The question that everyone is asked is one that I hate: “What is your favorite new show that you are watching?” While the question itself is a solid question, as it covers what someone may like which helps see if you’d get along with them, it has one fatal flaw within it. The word “new”. It is very uncommon that I am watching a show as it is coming out and that I am staying up to date on it. Staying up to date with what new shows that are coming out is really hard. I think an update to the question is in order. The question should be “What is your comfort show?” Now this is a question that gets the same idea across and gets a more genuine answer every time. There will be no more responses of “I’m not watching any new show” or whatever show was very popular at the time. The new question will get exactly the answer that we were expecting with the old one and will tell everything we wanted out of that question.

The idea of a comfort show is very similar to comfort food. It’s a show that can be turned on after a hard day and you just need something to cheer you up. The show doesn’t have to be groundbreaking television or be one of the best shows. It just has to be a show that makes someone feel good and at peace with the world around them. For me, that comfort show is King of the Hill. The premise of the show follows a man named Hank Hill, who sells propane and propane accessories and his life with his friends and family. The show is also animated. While yes, the show is very dumb and the comedy is dry, and the episodes don’t always have a lot going on within them, they still bring me a lot of joy. The show is a way for me to unwind from my day and gives me something different to think about. King of the Hill also reminds me a lot of what I love: family, friends, sports and being a kid. It was a show that I would watch with my dad and mom and is a show that I now watch alone or with friends, and every time I watch the show, I’m reminded of them. By simply watching a show, I am brought comfort, happiness and a break from my day to feel like I am being cuddled in a warm blanket in the middle of the fiercest blizzard the world has ever seen. I feel content and the moment always feels right, just because of one show.

That is the core of why I like the idea of asking about comfort shows instead of what someone is currently watching. While knowing what a person is watching that is recent allows for a potential conversation to start about a relevant topic, the comfort show question starts a conversation beyond that. It starts with the question of potentially having a person explain a show that they love and getting a better understanding of who they are as a person and what they really like, all with one simple question. For instance, if I would have answered the question of what new show I am currently watching, the answer would not have been as passionate or telling. But by simply changing the word to comfort, the answer becomes more heartfelt. The answer becomes a more telling statement of who that person is, what they like to do and what they enjoy about the world. All in one simple question. Going forward, ask the question of what is your favorite comfort show, instead of what is your favorite new show. The answer will be more sincere and more interesting to listen to and will make for a better conversation.