c/binge-worthy-shows

I finally picked between starting 'Severance' or 'The Bear' this weekend

My friend in Seattle kept telling me to watch 'Severance', but I saw 'The Bear' won a bunch of awards. I went with 'The Bear' and finished the whole first season in one sitting, it was that good. Has anyone else watched both and think I made the right call?

My whole watch party got a massive spoiler from a random YouTube thumbnail

We were four episodes into the new season of 'Severance' at my place in Tacoma. I got up to grab snacks and my phone buzzed with a YouTube notification. The video title was something like 'THAT Character's Shocking Death Explained' with a huge picture of the person right there. I yelled 'NO' and threw my phone on the couch. We all saw it and the next two episodes were totally ruined because we were just waiting for it to happen. Has anyone found a good way to block those kinds of thumbnails on your phone?

Had to choose between finishing a show or starting a new one last night

I had one episode left of 'The Bear' season 2, but my friend kept telling me to start 'Shogun' right away. I picked finishing 'The Bear' because I needed that closure on the characters, and the finale was just perfect. It felt good to complete something before jumping into a whole new world. Anyone else get stuck on that 'finish or start fresh' choice?

The first season of 'The Bear' felt like a different show compared to the second

I finally binged both seasons back to back last weekend, and the shift was huge. Season one was pure chaos, all shaky cameras and people yelling in that tiny kitchen. It stressed me out almost as much as my worst day at the help desk. Then season two starts, and it's like a deep breath. They slow down, focus on the characters fixing their own lives, and you get these quiet, beautiful episodes like the Christmas flashback. The change happened over just one season break, and I think the cause was the show earning its confidence. It knew we were hooked on the people, not just the cooking panic. Do you think the show got better with the calmer tone, or did it lose its original energy?

Serious question, has anyone else seen the new show posters at the airport in Denver?

I was stuck there for a three hour layover last Tuesday and walked past this huge wall of ads for streaming shows. Every single one had the same dark, moody look with a person staring off into the distance. It made me realize how hard it is to pick something new when all the marketing looks exactly the same. How do you even find a good show when the posters give you zero clue what it's about?

My partner got mad at my show habit and it actually helped

He pointed out I was just staring at my phone during the last three episodes of 'The Bear' and missing everything. I felt bad because he was right, I was just scrolling. So I made a new rule: no phones during the first watch of any episode. It sounds simple, but it made a huge difference. I'm actually following the plot now. Does anyone else have rules to help them pay attention?

Warning: The new 'binge lounge' at the mall in Springfield has a huge problem

I checked out that new streaming lounge at the Eastfield Mall last weekend, the one where you pay to use a private pod to watch shows. It sounded perfect for a solo binge session. I paid the $25 for two hours and picked a pod to watch the new season of my favorite sci-fi show. The screen was huge and the seat was comfy, but about forty minutes in, I noticed the sound bleeding in from the pod next to me. It was a loud action movie, and I could hear every explosion through the wall. I tried turning my volume up, but then I was just adding to the noise for someone else. The whole point is a quiet, personal space, right? It totally ruined the mood for a show you need to pay attention to. Has anyone else tried a place like this and found a good one that actually has proper soundproofing?

I had to choose between finishing 'The Wire' or starting 'Succession' last weekend

My friend said I had to watch 'Succession' right away, but I was only three episodes into the final season of 'The Wire'. I picked 'The Wire' and spent about 8 hours finishing it. It was the right call, because that last season really tied everything together in a way I didn't see coming. Now I feel like I need a day to just think about it before I jump into something new. Has anyone else felt totally drained by a show in a good way?

Watched the first season of 'Severance' in one weekend and now I'm split on the ending

My wife and I binged the whole thing from Friday night to Sunday in our living room. The last episode left me feeling tense and excited, but she thought it was a cheap cliffhanger that didn't resolve enough. I think the mystery is the whole point, while she says a show needs to give some answers to be satisfying. Has anyone else finished it and felt strongly one way or the other?

I just finished a show in one weekend and my brain is still in that world

Last Saturday I started watching 'The Bear' on Hulu, and I did not stop until I finished the whole first season by Sunday night. I had heard people talk about it, but I was not ready for how fast it pulled me in. The kitchen scenes felt so real and stressful, I was actually yelling at my TV during the episode with the online orders. I live in a small apartment in Denver, and I did not leave my couch for two days except to get more snacks. Now it is Tuesday and I keep thinking about the characters like they are real people I know. Has anyone else gotten so into a show that it feels weird to be back in normal life after?

