During a pandemic, even the stars settle in for some comfort TV viewing

The Envelope
·5 min read
Joe Exotic poses with one of his wild cats in "Tiger King."
Watching Joe Exotic and his wild cats in the Netflix docu-series "Tiger King" is just one thing you likely have in common with celebrities. (Netflix)

We're all going through a pretty stressful time with this coronavirus pandemic. Whether we know someone who's tested positive for COVID-19 or whether we have just been feeling the walls closing in on us during self-isolation, we often look for ways to self-comfort. Some go-to favorites on our list? Chocolate is always right up there. Along with wine (red or white, bottle or box, we're not fussy). But for just about everyone, it's the comfort of television that eases our worries -- or at least distracts us for a time.

And, now more than ever, the stars really are just like us. Here's what's been keeping these actors company during these past weeks of staying at home.

The cast of "Seinfeld"
The cast of "Seinfeld": Michael Richards, left, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld (NBC)

"My comfort TV has been 'Seinfeld.' We started at the beginning. I mean, we've watched 'Tiger King' too but I don't know how much comfort that brought me. There's something about shows that feel familiar and I just think the writing on ['Seinfeld'] is brilliant, so that's what I've been putting on at night."

— Zoe Kravitz, "High Fidelity"

Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly in "Mrs. America."
Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly in "Mrs. America." (Pari Dukovic / FX)

"Like everyone else in the world, I watched 'Tiger King' and I'm watching 'Mrs. America' right now. I have a lot of friends in that show so I'm really happy to see it do so well."

— Laura Linney, "Ozark"

Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy star in 'Schitt's Creek.'
Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy star in "Schitt's Creek." (Steve Wilkie / Pop TV)

"[‘Schitt's Creek'] is just the best thing to watch in a pandemic. It's the best thing to watch in general, but if you are, like me, unable to focus on things and in a weird headspace, if you're someone who takes on the energy of the world and it causes anxiety? Then 'Schitt’s Creek' is the best thing to watch. Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara? I mean, they’re all so good on that show. That’s what has been keeping [me and my family] going. But now that it’s over? I’m back to watching 'That ’70s Show.'”

— Kaitlyn Dever, "Unbelievable"

"Normal People" stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal.
Hulu's "Normal People" stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. (Hulu)

“‘Normal People’ is an extraordinary portrait of young love. It’s such a grand romance, and Lenny Abrahamson directs it with a beauty that just transports you. I loved it!”

— Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies"

Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell in "The Morning Show" on Apple TV+.
Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell in "The Morning Show" on Apple TV+. (Hilary B. Gayle / Apple)

"I've been reading a lot more during this time. I have a list of different shows that I really want to watch and catch up on. I did see 'Tiger King.' I love documentaries, so that and 'Don't ... With Cats,' I've watched that recently. But there are a lot of things that I do want to watch. Oh, 'The Morning Show,' I did binge as well. I'm a big Jennifer Aniston fan. I thought it was brilliant; I binged it quite quickly. That was a great show that I would recommend. "

— Michelle Dockery, "Defending Jacob"

A scene from "Below Deck Sailing Yacht"
Parker McCown, left, Madison Stalker, Ciara Duggan and Paget Berry in Bravo's "Below Deck Sailing Yacht." (Karolina Wojtasik / Bravo)

" ‘Below Deck.' It’s a reality show on Bravo about luxury yachts and the crews that work on them. It’s all about the crew, but you also get to see these douche-y people that can charter yachts for $100,000 a day and how they behave. It’s this whole other world I’ll never live in, so I get to escape into this other reality. I’ve already gone through all seven seasons, and now they have a new one. It’s a bummer because before I could sit and watch six episodes and be completely happy, and now I have to wait for Monday."

— Christina Applegate, "Dead to Me"

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in "Mad Men."
Jon Hamm as Don Draper in "Mad Men." (Justina Mintz / AMC)

"It’s been kind of like back up and pick up stuff you forgot. I had never seen 'Mad Men.' What an amazing show. Everybody was so good. Mary [Steenbergen] became great buddies with January Jones, she’s just crazy great. And Jon [Hamm], just wonderful work. And we’re back in business with 'Killing Eve.'"

—Ted Danson, "The Good Place"

Amit Rahav and Shira Haas star in "Unorthodox."
Amit Rahav and Shira Haas star in "Unorthodox," a Netflix series about a young woman who flees her Hasidic community in Brooklyn. (Anika Molnar / Netflix)

"I recently watched ‘Unorthodox,’ which I thought was really great. I never would have clicked that but then my girlfriend clicked it and I was obsessed. That was a great one.

"I’m really loving this season of ‘Rick and Morty.’ I love them all but this might be the best one. The feedback loop of weirdness that’s happening right now, that they’ve been around this long, is kind of fantastic.

"I loved ‘The Good Place.’ A network show! That surprised me. I executive produced a network show. I could not have made a show like that happen there. It’s smart. Sometimes nothing happens. All these things that don’t usually happen on network shows."

— Daveed Diggs, "Snowpiercer"