Peacock is the king of comfort shows, and these 7 series prove it


What streaming platform do you think of when you hear the term “comfort shows?” There are plenty of great comfort shows over on Netflix, or maybe available with an HBO Max subscription. But for me, I always think of Peacock.

With a Peacock subscription, there are so many options for classic comfort shows that will no doubt make your day—and provide you with that comfy need that we all so desperately crave. Here are seven that you must check out.

The Office

A classic comedy

Dwight in The Office. Credit: NBC

I mean, you knew it was going to be on here, don’t lie.​​​​​​​

The Office was a nine-season sitcom that took the world by storm. Starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott, this iconic workplace comedy follows the professional and personal lives of workers at a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

I think The Office is a show that defines the word “comfort.” Anytime I ask people what they usually put on in the background, The Office is always the first choice because it’s easy to follow, has characters you want to root for, and is so freaking funny (even if some of those jokes have not aged well all these years later). It’s certainly worth a shot

Parks And Recreation

Amy Poehler is the best

Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation speaking to a camera Credit: NBC

Another great comfort show that also happens to come from the same developer of the U.S. version of The Office (the wonderful Greg Daniels), Parks and Recreation is a sitcom mainly about Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat who is trying to improve her home in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, in the Parks and Recreation department.

The series is extremely well-received and has some huge stars attached, including Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, and more. With seven seasons and one hundred and twenty-six episodes, you’re in for a long binge.​​​​​​​

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The laughs go on and on

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Andy dressed asAndy Samberg as Jake Peralta with his arm around Eva Longoria as Sophia Perez in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is one of those shows that I think everyone has seen at least one episode of, just because it’s so funny. The main premise of the series follows the lives of police officers, detectives, and others in a fictional police precinct in New York, specifically in Brooklyn.

This series was a hit for NBC, and while it did move to another streaming platform towards the end of its run, it is a beloved comedy perfect for a weekend of comfy watching. Not only that, but the stars—Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, and more—have some of the best chemistry out there and will, no doubt, make you laugh out loud.

Everybody Loves Raymond

Who doesn’t love an Italian Long Island-er?

Ray Romano in Everybody Loves Raymond Credit: CBS

You better believe I put Everybody Loves Raymond on here—because everyone loves it!

This late 1990s-early 2000s sitcom stars Ray Romano as Ray Barone, an Italian-American who lives on Long Island and has made it as a successful sports writer. It tells the story of his family and how he deals with the drama, juggling his wife, his neighbors, and more.​​​​​​​


The Simpsons on Disney+ on a 4K TV in a green living room.


The 5 Most Popular Comfort Shows and Where to Stream Them

Switch on these shows when you want to switch off.

I genuinely cannot think of another television show I have seen more often over the last couple of decades than this, and the number of reruns is astronomical. With nine seasons, Everybody Loves Raymond is the type of binge you don’t want to miss.​​​​​​​

Modern Family

A series anyone can relate to

Claire and Phil Dunphy in Modern Family Credit: ABC

Now this is my kind of comfort show. Modern Family—and all eleven of its seasons—is available to stream on Peacock.

This groundbreaking sitcom tells the stories of three diverse families in the suburbs of Los Angeles and how their lives intersect. But it’s so much more than that. The comedy is hysterical, and yet each episode finds a new way to tug at your heartstrings.

Not only that, but it’s also just a genuinely relatable show for modern-day parents, and I’m not just saying that because of the name. It touches on both funny topics and social issues, making it a really well-done series. There’s a reason why there were so many Emmys thrown at this series.

That ‘70s Show

So much smoke—and friends!

Topher Grace on That '70s Show. Credit: Fox

For some reason, That ‘70s Show was the series I was obsessed with as a kid. And honestly, it’s a vibe, even now. The series mainly follows six teenagers in Wisconsin between 1976 and 1979 as they come of age, experience growing pains, and learn to come into their own while also smoking the devil’s lettuce, if you know what I mean.

On a real note, That ‘70s Show is a hilarious series with great performances from Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama, and so many more. This series has been with me on my good days and bad, and while its little successor, That ‘90s Show, on Netflix is a fun one, nothing compares to the original. You’re missing out if haven’t had the chance to sit down and watch the whole show.

Saturday Night Live

Laughs and more

Bill Hader and Ben Affleck in Saturday Night Live Credit: NBC

OK, so hear me out.

I know, when it comes to comfort shows, we honestly do think sitcoms are cute, but I think Saturday Night Live falls into that category. Why? Because it’s one of those shows that you can put on in the background and just chill.

It’s not something that’s heavily serialized or has any real plot to follow. It’s just funny sketches and enjoyable music performances. That’s it. And with the number of seasons that are available to watch on Peacock, you can’t really get better than this.


