Is my obsession with old TV a form of self-soothing?

[Journey1234]

I feel a little embarrassed and I’m not sure how common this is, so I wondered if anyone might be able to shed some light on it?

I watch a lot of old game shows, sitcoms, and lately I’ve become obsessed with watching old Crimewatch programmes on YouTube. I do occasionally watch new things, but I always seem to default back to older programmes. I’ve watched some of them over and over again for years, and I even have them playing when I go to sleep.

It’s almost like a comfort thing. I genuinely enjoy what I watch, but I do sometimes wonder if it’s a little strange that I return to the same programmes so much.
I had a mother who was emotionally detached from me when I was growing up, and I had to learn to self-soothe from quite a young age. One of my biggest comforts was Alan Robson’s Night Owls, so I’ve wondered whether there could be some connection between that and why familiar voices and old programmes still feel so comforting to me now.

perhaps the familiarity and predictability are soothing, and I don’t have to concentrate as much as I would with something new.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I’d be really interested to hear other people’s experiences, or whether anyone with a psychological/therapeutic background has any thoughts on why this might be.

p.s with the crime watch programs I like watching the reconstructions particularly in the late 80s early 90s when I was a child as I like to see the old decor,shops,cars etc.

Where are you watching that?

If you are an anxious person then watching old shows is comforting because there are no suprises. You already know what’s coming. There is nothing to upset your nervous system .

I have been known to take to my bed and watch back to back episodes of the original “ All creatures Great and Small” when depression or burnout threatens. Either that or rereading favourite book series from my youth.

It’s not that I don’t think. As I’ve never watched new tricks first time. But loving the slow pace and the theme tune 😂

That is why before streaming programmes the main channels out on old programmes again and again I always thought - got high viewing figures!

I’ve got the box set from when an elderly relative passed away who collected DVDs. Haven’t watched it yet but looking forward to doing so! My last partner and I worked our way through all of:

Sharpe
Hornblower
Lark Rise to Candleford
House of Elliott
Blackadder
Allo Allo
Father Ted
Coupling
One Foot in the Grave
Minder

and many more, and in the background we had on the 80s music channel all the time if not watching something specific.

I rarely watch TV, but when I do, it’s the channel with Heartbeat on…

I watch the old adverts and continuity for BBC and ITV from the late 70s/80s on YouTube. Brings back such memories from childhood, especially the Xmas adverts and tv line ups.

@Blueberryblurs we watch the old adverts and continuity excerts too . They were so good l can remember like yesterday the 'everyone's a fruit and nut case ' ad with Frank Muir and the horse 😁

But my favourite ad of all time was the eggs one, with the land lady asking the lodger ,how'd you like your eggs fried or boiled ? Sadly not available .

We have also been watching Taggart , 'it's Murrrrrrder Jim' and the PDJames Adam Dalgleish series . Lord Peter Whimsey with Ian Carmichael, my very favourite and of course North and South and the very best 1995 THE Pride and Prejudice ❤️

It's on the U catch-up at the moment and Drama channel at 6 every evening.

Did you know you can get the Christmas tv listing for every year on the Christmas tv site?

And there’s another site that has tv and radio listings from when they started?

What did we do before all the channels showing the old repeats? I guess it was ‘watch it while it’s on as it may be recorded over’.

I always watch the old sitcoms 😊

@NoCommentingFromNowOn yep, or bought them on video/DVD!

This is so me. BBC is showcasing the 00s on Top of the Pops currently so that’s been my Saturday guilty pleasure the last few weekends. I love watching ‘period’ tv whatever the decade even if it’s pre me, things like stranger things, goldbergs, the Alan Carr one, anything that sort of transports you back to a different time. I also rewatch a lot of old sitcoms and tv shows from my youth.

I have a terrible flying phobia (bear with me). I also used to LOVE the TV series Doctors, possibly to the point of obsession.

Somehow, I got to the point where the Doctors theme tune became a huge source of comfort to me. To the point that the only way I could comfort myself duing take off on a plane would be to listen to it on repeat (headphones obviously!).

I know it's insane.

I love watching old episodes of downton abbey and upstairs downstairs. I find the family element comforting. I dont have extended family just dh and dcs and I think these shows make me feel like im taken into their families for a bit.

Me too. I hated the DA end when it was just Lady Mary in the house with her child.

I dont think its insane. A good few years ago I was going through a bad time. I asked for the dvd boxed set of upstairs downstairs for my Xmas from dh. I didn't explain why, he thought I just liked to watch it. But it remained in the cellophane unopened. I just felt comfort from knowing it was all there. It sat under the TV unit for years.
Actually this thread has just prompted me to look for it, I didn't know if we still had it. Its still there, at the bottom of the dvd pile. I feel its been looking after me for years.

Me too @ClawsandEffect

Yep mine are Friends, Gavin and Stacey, Buffy the vampire slayer, Twin Peaks, Downton Abbey and Benidorm.

I only watch old things and have seen every episode of Miss Marple about 100 times 😂

I think I have ADHD (for many reasons, not just this) but I’m not bothered about getting a diagnosis.

Normal. Especially the new stuff these days isn't worth watching

I have a boxed set of family at war that l have never seen but it's waiting for me in my hour of need .