Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Very Best Way To Watch a Show

It started off innocently enough.

It was summer, our shows were all on hiatus, and it was about a year before the networks caught on to the fact that people still like to watch TV when it's hot outside and started a full slate of programming from June through early September.

At this point you may want to say something like, "it's summer! Go outside and do something summery! For the love of God, get up off your couch!"

And you might be right, but we're not listening.

Because we love TV. TV has been central to our relationship since it began. Our first kiss happened while we were watching TV. We bonded at first over a shared love of The Office and a mutual need to unwind at the end of the day with the TV on. As time went on we each adopted some of each other's shows so that much of our time spent together was in front of the TV, which suited us fine because talking at the end of the day gives us both a headache. When we got married we decided we were above compromise when it came to our shows, and became the proud owners of two DVRs to accommodate our habit.

But that summer we didn't have anything to watch. We subsisted for awhile on movies and some random stuff that had been crowding our DVRs, but before long we were out of shows, and in withdrawal.

It was David who came up with the idea for 24. Neither of us had seen it and we figured 192 episodes would take us all summer to watch. We figured wrong. We watched them all in three weeks, barely stopping for things like eating, sleeping and going to work.

And our era of binge-watching was born.

When Jack stared up into CTU's camera drone and the clock counted down to zero for the final time, David and I looked at each other in similar torment, wondering what to do next. We tried going back to our regular schedule of a show or two a night before bed, but we were strung out like meth addicts jonesing for a fix.

Binge watching was the only answer.

The next night we started The West Wing, and plowed our way through its seven seasons. By the time we were done with that, fall TV had started up again and we had little choice but to watch our shows like regular people. But we decided that was the amateur's way to watch TV, and we had graduated to the NFL.

So while we watched our weekly shows we also downloaded all the seasons of Fringe, Big Love, Friday Night Lights, Weeds, Gilmore Girls and a few others. And lately it's been House of Cards, Falling Skies, and Chicago Fire. Some we watched together and some we watched separately, but to both of us it was clear.

Binge watching is the absolute best way to enjoy a TV show.

There are plenty of people who disagree with me, and that's just fine. The truth is, I don't really have time to argue.

Netflix just released all 13 episodes of Orange is the New Black, and tonight, it's go time.

45 comments:

  1. Ha! We just got Netflix a week ago and I'm already selecting my TV shows for binge watching. It's like a celebration!
    I used to be a professional binge watcher before I had kids and now that they are old enough to fix their own dinner, mommy is getting her binge on again!

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    1. Yes! You get on with your bad, binge-watching self. Might I recommend a spin through House of Cards, followed by The West Wing and some Friday Night Lights, if you haven't seen them yet?

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  2. HAHAHAHA! This is like a page from my marriage - Mike and I move through series in the exact same way! Last summer it was Lost, then Mad Men, then Breaking Bad, House of Cards, A Game of Thrones...well, you get the idea. Right now we're on West Wing. I agree - the only way to watch TV. ;)

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    1. I so get it, and The West Wing is my favorite show of all time. I watched it when it was on TV, and about once a year I go through the entire series again. Right now I'm at the end of season 2. Have you seen 24? I would definitely recommend it if you haven't. It was our best binge watch ever.

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    2. I started 24, then Mike balked because he had watched it when it on the air. I have to watch it on the sly. ;)

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  3. We aren't hooked up to watch "regular" TV anymore, so we only watch through Netflix discs and streaming. I love not having to remember what happened the week before or worry about missing an episode.
    Since my husband is the stay-at-home parent, he binge-watches (great phrase)everything.

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    1. I love my regular TV and will never, ever get rid of it, but there is something to be said for binge-watching everything.

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  4. oooh I MISS TV so much (I still watch- but now it's all kid shows and when she's asleep, i'm just too tired to watch my own shows).

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    1. I would miss it too...here's hoping you re-capture your TV days soon!

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  5. I am right there with you on binge watching TV shows, and my addiction also started with 24 while I was in college. I watched it with a friend and his family over our 2 1/2 week Christmas break. We watched up to Season 6 i believe, which was all that was out at the time.

    I am guilty of also sucking my wife into it! W watched Lost during the beginning of our relationship, and ever since have shared our love of sitting back and gorging ourselves on one show, as many episodes as we can handle at a time. (We blew through Breaking Bad,Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy and are currently working on Revenge and Fringe.)

    Thank god for Netflix, Hulu, and lets be honest, the internet.

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    1. Fringe is one of our absolute favorites. 24 is the best show ever to binge watch, in my opinion, except we didn't sleep for the entire three weeks we were watching it. "Just one more" became our constant refrain, and we blew through the seasons in no time.

