c/binge-worthy-shows

I hit 100 episodes of a show in a single month and my streaming service sent me a weird email

I got really into this old detective series called 'Cold Case Files' and just kept watching after work. My 'My List' page on the app said I'd watched 102 episodes in 30 days, which is wild because I didn't even feel like I was watching that much. Then I got an automated email from the service asking if I needed help managing my account, which honestly made me laugh. Has anyone else gotten a funny notification from their streaming service after a serious binge?

I just hit 100 shows on my 'watched' list and it made me rethink my whole taste

I logged my 100th show last night, which was the old sitcom 'Cheers'. Looking back, I realized about 70 of them were serious dramas or thrillers. I always thought I only liked dark, heavy stuff, but the shows I've rewatched the most are actually the light, funny ones. It's weird how a number can show you something you missed. Anyone else have a list that surprised them about what they really enjoy?

Hot take: I thought 'The Last of Us' was just another zombie show

I finally watched the first episode in Denver last month and the scene with the neighbor's dog completely changed my mind. That one detail made the whole world feel terrifyingly real. Anyone else get hooked by a specific moment like that?

I thought 'The Bear' was just another food show hype train

Everyone kept telling me to watch it, but I figured a show about a kitchen would be boring. I finally gave in after seeing it win all those Emmys last year. I watched the first two episodes and was hooked by the stress and the real feeling of that kitchen life. The way they show the panic during a dinner rush in episode 7 actually made my heart race lol. It's way more about family and pressure than just cooking. Has anyone else been totally wrong about a show everyone loved?

My Netflix queue just vanished last night and I'm starting over

I had about 40 shows saved in 'My List' for the last couple of years. Logged in yesterday and the whole section was just empty, like it reset to zero. I tried restarting the app and my TV, but nothing brought it back. It's a real pain because I used that list to remember what to watch next. Now I have to try and recall all those shows I saved. Has this happened to anyone else, and did your list ever come back?

Update: My power went out for 12 hours in a storm last Tuesday, so I finally started that show my sister kept telling me about.

I ended up watching the entire first season of 'The Bear' in one sitting, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has a show that completely hooked them during a weird, forced downtime like that.

Tried to find a show for a long flight, took me 3 hours

My flight to Chicago is 4 hours and I spent almost the whole prep time just scrolling. Finally settled on 'The Bear' because it's all set in one city. What's a good show you can finish in a single trip?

Remember when you had to wait a whole week for the next episode of a show?

Am I the only one who tried to watch 'Dark' without a family tree diagram?

I spent over an hour trying to figure out who was who across three different timelines before I finally paused and drew a chart on a legal pad.

PSA: My friend from Chicago called 'Severance' a 'workplace horror story' and it made me start the show.

We were just talking about our jobs over coffee, and he said that line about the show being a 'workplace horror story' but for office workers. I binged the whole first season that weekend because that idea hooked me so hard. What's a show someone described in a way that made you have to watch it?

My sister called 'The White Lotus' a 'vibe check' and it stuck with me

We were talking about shows that feel like a vacation, and she said it's not about the plot but the atmosphere. What's a show you've watched just for the mood it creates?

I finally watched the first season of The Bear after putting it off for a year.

The difference between the chaotic pilot and the focused finale is insane, and I think it's all because of that one character's growth. Has anyone else felt a show completely shift gears like that?

Question about how people judge a show's rewatch value

I keep seeing folks say a show is 'binge worthy' if it has a huge twist ending, like 'The Good Place' or 'Dark'. But for me, a truly great binge show is one you can watch again and again, not just once for the shock. A show like 'Parks and Rec' or 'The Office' has way more rewatch value because you catch new jokes each time. I binged 'Severance' in two days, loved it, but I haven't gone back because the mystery is solved. Does a show need a big twist to be a top tier binge, or is comfort and rewatchability more important?

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

He said 'just watch from season two, trust me' about The Office, because the first season is only six episodes and feels totally different. I started with season two and got hooked right away, then went back to season one later and saw what he meant. Has anyone else had a show where skipping ahead actually made you like it more?

