c/binge-worthy-shows

Binged The Americans after loving Homeland and it's not even close

I spent 6 nights on The Americans after finishing Homeland last month and I can't believe how much better the pacing and character work is. The family drama actually means something instead of just filler between action scenes. Has anyone else found a spy show that ruined the others for them?

My neighbor dragged me into a 3-hour binge of that old British baking show last Tuesday and now I'm hooked

She knocked on my door around 7pm holding a plate of scones and said "you have to see this episode where someone's cake falls apart." I sat down for ten minutes. Three hours later we'd watched six episodes and she was telling me about her grandmother's pastry recipe. Has anyone else had a friend or neighbor just rope you into a show you never thought you'd like? How do you even catch up from season 2?

Hit 50 episodes of The Leftovers in one weekend and it messed me up

Was just going to watch the pilot and next thing I knew it was Sunday night and I had finished the whole first two seasons. That show has this weird slow burn that just hooks you deeper every episode. Has anyone else gotten completely absorbed by a show they weren't even sure they'd like at first?

My buddy told me he skips the first episode of every show and I can't decide if that's genius or insane

Hit 500 episodes of The Office last week and it hit different

I was scrolling through my watch history and realized I've seen The Office from start to finish 12 times now, that's like 500 episodes. Has anyone else accidentally clocked a ridiculous number on a comfort show and felt kinda weird about it?

Spent a whole weekend comparing Severance to Mr. Robot and one of them holds up way better

I rewatched both shows back to back to settle a debate with my coworker and the difference in pacing was wild. Severance had me hooked from episode 1 while Mr. Robot took until season 2 to really click, even though the themes are super similar. Has anyone else tried comparing two shows like this and found one just works better for binging?

Binged 12 seasons of a show last month and nobody warned me about the narrator change in season 8

I finally got around to watching that long running medical drama everyone talks about, made it through 7 seasons in two weeks, then season 8 hits and some new guy is doing the voiceovers. The old narrator had this calm, gravelly tone that fit the show perfectly, and the new one sounds like he's narrating a car commercial. Did anyone else notice this or am I just being picky about narrators?

Overheard a guy in a coffee shop say he watches shows at 1.5x speed

I was grabbing a latte last Tuesday and heard this older dude telling his friend he zips through all his shows at 1.5x speed. Said it lets him get through three seasons in the time it takes most people to finish one. I tried it that night on a slow drama I was struggling with and honestly it worked for me. Has anyone else found a weird hack like this that actually helps you power through a series?

Went back and forth between 'Dark' and 'Money Heist' for weeks

Honestly, I kept seeing everyone rave about both shows on here, but I only had time for one. I picked 'Dark' first because I heard it was more mind-bending, but after 3 episodes I was totally lost. So I switched to 'Money Heist' and binged the whole first season in two nights. The pacing was just easier to follow with the heist structure and character flashbacks. Now I'm curious if anyone else struggled with 'Dark' at the start or if I should give it another shot?

Overheard a bartender call 'Succession' a rich people soap opera and it stuck with me

I was grabbing a sandwich at this place near me, The Rusty Nail in Minneapolis, and the bartender was going off about how Succession is just a soap opera with expensive suits. At first I wanted to argue but then I thought about how many episodes end on a cliffhanger or a dramatic reveal. Anyone else feel like the line between prestige TV and soap gets real blurry sometimes?

Binged through both versions of The Office back to back and the UK one held up way better than I remembered

After watching 9 seasons of the US version in 2 weeks I figured the 12 episodes from the UK original would be a breeze but David Brent's cringe hits so much harder when you don't have 180 episodes to soften the blows, anyone else find the shorter format actually makes the jokes land better?

That Netflix show everybody hyped up had a glaring plot hole I never see anyone mention

I finally watched The Night Agent after like six people told me I had to see it. And don't get me wrong, it's fun. But there's this one thing that kept bugging me the whole time. The main character gets shot in the arm in episode two, no big deal at first. But then he's in a car chase three hours later with that same arm, no sling, no wincing, full on shifting gears and firing a gun. I asked my buddy who's a nurse about it and she said that's totally unrealistic, even with adrenaline. I mean, I get it's a TV show and they have to move the plot along, but it pulled me right out of the story. Has anyone else noticed stuff like that with other popular shows?

Just binged The Fall of the House of Usher vs Bly Manor... no contest

I spent last weekend watching both Flanagan series back to back and honestly House of Usher wins by a mile. Bly Manor had that slow burn mystery but Usher just grabbed me from episode 1 with the pacing and the way each death played out. Has anyone else found themselves skipping through Bly Manor on a rewatch because it drags in the middle episodes?