The best binge I ever had was during a power outage last winter.

My street lost power for 48 hours, so I just burned through the entire first season of 'Severance' on my laptop battery. It was the perfect show for that weird, isolated feeling. Anyone else have a show that just fit a weird moment perfectly?

My entire weekend binge plan fell apart when my streaming service crashed on Friday night.

I had a whole lineup ready, starting with the new season of 'Shining Girls'. The app went down at 8 PM and didn't come back until almost midnight. I ended up digging out an old DVD of 'The Wire' and got hooked all over again. Has your streaming service ever died at the worst possible time, and what did you watch instead?

My partner and I tried to watch two different 'slow burn' shows last month

I picked 'The Terror' and she picked 'The Leftovers'. We gave each one three full episodes to hook us. 'The Terror' had me from the first scene with the frozen ship, but 'The Leftovers' just felt like a confusing slog (sorry fans). The big difference was that one gave you a clear, scary problem right away, and the other kept everything too vague. What's a show that hooked you immediately versus one you had to drop?

My entire weekend binge plan fell apart when my streaming service crashed on Friday night.

My friend insisted I watch the first three episodes of Severance before giving up

I tried the first one and found it slow, so I was ready to drop it. He told me, 'Just get through episode three, trust me.' I pushed through, and the end of that third episode completely hooked me. Now I've watched the whole season twice. Anyone else have a show that needed a specific episode count to click?

Watching the 'Dark' finale almost made me quit the show for good

I was at my friend's place in Chicago last year, and we binged the whole last season in one weekend. Everyone online says the ending is perfect, but honestly... it felt like a cop-out to me. All that build-up with the time loops and the families just ended with a reset button. It made the whole journey feel pointless. Has anyone else finished a show and felt like the ending ruined the re-watch value?

The 'Dark' finale almost made me quit the show for good

I was at my place in Denver, three seasons deep into 'Dark'. The finale started. They introduced a whole new world in the last 20 minutes. Felt like a total cheat. I actually paused it and walked away for a week. Came back, finished it, still hated it. It ruined a perfectly good time loop story. Anyone else feel like a show's ending completely wrecked the binge?

Watched the first season of 'The Old Guard' and then 'Extraction' back to back, and the difference in fight scene editing was like night and day.

The clear, wide shots in 'Extraction' let you follow every brutal move, while the shaky, close-up cuts in 'The Old Guard' just made me feel dizzy and confused about who was hitting who.

Hot take: I think the new season of that big space show got way too slow

I binged the first two seasons last month and the action kept me hooked, but I just watched the new episodes from last week and it feels like nothing happened for three hours. Maybe it's just me, but I think they focused too much on talking and not enough on the plot moving forward. Did anyone else feel the pace totally changed?

My brother told me to skip the first season of 'The Wire', said it was too slow. I did, and I've never been more confused in my life.

I had to pick between finishing 'Severance' or starting 'The Bear' last weekend.

I chose 'Severance' and ended up staying up until 3 AM because I just had to know what was in that basement! Now I'm so tired but totally hooked. Has anyone else gotten totally wrecked by a show's cliffhangers?

Watched the first season of that new detective show and the second season is a totally different vibe

The first ten episodes were all about the main character solving small town mysteries, but season two jumps ahead five years and he's suddenly a federal agent in a big city. It feels like a completely different program now. Anyone else feel like a show changed genres on them halfway through?

Just changed my mind about watching shows with my phone out

For years, I'd watch a new series while also scrolling on my phone, thinking I could follow along. Last week, I tried 'Shogun' and got totally lost in the first episode. My friend in Austin said to put my phone in another room and just try it for one hour. I did, and I caught so many small details in the costumes and the dialogue that I had been missing. Has anyone else tried a no-phone watch and found a show got way better?

I watched the first episode of 'Severance' expecting a slow burn, but I was hooked by the end credits.

I figured I'd just watch one before bed, but I ended up finishing the whole season in two days. Has anyone else had a show grab them that fast?

I gave up on that new space show after three episodes... and I'm glad I did.

I kept hearing it was the next big thing, so I bought a whole season pass for $25. The plot was just a mess of confusing politics with zero character I cared about. What's a show you dropped fast that saved you hours?