Why Do You Binge Watch?

A few weeks ago, I did my first real, true, same-day binge watch of a TV show.

I wrote about the show, Master of None season 2, a few days after I watched it. The show was released on Netflix on a Friday; I watched a few episodes during lunch, then I took a break in the afternoon to watch another, then after an early dinner I settled into the couch and came to terms with the fact that I was going to watch the whole season.

It was a weird feeling. I’m all about productivity when it comes to TV–I hardly ever just sit down to watch a show without doing something else at the same time (usually eating a meal). Meals and TV are the things I do between long blocks of work. So it was kind of like a mini-vacation for me.

But the real reason I binge-watched Master of None season 2 wasn’t because I wanted to relax; rather, it’s because I wanted to know what was going to happen between Dev and the girl. Which is so weird, because most of the season isn’t about their romance, but there’s just enough to make me yearn for a conclusion.

Conversely, I’m currently watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 3. It’s just as good as Master of None in every way, despite them being completely different Netflix originals. But after I finish an episode of Kimmy Schmidt, I’m perfectly fine with turning off the TV and getting back to work.

The difference is that at least in the first few episodes of Kimmy Schmidt, there’s no potential for romance. There also aren’t any huge cliffhangers. Which is kind of nice–I’m too busy to binge-watch anything this week.

Have you ever binge-watched a show? What was it about the show that made you keep going, episode after episode?

4 thoughts on “Why Do You Binge Watch?”

  1. I also blew through Master of None season 2 in a couple of sittings. It took me by surprise, I’m not usually one to do that.

    Though the first time I watched Twin Peaks, we watched the entire series over a three day weekend. That was mostly out of necessity though – the video store we rented it from (to give you a sense of when this was) only did overnight rentals, but relaxed it over the weekend – and even more so over holiday weekends. So we spent a blazing hot July 4 weekend, in Chicago, without air conditioning, watching Twin Peaks non-stop for 3 days. Something like 30 episodes plus the pilot and the movie, Fire Walk With Me. We took breaks or bomb pops and to wet down our panting cat.

    Reply
    • Wow, that’s pretty intense! Did you enjoy it? Are you going to watch the new episodes that are coming out soon?

      Reply
      • absolutely. I’ve seen the original series more times than i can count. i’ve seen the first two episodes of the new season – very different tone than the original but i’m really curious to see where it’s going to go.

        Oh, The OA was another one that I tore through very quickly.

        Reply

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