c/binge-worthy-shows

Finally watched The Bear season 2 last weekend after putting it off for a year

My coworker kept spoiling the Christmas episode so I figured I should just see it already, but now I can't find another show that matches that level of kitchen stress and it's been five days of scrolling, anyone got a recommendation that's similarly intense but not about food?

Binged 'The Bear' in one sitting and it messed up my sleep schedule for 3 days straight

Can we talk about shows that jump the shark in season 2?

I started this crime drama on Netflix and season one was tight, every episode mattered. Then season two added a love triangle and a long lost brother and it totally fell apart, I dropped it after episode 4. Has anyone else seen a great first season get ruined by lazy writing?

Dubbed or subtitled? Had to pick one for a show and it changed everything

I started watching "Dark" on Netflix and couldn't decide between the English dub and the original German with subtitles. After 3 episodes of each, I stuck with the subtitled version because the voice acting felt more real. But my buddy swears the dub lets him actually look at the scenes instead of reading. Has anyone else had this debate and found a clear winner for a specific show?

Threw $40 at a hidden gem streaming service and it flopped hard

I signed up for this niche horror streaming site called ScreamBox last month for $7 a month, thinking it'd be loaded with indie gems. The library was 80% straight-to-DVD junk from 2004 and the search function literally broke after three clicks. Did anyone else get burned by one of these tiny streaming services, or is there actually one worth the cash?

Debate: skipping the first 3 episodes of a show, good strategy or am I crazy?

I started watching The Leftovers last week and after the first episode I was bored out of my mind. Someone online told me to just skip to episode 4 because that's when it actually gets good. So I did and honestly the show clicked for me after that. But now I feel like I missed setup that might have been important, you know? On the other hand, if I had stuck with the slow start, I might have just quit the whole series. So what do you all think, is it okay to skip ahead to save a show or does that ruin the experience? Any shows where skipping episodes actually worked for you?

Burned 4 hours on a bad show because I couldn't stop watching

I started this crime drama on Netflix last Tuesday and by the time I realized the plot made zero sense I was already 8 episodes in and too committed to quit, has anyone else stuck with a terrible series way longer than they should have?

My coworker changed my mind about 'Breaking Bad' being the best show ever

I always said Breaking Bad was untouchable until my coworker Dave pointed out how slow the first two seasons are. He said he almost quit three times before it got good. Made me realize I recommend shows too fast without remembering the slog parts. Anyone else have a show they love but admit has a rough start?

Binged Succession and The Bear back to back, had to pick a favorite

I finally carved out two weeks off work (fire schedule, you know) and decided to binge both Succession and The Bear. They're both about intense family dynamics and screaming (lol) but in totally different worlds. At first I thought Succession was the better show because it's so smart and the dialogue is insane. But by the end of The Bear's second season, I changed my mind. Something about the kitchen chaos hit closer to home, maybe because I deal with high stress situations daily. Has anyone else struggled to pick between two amazing shows? Which one stuck with you longer?

Hot take: That hyped true crime doc is way too stretched out

I binged the whole thing in one weekend and by hour 6 I realized they could've told the story in 2 episodes max. Anyone else feel like these docs are just milking it now?

Took me 4 tries to finish The Bear but glad I stuck with it

I kept starting The Bear at my buddy's place in Austin and falling asleep around episode 3 because the yelling stressed me out. Then last month I gave it one more shot at 2am when I couldn't sleep and something clicked. Has anyone else had a show that took multiple attempts before you finally got into it?

The weekend I watched 12 hours of a show and still don't know the plot

Last Saturday I started this new crime drama on Hulu, looked down at my phone for one second, missed some key detail, and then spent the next 11 hours trying to piece things together. By Sunday night I was four episodes past where I got lost and still had no idea who the killer was. Finally looked up a recap online and found out I'd been watching the wrong character the whole time. Has anyone else lost an entire weekend to a show they barely understood?

Found out the actress who plays Ruth on Ozark is actually British

The punji pit in The Walking Dead episode 1 season 1 had me screaming at my TV for 10 minutes straight

Watched The Pitt and ER back to back. One holds up way better.

I finally got around to The Pitt on Max and then rewatched the first season of ER for comparison. The Pitt feels so much more real with the single-take style and the noise of the actual hospital hallway. ER is good but it feels like a soap opera now with all that dramatic music and romantic subplots. Has anyone else noticed how much medical show pacing has changed since the 90s?

Just learned something weird about The Wire that changed how I see the whole show

I was reading an old interview with David Simon where he said the average drug corner in Baltimore moved about $2,000 a day, not millions like you'd think from the show. That stat from the Baltimore Sun archives made me wonder if the show glorified the scale too much. Is it better to keep the fiction big for drama or stick closer to the real numbers?

Just finished Slow Horses and S2 of The Bear back to back, night and day difference in pacing

My buddy said The Wire is overrated and now I don't know if we can be friends

Met up with my old crew from high school at a bar in Pittsburgh last Saturday. We were talking best shows ever and my friend Mark straight up said The Wire is overrated and slow. Said he skipped season 2 entirely. I was floored. He's usually got good takes on stuff but that one hit different. How do you even judge a show if you skip a whole season? Makes me wonder if I'm overrating it just because of nostalgia. Has anyone else had a friend totally dismiss a show you thought was untouchable?

Worst marathon week ever after a 3 episode cliffhanger streak

Last Wednesday I binged 8 episodes of that new spy show back to back and each one ended on a cliffhanger. By Friday I was so exhausted from staying up til 3am that I fell asleep during the season finale and missed the big reveal. Anyone else have a show that just refuses to give you a good stopping point?

Finally binged The Bear last month after dodging it for a year

I thought it was just another restaurant drama (yawn) but the chaos in episode 2 felt like my classroom during a fire drill. Has anyone else found a show that surprisingly matched their work stress level?

Finally compared Succession to Yellowstone back to back and one is clearly better

I watched the first 3 episodes of Succession last Tuesday and couldn't get into it. Then my buddy said give Yellowstone a shot instead. After 5 episodes of Yellowstone I realized the writing just hits harder - no fake drama, just people acting like real families do. Has anyone else found that one show just clicks while another hyped one falls flat?

Stayed up until 3am to finish season 2 of The Bear and my whole sleep schedule is wrecked

I was in my living room on a Tuesday night, told myself just one more episode around 10pm. Fast forward and it's 3 in the morning, I'm tearing through the last 4 episodes because every cliffhanger pulled me in deeper. Woke up at noon the next day, missed a 9am client session, and had to text them an apology. Anyone else lose a whole day after getting hooked on a show like this?

Got totally hooked on Severance after fighting it for 2 months

A buddy at a barbecue in Austin kept pushing me to watch Severance. I told him I wasn't into slow office drama type stuff. Finally gave in last Tuesday night and watched the first episode. By Saturday morning I had finished all 9 episodes. Anybody else get surprised by a show they thought they'd hate?

Got roasted on a forum thread for skipping the slow burn episodes of The Wire

Someone said I was missing all the setup that makes the payoff hit harder, so I went back and watched seasons 1 and 2 without skipping anything. That guy was right - the boring parts are what glue the whole show together, anyone else have a show they almost ruined by rushing?

Warning: that one guy at the party who wouldn't shut up about Squid Game spoiled the whole ending for me

I was at a backyard BBQ last Saturday and this dude just blurts out the final plot twist. Has anyone else had a show ruined by a random stranger in public?