Had to choose between two binge shows last weekend and picked wrong

I had Friday night free and couldn't decide between starting The Diplomat or rewatching Severance. Went with The Diplomat cause it was newer and shorter. Three episodes in and I was bored out of my mind. Too much talking in rooms and not enough happening. Ended up switching to Severance at midnight and stayed up till 4am. Has anyone else picked the wrong show and regretted wasting a good binge night?

I just realized I was skipping intros for 3 seasons of a show

I was watching The Americans and kept wondering why the character decisions felt off. Then I found a reddit thread talking about the cold open scenes that explain the spy tradecraft. I had been skipping them every single episode because I thought they were just flashbacks or filler. Now I have to go back and rewatch like 35 episodes to catch what I missed. Has anyone else ruined a show for themselves this way?

Why does everyone call every show with a mystery a 'slow burn' now?

I mean, I get that some shows take their time. But I just finished watching 3 different series this month that people online were calling 'slow burn masterpieces' and two of them were just... boring? Like, nothing happened for 6 episodes and then they dropped a twist. That's not a slow burn, that's just bad pacing. The third one actually earned it - every episode moved the story forward, just at a careful pace. Am I the only one who thinks people are overusing that term?

Appreciation post: The coworker who got me through The Wire

Last winter, I was stuck on season 3 of The Wire and just couldn't get into it. My coworker Dave sat me down in the break room and said 'you have to push through the political stuff, it all comes together.' He even drew a diagram of the different crews and cops on a napkin to help me keep track of everyone. That one conversation turned me into a super fan and now I've binged the whole series three times. Has anyone else had a friend who saved a show for you like that?

I finally binged The Bear and my DVR is still crying about it

So I started watching The Bear on Hulu last Saturday (thinking I'd just watch one episode, you know how that goes). Six episodes later at 3 AM, I realized my DVR had stopped recording my weekly shows because the hard drive was full from all the other stuff I never deleted. Now I'm trying to catch up on two weeks of chopped and masterchef while avoiding spoilers for the bear season 3 finale. Has anyone else had a streaming show mess up their whole recording schedule like this?

Figured out the 2x speed trick for boring episodes and it's a game changer

I was stuck on a show everyone raves about but the middle seasons dragged SO bad I almost quit. I set my player to 1.5x speed for the slow character arcs and suddenly I'm through 3 seasons in a week. Anyone else use speed adjustments to get past the dull parts?

Pro tip: Watching 'The Bear' changed how I organize my kitchen chaos

I was at my buddy's place last month and he had 'The Bear' playing on episode three where they overhaul the whole walk-in. Seeing that system of labeling and stacking got me hooked, and now I reorganize my pantry every Sunday like I'm prepping for a dinner rush. Anyone else pick up weird habits from shows that actually stick around in real life?

The math on how many times I've seen The Office is actually embarrassing

I was bored last weekend and actually counted up how many full watch-throughs I've done of The Office (US version). I figured it was a lot because my wife always gives me a hard time about it playing in the background while I work from home. Turns out I've seen the whole series from start to finish 17 times since 2018. That is roughly 3,400 episodes or something like 1,500 hours. It really hit me when I did the math that I've spent almost two entire months of my life watching one show. There are episodes I can basically recite word for word like the fire drill one or when Michael leaves. Has anyone else ever actually counted their rewatch numbers or am I just the guy who needs a new show?

I used to fast-forward through every intro until last week

I was watching The Expanse and skipped the opening credits like I always do, then my wife asked if I knew the ship names were in the sequence. Turns out the intro changes each season with hidden details about the plot, and I missed all of them for 5 seasons. Anyone else realize they've been skipping something important the whole time?

Why does nobody talk about how season 3 of that crime show fell apart

I was binging "The Bridge" on Hulu last night, got to season 3 episode 5 and something just broke. The whole plot went sideways, characters started acting weird and the pacing got all messed up. I ended up skipping to the finale just to see if it got better but it did not. Has anyone else had a show totally lose its magic partway through like that?

Caught myself watching 8 episodes of a Norwegian crime drama in one sitting

Last Saturday I was supposed to just watch one episode of 'The Bridge' before bed, but next thing I knew it was 4am and I had finished the whole first season. My delivery route the next day was brutal and I almost fell asleep at a red light on Broadway. Has anyone else had a foreign show totally wreck your sleep schedule like that?

Saw a huge difference in how I watch shows after I stopped using my phone during them

I used to always have my phone out while watching stuff, scrolling through social media or whatever. About two months ago I tried a no-phone rule for a week with Severance and realized I was missing so many details. Like subtle background stuff and character reactions that totally add to the story. Now I keep my phone in another room and I'm way more into whatever I'm watching. Has anyone else noticed how much more you get out of a show when you're not multitasking?