c/binge-worthy-shows

I finally sat down to watch The Bear and it took me 4 episodes to realize why everyone was yelling

Everyone kept telling me to watch this show but I kept putting it off. Finally gave it a shot last week. First episode I was confused, second episode I was annoyed, third episode I was stressed. By the fourth one I realized the yelling IS the point. The whole thing is about how high stress environments make people act insane. Anyone else have a show they bounced off of at first before it clicked?

The 10 minute skip rule is ruining first episodes for people

I kept seeing people say they gave a show like Dark or The Leftovers 10 minutes before quitting... but those shows need like 3 episodes to set up. My buddy watched one episode of Mr. Robot and said it was boring. I made him watch 3 and now he's obsessed. If you skip a show after 10 minutes you're missing the whole point of slow burn storytelling. Has anyone else had a show that clicked only after the 3rd episode?

Put captions on for a show I'd already seen and caught a whole different conversation

Tried rewatching The Wire with subtitles on and realized I missed like half the street slang and side chatter the first time. Has anyone else found a show that changed completely with captions?

Serious question, how do you push through a show that starts falling apart in the middle?

I finally started watching that big sci-fi series everyone raves about, The Expanse. Got through the first two seasons in about a week, it was SO good. But then season three hit and I swear the pacing just completely fell off a cliff. They introduced like 6 new characters in one episode and I couldn't keep track of who was who anymore. I put it down about three episodes ago and haven't picked it back up. My buddy at the station keeps telling me it gets better, but I'm just not feeling it right now. Has anyone else had a show totally lose momentum on you halfway through? What did you do, just power through or give up?

Overheard my nephew talking about old shows like they're ancient history

He was telling his friend about how he just discovered The Wire and said something like "it's so old school but still good." Made me realize that show came out in 2002. I remember watching it week by week, waiting for Sunday nights. Now kids binge the whole thing in like two weekends and call it "vintage." Anyone else feel weird when stuff from your own time becomes "retro" to someone else?

My neighbor called me out on skipping intros like a madman

At a watch party last Friday, this guy named Dave told me I was ruining the vibe by skipping every opening credits. He said I was missing the music cues that build tension for the whole episode. Has anyone else had someone call them out for their binge habits like that?

Question about whether you finish a bad season or just quit...

I tried sticking through the final season of a show I loved for 5 years... it got so slow and weird by episode 3. But I kept thinking maybe it would get better, so I forced myself through all 12 episodes. Now I kind of wish I had just stopped because the ending ruined the whole series for me. On the other hand, my friend quit after episode 2 and says she has no regrets. Has anyone else dealt with this debate between finishing a show out of loyalty versus cutting your losses?

Pro tip: Binging Succession in 3 days wrecked my sleep schedule completely

Tried binging The Americans weekly vs all at once. Night and day difference.

I started The Americans a few months back watching weekly like it aired. Got bored around season 3 and dropped it. Then last month I restarted it from scratch and binged 3-4 episodes a night. Holy crap it's way better. The slow burn pacing works so much better when you don't have to wait a whole week between episodes. The tension carries over and you catch so many more clues. The scene with the garage door in season 4 hit way harder on a binge. Anyone else find that some shows are basically designed for binging even if they came out as weekly releases?

Everyone loves The Bear but I think season 2 was a mess

I keep hearing people say it's the best show on TV but I almost quit halfway through the season. The episode where they just sit around talking about forks for 45 minutes felt like filler to me. Am I the only one who thought that dragged on way too long?

Got halfway through a new crime drama and figured out the killer by episode 3

I started watching "Cold Case Chronicles" on a whim last night because it had good ratings. By the third episode I had the killer pegged and it just ruined the rest of the season for me. Any shows out there that actually keep you guessing until the end?

I finally saw the stats on how much screen time people binge in a single sitting and it blew my mind

I came across a Netflix report saying the average person watches 2.5 hours of a show in one go, but I personally crushed an entire 10 episode season of Dark in one night last week, which side of the binge spectrum do you land on?

The weekend I tried to binge all of Severance in one sitting and crashed hard by episode 4

Watched "Severance" late at night and it messed up my sleep for a whole week

I used to just throw on any show before bed, but after binging 4 episodes of that one, I had crazy dreams and woke up exhausted. Did anyone else have a show ruin their sleep schedule like that?

