c/binge-worthy-shows

Started watching The Bear and now I can't watch any other cooking shows

I binged all three seasons in like 4 days last week and now everything else feels so fake and slow... Has anyone else had a show ruin other shows for them like this?

Hot take: I actually liked the final season of Game of Thrones

Everyone online acts like season 8 ruined their whole lives but I watched it all in 3 days last month and thought it was fine. The pacing was rushed for sure, especially Daenerys turning crazy so fast, but the big moments still hit for me. Jon killing her in the throne room gave me chills even if I saw it coming. The battle at Winterfell was dark to look at on my old TV but rewatching with brightness up fixed that. Brienne finishing Jaime's page in the book got me more emotional than I expected. Maybe I just didn't have years of hype built up since I started the show late but I never understood the pure hate. Has anyone else here actually rewatched it recently and felt differently than the crowd?

The first season of The Wire was a slow burn but season two completely lost me when they switched to the docks.

I was all in on the Barksdale crew and the street politics, then out of nowhere they threw in all these union guys and shipping containers and I felt like I was watching a different show, anyone else just skip season two?

Took me 5 years to finally give The Office a real try, and now I get the hype

Honestly, I was that person who always said The Office was overrated and boring. I'd see memes and hear coworkers quoting it, but I just couldn't get past the first episode. Then last month, I was stuck at home with a bad cold and figured why not give it another shot. I forced myself through season 1, and by season 2, I was hooked. Now I'm halfway through season 4 and I've even started laughing at my own inside jokes. Ngl, I was totally wrong about it. Has anyone else had a show they slept on for years and then ended up loving?

Binged all of Dark last weekend and now I can't watch anything with subtitles the same way

I was up until 4am Sunday trying to finish season 3 of Dark and by the end my head was spinning. Its not just the time travel stuff that got me... its that I missed entire plot points because I was reading subtitles wrong. I rewound a scene three times and still thought a character was someone else. Has anyone else had a show ruin subtitles for them where you feel like you need a second watch just to catch everything?

Stumbled on a hidden gem show during a layover in Chicago

I was stuck at O'Hare for about 4 hours last month and got tired of scrolling through Netflix. I ended up clicking on this show called 'Patriot' on Amazon Prime, which I'd never heard of before. It's about a guy who works for a weird intelligence agency and has to do these bizarre missions while also dealing with his own mental stuff. The tone is super dry and funny, almost like a mix of a spy thriller and a comedy. I binged the first season right there in the airport and missed my boarding call by like 20 minutes. Has anyone else found a random show this way that turned out to be amazing?

Visited the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and noticed something odd about the TV in room 217

I took a tour of the Stanley Hotel last month while on a trip through Colorado. In room 217, the one from The Shining, they have an old CRT TV that's supposedly from the 1970s. But I looked closer and the brand logo was slightly off, like a replica someone made for decoration. Has anyone else noticed fake props in famous movie locations?

That moment last month when I realized every crime drama uses the same storyline

I was watching this new show on Netflix Thursday night, third episode in. The detective walks into the room and the partner goes 'we got another one.' And I just sat there thinking... I've seen this exact scene in at least 5 other shows in the last two weeks. The serial killer with a pattern, the rookie who breaks the rules, the tired chief. It's like they all copied the same script. Anybody else notice how predictable these crime dramas have become?

PSA: I watched 3 seasons of a show before realizing I had the wrong episode order

Burned $30 on a show that got cancelled mid-season and left everything hanging

I binged "The Order" on Netflix a couple years back, got super into the werewolf and magic stuff, and then found out it was cancelled after season 2 with a huge cliffhanger. Wasted like 10 hours of my life watching something that has zero resolution and just stops dead. Anybody else hate getting invested in a series that doesn't even get a proper ending?

I don't get the hype around The Wire.

I was at a party last summer and this guy kept going on about how it's the greatest show ever. He was like 'you just have to get past the first season, it gets so deep'. I watched the whole thing and I just didn't see it. The pacing felt off and I didn't care about any of the characters. Has anyone else tried it and just not clicked with it?

