Meredith Hayden, a New York-based social media influencer and cookbook author, didn\u2019t start out wanting to create comforting content.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s exactly what resonated with audiences.<\/p>\n
She went viral a few years ago by posting about her \u201cday in the life\u201d as a private chef<\/a> in the Hamptons. Now she has a large following on YouTube for her Wishbone Kitchen brand and her \u201cDinner With Friends\u201d video series, where she shows herself setting up relaxing dinner parties, making French-style hot chocolate and re-creating a cozy coffee shop at home.<\/p>\n You might see her online wearing pajamas or in bed with her dog while talking to the camera. She doesn\u2019t edit out the parts where she messes up the recipe, saying her fans appreciate the flubs. Hayden, who recently completed a tour for \u201cThe Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook,\u201d said she isn\u2019t necessarily going for a vibe, at least not intentionally, despite the clear Ina Garten<\/a> influence. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is really just how I live my life,\u201d Hayden, 29, said by phone. \u201cI am glad it comes across as comforting, because I\u2019m definitely someone who gravitates more towards \u2018comfort content\u2019 myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not planning on watching \u2018Severance,\u2019\u201d she added, saying she gravitates toward more wholesome, grounded content, such as home makeover shows of the non-competitive variety.<\/p>\n That personal preference aligns with a broader trend among young adult viewers, according to recent data from United Talent Agency, the Beverly Hills representation firm. The company\u2019s data and insights group, UTA IQ<\/a>, compiled stats suggesting that many younger consumers are leaning toward material that soothes the nerves and acts as a warm blanket, rather than ratcheting up the anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cComfort content\u201d is like popping a Lorazepam (though not in the excessive dose Parker Posey\u2019s character takes in \u201cThe White Lotus\u201d<\/a>) or CBD gummy at the end of the day. The trend is playing out across TV, streaming, literature and social media, said UTA IQ executive Abby Bailey.<\/p>\n She sees it in the rise of #CleanTok<\/a> videos (totaling 49 billion views last year), in which people do mundane household chores, as well as robust streaming viewership of nostalgic low-intensity sitcoms including \u201cBrooklyn Nine-Nine<\/a>\u201d and the successful February debut of a new CBS soap opera, \u201cBeyond the Gates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomber themes, intellectual depth, cultural satires \u2014 those have always defined prestige entertainment, and it\u2019s left many to discount the value and the viewership of this more lighthearted, comforting programming,\u201d Bailey told The Times. \u201cBut as audiences are prioritizing their well-being and taking brain-breaks from the weight of the world, the definition of what\u2019s capital \u2018I\u2019 important in entertainment is shifting.\u201d<\/p>\n The changing attitudes are particularly noticeable in the young adult entertainment space, which several years ago was dominated by postapocalyptic teen dramas such as \u201cThe Hunger Games\u201d and the \u201cDivergent\u201d series.<\/p>\n More than half (58%) of U.S. adults ages 18 to 30 say TV shows and movies depicting young adults have become too dark and heavy, according to UTA IQ\u2019s April poll of more than 1,000 people. More than 70% said they want to see lighter and more joyful TV shows with young people.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that the upcoming season of the dark and sexually explicit \u201cEuphoria<\/a>\u201d won\u2019t be successful or that the next \u201cHunger Games\u201d film won\u2019t work at the box office. That type of content still has its place, even as tastes evolve. But studios and streamers appear to be noticing the audience\u2019s shifting habits.<\/p>\n Examples are popping up in the young adult space on streaming services, including Tubi\u2019s 2024 sports romance movie \u201cSidelined: The QB & Me,\u201d which is getting a sequel. The Netflix teen drama \u201cMy Life With the Walter Boys\u201d was recently renewed for a third season, ahead of its Season 2 premiere.