What is it about this show that makes it so comforting?

No you're not the only one. For me I think it's the nostalgia. I was a kid when it was in first run and I just remember being very excited to see it come on. So now it just reminds me of that time, it's the same kind of feeling I get when I watch Friends.

That's exactly how I've always felt about this show! I watch the reruns on DVD all the time because it's just like instant comfort.

I think part of it is definitely nostalgia, because I remember watching it as a kind in the '90s. But it's also more than that, too.

I think it's the lightheartedness and innocence that you mentioned. Just funny enough to actually make you laugh without being too edgy or adult, but not boring and overly cheesy either. They really struck a balance with the humor.

Also, I think the music is a big part of it. The jazz piano that featured heavily in every scene always comforts me, for some reason. That was a great call by whoever made it, to include that as a way to set the NYC atmosphere.

ALSO, this show, at the end of the day, is actually a very romantic modern fairytale - you're witnessing an emotionally unavailable man gradually fall in love with a rather unlikely candidate (as gorgeous as Fran is, there's the whole "two different worlds" thing), and that's really pretty magical to see. I think it makes you feel hopeful. And it helps that Nanny Fine/Maxwell has always been the end-game point of this show, not just a plotline thrown in for ratings.

It's light-hearted and innocent. Fran's main goal is relatable - she just wants someone to love - but the way she goes about it is very entertaining.

"I'm sure Fran Dresher has a lot to do with it... her tongue-in-cheekness and interaction with the '4th wall' really set the tone for everyone else to bounce off"

her.

It's an old school style sitcom, no political agenda's, no preaching, just fun. I was never a huge fan but when it was on I could sit through it, didn't like her older relatives much though.

It was a cute show. The scenes with Nils and Cece always cracked me up!