January is a time for comfort TV - these are my favourite heartwarming shows of all time
If you're looking for a TV show that'll give you a big hug and see you through the dark evenings, here are the ones that have done it for me
Christmas is well and truly over - the halls are no longer decked, and there's sadly no more excuses to eat cheese and chocolate for every meal.
Staring down the barrel of grey days, dark nights, and a lingering post-festive come down, you might be searching for a little comfort.
My top comfort-watches of all time
Raising Hope
Where can I watch it? Disney+
How many seasons? 4
Often appearing on lists of "under the radar" and "hidden gem" TV shows, Raising Hope is both of those things, and also one of the most comforting and hilarious things I've ever seen.
After a one-night stand with a serial killer who is later executed in prison, Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) becomes a single father to baby Hope. Living with his eccentric, dysfunctional, working-class family in Natesville, Jimmy steps up to be the best father he can to Hope, with laugh-out-loud and uproarious results.
Garret Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton are absolute perfection as Jimmy's hapless parents, Burt and Virginia, and Cloris Leachman as his grandmother Maw Maw, steals every scene as her dementia storyline plays out with balanced sensitivity and humour.
This is such a joyful, easy watch. Seeing a young man barely out of his teenage years doing everything he can with the little he has to be a nurturing father will warm the coldest of hearts.
Schitts Creek
Where can I watch it? Netflix
How many seasons? 6
Schitts Creek took me on a bit of a journey in the beginning. When it came out in 2015, it became what I call a "bandwagon watch." Everybody was tuning in, and you'd feel left out if you weren't.
That can often put me off, because I hate feeling pushed into watching something just because the herd mentality says it's good. After the first episode, I wasn't sure why I should like or care about the characters.
By the third, I was absolutely, 100% smitten and in love with everyone and everything about it, and I cried when it ended. Follow the wealthy Rose family, Johnny (Eugene Levy), Moira (Catherine O'Hara), and their spoiled, incompetent adult children, David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), lose absolutely everything.
Forced to move to their only remaining asset, a rundown motel in a town they own called Schitt's Creek, which Johnny bought as a joke, you'll never see character development and comedy collide so perfectly, ever again.
Hordes of fans have said they have this show on in the background when they feel sad or lonely, and you'll see why - and you might end up like me and never be able to hear Simply The Best without bursting into tears once you've seen it all.
Gavin & Stacey
Where can I watch it? BBC iPlayer
How many seasons? 3 seasons and 3 Christmas specials
When Gavin & Stacey stars Ruth Jones, James Corden, and Alison Steadman met on the set of Fat Friends in 2000, the stars clearly aligned.
Ruth (Nessa) and James (Smithy) went on to write what will surely go down as one of the most iconic comedy shows in the history of British television, casting Alison (Pam) in one of the most memorable roles of her esteemed career.
Gavin (Matthew Horne)lives in Essex, and Stacey (Joanna Page) lives in Barry Island, in Wales. Gavin needs to call Stacey's workplace while working in his own job, and their work conversations become so flirtatious that they agree to meet in real life.
While their evolving relationship is sweet and funny, you'll soon find out that the real love story of the series sits somewhere else entirely.
This is everything you will ever need - properly crafted situation comedy, in-jokes, memorable characters, and lines that'll be quoted by families for generations. If you haven't already, get it on your TV.
Stella
Where can I watch it? NOW TV
How many seasons? 6
If you love Ruth Jones, you'll love Stella. Written by, and starring Ruth herself as the titular Stella, the show is wildly different to Gavin & Stacey, but captures the same comforting, comedy magic.
I watched this show during a period of significant difficulty in my life, and I clung to it like a lifeboat for my sanity. Stella is a downtrodden, down on her luck resident of the small Welsh town of Pontyberry.
What she lacks in luck, she makes up for with the enduring love from those around her - a cacophony of gloriously haphazard locals who usually turn to Stella in their time of need.
