c/binge-worthy-shows

My niece asked me what a commercial break was

We were watching an old show from the 90s on a streaming service and she got confused when the screen went black for a second. I had to explain that's where ads used to play. It made me think about how we used to plan our whole night around a show's time slot, and now we can watch ten episodes in a row. I remember waiting a whole week just to see the next part of a story. Does anyone else have shows they loved but could never binge the way we do now?

Hot take: I swore I'd never watch a show about a cooking competition. My friend made me watch the first episode of 'The Bear' last night. I finished the whole season.

Started watching a show my friend said was 'slow burn' and now I'm stuck

Last month, my friend in Chicago kept telling me to watch this drama she loved. She said it was a slow burn and to give it four episodes. I trusted her and started it on a Friday night. By episode three, nothing had happened. No big twists, no real hook, just people talking in rooms. I pushed to episode five, waiting for the 'burn,' but I just felt bored and checked my phone the whole time. Now I'm six episodes deep into a twelve episode season, and I feel like I have to finish it because I already put in the hours. It's not bad, but it's not good either, and my watchlist is getting longer. Has anyone else gotten stuck in a show like this, where you feel you've invested too much to quit?

Tried to watch that new 'epic' fantasy everyone's raving about...

Gave it three episodes and it was all slow build-up and confusing names. Switched to a tight 8-episode thriller and finished it in a weekend because every episode actually had a cliffhanger. Anyone have a show that really hooked you from the first scene?

I paid for a full month of a streaming service just to watch one show that turned out to be terrible.

I signed up for that new 'Starstream' service (it was $14.99) because everyone was raving about their original series 'Echoes of Verona'. I forced myself through all eight episodes waiting for it to get good, and it just never did (the plot was a confusing mess). Has anyone else felt totally burned by a show that got so much hype?

My wife said she was bored by the first episode of 'Severance' and almost quit.

She stuck with it for two more and now we're halfway through the season in one weekend. What show took you a few tries to get hooked?

Just hit 100 shows on my 'finished' list and it feels kinda empty...

I was cleaning up my streaming apps last night and saw the number. One hundred series, all watched to the end. I thought it would feel like a big win, but honestly it just made me feel a bit tired. Most of them blur together now... I can barely remember the plot of that sci-fi show I binged three months ago. The only ones that really stuck were the first few I ever got into, like watching all of 'Breaking Bad' over a single rainy week in college. Now it's just a cycle of hitting play, zoning out, and moving to the next thing on the list. Has anyone else hit a number that made you question the whole binge habit?

My friend said my 'binge' of 'The Bear' was all wrong...

He told me to watch the first season in one sitting, not over a week, to really feel the kitchen's stress. Now I'm curious, what's a show that absolutely demands a single-sitting watch?

My whole weekend binge plan fell apart when my streaming app crashed

I had this perfect plan last Saturday to finally watch the new season of 'Shining Vale' on Starz. I made popcorn, got my blanket, and settled in around 7 PM. I clicked play and the app just froze on the loading screen. I tried everything, restarting my Roku, checking my internet, even uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Nothing worked for a solid hour. I ended up just staring at my phone, feeling totally lost without my show. It's funny how a dumb tech glitch can ruin your whole night. I guess I'm too used to everything just working. Has anyone else had a streaming service totally fail on them right when you were ready to watch?

My buddy in Chicago said I had to watch this show called Severance

We were just grabbing a beer after work and he wouldn't stop talking about the office scenes. He said, 'You won't believe what they do with the elevator.' I finally started it last weekend and binged the whole thing. Anyone have a similar show that messes with your head like that?

My cousin in Chicago said we're all just watching comfort food shows now

He pointed out that after a long day, he'd rather rewatch 'Parks and Rec' for the fifth time than start something new and heavy. Has anyone else found themselves doing this lately?

My cousin said something about filler arcs that actually made sense

I was talking to my cousin over the weekend about the show One Piece. He's been watching it for years and I just started. I was complaining about how some parts feel slow, like the show is just killing time. He told me, 'Those filler arcs aren't just dead space. They're like a break for your brain between the big story beats. You need them to really feel the impact of the main plot.' I always skipped filler before, but his point hit different. It made me think about pacing in a new way. Maybe binging a show isn't just about cramming the main story as fast as you can. Has anyone else changed their mind about skipping filler episodes after watching a show a certain way?

