c/binge-worthy-shows

My sister told me to skip the first season of a show, and I'm glad I did

She said to just watch a recap and start with season two of 'The 100' (which, okay, sounds like bad advice). But the first season was so cheesy and felt like a totally different, worse show. Jumping in at season two got me hooked on the darker story right away, and I binged the next four seasons in a week. Has anyone else had a show where the start is just not worth it?

Hot take: I tried to watch 'The Bear' in one sitting and it was a huge mistake

I started it last Sunday afternoon thinking I'd just watch a couple episodes, but the stress of that kitchen was so real I couldn't stop. I finished the whole first season in about 7 hours and felt completely wired, like I'd just worked a double shift myself. My heart was pounding during the 'Review' episode. Has anyone else had a show get under their skin like that, where you need a real break between episodes?

I found my old DVD of the first season of 'Lost' and it made me think about how we watch things now.

Last week in my Denver apartment, I popped in that first disc from 2004 and realized we used to wait a whole week between episodes, but now my friend and I will crush an entire new season of something like 'The Bear' in a single Saturday, which is wild when you think about it, right?

My wife told me I watch shows like I'm cramming for a test...

She said 'you're just waiting for the next plot point, not enjoying the ride.' Now I try to watch just one episode a night, really sitting with it. Anyone else had to learn how to actually watch a show, not just finish it?

My coworker in Phoenix said 'Severance is just a weird office show' and I'm still mad about it.

My power went out right before the big twist in Severance

I was at home in my apartment, about 45 minutes into the fifth episode, when a storm knocked the power out for the whole block... just as Mark was about to open that door. I had to wait three hours for it to come back on, and I spent the whole time just thinking about what might be behind it. Anyone else ever have a binge session totally wrecked by bad timing?

Watched the first season of 'Severance' in 2021, then the second just last week, and the drop in writing quality is genuinely jarring.

The new season feels rushed and the plot holes are massive, like they had to stretch 5 episodes of story into 10, so what's a show you thought got way worse after a strong start?

Tried to watch 'The Bear' in one sitting and my brain broke

Honestly, I thought I could handle the stress of that show because I work in a kitchen too. I started at 8 PM and by 2 AM, I was having a full-on dream that I was in the weeds during a dinner rush. Woke up yelling 'corner' at my cat. Ngl, learned that some shows are just too intense to binge straight through. Anyone else have a show that got in your head like that?

My buddy from the job site tried to get me to watch a show about drywall

We were on a break at a new build in Tempe last month, and he pulled out his phone. He showed me a clip from this show where people compete to finish drywall the fastest, calling it 'the most intense thing on TV.' I told him I see enough drywall at work, I don't need to watch it for fun. He kept pushing it for a solid 10 minutes, saying the drama was unreal. Has anyone actually watched a show like this, or is my friend just a workaholic?

My husband and I went from zero to obsessed with 'Shogun' in a single weekend

We started the first episode on Friday night, a bit unsure about the subtitles. By Sunday afternoon we'd finished all ten episodes, and I was looking up the real history of the Tokugawa shogunate online. The characters are so well done that you get completely pulled into their world. Has anyone else had a show grab them that fast?

My cat staged a protest during the final episode of Severance

I was on the edge of my couch in Chicago, completely absorbed in the last ten minutes of the season finale, when my cat, Miso, decided the Apple TV remote was a chew toy and changed the input to static. I had to scramble to find the tiny remote under the cushions while my heart was still pounding from the show. Has anyone else had a pet totally ruin a crucial TV moment?

Finally found a way to stop getting lost in big shows

I kept dropping shows like 'The Wire' because I'd forget who was who. Watched the first three episodes three times. Last month, I made a simple chart on a piece of paper. Just names and how they connect. Kept it next to the remote. Sounds dumb, but it worked. Finished the whole first season in a week. Now I do it for any show with a big cast. Anyone else have a simple trick for keeping track of characters?