If all the joy in the world were gathered up and turned into a TV series, it would be this. The residents of Pontyberry might not have much, but they've got an abundance of community that is so lost from modern life.
I guarantee this will be the lift your spirits need, leaving you wanting to take up residence in the Welsh valleys with Stella as your neighbour.
This Is Us
Where can I watch it? Channel 4, Netflix, Disney+
How many seasons? 6
There are few words to describe how incredible This Is Us is, and I'm fairly sure I haven't been the same since I finished the final episode. Also, it will definitely make you cry - but hear me out, it's still absolutely a comfort watch.
Follow the Pearson family, parents Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore), and their "Big Three" children, Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), as the plot cleverly weaves between their past and present-day lives.
Just about everything is covered with gentle sensitivity: career struggles, relationships, identity, intergenerational trauma, and the small but perfect moments that really tie families together. In a nutshell, it's sad at times, but oh-so beautiful.
Modern Family
Where can I watch it? Disney+
How many seasons? 11
Modern Family really is a modern classic. This hilarious mockumentary follows the Pritchett family living in suburban Los Angeles.
Jay (Ed O'Neill) is head of the family, living with his much younger wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) with her son Manny (Rico Rodriguez). Jay's daughter Claire (Julie Bowen), struggles to accept her super glamorous step-mother, herself living with goofy husband Phil (Ty Burrell), and their three kids: popular Haley (Sarah Hyland), studious Alex (Ariel Winter), and the unpredictable Luke (Nolan Gould).
Jay's son and Claire's brother, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), live with their adopted Vietnamese daughter Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons). The family's nuanced relationships are explored with the wildest humour - all 11 seasons feel totally fresh and never jaded.
You'll fall in love with the Pritchetts from the very first episode and will absolutely laugh your way to bladder leakage throughout the 250 episodes of this legendary comedy.
Trying
Where can I watch it? Apple TV, BBC iPlayer (season 1 only)
How many seasons? 4 (a fifth is in the works)
The delectable Trying is another brilliantly heartwarming comedy that flew under the radar when it was released on Apple TV in 2020. After I didn't stop telling everyone I knew why they should watch it, I was pleased to see it gain more loyal viewers when it was picked up by BBC One this year.
As the name suggests, call centre operator Nikki (Esther Smith) and teacher Jason (Rafe Spall) are trying for a baby with no luck. The couple find that adoption might be their only route to having a family, and this takes them down a hilarious, profound and life-affirming road.
I defy you not to fall in love with Nikki and Jason - their chemistry is so sparky, it's no surprise to find they're now a real-life couple. Esther Smith, in particular, is a superb comic actress, who can switch between making you laugh and cry with one look.
This is another difficult subject sensitively handled, with the comedic moments perfectly placed. Gloriously comforting TV.
Derry Girls
Where can I watch it? Channel 4, Netflix
How many seasons? 3
Obviously, I want you to watch all of the shows recommended on this list, because they're excellent. But, I think absolutely everyone needs to see Derry Girls at least once - it should be made mandatory.
If you were a girl growing up in the 90s, the music, makeup, butterfly hair clips, crop tops, all of it, will take you straight back there. If you weren't a girl growing up in the 90s, you'll love it anyway because it's laugh-out-loud hilarious.
There is the twist that the teenage girl protagonists of the series (and James along for the ride) are coming of age in Derry, Northern Ireland, during the tense political era of The Troubles and attending a strict Catholic school, but this is handled in a sensitive and well-informed way.
Louisa Harland (Renegade Nell) is Orla McCool, Saoirse-Monica Jackson (This City is Ours) is Erin Quinn, Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) is Clare Devlin and Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (Leonard and Hungry Paul) is Michelle Mallon and Dylan Llewellyn (Big Boys) is James Maguire - their careers were skyrocketed by their performances in the show.
Also, give me a more cleverly written, excellently portrayed character than Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney.) I'll wait.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.