Just read that the original 'The Office' writers' room had a rule against ever letting Jim and Pam break up after they got together

I found that fact in a deep dive article on Vulture, and it makes so much sense for why their relationship feels so solid and rewatchable, unlike other will-they-won't-they couples that get ruined by drama.

Hot take: I used to watch shows one episode a week, now I wait for the full season to drop

Back in the day, I'd be glued to the TV every Thursday at 8 PM for a new episode of something like 'Lost'. Now, I won't even start a new show until all 8 or 10 episodes are out on Netflix. The change happened about five years ago when I got tired of forgetting plot points between weekly drops. What's a show you waited to binge that was totally worth it?

My Netflix 'continue watching' list just hit 27 shows

I was cleaning up my profile and saw the number, and it honestly made me stop and stare. I start so many series, get three episodes in, and then just jump to something new. Does anyone else have a pile of shows they've basically abandoned?

Stopped by a friend's house and saw their new way to pick a show

I was in Denver visiting a buddy over the weekend and noticed he had a big jar full of folded papers on his coffee table. He said each paper has a show title on it, and when they can't decide what to watch, they just pull one out. He started it after they spent a whole Friday night just scrolling. It's a simple idea, but it actually got us to start a show we'd been putting off for ages. Does anyone else have a trick like this to stop the endless scrolling?

My friend called my watch list 'chronologically safe' and it stung

They said I only pick shows from the last five years, so I finally started 'The Wire' from 2002. Has anyone else had a rule about how old a show can be before you'll try it?

My friend called my watch list 'chronologically safe' and it stung

They said I only pick shows that are over and have a solid ending, which means I'm always late to the party. I started ONE current show, 'The Regime' on HBO, and the weekly wait is killing me but the group chats are fun. Anyone else have a watch habit they had to break?

Watching a show on my phone at the airport made me feel old

I mean, I was stuck at O'Hare for like 4 hours last year, and I just pulled up a show on my phone. It hit me that I used to have to plan my whole trip around catching a specific episode on a hotel TV. Now I can just watch anything, anywhere. It's cool, but it kinda takes the fun out of the wait, you know? Does anyone else miss the old way of having to find a show?

I've been watching shows all wrong for years and only just figured it out

For the longest time, I'd start a new series and watch it straight through, one episode a night, until I finished. I thought that was the proper way to do it. Then, about three weeks ago, I tried something different with a show called 'The Bear'. I watched the entire first season in a single Sunday. The intensity of the kitchen drama, the constant pressure, it all clicked in a way it never would have with days between episodes. The emotional beats hit harder and the story felt cohesive. I think I was letting the tension dissipate before by spacing it out. Has anyone else found that certain shows demand a binge to really work?

My Netflix account got hacked last Friday and it showed me something weird

I logged in and my whole 'Continue Watching' was full of some Turkish soap opera called 'Kara Sevda'. I had to reset my password and call their support, which took about 45 minutes. It was a huge pain but now I'm kinda curious about the show that someone else was binging on my dime. Has anyone actually watched it and is it any good?

Watched 'Severance' at a friend's cabin and now I can't go back to normal TV

Was up in a cabin near Lake Tahoe last month with zero cell service, just a TV and my buddy's Apple TV login. He made us start Severance and we binged the whole thing in two days. The quiet up there, no phones buzzing, just that weird show about work-life balance hitting different. Came home and tried to watch my usual stuff, some random Netflix show, and it just felt so... empty? Like the plot was just moving people around for no reason. That weekend totally broke my brain for how a show should pull you in. Now I'm stuck trying to find anything else that makes me feel that glued to the screen. Anyone got a show that actually makes you forget to check your phone?

My sister told me to skip the first season of 'The Expanse' and I'm so glad I didn't listen.

Can we talk about how everyone says 'The Bear' is a perfect binge?

Last week, my wife and I tried to watch it after hearing all the hype. We got through three episodes and just felt stressed out the whole time, like we were back at our old jobs in a busy diner in Cleveland. The yelling and kitchen chaos isn't fun to watch after a long day on the road. I don't get why people call a show that makes you feel anxious 'binge worthy'. What's a show that's actually relaxing to watch a bunch of?

My friend told me to skip the first season of Parks and Rec, and I'm glad I listened

Back in 2015, a buddy of mine said, 'Just start with season 2, trust me.' I was skeptical because I hate skipping stuff, but he was right. The first six episodes felt like a different, slower show, and I would have given up. Jumping in at season 2, I got hooked and watched the whole series in like three weeks. Now I give the same advice to anyone trying it. Has anyone else had a show where the start is just not the same vibe as the rest?