That week I binged Dark on Netflix in 3 days but understood nothing until episode 7

I sat through 9 hours of confusing time travel and German dialogue before it clicked, and now I'm mad I didn't start with a cheat sheet because episode 4 made zero sense without the family tree.

Fell for that 3 day free trial on a streaming service

Signed up for what I thought was a free week of some niche show streaming platform last month. Forgot to cancel and they hit my card for $60. Has anyone else had a subscription sneak up on them like that?

My friend and I argued for two hours in my living room last night about whether 'The Bear' is better binged fast or savored slow.

I think the stress and pace of the kitchen is the whole point and you need to feel that rush, but she says the character moments get lost if you don't take breaks between episodes.

Burned $40 on a show that got canceled after one season

I started watching this crime drama on Prime called something like 'Dark Harbor' or 'Shadow Coast' last week. Got 6 episodes in, really into the story, then went to see when season 2 drops. Turns out they canceled it after season 1 with a cliffhanger ending. 8 hours of my life gone and now I'll never know who killed that detective. Has anyone else fallen for a one-season wonder like that?

I finally let my 7-year-old niece pick our next show and she chose a cartoon about a singing potato

We watched 12 episodes in a row last Saturday and I caught myself humming the theme song at the gym on Monday. Has anyone else had a kid completely hijack their watchlist with something surprisingly good?

My friend told me my binge picks were too predictable

She said I only watch the same kind of sci-fi shows and pointed out I'd missed 'The Bear' for over a year. I finally watched the first season last weekend and it completely changed my view on what makes a show gripping (the stress in that kitchen felt more real than any space battle). What's a show that pulled you out of your usual comfort zone?

My power went out during the season finale of Severance and I had to drive to a diner to finish it.

I was at home in Denver when the storm hit, right as Mark was about to open that door. I watched the last 20 minutes on my phone in a booth at Pete's Kitchen, and it was a totally different vibe. Does watching a show in a weird place ever change how you feel about it?

I always skipped The Bear because I thought it was just about a kitchen

Then I read a piece in The New York Times that said the first season was filmed in just 18 days. That's INSANE for a show that feels so dense and stressful. The fact they pulled off that frantic energy under that kind of schedule totally changed my view. Has anyone else been surprised by the production details of a show they finally watched?

My cat knocked over the projector right as we hit the big twist in Severance

We were in my friend's basement in Akron, totally glued to the screen, when my cat decided the power cord was a toy and sent the whole thing crashing down right as the big season one twist hit. We had to scramble to find the remote and rewind, which completely killed the tension of the moment. Has anyone else had a perfect binge moment totally wrecked by a pet or a random accident?

My friend said I watch shows too fast to really get them

He told me I was 'speedrunning' Severance and missing the whole mood, so I tried watching one episode a week like it was airing. Do you think binging ruins the vibe for certain shows, or is it always better to just go for it?

Everyone says 'The Office' is the best rewatch show. I think it got worse after season 5.

I just did my third full watch. The first five seasons are solid. After that, the vibe changed. The jokes felt forced, like they were trying too hard. Characters like Andy became annoying, not funny. I timed it, and the cringe humor in later seasons lasts 10 seconds longer on average. It lost the simple, real feeling. What's a show that actually stayed good for all its seasons?

I just hit 50 episodes of a show I thought I'd hate

My partner made me watch the first episode of 'The Bear' and I was sure it would be too stressful for me. I ended up watching the whole first season in a weekend, and now I've seen every episode they've put out. It's that mix of family drama and kitchen chaos that just hooks you. Has anyone else been totally wrong about a show that became a favorite?

My friend insisted I watch 'The Bear' in one sitting, and she was totally right

She said the stress of the kitchen scenes hits way harder if you don't take a break, and after powering through the first season in a day, I get it. The constant yelling and ticket printer noise actually gave me anxiety (in a good way, I think?). Has anyone else binged a show that actually changed your mood like that?

Just read that the 'Lost' pilot cost a crazy $14 million back in 2004

Found that stat on a random TV trivia site, makes you realize how much streaming budgets have changed things. Anyone else have a favorite show with a wild production fact?