In Defense Of The Re-Watch: It’s Okay To Watch The Same Damn Thing Over And Over Again

I want to say one thing and I want to be absolutely clear about it: It’s okay to watch the same damn thing over and over again.

In recent weeks, there’s been something of a “shame campaign” launched against people who like to use their Netflix accounts to re-watch the same film or show day after day. Not only did Netflix release a year-end data review that singled-out a single mother in England for watching Bee Movie 357 times in one year, but they also dropped this contentious tweet:

The tweet inspired a flurry of clap backs and think pieces. Decider’s own Joe Reid pointed out that the snarky tweet served to remind people that Netflix is hoarding all sorts of data points about its users’ private tastes and viewing habits — data points that could be used in nefarious ways. But what struck me was how mean the tweet was. Even Netflix’s competitors picked up on the bullying tone.

So why would someone want to watch A Christmas Prince every day for 18 days in a row? I can think of a few reasons. Like the Bee Movie mom, it’s possibly the only film that soothes a cranky child. Or perhaps the film provides escapist fun for someone who is overcoming an illness. There’s also the very real possibility that these people kept trying to watch the film and fell asleep part-way through. Which means they would have to start their odyssey all over again the next night, only to fall asleep again, in a sort of Sisyphus-like manner. (Honestly, I tried to watch A Christmas Prince after a holiday party, and I kept dozing off.) Or maybe, just maybe, these 53 people like the movie that gosh darn much.

We’re spoiled for content in 2017. Thanks to streaming, the savvy viewer has access to more television and film than ever before. Between Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime alone, you’re probably looking at hundreds of thousands of hours of content. And so the pressure is on. You have to keep up with all the latest seasons of every single Netflix Original. You’re supposed to be hip to whatever sleeper hit Hulu is serving up. You should do your television-watching duty and delve into these streaming service’s back catalogues. Have you even seen every episode of Cheers? If not, how dare you? How dare you call yourself a TV fan?

It can all be a wee bit overwhelming. Couple that pressure with the non-stop media maelstrom we live in — most of us have got an endless barrage of cable news, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatApp, text chains, memes, and actual newspaper reporting to navigate through — and watching television can feel more like a chore than a treat. Enter: the re-watch. Re-watching a film or show you already know you love can eliminate the pressure you put on yourself.

I’ve secretly been something of a “re-watch monster” since I was a kid — and I say that with pride! Even in grade school I recognized the immediate emotional satisfaction of watching something familiar. You know that you’re going to like what you’re watching and so it’s like wrapping your senses in a warm, narrative blanket. There will always be times when you want to be surprised, but in the tumultuous stress of everyday life, returning to the narrative beats you know and love can be a salve.

When we sit down to watch a film or show, we’re supposed to be entertaining ourselves. Yes, art should challenge us. And film and television both have the power to teach us deeper truths about our world. But we also watch things to relax, unwind, and decompress. In a world with too much stimulation, the re-watch acts as a dulling agent, in the best way possible. It’s like returning home after a hard day. We can recharge our batteries as viewers in the re-watch, so as to reinvigorate ourselves for something new.

Now, the re-watch isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. The point I’m trying to make is that we all watch different things for different reasons. Don’t let anyone shame you for being you.