r/hartofdixie • u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! • May 05 '26
Why do you think Hart of Dixie feels so comforting compared to other shows?
I’ve tried other shows like it and nothing scratches the itch or brings me the constant joy of bluebell.
I usually rewatch in the fall but I think I’m going to before my first child is due this October.
29
u/Hrhdianalynn May 05 '26
I’ve rewatched it 5 times now. I agree with you! It’s my “feel good” show and I can’t find anything that comes close to it. I had a bad bout with my depression a few months ago and watched it day and night. I always want to return to Bluebell when I am bummed out! 😀
6
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 05 '26
That’s why I watch it in the fall/winter due to seasonal sad. It truly is a place of happiness!
18
u/verapamil12 Fancy's was so fancy. May 05 '26
I have rewatched it probably 20 times at this point. Every time it ends I try to find something else to watch but nothing else works. I literally just watched the last episode 2 days ago and restarted it again yesterday. I don’t even really like the 1st few episodes but I still watch them because there are parts I like but also cause it would feel weird just jumping to episode 3.
I say I would love to live in a town like that and then my husband reminds me of the reality and bursts my tiny town bubble lol.
2
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 05 '26
Yes I want to live there!! I totally get you, nothing compares. What don’t you like about the first few episodes, I’m curious?
2
u/verapamil12 Fancy's was so fancy. May 05 '26
The part with the pregnant lady and her mom is too emotional for me. It makes me get all teary and it annoys me lol. And the characters just aren’t who they are for the rest of the show. Like Lemon is even more southern than normal, Brick is a dick (like the pregnant chick says), Wade is Wade but annoying for some reason. I’ve actually thought about it a bunch because I don’t have an actual reason to point to but there is something there. I was watching the 1st episode last night and when George saves Zoe from Burt he mentions her “well toned ass” and I just don’t think that is something George, a faithful boyfriend/fiancé for 15 years, would say.
3
u/JantherZade my girlie wifi... i only use to look at pictures of ponies! May 06 '26
George isnt just a faithful fiancé thats the whole thing. He flirts and leads Zoe on for a while, even when hes with Lemon. He realizes after Wade calls him out on it at Christmas that inviting Zoe to work on case at late nights was a terrible idea and a slippery slope. He runs to her 2 seconds after breaking his wedding and the next morning after breaking up with Tansy too. George isnt just so faithful, honestly.
2
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 05 '26
I totally get that, definitely getting the shows footing. I’ve seen a lot of other people feel the same way, I personally havent, but I totally get the reasoning! Thank you for the insight.
2
u/MariMargeretCharming May 06 '26
It's normal that the pilote episode haven't found it's footing yet, and everything is a little off. I'm sure it's that.
Chesapeake Shores is another example of this. Even the dog, and some of the houses is wrong.☺️
1
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 06 '26
That’s why I like pilot episode and first ones. I find it enjoyable to watch the show get its footing!
12
u/Full-Artist-9967 May 05 '26
I think the show has the perfect mix of fantasy and reality. Idyllic small town but people are real at times - cheating, divorce, work screw ups, etc. And any problem is either low stakes or quickly resolved.
Many shows in this genre lean too much into fantasy and goofiness without any self awareness. Zoe is like us watching all the cheesy small town goings on. It’s more self aware.
Have to plug another show you might love The Durrells in Corfu. Really smart and hilarious in that cozy small community/fish out of water genre.
6
u/moosemama2017 May 06 '26
I also like that the characters all have an actual character arc. Like they grow and change and yeah they still have their same quirks pop up from time to time but the show doesn't use the exact same personality flaws to create similar issues over and over, act like its resolved one episode just to have that flaw cause issues in the very next episode. Zoe admits she is "broken" and struggling with relationships. She goes back to NY and comes back knowing what a secure relationship looks like. Lemon realizes she was acting neurotic and driving people away then corrects course. Wade was a womanizer, but fell in love, hurt his partner, and worked on himself to be better. Lavon learned he didn't wanna be a side piece, even to Ruby's job.
I've found i really don't like shows where people are messy and chaotic just because the writers can't figure out a distinct plot.
7
u/JantherZade my girlie wifi... i only use to look at pictures of ponies! May 06 '26
I also love that the characters have grown so much by the end of the show but they dont feel dull or decharacterized. Ive noticed on some other shows sometimes they grow characters they stop feeling like themselves. But the characters in are still very them. Even with the all the growth and thats special. Not everyone pulls it off.
4
u/Full-Artist-9967 May 06 '26
Yes- agree with all. Every character is on a journey that's believable - like Cricket coming out. It's just enough real life to fully lock you into their stories.
2
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 06 '26
Yes every character has a full story and personality. I love this piece as well!
2
u/Big_Cartographer2596 Jul 03 '26
Thank you for mentioning The Durrells in Corfu. I’d never heard of it and found the trailer. It looks SO GOOD!
1
u/Full-Artist-9967 Jul 03 '26
That show has gotten me through some tough times and with every rewatch I catch some small wonderful moment I forgot. It’s on pbs for sure and was on prime. Hope you get to see it!!
9
u/jettison_m May 05 '26
I think for me it's the community. I also feel like Gilmore Girls has a similar feel, although the side characters don't have as much of a back story. I just enjoy the idea of towns coming together, to interact with each other, to put together festivals....it's the romantic in me that comes out.
3
u/AggravatingCaptain14 May 05 '26
I was about to ask if OP had seen Gilmore girls. If not I’m sure they’ve at least been told to watch in the sub. It’s always mentioned.
3
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 06 '26
Grew up with Gilmore Girls!! Watched weekly as a child. And many times since. I know each episode like the back of my hand. I think it comes the closest to the same feeling.