Peacock is such a great subscription service, and honestly, it just makes me want to rewatch each of these awesome shows. What are you looking forward to watching on a comfy weekend?

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Subscription with ads

Yes, $8/month

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Recent Reviews


The first computer my family owned was an 80286 IBM clone, and it had lots of ports, none of which looked the same. There was a big 5-pin DIN for the keyboard, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port for our joystick, and of course, the VGA port for the monitor.

In comparison, a modern computer has much less diversity in the port department. Not only are there fewer types of ports, but the total number may be quite low as well. When we move to modern laptops, it can be much more minimalist. Some laptops have just a single port on the entire machine! Is this a bad thing? As with anything, the extremes are rarely ideal, but I’d say overall, this has been a pretty positive development for PCs.

The port explosion era was never sustainable

It was more like a port infection

You see, the reason we had so many ports for so long is that people kept inventing new interfaces to make up for the shortcomings of existing ones. However, instead of the newer, better interfaces making the old ones obsolete, they just became additive as perfectly summarized in this classic XKCD comic.

A comic illustrates how competing standards multiply: first showing 14 competing standards, then people agreeing to create one universal standard, followed by a final panel showing there are now 15 competing standards. Credit: Randall Munroe (CC-BY-NC)

In laptops, the need for so many ports reached ridiculous heights. In this video posted by X user PC Philanthropy, you can see his Sager/Clevo D9T absolutely packed with all the trimmings leading to a rather massive laptop.

It is undeniably a cool machine, but obviously goes against the principle of portable computing. Also, every port you install means power and space that could have been taken up by something else. That’s true for laptops and desktops.



















Quiz
8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge

PC ports and motherboard I/O
Trivia challenge

Think you know your USB from your PCIe? Put your connector knowledge to the test.

PortsStandardsHardwareConnectorsMotherboards

Which USB connector type is fully reversible, meaning it can be plugged in either way?

Correct! USB Type-C features a symmetrical oval design that lets you insert it in either orientation. Introduced in 2014, it has become the dominant connector for modern devices and supports everything from data transfer to video output and fast charging.

Not quite — the answer is USB Type-C. The older USB Type-A connector (the flat rectangular one) famously required you to flip it at least twice before getting it right. USB Type-C’s reversible design was one of its biggest selling points when it launched in 2014.

What does the ‘x16’ in a PCIe x16 slot refer to?

Exactly right! PCIe x16 means the slot has 16 data lanes, allowing significantly more bandwidth than smaller x1 or x4 slots. This is why discrete graphics cards almost always use x16 slots — they need that extra throughput to feed pixel data to your display.

Not quite — the ‘x16’ refers to the number of data lanes. More lanes mean more simultaneous data paths between the CPU and the card. Graphics cards use x16 slots because their massive data demands require all 16 of those lanes working together.

Which port on a motherboard is most commonly used to connect a display directly to the CPU’s integrated graphics?

That’s correct! The HDMI and DisplayPort connectors found on a motherboard’s rear I/O panel are wired directly to the CPU’s integrated graphics unit. If you have a discrete GPU installed, you should use that card’s outputs instead for best performance.

The right answer is the HDMI or DisplayPort connectors on the rear I/O panel. These ports bypass the discrete GPU entirely and tap into the CPU’s built-in graphics. It’s a common troubleshooting trap — plugging a monitor into the motherboard instead of the GPU and wondering why nothing works.

What is the primary function of the 24-pin ATX connector on a motherboard?

Spot on! The 24-pin ATX connector is the main power connector that delivers multiple voltage rails — including 3.3V, 5V, and 12V — from the power supply to the motherboard. Without it seated properly, your PC simply won’t power on at all.

The correct answer is delivering power from the PSU to the motherboard. The 24-pin ATX connector is the big wide plug you’ll find on every modern motherboard. It supplies several different voltage levels that the board distributes to components. PCIe cards get their supplemental power from separate 6- or 8-pin connectors directly from the PSU.

Which of the following rear I/O ports transmits both audio and video in a single cable and is most commonly found on modern motherboards?

Correct! HDMI carries both high-definition audio and video over a single cable, making it one of the most convenient display connectors available. It became standard on motherboards as integrated graphics improved, and modern versions support 4K and even 8K resolutions.

The answer is HDMI. VGA is analog-only and carries no audio, DVI-D is digital video only without audio, and S-Video is an older analog format. HDMI bundles both audio and video digitally, which is why it became the go-to connector for TVs, monitors, and motherboard rear panels alike.

What maximum theoretical data transfer speed does USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 support?