Finally watched Dark after years of hearing about it

I kept seeing people recommend Dark on here but the German language thing made me put it off for like 2 years. Then about 3 weeks ago I was bored and gave the first episode a shot with subtitles instead of dubbing. It was a whole different experience. The original voice acting adds so much more weight to the scenes. The dubbing just felt off to me after comparing them side by side. By episode 3 I was hooked and finished all 3 seasons in 10 days. Anyone else have a show they avoided for a dumb reason and then regretted waiting?

My trick for skipping the slow parts in longer shows

I started watching stuff at 1.5x speed during the boring setup scenes in season 3 of that 10-episode drama. Saved me about 4 hours total across the whole season and I didn't miss any key plot points. Anyone else do this or am I just impatient?

Binged 'The Bear' in one weekend and lost my cool over a kitchen scene

I was on my couch in Chicago last Saturday, and that episode where the guy yells about the forks for 5 minutes straight hit me wrong. I paused it and stood up screaming at the TV about how chefs don't act that dramatic. Has anyone else had a show scene just make you snap like that?

Went in hating on The Bear season 1, ended up binging it twice in 3 days

I was sure this show was gonna be just another stressed-out chef yelling at people thing, which I'm totally over. But my sister kept pushing it, so I gave it two episodes on a Sunday afternoon. The way they handled the kitchen chaos and the family drama in that tiny sandwich shop really hooked me. What was a show you were totally wrong about, and what episode or scene changed your mind?

Found out my favorite show had 14 hour-long episodes I never saw

I was scrolling through Netflix the other night and saw 'The Expanse' pop up. I thought I had watched every episode, but I stumbled on a wiki page that listed 14 extra episodes from a season I skipped. Turns out there was a whole season 4 I missed because I quit after season 3 by mistake. I spent all weekend catching up and now I'm mad at myself for almost missing it. Has anyone else accidentally skipped a whole season of a show they thought they finished?

Discovered watching shows with captions on actually helps me focus better

For years I'd start a show, get distracted by my phone, and have to rewind like 10 times per episode. Tried putting captions on for The Bear last week and suddenly I wasn't looking at my phone at all. Something about reading the words keeps my brain locked in. Has anyone else found this works for them or is it just a weird quirk?

Picked one streaming service over another for a month and it actually paid off

I had to decide between keeping my Netflix or trying Apple TV+ for a month because my budget is tight right now. I went with Apple TV+ and binged Severance and Silo in about 10 days flat. The shows were so good I didn't miss Netflix at all, has anyone else switched services and been surprised by what you found?

Saw the actor count on Wikipedia for Game of Thrones season 8

I always hated how rushed season 8 felt. Thought it was just bad writing. Then I checked the episode counts on Wikipedia. Season 1 had 10 episodes. Season 8 only had 6. They crammed the same amount of story into way less time. No wonder everything felt jammed together. Anyone else check the episode counts on their favorite shows after seeing that?

Had a chat with my neighbor last night that changed how I watch shows now

He's retired and watches like 4 shows a week, so I asked him how he picks what to binge. He said he stops after episode two if the writing feels lazy and doesn't look back. I always force myself through seasons hoping it gets better, but he made me realize I'm just wasting my own time. Started doing that with a show I was on episode 5 of last week and it felt oddly freeing. Anyone else have a hard rule like that for when you bail on a series?

Why does nobody talk about how season 4 ruins a good show?

I was binging this crime drama last month during a layover in St. Louis, got through three seasons in less than a week. Then season 4 hit and everything fell apart, they added a whole new character with no buildup and dropped a main plotline without explanation. I sat there in my cab at a truck stop in Missouri feeling like I wasted 20 hours of my life. Has anyone else had a show just completely tank after a strong start like that?

Binged a whole series in one night and regretted it the next day

I stayed up until 4am watching 'Dark' on Netflix in my tiny apartment, thinking I could handle it. By noon I was nodding off at my desk and missed a meeting with my boss. Has anyone else ever lost sleep for a show and paid the price hard?