c/binge-worthy-shows

Debate: Dropping $80 on a streaming stick vs. just using the smart TV apps built in

So here's where I'm at. I got a new TCL TV last month, the Roku one, and the interface is fine but kinda slow. I also have an older Fire TV Stick 4K I bought for like $80 two years ago. I swapped between them for a week. The stick loads stuff faster but the TV remote feels nicer in my hand. The stick also has that stupid Amazon ads on the home screen. But the TV apps randomly crash on me during a big episode. So did I waste $80 on the stick or did I save myself from frustration? Who else has strong feelings about this? What do you use for your main streaming?

My brother told me to watch 'The Leftovers' and I ignored him for two years

Finally caved last month and binged all 3 seasons in like 10 days... he was totally right about the soundtrack and that ending. Has anyone else had a friend who's never steered you wrong on a recommendation?

Found an old backup drive from 2019 with 10 episodes of a show I totally forgot about

Last week I was cleaning out my closet and found this hard drive from 3 years ago. Plugged it in and there was a whole season of some British crime drama I started watching back then but never finished. I don't even remember downloading it. Now I'm trying to figure out if I should rewatch from the beginning or just jump in where I left off. Has anyone else found random shows on old drives like that?

I kept falling asleep by episode 3 of every show until I tried watching in the morning instead

I always thought you had to watch shows at night after work, but I kept conking out before the good parts even started. Last Saturday I put on The Bear with my coffee and actually made it through 4 episodes without nodding off. Am I the only one who switches up their watch time to actually finish a series?

Caught my roommate saying The Office is overrated, then she admitted she skips all the cold opens

She says the Jim pranks are played out and Michael is too cringey, but I think cringe is the whole point of the humor and the cold opens are what makes it bingeable - which side are you on when a show's whole vibe is built on awkward moments?

Tried watching a 90s show I missed and it felt slower than I expected

I picked up Twin Peaks last week after hearing everyone rave about it for years, but the pacing felt so dragged out I barely made it through 4 episodes, has anyone else had an older show just not click for them?

Remember when shows actually had theme songs you didn't skip?

I was rewatching an old episode of The Fresh Prince with my nephew last weekend and he asked why the intro was so long. It got me thinking about how streaming killed the theme song. Back in the 90s, you had those 90-second opening credits that were like a mini music video. Now everything is a 3 second logo or a cold open straight into the action. I get it, people want to binge faster, but something got lost along the way. Does anyone else feel like we traded away a bit of the show's personality for convenience?

Just learned Stargate SG-1 has 10 seasons and 214 episodes

I was looking up shows to start on my long breaks between hauls and stumbled across Stargate SG-1. I knew it was a thing but I had no idea it ran for 10 seasons with 214 episodes total. That's like a full month of watching if I do two episodes a night. I found the stat on some fan wiki page while I was killing time at a truck stop. Has anyone here actually watched the whole thing or did you tap out somewhere in the middle?

I was a diehard The Office fan until my friend at work finally wore me down

For years I refused to watch anything else. I rewatched The Office on repeat probably 7 or 8 times. My buddy Jen at my job kept telling me I was missing out on Parks and Rec. I kept telling her it looked too cheesy and fake. Last month I finally gave in and started season one. I gotta admit the first season was rough but by season two I was hooked. Now I'm halfway through season four and I actually like it better than The Office now. The characters feel more like real people you'd want to hang out with. Has anyone else switched teams between these two shows and regretted not doing it sooner?

Bailed on The Wire three times before someone forced me to watch episode 4

Went back to watch Breaking Bad for a 3rd time and noticed something off

I was rewatching Breaking Bad last weekend and the scene where Walt is talking to Jesse in the RV felt totally different. The lighting was way darker than I remembered, almost like they redid it for streaming. Has anyone else caught weird changes in older shows on Netflix?

My roommate swore I'd hate The Wire if I started with season 2 first

I bought the complete series box set from a thrift store for $8 last month and my roommate Tim kept saying season 2 is way different from season 1 and I'd get turned off. I ignored him and skipped straight to season 2 because the dock worker storyline hooked me from the opening credits. Turns out he was completely right, I spent the whole time confused about who everyone was and had to go back and start from season 1 anyway. Has anyone else found jumping around seasons just doesn't work for certain shows?

