c/binge-worthy-shows

I was watching shows wrong for years until my friend pointed out one thing

I used to always watch a new show while scrolling on my phone, thinking I could follow along. Then my buddy came over to watch the new season of 'Shrinking' and after twenty minutes he asked, 'Did you catch why that joke was funny?' I had to admit I missed it because I was looking at my screen. Now I put my phone in another room when I start something, and I actually remember the plot. Anyone else have a rule to stop from getting distracted?

Ngl, I just blew $60 on a streaming service for a show that got canceled after one season

Just hit 100 episodes of a show I thought I'd hate

My buddy kept pushing me to watch 'The Expanse', said it was a slow burn. I finally gave in last month and started from season one. Last night I checked my watch history and realized I've watched exactly 100 episodes across all seasons. The world building just hooked me, and the politics between Earth, Mars, and the Belt got so deep. Anyone else have a show they were sure they'd dislike but ended up binging hard?

My $40 gamble on that weird sci-fi show everyone forgot about

I bought the whole box set of 'The Expanse' after season one because the reviews were wild, but I couldn't stream it. That was like forty bucks. Honestly, the first few episodes were slow and I almost gave up, but by season two I was hooked and watched it all in a week. Has anyone else dropped cash on a physical set of a show that turned out to be a hidden gem, or did you just waste your money?

The new season of that show about the space crew just feels off now

I binged the first two seasons back in 2021 and it was all tight, focused stories about survival. Now in season four, they spent three whole episodes on a love triangle between the pilot, the engineer, and a random new character from Earth. It's like the writers forgot what made the show good in the first place. Has anyone else felt a show completely lose its original spark?

My friend and I had a weird TV marathon bet that got out of hand

We started watching 'The Great British Bake Off' last Friday, just a few episodes. By Sunday, we had seen every season on Netflix, about 70 hours total. The change was our kitchen, which went from normal to covered in flour and failed sponge cakes. We got so into it we tried to bake along without any skill. Anyone else pick up a weird hobby from a show they binged too fast?

My barber said he watched all of 'The Bear' in one weekend

He was talking about how the kitchen stress felt real, like his own busy Saturday mornings. Made me wonder what shows actually feel true to a job you know. Any other shows that nail a specific work vibe?

I saw a stat that made me finally give The Bear a shot

I kept skipping it because I thought a show about a kitchen would be boring. Then I read on a TV blog that the first season was filmed in just 18 days. That's crazy fast for a show that looks that good. It made me think the whole thing must have been super intense and real. I binged all of season one in a weekend and they were right. Has anyone else been surprised by how a show is made?

Unpopular opinion: I was wrong to skip the first season of 'The Expanse'

A buddy told me the initial world-building was 'homework' and I'd regret it later, so I went back and binged it. Anyone else have a show they tried to jump into late and totally missed the point?

Unpopular opinion: The new season of that show everyone loves is actually way worse than the first one

I just finished the latest season of 'Midnight Echoes' and I'm honestly confused by all the praise. The first season was so tight, with just eight episodes that all felt important. This new one has twelve episodes and you can really feel the padding... entire subplots go nowhere, like that whole thing with the sister's art gallery that took up two episodes. The main character's choices stopped making sense around episode five, just to create more drama. It went from a smart mystery to a soap opera with ghosts. I binged the first season in two days but this one took me over a week because I kept getting bored. Has anyone else felt let down by a show's second season like this?

Honestly, my trick for getting through a slow-burn show is to watch the first three episodes at double speed before committing.

Tbh, I was ready to drop 'The Leftovers' after a confusing pilot, but speeding through the setup episodes in under 90 minutes let me finally get hooked on the actual story, so has anyone else used a weird speed-watching rule to stick with a show?

Binging old shows on DVD vs streaming them now is a whole different world

Honestly, I tried to rewatch the first season of 'The Wire' on my old DVD box set from 2004, and the picture looked so fuzzy on my new TV. Ngl, I switched to the HD version on HBO Max and it was like seeing a brand new show, the detail in the city shots was crazy. Has anyone else had a show they loved get way better with a fresh stream?

