Kate Robb on what draws us to rewatch TV shows

It’s October, which means it’s time to pull out our cable knits, grab a pumpkin-flavoured beverage, and cozy up in front of the fire. For me, this means one of two things: grabbing a book with a little bit of magic weaved into a romantic story or rewatching Gilmore Girls for the third? Fifth? Twelfth? time.

Okay, twelfth may be a slight exaggeration. However, there are certain scenes that, between rewatching episodes and too many hours of Instagram scrolling, I’ve definitely viewed in the double digits. But there is something addicting about Gilmore Girls that makes me want to sit down each fall and watch Lorelai and Rory antagonize Luke while drinking a half pot of coffee.

I know I’m not the only repeat binger out there. My sister can whisper-quote her way through almost every single Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode. My best friend owns a DVD and Apple TV version of every season of Dawson’s Creek and still watches it on Netflix (there’s no such thing as too much Joshua Jackson, so I get it.)

So what is it? What keeps us coming back to shows where we’ve practically memorized the endings? Perhaps it’s the characters that almost feel like actual friends. I love Xander Harris’ sarcastic quips and adore Joey and Pacey’s easy banter. I have made an entire pastime out of debating who was the better boyfriend: Logan, Jess or Dean (note: it’s definitely not Dean.) Loveable characters are like lovable people. We want to spend time with them, even if it means hearing their stories over and over again.

Another reason might be the safety that comes with the predictability– knowing ahead of time that Joyce Summers suffers a fatal aneurysm or that a dropped ice cream cone leads to the crash that takes the life of Dawson’s dad (worst character death scene ever), or even that Jess and Rory are not meant to be anything more than book-loving friends. The bad parts can’t hurt you the same when we see them coming, and with the last few years we’ve had (pandemic, recession, global warming *waves hand at the rest of the world*), there is solace in seeing the future and knowing you can fast forward through the rough parts.

Or maybe it’s something deeper? Something introspective. I know I’m no longer the bright-eyed tween who fell in love with Stars Hollow. I’ve grown. I’ve matured. I have learned things about myself and the world that have given me perspective– especially about the toxic parts of ’90s culture so amply reflected in the television shows I once loved. I can say with certainty that I no longer think teenage marriage is romantic (I barely had the wisdom to pick a University at 18, let alone a life partner), that 90’s television needed far more representation of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters, and that dating your English teacher is a no-no (okay, even I found that icky back in the day.) Rewatching my favourite shows has been like my own self-growth measuring stick.

Whatever it is, come Christmas I will have once again binged all 153 episodes of Gilmore Girls. As the great Lorelai once said “if eating cake is wrong, I don’t want to be right.” I say, same sentiment, but television!

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb is out now in paperback