, “Friends” is like revisiting some old friends and seeing how you’ve all changed over the years.