c/binge-worthy-shows

Overheard someone say 'Stranger Things season 4 was too slow' and it got me thinking

Was at a coffee shop in Portland last Tuesday and heard this dude complaining to his friend that Stranger Things season 4 dragged too much. Said he fast forwarded through whole parts of the Russia storyline. I kind of get it though because I remember checking my phone during those Hopper prison episodes. But does anyone else think the slow build actually made the finale hit harder or was it just filler to stretch the season?

Binged Mad Men vs The Wire last month... one was way more rewatchable

I burned through all 7 seasons of Mad Men in two weeks, but I kept wanting to skip the Betty scenes... then I tried The Wire and rewatched season 2 three times in a row because the dock workers plot was so good. Anyone else find you just skip half of one show but not the other?

That week I binged The Wire for the first time hit different

Last month I finally sat down and watched The Wire after years of people telling me to. I started on a Sunday morning and by Wednesday I was already on season 3. What made it stand out was how real every character felt, like McNulty and Omar were actual people from Baltimore I might know. The show never treated the audience like they were dumb either, which I appreciated after watching so many recent shows that spoonfeed you everything. I clocked about 18 hours total that week just glued to my couch with coffee and takeout. Has anyone else had a bingeing week that felt like you were living in that world?

Which is better for bingeing: weekly drops or full season dumps? Had a show fail on me because of the wait.

I started watching this crime drama on Hulu back in February, it was really good for the first 6 episodes. Then they switched to weekly releases for the second half of the season. I lost interest completely after waiting 3 weeks for episode 9 to drop. By the time the finale came out I had already moved on to another show. My friend says that's crazy, she prefers weekly because it builds suspense and she can talk about episodes with coworkers. But for me, the whole reason I binge is to get lost in a story without having to track release schedules. Has anyone else quit a show mid-run because of the release format? What side are you on with this?

I finally took that criticism about pacing seriously after a friend called me out

My buddy Jake sat me down last week after we binged Dark and said I always skip through dialogue too fast because I think I know where it's going. He was right, I missed half the clues in the first season and had no idea what was happening by episode 5. Has anyone else had a friend's blunt feedback completely change how you watch or recommend shows?

Binged a 10-episode series in one night and regretted it at 3am

I started watching that new thriller on Netflix last Friday at 8pm and did not stop until the credits rolled at 3am. My neck was killing me from sitting on the floor, and I had to call in sick to work the next day because I was so tired. Has anyone else here stayed up way too late for a show and then paid for it the next morning?

Back in 2019 I had to wait a whole week for new episodes of a show

I used to DVR shows and watch them one at a time over months. Now I just wait for the full season to drop on streaming and finish it in a weekend. Has anyone else found they can't go back to weekly releases?

Why do I keep going back to old cop shows when new stuff is out?

I used to binge crime procedurals like Law & Order all the time but after 3 years I got bored and switched to Netflix originals. Then last month I tried rewatching The Closer and now I'm hooked again, even though the picture quality is grainy. Has anyone else fallen into a nostalgia hole with a show they thought they were done with?

Just tried watching with subtitles vs without on Severance

I did a rewatch of the first season with subtitles on and caught so many background conversations I missed the first time. Has anyone else found a show that totally changes with subtitles on?

The moment a friend called me out for skipping the 'slow episodes' in shows

Okay so I've always been a skipper. If a season drags in the middle I just jump ahead to the good parts. My friend Sarah caught me doing it while we were watching The Crown together and she got kinda mad. She said I was missing the whole point because those 'boring' scenes build character and context. I argued back that life's too short for filler content. But then I tried watching a whole season without skipping anything and honestly I noticed stuff I never saw before. Little conversations that made later episodes hit way harder. Now I'm stuck wondering if I should go back and rewatch all the shows I skipped through. Anyone else had a friend call them out on their watching habits and actually change how you binge?

I spent 6 months watching season 1 of shows and never finishing them

I finally realized last week that I was treating TV like a chore list instead of actually enjoying it. I'd start a new show every night and bounce off after 2 or 3 episodes because I was looking for something "perfect" (whatever that means). My buddy pointed out that I was complaining about having nothing to watch while sitting on a pile of 12 half-finished series in my Netflix queue. Has anyone else caught themselves doing this, or am I the only one who treats their watchlist like a to-do list?

