Old Shows That Everyone Rewatched In 2021
Rewatching your favorite television show is a guilty pleasure of many. Not only do you love to revisit your favorite characters, but it's fun to notice things that you never saw the first (or second) time around. Our favorite shows are comfortable and the characters are familiar pieces of our life. Psychology Today reports that it's common for fans to rewatch their favorite shows, and one of the biggest reasons they do so is to help them deal with their heavy cognitive load.
"Watching something new inherently involves thinking — there are new characters to learn, plot threads to remember, predictions for what will happen, and the possibility of an unpleasant turn. But there's no guesswork, cliffhangers, or stressful anticipation when watching an old favorite," Jennifer V. Fayard Ph. D. wrote for the outlet.
As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and all that comes with it, staying home and binging movies and television has become the new normal for many of us, and in 2021 it seems that nearly everyone was talking about their favorite series to stream.
Of course, it also appeared that many of us did a rewatch on at least one of our favorite shows, and for good reason. However, some old shows seemed to be more popular than others among avid TV fans.
The Office offered comic relief
"The Office" is one of the most beloved TV shows of all time. The hilarious characters and the iconic scenes never seem to get old, and always leave fans laughing out loud during each episode. The classic workplace sitcom seemed to be streamed by nearly everyone in 2021 as they looked for some laughs (via The Every Mom).
The cast is also amazing as Steve Carrell's portrayal of clueless, yet lovable, boss Michael Scott is one of the funniest characters ever. Of course, the epic love story between character Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) is also an added bonus whether you're watching the series for the first time or the fifth time.
A Sex and the City rewatch was a must in 2021
"Sex and the City" fans don't need a reason to binge the beloved HBO series. However, after actress Sarah Jessica Parker announced that she would be reprising her iconic role of Carrie Bradshaw for a brand new sequel series titled "And Just Like That," fans flocked to rewatch the original series as a way to refresh their memories and prepare for the brand new HBO Max show, per Screen Rant.
Of course, fans can't enjoy the new show if they don't know the characters' histories, which made a "Sex and the City" rewatch a must on fans' to-do lists in 2021.
The Friends reunion inspired us to revisit the series
"Friends" continues to have a huge following of loyal fans that can quote the show and answer nearly any trivia question. The series is often streamed and rewatched, but 2021 offered new inspiration to revisit the series when the original cast, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry, gathered together for a nostalgic unscripted reunion on HBO Max (via TV Time).
The cast members walked down memory lane (via TVLine) and reminded fans exactly why they loved the show to begin with, which prompted many fans to begin their rewatch of the series.
A podcast persuaded One Tree Hill fans to rewatch
"One Tree Hill" fans are passionate about the series and the characters, so when actresses Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, and Bethany Joy Lenz announced that they were reuniting for a podcast fans were more than thrilled. The actresses teamed up for the "Drama Queens" podcast to rewatch the series together and talk about each episode while giving fans an inside look into the show (via iHeart). Of course, that made viewers want to rewatch the show alongside the actresses.
The rewatch also gave viewers a chance to relive their crushes on actors the Scott brothers played by Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty.
Schitt's Creek movie talk had us hungry for more
When "Schitt's Creek" aired its series finale, fans saw David Rose and his family get their happy ending. Of course, there could be so much more to the story. After cast members Dan Levy and Annie Murphy shared their thoughts on the possibility of a "Schitt's Creek" movie to continue the story of the beloved characters (via Us Weekly), fans couldn't help but be hungry for more and headed to streaming sites like Netflix to binge the show again.
Everyone appeared to have their favorite show to rewatch in 2021, and it seems the trend could continue into 2022.