c/binge-worthy-shows

Appreciation post: the stranger who made me watch Dark on Netflix

I was waiting for a bus in Portland last winter and this guy saw me scrolling through Netflix and goes 'trust me, just watch the first episode of Dark in German with subtitles.' I binged all 3 seasons in like 10 days after that. Anyone else have a random stranger change your whole watch list?

The guy who said skip the intro on The Expanse was dead wrong

My coworker Dave kept telling me to skip the intro on The Expanse because it was boring and too long. I listened to him for like 7 episodes. Then my internet lagged one time and I caught part of the intro text explaining the factions. Rewound it, watched the whole thing, and suddenly the politics made way more sense. That cold open with the ship and the asteroid belt map actually sets up half the season. Dave is a hack. He also skips credits on every show. Has anyone else found a show where the intro is actually important?

Had to choose between finishing The Leftovers or starting Severance last night

I only had a few hours free before bed, so I had to pick one. My friend swore I'd love The Leftovers, but the Severance hype was everywhere. I went with Severance and accidentally watched 4 episodes straight. Now I'm ruined for work meetings today and my friend is mad I ignored her rec. Has anyone else gotten totally sucked into a show when you were supposed to be asleep?

Saw the first episode of a 2014 show last night and couldn't stop

I was scrolling through Hulu around 10 PM and decided to try this show called The Knick. It's about a hospital in New York in 1900, and the main guy is a surgeon who's addicted to cocaine. I told myself I'd watch one episode, but somehow it was 3 AM and I had binged 4 episodes. The old timey medical stuff is brutal but fascinating. Has anyone else found a random older show that hooked them this bad?

Just wasted 6 hours on a show that got cancelled after 1 season

Binged the whole first season of The OA over the weekend cause everyone kept saying how mind-blowing it was. Found out after episode 8 that Netflix cancelled it years ago and there's no resolution. I get cliffhangers but that ending was just cruel. Anyone else get burned by a cancelled show they didn't know was dead?

Hot take: Breaking Bad is overrated and I stand by that

My buddy Dave argued with me about this for an hour last Friday. He said the character development is unmatched, but I told him the whole thing drags in seasons 2 and 3. Too much filler with the family drama. He got quiet when I asked how many episodes actually move the plot forward. Anyone else feel like the hype overshadows the slow parts?

My sister called my watchlist 'basic' and she was right

She looked at my queue of 20 popular crime dramas and said 'you're missing all the weird stuff from the last 3 years'... I changed up to some niche sci-fi miniseries from 2022. Has anyone else had a relative totally shake up what you thought was good TV?

Can we talk about how expensive HBO Max is getting

I shelled out $16 a month for HBO Max just to binge The Last of Us and now I'm stuck paying for it because I forgot to cancel. Has anyone else got stuck in a subscription trap like this?

Started The Bear on a whim Sunday night and somehow binged all 8 episodes before my Monday shift started at 7am

I figured I'd watch one episode while eating dinner and then the next thing I knew it was 3am and I was craving Italian beef sandwiches so badly I almost stopped at a 24-hour diner, anyone else get completely wrecked by a show's pacing like that?

Debate: Do seasons with 8 episodes hit the story better than the old 22 episode format?

Ever since Stranger Things dropped that tight 8 episode first season, I've been hooked on the shorter format, but my buddy swears those long network seasons like Lost gave him time to actually care about characters. Which side do you lean on for a proper binge?

I was totally wrong about Season 2 of The Bear

I kept hearing people rave about it but after the first episode I almost quit. Then a friend begged me to stick around until episode 6 and that whole Fishes flashback scene changed my mind completely - now I get why everyone called it a masterpiece. Anyone else almost bail on a show before it clicked for them?

That 96% Rotten Tomatoes stat for Dark on Netflix blew my mind

Saw on their wiki that only 4% of critics gave it a bad review and that fact alone made me start season 2 after I was ready to bail on episode 3, has anyone else been turned around by a random stat like that?

Debate: Is "The Leftovers" a masterwork or a frustrating mess?

I tried watching The Leftovers last week after hearing all the hype. The first season felt so slow and depressing I almost quit, but then season two hooked me with that weird town cult stuff. Now I see people online arguing it's either a genius show about grief or just pretentious misery porn. What side do you land on after finishing it?