Just learned something wild about how shows get canceled

I was reading this article last night about network TV and found out that over 60% of new shows don't make it past their first season. Like that's a huge number of pilots and whole seasons that just get scrapped. I always figured most shows at least got a season 2 to find their footing. Does anyone else get annoyed knowing you're probably wasting time getting invested in something new?

Spent a weekend watching The Wire in Baltimore and the city felt like another character in the show.

Walking around the inner harbor after binging season one made me realize how much the show nailed the specific feel of each block, and now I can't unsee it every time I visit - has anyone else had a show completely change how you see a real place?

Three seasons in, True Detective is a completely different show - which one wins?

I watched Season 1 back in 2014 and it was this dark, creepy masterpiece with Rust Cohle. Last month I binged Season 3 and it felt like a whole different show with Mahershala Ali's slow burn mystery. But my buddy swears Season 2 in California is the hidden gem everyone missed. Which season actually holds up for a full weekend binge?

Binged The Americans after loving Homeland and it's not even close

I spent 6 nights on The Americans after finishing Homeland last month and I can't believe how much better the pacing and character work is. The family drama actually means something instead of just filler between action scenes. Has anyone else found a spy show that ruined the others for them?

My neighbor dragged me into a 3-hour binge of that old British baking show last Tuesday and now I'm hooked

She knocked on my door around 7pm holding a plate of scones and said "you have to see this episode where someone's cake falls apart." I sat down for ten minutes. Three hours later we'd watched six episodes and she was telling me about her grandmother's pastry recipe. Has anyone else had a friend or neighbor just rope you into a show you never thought you'd like? How do you even catch up from season 2?

Hit 50 episodes of The Leftovers in one weekend and it messed me up

Was just going to watch the pilot and next thing I knew it was Sunday night and I had finished the whole first two seasons. That show has this weird slow burn that just hooks you deeper every episode. Has anyone else gotten completely absorbed by a show they weren't even sure they'd like at first?

My buddy told me he skips the first episode of every show and I can't decide if that's genius or insane

Hit 500 episodes of The Office last week and it hit different

I was scrolling through my watch history and realized I've seen The Office from start to finish 12 times now, that's like 500 episodes. Has anyone else accidentally clocked a ridiculous number on a comfort show and felt kinda weird about it?

Spent a whole weekend comparing Severance to Mr. Robot and one of them holds up way better

I rewatched both shows back to back to settle a debate with my coworker and the difference in pacing was wild. Severance had me hooked from episode 1 while Mr. Robot took until season 2 to really click, even though the themes are super similar. Has anyone else tried comparing two shows like this and found one just works better for binging?

Binged 12 seasons of a show last month and nobody warned me about the narrator change in season 8

I finally got around to watching that long running medical drama everyone talks about, made it through 7 seasons in two weeks, then season 8 hits and some new guy is doing the voiceovers. The old narrator had this calm, gravelly tone that fit the show perfectly, and the new one sounds like he's narrating a car commercial. Did anyone else notice this or am I just being picky about narrators?

Overheard a guy in a coffee shop say he watches shows at 1.5x speed

I was grabbing a latte last Tuesday and heard this older dude telling his friend he zips through all his shows at 1.5x speed. Said it lets him get through three seasons in the time it takes most people to finish one. I tried it that night on a slow drama I was struggling with and honestly it worked for me. Has anyone else found a weird hack like this that actually helps you power through a series?

Went back and forth between 'Dark' and 'Money Heist' for weeks

Honestly, I kept seeing everyone rave about both shows on here, but I only had time for one. I picked 'Dark' first because I heard it was more mind-bending, but after 3 episodes I was totally lost. So I switched to 'Money Heist' and binged the whole first season in two nights. The pacing was just easier to follow with the heist structure and character flashbacks. Now I'm curious if anyone else struggled with 'Dark' at the start or if I should give it another shot?

Overheard a bartender call 'Succession' a rich people soap opera and it stuck with me

I was grabbing a sandwich at this place near me, The Rusty Nail in Minneapolis, and the bartender was going off about how Succession is just a soap opera with expensive suits. At first I wanted to argue but then I thought about how many episodes end on a cliffhanger or a dramatic reveal. Anyone else feel like the line between prestige TV and soap gets real blurry sometimes?

Binged through both versions of The Office back to back and the UK one held up way better than I remembered

After watching 9 seasons of the US version in 2 weeks I figured the 12 episodes from the UK original would be a breeze but David Brent's cringe hits so much harder when you don't have 180 episodes to soften the blows, anyone else find the shorter format actually makes the jokes land better?