Giving thanks for your blessings in life while surrounded by your closest family members sounds serene in theory, but we all know that Thanksgiving dinner is way more stressful than that—especially one after a big election.
Thank goodness, then, for television, which can serve as both a blissful distraction from stress in the kitchen (or at the dinner table) and as a great unifier, bringing together family members of different ages and beliefs for the simple task of enjoying some fun, feel-good entertainment.
You'll be chowing down on plenty of comfort food this week, but what about comfort TV? In honor of the holiday (and the short work week, giving us those extra bingeable TV hours), the E! News TV Team and our fellow E! News staffers have shared our go-to comfort TV in case you're having trouble selecting which fictional TV world you want to crawl into for the weekend.
Did we miss any of your go-tos? Leave your favorites in the comments below!
Gilmore Girls
"Just think—after Friday we'll have even more Gilmore episodes to watch while we ignore our families! But in the meantime, there's something truly relaxing about settling into Stars Hollow and letting the dizzying dialogue take over." —Jean Bentley
"This show just makes me feel like I am wearing a cozy flannel, sipping a hot cocoa in a perennial state of fall feeling all warm and fuzzy and sappy. It managed to be nostalgic and modern, and is basically pure magic." —Tierney Bricker
"Nothing is more comforting than a snowy Stars Hollow. " —Leanne Gutierrez
30 Rock
"The jokes in Tina Fey's amazing comedy fly fast and are still sharp, even 10 years after originally airing. Rewatching Liz Lemon, Jenna Maroney, Tracy Jordan, Jack Donaghy and the rest of the gang feels like visiting old friends." —Chris Harnick
Parks and Recreation
"Friends and Gilmore Girls are always go-tos, but lately I've found that nothing makes me feel happier and more at peace with the world (even when it seems to be on fire) than Parks and Recreation. There is no problem Leslie Knope can't find a way to fix, and no difference of opinion she can't find a way to work with. She is a magical beacon of hope in the darkness. And on the other hand, if I'm so angry not even Leslie Knope can help me, Cutthroat Kitchen is wonderful for working through aggression by yelling at the TV." —Lauren Piester
"My current go-to for when I'm down and out has been Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope's unbridled optimism, coupled with the way the lovable goofs of the Pawnee Parks Department all genuinely love one another as if they were family, never fails to walk me back off the ledge when I'm feeling especially stressed or frustrated with the world. Plus, it's simply funny as hell and, as they say, laughter truly is the best medicine." —Billy Nilles
Friends (and fellow ‘90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
"At the risk of seeming like I'm stuck in the '90s: Friends and Fresh Prince are the gold standard of comfort TV. No matter how many times I've seen an episode it's still makes me laugh. Every. Time. Only Uncle Phil can make your holiday meal into true poetry. And marathon-ing Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Monica's Thanksgivings through the years is basically a tradition in itself at this point." —Cinya Burton
I Love Lucy
"Fox used to do the work for me and air a Thanksgiving Day marathon, but now I just revert to the box set." —Natalie Finn
Golden Girls
"I don't know if I could have gotten through [my beloved dog's] death without it. Golden Girls taught me three of these characters lost the loves of their lives, but still went on to find joy in life. When dealing with family drama, I like to watch 30 Rock or The Muppet Show (the original one). It helps me see the annoying things family members do as funny, sitcom-character quirks." —Kate Riley
Law & Order: SVU
"I think it's the familiar characters and the format. I can binge it all afternoon. And when there's that (rare) episode, I've never seen before, it's like Christmas." —Beth Sobol
America's Funniest Home Videos
"I will never not laugh at people falling down. It makes me happy—is that so wrong?" —Marc Malkin
The Great British Bake-Off
"The music, the pastoral setting, the sweetness that is Mary Berry...there's nothing about this show that isn't soothing. (Minus the fact that it's not coming back which I'd rather not talk about THANKYOUVERYMUCH.)" —Nicole Pirshafiey
Degrassi
"You know those people who use sound machines to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean? The Canadian teen drama is my version of that. I've loved it since I was 13 and can't see myself ever NOT watching it with a smile on my face. (Except for the episode where Jimmy Brooks (the artist currently known as Drake) was shot, of course.)" —Tierney Bricker
Female-Fronted Comedies: Broad City, New Girl, Insecure
"My recent go-tos have been Broad City and New Girl. Had to binge both from the beginning and they honestly made me feel so much better because it's light and easy to watch and made me laugh. Oh! And Insecure. LOVE that show, but I need hour long episodes." —Bruna Nessif
Flip or Flop
Sure there's usually football or a parade on during the holidays. But my family always gets sucked into a Flip or Flop marathon on HGTV. While Tarek and Christina may experience stress flipping houses, we're perfectly calm on our couches watching each and every transformation. And yes, someone is always bound to joke: Can they do our house next? But seriously…" —Mike Vulpo
The Crown, Veep, Scandal
"The Crown was actually really cathartic and really helped get me in a brighter place this last week. Veep can get me out any rut. And some Scandal (with a big ole glass of wine, obvi) is the cure to literally anything." —Bobby Caruso