Started watching that new Korean drama on Netflix and something felt off about the subtitles

So I finally sat down to watch The Atypical Family after hearing everyone rave about it for weeks. I'm maybe 4 episodes in and I keep noticing the subtitles feel... clunky? Like they're translating things too literally and missing the actual meaning. I lived in Seoul for a year back in 2016 so I catch some of the Korean, and there's this one scene where a character says something that should be a joke but the subtitle just says "I see." Totally killed the moment. My buddy who works in localization says different streaming services use different translation teams and some are way better than others. Anyone else run into this where bad subtitles just ruin a show for you? Which services do you think have the best translations?

The way people skip the opening credits drives me nuts while binging

I was watching a show with my brother last weekend and he kept skipping the opening credits every single episode. It got to the point where I made him go back because the music sets the whole mood for the show. I know some openings go on too long, like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, but there is a middle ground. Why binge a show if you do not even want to experience the full thing the way it was made? Most streaming services even let you set a skip intro button now, so it is not like you have to suffer through 90 seconds. Has anyone else had this argument with a friend or family member who just cannot leave the theme song alone?

Started watching The Bear on a whim Friday night, now I'm 14 episodes deep and my Sunday plans are completely ruined.

I went in thinking it was just another cooking show but the family drama and anxiety attacks hit way too close to home, has anyone else had to take a breather after the episode where everyone just screams at each other in the kitchen?

Started rewatching The Office for the 4th time and got stuck in season 3

I thought it would be a chill comfort rewatch but now I'm hung up on analyzing every Jim and Pam scene for like 20 minutes. Does anyone else overthink the dumb stuff in a show they've seen a million times?

Pro tip: watching on 1.5x speed vs normal - which side are you on?

I got into a debate with my friend last week about whether watching shows at 1.5x speed ruins them or saves time. For me, it worked great on shows like The Office where I already know the plot, but I tried it on a new mystery series and missed a key clue in episode 3. My friend swears normal speed is the only way to catch all the acting and pacing. Anyone else tried speeding things up or do you think it's a crime against storytelling?

Decided between a foreign crime drama and a new sci-fi series last night. Picked the crime show and it was a snooze fest.

Binged the whole first season of this new cop show before I realized it was a parody

I kept watching The Rookie: Feds and thought the acting was just bad until episode 7 when a character literally winked at the camera. My buddy laughed and asked if I knew it was a comedy spoof from the start. I felt dumb but now I'm rewatching everything with new eyes and it's actually hilarious. Has anyone else accidentally taken a parody seriously for multiple episodes?

Caught myself watching season 4 of a show I hated back in 2018 at 3am last night

It was some dumb reality competition my ex girlfriend loved. I swore I'd never touch it again after the breakup. But there I was at 3am in my apartment in Austin, halfway through an episode, eating cold pizza. What show have you guys gone back on after swearing it off?

Finally tried Korean dramas after years of American shows, the pacing is just different

My wife has been bugging me for 3 years to watch a K-drama with her. I always said no because I hate reading subtitles. Last week I gave in and watched a 16 episode series with her. We finished it in 4 days. American shows drag out a story for 10 seasons to milk it. K-dramas tell a complete story in one season and end. No filler episodes, no cliffhangers that go nowhere. Has anyone else switched over and noticed this?

Binge-watched 'The Bear' in 2 days and my kitchen timer broke

I was 4 episodes into season 2 when my oven timer just stopped working mid-scene. Had to use my phone timer for 3 days before I could get a replacement. Has anyone else had a show literally break something for you?

Overheard a teenager say Netflix used to mail DVDs in envelopes

I was waiting for coffee last week and this kid said Netflix used to mail DVDs. He couldn't believe you had to wait 2 days for a movie. Made me think about how much things have shifted. I remember getting the red envelope in the mail on a Friday and that was my whole weekend plan. Now people get mad if a show buffers for 10 seconds. Has anyone else noticed how the whole idea of waiting for content is pretty much gone now?

The show I hated on episode 1 turned into my favorite thing this year

I started watching Dark Matter on Apple TV a few weeks back and almost quit 10 minutes in. The first episode felt confusing and slow, like they were trying too hard to be smart. My friend kept texting me saying give it 3 episodes, so I pushed through. By episode 4 I was hooked and ended up binging the whole season in two days. The way the story branches out and connects is really clever once you let it breathe. Has anyone else almost bailed on a show early and then ended up loving it?