c/binge-worthy-shows

I finally figured out why I keep rewatching 'The Great British Baking Show'

Last week I heard my neighbor's kid say he only watches shows with car chases and explosions. That got me thinking about why I've watched 'The Great British Baking Show' through three times now. It's not just the cakes and breads that keep me coming back. It's how calm everything is compared to most shows today. Nobody yells at each other and the biggest drama is a collapsed souffle. I realized I use it as a comfort thing after a long day of dealing with people at work. Has anyone else found a show that works like a calming reset button for them?

Just realized all those 'binge worthy' lists are missing the same hidden gem

I've been noticing that every time someone posts a 'top 10 shows to binge' list, they always skip over 'Patriot' on Amazon. It's this dark comedy spy show from 2015 with only two seasons. I've recommended it to 4 friends now and every single one came back saying it's one of the best shows they've ever seen. The writing is so tight and the main character has this weird thing where he plays folk songs to cope with his spy work. Why do people keep sleeping on this one? Has anyone else here actually watched it or am I just shouting into the void lol

Hot take: The Bear is way better if you watch it alone

I tried watching The Bear with my girlfriend and she kept asking questions during the kitchen scenes like 'why is he yelling?' So I rewatched the first season by myself last week and it hit way harder. The tension just builds better when nobody's talking over it. Anyone else have a show that totally changes depending on who's in the room?

Overheard two waiters arguing about The Bear season 2 and it made me realize something about stress in the kitchen

One guy said the show gets chaos wrong because real kitchens are just boring repetition, and I realized he's never worked a Friday night rush where three tickets come in at once and the fryer starts smoking, so has anyone else watched a show about their own job and felt like it actually nailed the feeling even if the details are off?

The difference between season 1 and season 3 of The Expanse is wild

I started binge watching The Expanse last month. Season 1 felt so slow with all the political setup and character introductions. But by season 3, the pace ramped up hard with the protomolecule stuff and the ring opening. What changed? I think the writers stopped explaining everything and just let the story move. Has anyone else noticed how shows hit their stride around the third season?

Binged a whole season in one night and my sleep schedule is wrecked

I started watching that new spy show on Monday around 8pm. Thought I'd watch one or two episodes. Next thing I know it's 4am and I'm on episode 7. The cliffhangers were just too good. I had work at 9am too. Showed up with bags under my eyes and drank three coffees before lunch. My boss asked if I was okay. I lied and said I had a stomach bug. Now I'm scared to start the next season. Has anyone else had a show completely ruin their sleep for a week?

That friend who said 'just skip the first season' was dead wrong

My buddy Mark told me to skip season 1 of The Wire because it was too slow and jump straight to season 2. Turns out I missed half the character introductions and had no clue why anyone cared about Omar or Stringer Bell for like 5 episodes. Anyone else ever get bad advice from someone who swore they knew the best way to watch a show?

Hit 100 episodes of that old detective show in 10 days

Started watching Columbo from the beginning last Wednesday. By Sunday night I was at episode 87 and my wife threatened to hide the remote. Anyone else accidentally marathon a whole series way faster than you planned?

Just finished Squid Game and I'm annoyed

I finally gave in and watched Squid Game last weekend after like 2 years of people yelling at me to see it. Made it through the whole first season in 3 days and honestly the ending felt super rushed like they just gave up on wrapping things up. Am I the only one who thought season 1 left way too many loose ends hanging around?

Unpopular opinion: Streaming services are not worth the monthly bill anymore

Honestly, I canceled my Netflix subscription last month after I realized I was paying $15.50 a month and had watched maybe three shows in six months. I spent that money on a used DVD box set of The Wire from a pawn shop for $10, and it lasted me two whole weeks of binging. The streaming services just keep hiking prices and removing good content, while my DVD player never crashes or deletes my watch history. Am I the only one who thinks physical media is the smarter move for serious bingers? Has anyone else gone back to discs or library rentals?

Binged 'From' in three days and now I'm paranoid about my neighborhood

Stayed up until 3am last Saturday. Finished season 2 of From at my buddy's apartment in Austin. That show messed with my head. Now every time I see a crow outside my window I think something bad is coming. Anyone else have a show that made you scared of normal stuff?

Serious question, why do shows with only 6 episodes get called full seasons now?

I was really skeptical when my buddy told me to watch this show on a streaming service I won't name. He kept going on about it being this amazing 6 episode season. I'm used to 22 episode seasons from back in the day so I figured it would feel like a long movie preview. But after I actually sat down and binged the whole thing in one Saturday afternoon I got it. The pacing was so tight with zero filler episodes or weird side plots that went nowhere. Every single scene mattered and the budget went straight into the acting and sets instead of padding. Has anyone else had that moment where a short season actually felt more satisfying than a dragged out one?

My streaming app crashed right before the season finale of that show I've been binging for three weeks

It was last Tuesday night around 10pm. I had my snacks ready, the lights dimmed, and the app just froze. Spinning wheel for five minutes, then kicked me out completely. Tried restarting my Roku, clearing the cache, even unplugged the router. Nothing worked for about an hour. By the time it came back, I was too frustrated to watch and just went to bed. Has anyone else had a streaming service blow up at the worst possible moment like that?

Took me three seasons to realize the intro music was changing each episode

Found out a show I loved as a kid only had 13 episodes total

I was scrolling through a wiki page the other day looking up that old show The Adventures of Pete & Pete from Nickelodeon. I remembered watching it all the time in the 90s, felt like it was on for years. But turns out the whole series only had three seasons and like 13 actual episodes that aired on TV. I mean, there were a bunch of shorts before that, but the real show was super short. It blew my mind because those episodes stuck with me so much, like the one with the little Polaroid camera or the guy who painted stripes on the road. I guess when something is good you don't realize how little of it there actually is. Has anyone else looked back at a childhood show and found out it was way shorter than you thought?

PSA: don't trust the 'continue watching' row on Netflix anymore

I was three episodes deep into this crime documentary series last Tuesday and clicked on what I thought was episode 4 from the continue watching list, but it jumped me to the last 10 minutes of episode 1 with no warning. Now I've got a bunch of spoilers stuck in my head and the whole twist is ruined. Has anyone else had this happen on a specific show and found a way to fix it besides just manually searching for each episode?

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?