<\/p>\n There are plenty of other opportunities now for young people to take mental breaks on the couch, from the rise of \u201ccozy gaming<\/a>\u201d to the crossover appeal of \u201chealing fiction,\u201d a genre of whimsical books<\/a> from Japan and Korea that have taken off elsewhere. Olympic diver Tom Daley, who went viral when he was photographed knitting between his events in Tokyo, created a competition show called \u201cGame of Wool<\/a>\u201d that will debut on Channel 4 in the U.K. <\/p>\n Some millennial parents have turned to gentler, less overstimulating TV shows from decades ago<\/a> \u2014 think \u201cArthur\u201d and \u201cClifford the Big Red Dog\u201d \u2014 to co-view with their young children.<\/p>\n Comfort content is certainly nothing new. The term brings to mind the idyllic autumnal walkways of Stars Hollow, the fictional small town from \u201cGilmore Girls,\u201d as well as just about anything on the Hallmark Channel, which has enough of a following to justify its own $8-a-month subscription streaming service<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there may be a reason the category is finding renewed purchase in trying times. Bailey hears that theme from consumers who just aren\u2019t in the mood for any more nail-biters. \u201cTime and time again, I get people saying, \u2018I just can\u2019t bring myself to watch anything serious,\u2019\u201d Bailey said. \u201c\u2018Like, all I want to do is watch Bravo.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Newsletter <\/p>\n You\u2019re reading the Wide Shot<\/p>\n Ryan Faughnder delivers the latest news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production \u2014 and what it all means for the future.<\/p>\n Enter email address <\/p>\n Sign Me Up <\/p>\n You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. <\/p>\n Stuff we wroteStudio splitsville<\/p>\n As expected, Warner Bros. Discovery will split into two companies<\/a>, separating its streaming and studios businesses from the struggling television networks business, the New York-based media giant said Monday.<\/p>\n The Streaming & Studios company will consist of the film and TV studios as well as HBO and HBO Max. The Global Networks company (which is taking on much of the debt) will have CNN, Discovery and other channels. <\/p>\n The divorce is aimed to be completed by mid-2026. Afterward, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav will be CEO of the streaming and studios group, while Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels will run the networks.<\/p>\n The firm previously foreshadowed this move by restructuring its operations along similar lines. <\/p>\n Warner Bros. Discovery thus joins Comcast\u2019s NBCUniversal, which is sweeping basic cable networks, including MSNBC and USA, into a new separate entity called Versant. It\u2019s widely speculated that Paramount Global \u2014 if and when the Skydance deal happens \u2014 will also eventually unload declining legacy networks. <\/p>\n The breakups reflect an ongoing reality \u2014 linear television is in big trouble. The struggles of the cable bundle have continued to weigh on studio finances, with customers moving rapidly to on-demand services. <\/p>\n Indeed, if anyone thought the entertainment business\u2019 bloodletting was over after last year\u2019s series of layoffs, Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery disabused them of that notion in recent days. <\/p>\n Disney slashed several hundred<\/a> employees on June 2. An actual number was not disclosed, but the cuts are significant, coming after Bob Iger embarked on a plan to reduce staff by 8,000 two years ago following his return as chief executive. <\/p>\n The latest layoffs hit film and television marketing teams, television publicity, casting and development as well as corporate financial operations. The cuts happen to land as the company is celebrating huge box office results from \u201cLilo & Stitch.\u201d <\/p>\n The new downsizing comes amid Disney\u2019s efforts to pare down its production pipeline after binge-spending during the streaming wars. The reduction corresponds to Disney\u2019s efforts to focus on quality over quantity while also cutting costs. <\/p>\n A couple days after Disney\u2019s layoffs, Warner Bros. Discovery cut staff from its cable television channels business. Those Warner Bros. Discovery reductions were smaller in scale (eliminating fewer than 100 roles), but the message to the industry couldn\u2019t be clearer. Comcast\u2019s NBCUniversal has also undergone layoffs<\/a>. <\/p>\n The question is: What comes next? Many expect the cast-off Warner and NBCUniversal networks to merge at some point, with Paramount channels perhaps joining them one day.<\/p>\n Finally …<\/p>\n Listen: Turnstile\u2019s new album \u201cNever Enough<\/a>\u201d is out. Also, The Beths have a new tune<\/a>. Sabrina Carpenter\u2019s latest has already been declared the \u201csong of the summer<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n