Impressive! USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 achieves 20 Gbps by using two 10 Gbps lanes simultaneously — that’s what the ‘2×2’ means. It requires a USB Type-C connector and is most commonly found on high-end motherboards, making it ideal for fast external SSDs.

The correct answer is 20 Gbps. The ‘2×2’ in the name is the key clue — it bonds two 10 Gbps channels together. USB naming got notoriously confusing around this era, with the same physical port potentially supporting very different speeds depending on the generation label printed in the spec sheet.

What is the role of the M.2 slot found on most modern motherboards?

Well done! M.2 is a compact form-factor slot that most commonly hosts NVMe SSDs, which connect via PCIe lanes for blazing-fast storage speeds. Some M.2 slots also support SATA-based SSDs and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo cards, making the slot surprisingly versatile.

The correct answer is housing compact storage drives or wireless cards. M.2 replaced the older mSATA standard and supports both PCIe NVMe drives and SATA drives depending on the slot’s keying. NVMe M.2 drives can achieve sequential read speeds many times faster than traditional SATA SSDs.

Which audio connector color on a standard PC rear I/O panel is designated for the main stereo line output to speakers or headphones?

That’s right! The green 3.5mm jack is the standard line-out port used for speakers and headphones in the PC audio color-coding scheme. Blue is line-in for recording, and pink is the microphone input — a color system that’s been consistent across PC motherboards for decades.

The correct answer is green. PC audio jacks follow a long-standing color convention: green for headphones and speakers, blue for line-in (recording from external sources), and pink for the microphone. It’s one of those legacy standards that has quietly persisted even as USB and digital audio have become more common.

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USB-C (almost) solved the problem

So close, but not quite there yet

Released to the public in the mid ’90s, USB came to the rescue. The “U” is for “Universal” and for the most part USB has lived up to that promise. Now there was one port that handled data and power. More importantly, USB is fully backwards compatible. So if you plug a USB 1.1 device into a modern USB port, it should work. Whether you can get software drivers for it is another story, but it will talk to the host device.

USB-C has proven to be less universal than I’d like, and the situation is still far better than it used to be. A single USB-C port on one of my laptops can act as a video output for just about anything, even an old VGA monitor.

A Macbook, CRT monitor, and iPad connected together. Credit: Sydney Louw Butler/How-To Geek

My smaller laptops don’t need special chargers anymore, and the latest laptops can pull 240W over USB-C, which is enough for all but the beefiest desktop replacement machines. There is no type of peripheral I can think of that doesn’t give you the option to use it over USB.

But the complaints aren’t so much that we only get USB these days, it’s more that we get so little of it.

Minimal I/O enables better hardware design

Harder, better, faster, stronger

When you only put a handful of USB-C ports on a mobile computer, you reap numerous benefits. The low profile of USB-C means the laptop can be thinner, and the frame can be a stronger and more rigid unibody design. Internally, you have room for more battery, larger performance components, or better cooling.

A green Apple MacBook Neo on display on a wooden table with a product sign behind it. Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

It also means the internals can be simpler, and cheaper to design and fabricate, though whether those savings are passed on to customers is another story altogether.

Wireless and cloud-first workflows reduce physical dependency

I guess they are “air” ports

Perhaps the first sign of major change was when smartphones dropped headphone jacks, but the fact is that wireless technologies are now good enough for most peripheral and data connections. So, there’s no need to connect them directly to a port on a computer. Which, in turn, means that there’s no reason to have as many ports on the computer in the first place.

I can’t remember the last time I used a wired mouse or keyboard, and I only use Ethernet for devices that need extremely high speeds, low latency, or improved reliability. For normal day-to-day use, modern Wi-Fi is just fine. So while your laptop might not have as many wired ports on the outside, those wireless chips on the inside still give it numerous connectivity options for audio, input, and data transfer.

You could even make the same argument about storage to some extent, with many thin and light systems leaning on cloud storage to make up for a lack of ports to connect external storage.

MacBook Neo colors on a white background.

Operating System

macOS

CPU

A18 Pro

The MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro chip is Apple’s most affordable laptop yet, with all-day battery life and buttery-smooth performance in a thin and light profile.



The dongle backlash misses the bigger picture

The last bit of the port protest centers around dongles, but I never understood the complaints. Having one port that can be broken out into whatever ports you need using a little box is amazing. It makes ports optional and gives you the choice. If you never plug your laptop into anything, why deal with all the ports you’ll never use?

Likewise, if you only ever use ports with your laptop when you dock it at a desk, then you can just leave your dongle ready to go on your desk, but throwing a small dongle in your laptop sleeve or bag in case you might need it is a small price to pay for all the benefits of minimal IO.



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