Finally gave 'Severance' a shot after putting it off for months...

I kept trying to watch it in short bursts, but it didn't click until I binged three episodes in one sitting. The slow-burn mystery just works way better when you let it build without stopping. Anyone else have a show that only got good after a proper binge session?

Vent: I gave up on a show after two episodes and my friend called me a quitter

I always felt like I had to watch at least three episodes of a new series to give it a fair shot... it was a rule I made for myself. But this new sci-fi show, 'Echo Drift', just felt so slow and the main guy was really annoying. My buddy Mark said I was being a quitter, so I skipped ahead to episode four like he told me to. The plot totally picked up and I ended up watching the whole first season in a weekend. Has anyone else had a show that got way better if you just jumped ahead a bit?

Stop skipping the first season of older shows

I keep seeing people say to start with season 2 of shows like 'Parks and Rec' or 'The Office' because the first season is rough. You miss so much character setup and inside jokes that pay off later. Has anyone else powered through a shaky first season and been glad they did?

My coworker called 'The Bear' a perfect show and I had to bite my tongue

He said the stress and yelling in the kitchen scenes were 'so real', but I think the constant screaming makes it exhausting to watch more than one episode. I tried to binge three episodes in a row and felt like I needed a nap. Does anyone else find shows with that much tension hard to marathon?

I swore off 'The Bear' after the first episode, but my sister made me watch the second

The chaotic kitchen stress in the pilot was too much for me, but the second episode's focus on the family funeral and the 'seven fishes' story completely changed the show's tone. It went from pure stress to this deep, sad character drama in under an hour. Anyone else have a show that won you over after a rough start?

Finally gave in and watched that show everyone kept telling me about

I kept putting off 'Severance' for months, thinking the idea was too weird. Last week, I decided to watch the first episode, and I ended up finishing all nine in three days! The slow burn of the first two episodes really builds a world, but the third one is where it hooks you for good. The way they handle the mystery is so much better than another show I tried, 'The Peripheral', which felt confusing fast. Has anyone else had a show they resisted that totally won them over?

Update: I was watching shows at 1.5x speed for a year thinking it was smart.

My friend pointed out I was just racing to finish, not enjoying the story (he caught me asking 'wait, what did he say?' during a key scene in Severance). Anyone else get caught in a bad viewing habit they had to break?

Serious question, has anyone else lost a weekend to a show's weird release schedule?

My wife and I started this new sci-fi show last Friday. The first three episodes dropped at once, so we figured we'd watch them over the weekend. Then we found out episode four wasn't coming for another full week. We spent like two hours just searching for info, thinking we missed something. Ended up reading the whole plot on a wiki, which totally spoiled it. Felt like a huge waste of a Saturday night. Anyone have a good show that actually lets you binge it properly?

My power went out for 6 hours right at the finale of the show I was binging

I was three episodes deep into the final season of Severance when the whole neighborhood went dark, and now I'm dying to know what happens... what's the best show you've had interrupted and how did you cope?

Trying to find the right order to watch the Marvel shows on Disney+ was a nightmare

I wanted to watch everything in the MCU timeline order, not release order. I figured it would take an hour to sort out. I ended up spending almost three whole days cross-referencing different fan-made lists and the official timeline book. The big problem was figuring out where the TV shows like 'WandaVision' and 'Loki' fit between the movies. I finally made my own spreadsheet that I think is right. Has anyone else found a list that actually works without needing a PhD in Marvel lore?

Appreciation post: I finally figured out why I kept dropping shows after two episodes

I was trying to watch a new sci-fi show from last year, and I kept checking my phone every five minutes. My friend in Chicago asked me a specific question about a character's motivation, and I had zero clue. That's when it hit me - I wasn't actually watching, I was just letting it play while I scrolled. Now I make a rule to put my phone in another room for the first episode of anything new. Anyone else have to force themselves to actually pay attention?