Wasted $60 on a show subscription just to watch one thing, then forgot to cancel for months.

My brother told me to skip the first two episodes of Severance

He said they were slow and the real hook was episode three. I watched them anyway and almost gave up, but he was right, the third one grabbed me hard. Has anyone else had a show where the starting advice was totally wrong or right?

Shoutout to my friend who told me to skip the first season of The Office

My buddy kept telling me for months to just start with season 2, that the first one was a slog and the show didn't find its feet until then. I ignored him, thinking I needed the full story, and powered through those six episodes last week. It was rough, I almost gave up on the whole thing. The humor felt forced and the characters were just not clicking for me at all. I finally listened, jumped to season 2, and binged the next ten episodes in two days. It was like a completely different, and way funnier, show. Why do some series have such a weak start? Has anyone else had a show saved by skipping ahead?

Pro tip: I finally found a way to actually finish a series instead of dropping it halfway

I kept starting shows and then losing interest around episode 4 or 5. My watchlist was just a graveyard of half-finished stuff. Last month, I decided to try something different with a new sci-fi show called 'Echo Drift'. I made a rule: I could only watch one episode per night, no matter how good the cliffhanger was. It felt weird at first, especially when episode 3 ended on a huge twist. But spreading it out over two weeks made me actually look forward to it each night instead of just zoning out. I finished the whole first season and I remember all the plot details now, which never happens when I binge. Has anyone else tried limiting their episodes like this? What other tricks work for you to actually get through a series?

TIL my 'just one more episode' choice at 11 PM last night was a huge mistake

I had to pick between starting 'The Bear' or just going to sleep, and I chose the show. Honestly, I watched the entire first season straight through and called in sick to work today. Anyone else ever completely ruin their next day like this?

Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about 'The Last of Us'

I avoided that show for months because I thought it was just another zombie thing. My friend in Denver kept telling me to watch it, so I finally gave in last week. I was ready to hate it, but the third episode with Bill and Frank completely got me. It wasn't about the infected at all, it was just this beautiful, sad story about two people. That hour changed the whole show for me. I ended up watching the rest in two days. It made me realize I was judging it by its cover. Has anyone else had a show they were sure they'd dislike that totally surprised them?

My entire Netflix queue vanished right as I started my weekend binge of The Bear

It happened Friday night after a weird app update, and I had to spend an hour manually searching and re-adding all 17 shows I was planning to watch.

Vent: My streaming app kept crashing during the new season of Severance

It took me almost two hours to figure out the problem was my old smart TV's storage being full. I had to delete a bunch of unused apps and clear the cache just to watch episode three without it freezing. Has anyone else had this happen with an older Samsung model?

My weekend binge plan just fell apart when the streaming service crashed

I was three episodes into a new show on Saturday night when the whole app just stopped working. The screen went black and a weird error code popped up. I tried restarting my tablet and the router, but nothing fixed it for about 45 minutes. What do you guys do when your streaming goes down in the middle of a good series?

Showerthought: I was watching shows all wrong for years

I kept starting new series and dropping them after two episodes, thinking they were boring. The trick is to commit to the first three episodes minimum, because that's when most shows find their footing. Anyone else have a specific episode number that's their 'make or break' point?

Showerthought: I was watching shows all wrong for years

I always skipped the opening credits to get straight to the episode, but then I binged 'Severance' and the theme song actually sets the whole creepy vibe. Now I feel like I missed out on the mood for so many other series. Do you guys watch the intros or just skip them?

Warning: I spent $60 on a Hulu add-on and it changed my whole weekend

I was trying to watch the new season of The Bear, but my basic Hulu plan had ads. I got so sick of the breaks that I paid for the no ads upgrade. It was totally worth it, I watched the whole season in two days without a single interruption. Has anyone else paid for an ad free plan and found it made binging way better?

My cousin told me to skip the first season of The Bear and I'm so mad I listened

He said it was 'too slow' and to just start with season 2. I did, and I was totally lost on all the character stuff and the restaurant drama. I had to go back and watch the whole first season anyway to figure out what was going on. Has anyone else gotten bad advice about where to start a show?