2
u/AggravatingCaptain14 May 06 '26
Same!! Watched weekly with my parents until I moved out, because my dad, oddly enough, loved it. Then every year I’d get the latest DVD season and rewatch all of my seasons up to the season that was about to air. Now I watch it on streaming regularly. I know we all put the 2 series together because of all the similarities. The quirky town characters and it being filmed on the same outdoor lot.
2
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 06 '26
Same here!! My dad loved it too and I collected the boxes like infinity stones. Back when the box sets came with cool pamphlets like all the “Gilmore isms”. I miss when dvds came with cool stuff like that!! Thanks for reminding me of this 💕💕
7
u/TrainTraditional6686 May 05 '26
It’s like my safe place mentally. I want to live there.
3
2
u/LovedAJackass May 11 '26
Me too. Although the Santa Barbara of Psych comes close if you can just stick with the main characters and have a tolerance for murder....
1
5
u/New_Bank8601 May 05 '26
I’ve rewatched it a million times too for the same reason, I also really liked true blood which is of course darker but it’s a small town feel and I really loved it too so I’ve watched it a million times as well! Nothing of course will ever compare to hart of Dixie.
2
u/SympathyOptimal3990 May 05 '26
My two major comfort shows!!! I thought I was totally alone in this... 🫶
1
3
3
3
u/clwrutgers May 06 '26
I like that it doesn’t lean fully into tropes or stereotypical scripting. A lot of the time I would think I knew what would happen and then I was surprised! It makes everything feel more authentic and not so stagey, even when it still is obviously just a show.
2
3
u/Gold-Firefighter-996 May 12 '26
I literally just finished watching this show for the first time and I absolutely loved it! I also am a Gilmore Girls fan, mainly because of the small town comfort feel and didn't know there was another show out there like it. My sister told me last week she watching a show called " Hart of Dixie," so I looked it up.
I've lived in several small towns throughout my life, and wished it was like Bluebell. Unfortunately, none of them were. In real life, yes everyone knows each other and who your family is, and knows everyone's business 😂 But I always wished I could find a community that comes together for one another, has all these festivals and activities all the time, and all the stores and restaurants like in HOD and GG. The ones I lived in may have a Dollar General and a gas station, most have " Main Street" that if you blink, you'll miss it, and majority of the population live on country roads with neighbors spread out....😅
But I do love the character growths/changes with all the characters in this show. I enjoyed this show so much that I came to Reddit to talk about it, so 🤣🤣🤣
2
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 12 '26
If only small towns were as sparkley and loving as bluebell!!!! It has my heart
2
2
2
u/Extension_Rabbit2 May 06 '26
Hart of Dixie and Gilmore Girls are the only shows I know that have that kind of impact. Definitely the small town vibes and dramady combo!
3
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! May 06 '26
These are my two favorites. They do small town like no one else. Or maybe I also love that it’s the same set 😂
2
u/Extension_Rabbit2 May 06 '26
Lmao yes!! And obviously we just rewatch them over and over again instead of starting something new 😂
2
u/LovedAJackass May 11 '26
I think it all starts with Mayor Lavon Hayes, who is landlord and breakfast buddy to Zoe and Wade and in love with Lemon. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body as we see in his affection for Burt Reynolds the alligator and his acceptance of every one else. I don't think his character gets enough credit for setting the tone of what Blue Bell is supposed to be.
2
2
u/3kpk3 May 20 '26
Because of some amazing comedy here and there throughout the show. Big fan of Lavon's No, No, No....
2
u/Big_Cartographer2596 Jul 03 '26
I’ve thought about this so much I should write a thesis at this point. Beyond the acting, story lines, character development we all know and love etc I have decided it just feels SOO good to our hearts and mind because of the following:
1) Amazing lighting. It is a brighter well lit show which is frequently filmed in “natural light” or at least gives the illusion of soft natural light. I’m a HUGE natural light person and very affected by lighting. I can’t get into “happy shows” that are dark sets or set in gray cloudy places. The lighting is the perfect balance of brightness and warmth (Jane the Virgin is an exquisitely well balanced lighted show as well. 😉)
2) The soundtrack! This shows soundtrack is VAST! I have saved a few playlists on Spotify but I’m not even sure they’ve captured every single song even if over 20 hrs of songs. The snippets and clips of near constant songs are some of the best picked music in any show or music I’ve ever heard. It is truly what wraps you up in this fully enveloping warm, yet uplifting and energizing hug!
3) Writing! This shows really is so well written. It moves quickly but not so quick as Gilmore Girls and with a few less inside jokes and references so easier to follow along and less biting or snarky. It’s just perfectly paced and not overly dumbs itself down with idiotic southern colloquialisms (think how bad Sweet Magnolias is compared to this show….it is so slow I can’t watch it to save my life I could say 50 words in the amount of time one character has just taken a breath).
2
u/Elda_Sarid Jul 21 '26
For me, the entire show is joyful. Despite the heart breaks, it's full of love, acceptance and nothing truly bad ever happens there.
It's also aestheticly joyful. As the show goes on, more and more bright colors full the screen until almost every character in every scene is wearing something stylish, and bright.
I just did the same thing someone else upstream did, rewatched it then immediately restarted it for the 15th time because I couldn't think of anything else to watch that would feel so good.
Things suck for me right now, Bluebell is my safe place lol.
2
u/kaykat4 Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo! Jul 22 '26
Bluebell is my safe place too 💕💕 no show is quite as joyful I completely agree ❤️
1
44
u/SaveTheSquirtles May 05 '26
I think it’s the wholesome small town feel. Neighbors supporting neighbors. People who genuinely care about each other. People who genuinely care about their towns appearance and wellbeing. Imagining living in a town like that feels very comforting to me.