I gave a show everyone loves a full season and still hated it

Everyone kept telling me to watch 'Severance' and said it gets amazing after episode 5. I powered through all 9 episodes waiting for that click. It never came for me. The whole thing felt like a slow, confusing chore, and the big twists just left me cold. I learned that sometimes a show's vibe just doesn't connect, no matter how much hype it gets. Has anyone else had this happen with a super popular series?

My brother told me to skip the first season of 'The Wire' and I'm still mad about it.

He said it was 'too slow' and to just read a summary online, but starting with season 2 made the whole show feel confusing and disconnected for me, so has anyone else gotten bad advice on where to start a series?

My wife and I finally got around to 'Severance' after our trip to Denver got snowed out in March.

We were stuck in a hotel for two days with nothing to do but watch TV. We blew through the whole first season in one sitting, just glued to the screen. The show's vibe of that weird office totally matched our own feeling of being trapped inside. Has anyone else watched something that just fit a weird moment in their life like that?

My entire watch party got ruined by a streaming app glitch last night

We were all set to watch the new season of 'Shrinking' at my place in Denver, five of us crammed on the couch. We were three episodes deep when the Apple TV app just froze on a black screen. We tried everything: restarting the show, closing the app, even rebooting the whole TV. Nothing worked. My friend Mark said, 'It's like the show just gave up on us.' We ended up missing the big cliffhanger moment we'd been waiting for all week. The mood totally died and people started checking their phones. Has anyone else had a streaming service crash right at the worst possible time? How do you even plan for that?

I just hit 100 hours watching a show everyone says is boring

I mean, everyone online says 'The Bureau' is too slow and nothing happens. I kept watching because I liked the first few episodes, and last week my streaming app said I'd watched 102 hours of it. That's like four whole days. It mattered because it made me realize I actually like shows that take their time to build a mood, even if the plot isn't fast. Has anyone else stuck with a show people call boring and ended up loving it?

Spotted a huge Severance mural while grabbing coffee in downtown Boise

It made me remember how I binged the whole first season in one weekend last winter, and now I'm dying to know if anyone has found a show with a similar vibe to hold me over until season two.

My buddy said my 'skip the intro' habit was ruining the vibe of Severance

He pointed out that the opening credits have subtle clues about the show's mystery, which I totally missed by fast-forwarding. Now I watch every intro at least once per season, and it actually adds a lot. Anyone else get called out for a binge habit that changed how you watch?

I bought a year of a streaming service just for one show that got canceled

I signed up for that new 'Star Stream' service in January because they had this sci-fi show called 'Orbit' that looked amazing. I paid the $120 for the whole year to get the discount, thinking I'd watch other stuff too. They canceled 'Orbit' after FIVE episodes and now the whole library is just old cooking shows and bad reality TV. Has anyone else gotten totally burned by a service like this? I need a new show to make my subscription feel less like a waste.

My wife said I was just watching shows, not really seeing them

She pointed out I was always on my phone during big scenes. I started putting it in another room for the last three episodes of Severance. Totally different experience. Anyone else have a simple habit that changed how you watch?

At my block party, folks got into it over binging shows together. Half say group marathons are the best, half say solo binges are better. What do you prefer?

Rant: My local cafe now has a 'show of the week' board for binge recommendations.

It's a small win that makes picking what to watch next so much easier and more social.

Tbh, a one-day show marathon has me totally hooked on the story

Honestly, I started watching this mystery series called 'The Outsider' yesterday afternoon. Tbh, I got so into it that I didn't even pause for dinner. Before I knew it, I'd seen the entire season and it was past midnight. Now, I'm lying awake going over the clues they left open. Ngl, it feels like the show has taken over my mind. Has anyone else had a binge leave them this confused and curious? I really want to talk about the ending but no one I know has seen it. What shows have done this to you guys?

My stance on rewatching shows flipped completely

I used to think rewatching was a waste when so many new shows exist. Then a really bad day had me put on The Office for background noise. I ended up laughing out loud and feeling way better. Now I see rewatches as a reliable comfort, not a lazy choice.