Unpopular opinion: The Crown is way overrated

I know everyone raves about The Crown, but I gave up after three episodes. The pacing felt so slow to me, like watching paint dry on a royal wall. My sister kept saying "just get to season 2, it gets better" but I couldn't force myself through it. Has anyone else found a historical drama that actually grabs you from the start?

Unpopular opinion: Breaking Bad is overrated as a binge show

I used to binge one show per month like clockwork. Now I skip around way more. That changed about 2 years ago when I forced myself through Breaking Bad in 10 days. Everyone hyped it as the ultimate binge watch. But I found it dragged hard in seasons 2 and 3. Too many slow episodes about nothing. I prefer shorter series now, like 8 episodes max. Am I the only one who thinks longer prestige shows aren't built for binging?

The 2x speed trick that changed how I watch long series

I used to hate starting shows with 8+ seasons because I’d get stuck in the slow parts and give up halfway through season 2. Then I tried watching the first 3 episodes of a series at 2x speed just to get the setup out of the way. After that I drop it back to 1.25x or 1.5x for the main story unless it’s really dense. It saved me from quitting The Walking Dead after season 1 and got me through all 15 seasons of Supernatural in about 4 months. Anyone else do something similar to power through the sloggy parts?

That hyped crime drama fell apart halfway through season 2

Started watching The Blacklist based on everyone's rave reviews, but by episode 12 of season 2 I couldn't handle how every episode was basically the same formula. Has anyone else dropped a "binge worthy" show halfway through because the writing got lazy?

Hot take: binging The Wire is way better than watching it weekly like I did in 2002

I tried watching The Wire when it first aired and gave up after 4 episodes. Too many characters, too slow. Last month I binged the whole series in 2 weeks on HBO Max and it was a completely different show. When you can just click next episode, you catch all the little connections between storylines. Has anyone else had a show totally click for them after a rewatch with a different approach?

My buddy convinced me to watch Dark on Netflix and I owe him an apology

So my friend Mike kept telling me to watch Dark for like 2 years and I always brushed him off saying German sci-fi sounded boring lol. Last week I was stuck at home with a cold so I gave episode 1 a shot just to shut him up. Now I binged all 3 seasons in 8 days and I get why he was so annoying about it. The way they handle time travel actually makes sense and the casting blew my mind. Has anyone else put off a show for years and then realized you were dead wrong about it?

I finally gave the new Battlestar Galactica a chance after years of hating on it

For years I told anyone who would listen that the 2004 Battlestar Galactica was overhyped and couldn't be as good as people said. My buddy Mark kept bugging me to watch it, so last month I gave in and started season 1. By episode 3 I was completely hooked on the political drama and how real the characters felt. Now I'm halfway through season 2 and I have to eat my words. Has anyone else been dead wrong about a show they swore was overrated?

Question about finishing a show that just got TOO real

So I was binging The Bear on Hulu last week. I got to season 2 episode 7 where they do that whole family dinner scene. It took me THREE HOURS to get through 30 minutes because I kept pausing to call my own brother and apologize for stuff. Has anyone else hit a show that hit way too close to home like that?

My binge of The Wire hit a brick wall after season 3

I was tearing through The Wire on HBO Max, got to the end of season 3 with those awesome Stringer Bell scenes, but then it just stopped. The streaming service dropped the show without warning, and now I cannot find season 4 anywhere legal in my area. Has anyone else had a streaming platform yank a show mid-binge and what did you do to finish it?

Spent 2 hours setting up a VPN just to watch a UK show on Netflix

I wanted to watch that British baking show that everyone talks about but it's not available here in Chicago. Took me way longer than I thought to find a free VPN that actually worked with streaming, like 2 hours of trial and error. Finally got ExpressVPN to unblock it but man, the quality kept dropping. Anyone have a better way to access region locked shows without the headache?

My sister swore I'd love The Leftovers after 3 episodes... she was right

She kept telling me to stick with it through episode 4, and man, I almost dropped it after the pilot because it was so weird. But that scene in season 1 with the deer in the house just clicked something in my brain and I binged the whole thing in a week. Has anyone else had a show that took a few episodes to really grab you?

That $50 box set of season 1-3 I bought is collecting dust after episode 5

I impulse bought a complete series DVD set of some old show for fifty bucks, thinking I'd marathon it in a weekend. Barely made it through five episodes before I realized the writing was terrible and now it's just a coaster. Anyone else waste money on a show that looked good in the trailer but flopped fast?

My friend said she watches shows on her phone while cooking and I do the same thing now