Betway’s new study combines colour, language and music analysis with unique survey insights to crown the most comforting TV show of all time.
There is something special about a true comfort TV show, the kind of series you can return to again and again, no matter the mood. These are the shows that wrap around you like a soft blanket, offering familiarity, warmth and a guaranteed lift. But what actually makes a TV show comforting, and can we measure it?
To find out, Betway Casino carried out in-depth research that combined colour, language and music analysis with survey insights to once and for all crown the most comforting TV show. The analysis researched the following metrics for 22 of the most well-known comfort TV shows:
- Warm visual colour analysis: Using AI image detection, we examined key scenes for warm tones linked to feelings of comfort.
- Positive sentiment in scripts: AI examined the scripts of each show’s top five episodes to quantify positivity percentage.
- Theme song BPM analysis: Research shows 145 BPM is the happiest tempo, so we measured how far each show’s theme tune is to this perfect BPM.
- Episode length alignment: Our survey revealed 38.4 minutes is the perfect comfort show length, and we scored each series based on how close they come.
- Rewatchability from viewers: We surveyed how many times people in the UK have watched each show from start to finish, which is a key factor in comfort TV.
- Happiness lift: We asked viewers to estimate how much happier each show makes them feel.
The full study can be found here: https://blog.betway.com/casino/cthe-ultimate-comfort-tv-index/
It’s official: Friends is the most comforting TV show of all time
Analysing the warm tones found in key locations on the show, Friends scored 90%, which means most of its scenes sit in a cosy, inviting colour palette. Script analysis also revealed the show to have a largely positive sentiment, with 48% of the language in scripts analysed being positive. Its instantly recognisable theme song, I’ll Be There For You by The Renbrandts, is also close to the scientifically happy 145 BPM mark, so the feel good effect begins within the first few seconds of every episode.
Betway’s survey also found that watching Friends improves people’s happiness levels by around 54%, which could explain why people have watched the popular sitcom nine times on average. Finally, Friends is also just 16 minutes shy of the “perfect” length of a comfort TV episode according to viewers, which is around 38 minutes according to the survey.
| Rank | TV Show | % of warm visuals | % positive sentiment | Theme song distance from perfect BPM (145 BPM) | Episode Length (mins) | Episode length distance from perfect time (38.4 mins) | How many times people have watched | Happiness % increase | Comfort score |
| 1 | Friends | 90% | 48.4% | 46 | 22.5 | 15.9 | 9 | 53.9 | 7.53 |
| 2 | Sex and the City | 85% | 49.2% | 19 | 27.5 | 10.9 | 7 | 51.3 | 6.97 |
| 3 | How I Met Your Mother | 90% | 53.6% | 12 | 22 | 16.4 | 5 | 52.9 | 6.96 |
| 4 | Gilmore Girls | 75% | 29.6% | 38 | 42 | 3.6 | 6 | 57.6 | 6.80 |
| 5 | The Golden Girls | 85% | 53.2% | 35 | 23 | 15.4 | 8 | 50.4 | 6.78 |
| 6 | The Big Bang Theory | 75% | 55.2% | 16 | 20 | 18.4 | 8 | 51.7 | 6.74 |
| 7 | Modern Family | 90% | 55.4% | 29 | 22 | 16.4 | 6 | 51.4 | 6.71 |
| 8 | Brooklyn 99 | 75% | 61.8% | 37 | 22 | 16.4 | 6 | 53.8 | 6.61 |
| 9 | Desperate Housewives | 80% | 20.4% | 5 | 43 | 4.6 | 5 | 52.4 | 6.17 |
| 10 | New Girl | 80% | 58.2% | 29 | 22 | 16.4 | 4 | 53.0 | 6.06 |
With its focus on friendship, dating disasters and personal growth, Sex and the City ranks second. The show has high scores across the board with warm visuals (85%) and a theme song that sits close to the uplifting tempo zone (just 19 beats off of the “happiest” BPM of 145). Survey respondents also give it a solid rating when asked how much it increases their happiness levels (51%).
Featuring endless running gags and familiar humour, How I Met Your Mother comes in third. The show brings together warm scenes (90%), a theme song very close to the happy BPM target, and an above average positive sentiment score in its scripts (54%).
Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls are the best mood boosting TV shows
According to the survey, Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls are the two TV shows that make viewers feel the happiest, both giving viewers an impressive 57.6% increase in happiness levels. Even though Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama with the lowest positive sentiment found in script analysis (just 16.4%), viewers clearly connect with its mix of romance, friendship, character development and emotional storytelling.
Gilmore Girls earns the same top happiness score for very different reasons. Its wholesome setting, gentle humour, tight knit community and warm family relationships create a feel good atmosphere that viewers repeatedly turn to.
In third place is Suits with a 56.3% happiness increase, showing that its mix of fast paced storylines and charismatic characters provides more comfort than many might expect. The Good Place follows with 54.5%, which reflects its optimistic tone and uplifting moral themes. Friends and Bridgerton both score 53.9%, rounding out the top performers and demonstrating the power of familiar characters, romantic arcs and reassuring story structure to boost people’s mood.
Frasier is the most bingeable comfort TV show, according to viewers
The survey also crowned Frasier as the ultimate comfort rewatch: on average, respondents have watched the series from start to finish 10 times on average. Its mix of clever wordplay, cosy Seattle settings and low-stakes, character-driven plots makes it perfect “background TV” that people can return to again and again without it ever feeling stressful.
Friends isn’t far behind, with viewers rewatching the full series around nine times. the tight-knit friendship group, familiar apartments and highly quotable jokes make it an endlessly repeatable staple.
In third place, The Golden Girls has been rewatched eight times on average, which speaks to how timeless its humour and found-family warmth still feel, despite being one of the older TV shows in the list.
Which of these comfort TV shows will you be tuning into this winter season?
