Critics argue that this trend is concerning. They see the turn toward "cozy" and "retro" content as a cultural retreat—a refusal to engage with difficult art. After all, the 1970s (a similarly anxious decade) gave us gritty, paranoid cinema like Network and Taxi Driver . Today, we are giving up on grit for Bake Off .
There is a visual component to this shift as well. Look at TikTok’s “Core” taxonomy. For years, it was all about "Cyberpunk" and "Goth." Now, the dominant search terms are "Cottagecore," "Boho," and "Retro-futurism." bexxxy
From the unexpected resurgence of LEGO reality competitions to the quiet domination of The Great British Baking Show , and from the vinyl-record revival to the runaway success of “slow TV” (think train journeys through the Norwegian countryside), popular culture is undergoing a massive de-escalation. After two decades of peak complexity—labyrinthine universes (looking at you, Marvel), morally grey anti-heroes, and algorithmic doom-scrolling—entertainment content is finally taking a deep breath. Critics argue that this trend is concerning
Consider the streaming data. According to Nielsen, The Great British Baking Show (or Bake Off ) consistently ranks in the top three most-streamed shows in the U.S., despite having no car chases, no murders, and no raised voices. The primary antagonist is a poorly baked choux pastry. The climax involves a handshake from a soft-spoken judge named Paul. Today, we are giving up on grit for Bake Off
But perhaps that misses the point.
To understand the rise of the cozy, we must first look at the state of the "loud."