FETCH
COLLECTIVE

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​​On a hot summer day after the pool, or a cold winter day cuddled up with hot chocolate, one thing children everywhere could look forward to was the comfort of winding down to watch their favorite  TV shows and movies. Nowadays, TV shows and movies have become less popular among Gen Z, as the introduction of short-form content like TikTok and Instagram Reels have progressively shortened attention spans overall. However, teens and young adults have periodically returned to these shows closer to the holidays as a way to remind them of the simpler times when spending time with their families. Even during transitional times in people’s lives, young adults are finding themselves returning to old shows and movies they once loved with their families. 

 

As a freshman in college, I've found myself rewatching shows my mom and I would watch after my siblings went off to college. These shows bring me back to simpler times when I wasn’t trying to navigate the stress of a new environment. For many people, the same is true. Psychologists have agreed that nostalgia is a powerful emotion that helps comfort people of all ages. Old shows and movies can bring people feelings of nostalgia and comfort as proven by studies. 

 

Studies have shown that nostalgia creates a chemical reaction, releasing dopamine and serotonin, known neurotransmitters that produce feelings of happiness. When we watch an old show or listen to a song associated with various memories, nostalgia occurs, and the brain alerts the pathways associated with memory and emotion. This release of dopamine and serotonin creates happiness when watching familiar shows. When watching a show associated with good memories, our brain provides us with a natural high, leading to an increased positive mood, especially in times of stress.  

 

When our lives are changing, like moving away from home or reaching a significant age, nostalgia can be a powerful tool to soothe the emotions that come with changes. Whether it be through movies, TV shows, or even music, changes in one’s life can be accompanied by the serotonin and dopamine levels associated with nostalgia, easing the struggles that come with changes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emma Liao, a freshman at Syracuse, explained that she watches shows and movies as a healthy escape from being a student and life in general. “After moving into college I found myself missing my family more, so I would watch shows we watched together, like Modern Family. It made me feel less lonely during the times when I was still trying to make friends. It also helped me when I missed my parents because they would be working so I couldn't just call them so these shows made me happier even though I was in this completely new environment.”

 

The introduction of reboots and live-action tends to be poorly received by the audience that loved the original. Reboots can sometimes feel like a cynical attempt to capitalize on nostalgia without adding anything meaningful to the story. The reboot for iCarly, a popular Nickelodeon show, got canceled after just three seasons due to poor ratings and not enough engagement. 

 

Disney continues to create live-action movies remaking the cartoon movies that kids everywhere loved. From The Lion King to The Little Mermaid to the hundreds of versions of Cinderella, it seems like there is a remake of every Disney movie with the same storyline. These movies receive worse ratings than the originals yet Disney keeps making them to capitalize off of nostalgia and reach a younger generation.

 

Abigail Weilbacher, a freshman at Syracuse University, explained that she watched many Disney movies as a child, and watched live-action versions of her favorites. “My favorite movie as a kid was The Little Mermaid, so last summer I went to watch the new one with Halle Bailey. It just didn’t live up to the original. The lighting and coloring of the movie felt dark and the costumes just looked cheap.”

 

With more Disney remakes in the works (Lilo and Stitch, Snow White and Moana), production companies are finding ways to capitalize on viewer’s nostalgia to create uninspired or meaningful new movies. When in reality, Disney should be creating new and original stories for the next generation.

 

Through the early 2000s, Gilmore Girls became a comfort show for many; however, the reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, released in 2016, fell short for many viewers who enjoyed the original. While season one of Gilmore Girls received a 89% on Rotten Tomatoes by the audience, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life received a 69%, a significant decrease. This may be due to trying to modernize the beloved town of Stars Hollow, by mentioning Uber, or the usage of iPhones in the reboot. All the characters seemed to have unsatisfying endings and the show ended with a cliffhanger, causing the satisfaction of nostalgia to sort of disappear when watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

 

The nostalgia for Christmas movies also remains high, with many families turning to comfort movies like Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Elf. During the majority of November and December, it seems like Elf or A Christmas Story can be found on every TV channel. But why? People tend to have an unnoticed nostalgia bias that makes us think that “before” were better times. Some people see memories through rose-colored glasses because the negative emotions of the past fade faster than positive ones for them. Christmas movies tend to increase these feelings due to the label “the best time of year.”

 

While the film market remains saturated with many Christmas movies, for other holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween, we can only rely on Charlie Brown. Being a fall/Thanksgiving holiday staple seems to somewhat preserve the impact and relevance of Charlie Brown. The nostalgic factor around these specials has kept the Peanuts franchise alive for so many generations and more generations to come, with the introduction of new Peanuts movies in production currently. Snoopy and Peanuts merchandise is also on the rise, with high demand, because of the nostalgia associated with the franchise.

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In a world that seems increasingly fast-paced and overwhelming, familiar shows and movies can offer a comforting escape as our lives get more chaotic. Through nostalgia, people can feel comforted by the memories associated with shows, movies and music, especially during big life moments.

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