c/binge-worthy-shows

Almost ruined a whole season with one wrong click on my streaming queue

I was halfway through the third episode of a new crime drama on my laptop in my dorm room when I accidentally hit 'next episode' instead of pause. The autoplay skipped me past a huge reveal about the killer, and I didn't realize until I saw a character acting totally different later. Has anyone else had a streaming mishap like that where you had to rewind and hope you missed nothing?

Found a hidden gem show that got me through a rough 3 day stretch

I was stuck at home recovering from a minor surgery last month and decided to finally watch "Patriot" on Amazon. Ended up binging all 18 episodes in like 3 days because the dark humor and weird plot just hooked me. Has anyone else randomly found a show that perfectly matched a weird mood you were in?

Just realized I was skipping the intro music on every show I watched

I was binge watching The Americans on Hulu last week and kept pressing the skip intro button. Then after like 20 episodes I accidentally let it play and realized the music sets the tone for the whole show. Now I feel like I missed a bunch of the atmosphere and build up from all those cold opens I rushed through. Has anyone else done this and gone back to rewatch episodes with the intros?

My buddy said I had to watch Severance even though the first episode is slow

He kept pushing it for weeks on our group chat. I sat through the first episode and almost quit around the 30 minute mark. Felt like nothing was happening. But he swore it pays off. Three episodes later I was hooked and finished the whole season in two nights. Has anyone else had a show that starts super slow but becomes a must-binge?

Overheard my neighbor say she stopped watching shows with too many seasons

I was watering my plants last week and heard my neighbor tell her friend she won't start any series that has more than 3 seasons. She said she's tired of committing to something that drags on forever. It got me thinking about how many great shows I skipped because they had 7 or 8 seasons. But on the flip side, some of my favorite shows took a few seasons to really find their groove. Does anyone else find themselves avoiding longer series now?

Overheard someone at the library saying Succession was too slow, and it got me thinking about pacing

I was at the downtown library killing time before my shift last Tuesday, and this guy told his friend he dropped Succession after three episodes because nothing happened. It made me realize I actually like shows that take their time, like The Americans or Mad Men. Maybe it's just me but I think the payoff hits harder when you sit through the slow parts. Has anyone else had a show click for them after almost quitting it early?

Unpopular opinion: You don't need to watch a show from season 1 every time

I used to think you had to start any show from the very first episode or you'd be lost. Then I caught random episodes of 'Law and Order SVU' on TV and realized I could follow along fine without knowing all the backstory. Tried it with season 5 of 'The Office' too and still laughed at everything. Has anyone else stopped stressing about watching shows in order and just jumped into a later season?

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland retro video store who made me give a show a second chance

I was browsing at Video Game Heaven on Hawthorne last month and this employee overheard me trashing Battlestar Galactica. He didn't push, just said the miniseries pilot is basically a whole different show and to watch it first. I gave it a shot that night and I was hooked by the end of the first episode. Now I'm on season 2 and I can't believe I almost skipped this whole thing. Anyone else have a show they wrote off too early because they started at the wrong place?

PSA: The Crown season 4 opening scene took 47 takes to film

Saw that fact on a Netflix behind-the-scenes doc and it blew my mind for how long they spent on one 2-minute scene. Has anyone else stumbled across a random production stat that made you appreciate a show way more?

Update: finally finished that 10-season show I kept quitting

I started watching The Blacklist back in January but kept dropping it around season 4. Last weekend I got sick and just pushed through the boring parts. Turns out the middle seasons are rough but season 8 and 9 actually pick up a lot. Has anyone else struggled to get past a certain season of a long show?

Is binge watching better with week-long breaks or straight through?

My buddy in Chicago says he has to space out shows like 'Severance' over a week because he needs time to think about each episode. But I just finished 'The Bear' season 3 in one Saturday and felt totally lost in the story. Neither of us could convince the other, and we ended up at this diner arguing about it for an hour. Has anyone else had a friend who watches shows totally different from you and it made you question your own way?

Hot take: I used to hate slow burn shows but one scene in Dark did the trick.

Three months ago I was ready to quit Dark after episode 2, but that moment in the cave when the timelines clicked made me binge the whole series in a weekend, anyone else have a show they almost dropped but ended up loving?

My buddy who edits video for a living said I was watching shows wrong and it actually made sense

He told me to skip the first two episodes of every new series I start because most pilots are just the writers figuring out the characters, and after trying it on 5 shows last month I realized I saved about 8 hours of boring setup.

My brother told me 'The Bear' is just a show about people yelling in a kitchen, and I finally watched it last weekend and realized he's completely wrong.

It's actually about the pressure to create something perfect, which hit different after I quit my own stressful job in Austin six months ago.

My 10-year-old nephew said 'The Bear' was boring because nobody had superpowers, and I had to sit down.

My weird trick for getting through a show's slow first season

Started watching this old sci-fi series, 'Farscape'. First season was a real drag. Friend told me to watch it at 1.25x speed. Felt dumb, but tried it for three episodes. Dialogue was still clear, but the pacing felt way better. Anyone else use speed watching to push through a rough start?

My friend in Seattle said I had to watch 'The Bear' in one sitting, so I did it last Friday.

I started at 8 PM and finished the whole first season by 3 AM, and now I can't stop thinking about the way they filmed the kitchen scenes.

Showerthought: People are binging Severance wrong and missing the whole point

I keep seeing folks say they watched the whole season in one weekend, but that's a huge mistake. The show is built on slow-burn tension and you need time between episodes to sit with the weirdness, like the scene in episode 3 with the 'waffle party'. Binging it just turns it into background noise. Anyone else find they appreciated it more watching one episode a week?

I was reading a trivia book and found out 'The Wire' only won two major awards in its whole run.

My friend said my 'binge list' was just a pile of the same old stuff

I was showing my buddy my watchlist, which was full of gritty crime dramas and dark sci-fi. He looked at it and said, 'Dude, you're stuck in a genre rut.' It stung, but he was right. I forced myself to try a comedy I'd skipped, 'What We Do in the Shadows', and laughed for three hours straight. Anyone else get stuck watching one type of show and need a push to try something new?

Serious question, did anyone else watch shows on their phone for years without realizing how much they were missing?

I finally watched 'Severance' on my 55-inch TV instead of my phone screen last night, and I caught so many background details I'd totally missed before. Am I the only one who was basically ruining the experience without knowing it?

Shoutout to the 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot over the new shows

Everyone talks about the modern sci-fi shows, but the gritty realism and practical effects in that first season are unmatched. The new stuff feels too clean and safe. Anyone else think older series had more guts?

Can we talk about the time I tried to binge 'Dark' over a single weekend?

I started it on a Friday night after work. By Sunday afternoon, I was completely lost in the timelines and family trees. I had to pause every episode to check the online charts. It was mentally exhausting, but I couldn't stop. I finished all 26 episodes in about 48 hours and my brain felt like scrambled eggs. Has anyone else had a show completely take over a weekend like that? What did you watch?

I used to think you HAD to watch shows the week they came out

For years, I'd rush to watch new episodes of stuff like 'Stranger Things' the day they dropped to avoid spoilers. It felt like homework. Then, last fall, I waited a full month to start 'The Bear' season 2. Binging it all in one weekend with NO pressure was a total game changer. I actually remembered the plot and enjoyed it more. Now I deliberately wait for a full season to be out before I even start. Does anyone else find they enjoy shows MORE when they wait and binge?

Finished a show in one sitting for the first time in years

My power went out for eight hours on Tuesday, so I finally started 'The Bear' on my laptop. The battery died right as the credits rolled on the last episode. Has anyone else had a show just completely lock them in like that?