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    2. "Just one more" was exactly how I ended up at my friends house for 2 1/2 weeks straight, haha.

      And you HAVE to watch Breaking Bad. It's right up there with 24 and Lost as my favorite shows, EVER.

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  6. My husband and I raced through a few seasons of Breaking Bad like crazy. So good! The final episodes are starting in August. Other than that, Lost was probably my biggest addiction for binge-watching. I hadn't seen any of them until this past year.

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    1. I think Breaking Bad might be my next show, after the new Netflix one. I've been hearing such great things, and everyone I talk to loves it.

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  7. This is great. I wholeheartedly support your joint tv viewing and can definitely relate. And I loved 24, as well. And Friday Night Lights!

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  8. I am a TV addict as well, with four, yes FOUR DVRs. However, I have not tried this binging you speak of. My hubs is not similarly enchanted with the big glowing box of enjoyment and relaxation as I am. But yeah, summer's the worst! I have to dredge through the cable listings to find previously undiscovered shows. We've been watching a lot of Love it or List it and Restaurant Impossible. When is fall again?

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    1. 4? That is so hardcore. When we have kids that are TV-watching age, we will definitely have to get more. If you guys are TV addicts, you should definitely try binge-watching on for size. I can give you a whole list of shows that are amazing to watch that way. And I'm counting the days until my shows come back too. Fall TV is not for the weak and faint-hearted.

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  9. We binge watched The Sopranos, 24, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and I just finished Game of Thrones' 1st Season. It really is lovely. And horrible. But mostly lovely.

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    1. The Sopranos is my next undertaking, after the Netflix show. David already watched it, so I'm on my own, but I'm pumped. It's all lovely.

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  10. So apparently, I'm getting addicted to binge watching too. I recently found Switched at Birth and watched all the episodes in a couple of days and am searching for something else to watch. ...It's a problem for me though, because I want to wean myself from TV.

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  11. i can't say i have ever binge watched, but 24 could get anyone hooked on anything!! sounds soo fun!! i'm happy these days with an uninterrupted hour! :)

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    1. The weeks I was watching 24 were, without a doubt, the greatest weeks ever.

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  12. Yes! We did this with Lost, and then for awhile we'd have "shows" that we'd watch all at once. The Office, Arrested Development, a few others. I can't sit and watch TV ordinarily, but this would actually help us to spend time together. We need a new show.

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    1. Have you watched Fringe? It's pretty sci-fi/x-files-ish, so if you are into that at all, you'll love it. It was one of our absolute favorites. It went off the air this past May after 5 seasons, so it's perfect for a binge watch.

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  13. Psych was our recent binge watch, and I'm super sad that we have exhausted all of the seasons that Netflix has to offer. I am currently in the "nothing can compare to Psych" phase of grieving, so I haven't been able to find an acceptable replacement : (

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    1. Oh, the grieving period is just awful. It's the biggest drawback of binge watching. It's like no one can possibly understand what you've just been through. That being said, I loved Psych because I loved Dule Hill. Have you watched The West Wing? You might feel like you are visiting with an old friend, and as a bonus, all the seasons are on Netflix.

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  14. my sister is currently binge-watching "orange is the new black" as I write this...and my I suggest "Orphan Black" for high-minded pulp, and perhaps "Fringe," too, if you're into the whole vaguely X-files sort ofthing? Bingeing is good. Ultimately it saves time, right? Because instead of stretching things out over 14 weeks or whatever it is, you're doing it in a short burst. See? Really, you're doing yourselves a favor. Plus freeing up time for MORE SHOWS. : )

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    1. We loved Fringe. We watched the first three seasons straight, and then watched seasons 4 and 5 in regular time once we caught up. It totally saves time, and when you watch at much TV as we do, we definitely need that time for more shows.

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  15. Amen, my binge watching sister! You'll love "Orange is the New Black!"

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    1. Yes! I love these Netflix series'. I'm still mourning the end of House of Cards. Can't wait for season 2.

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  16. I totally agree - binge watching is the way to go. Once you binge watch you can't go back to waiting a week between shows - that is crazy! Patience is overrated!

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  17. I'm with you! I love binge watching. Great opinion piece!

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  18. omg Sam - I love binge watching. In fact, I'm thinking a Curb Your Enthusiasm mega blow out entire series summer revisit is in order. When I had foot surgery a couple years ago and was off my feet a lot (but really - who am I kidding? I write, so I'm off my feet a lot NOW.) I caught up on seasons two and three of United States of Tara. I was so excited and anxious for the start of season four only to find out it had been cancelled. Curses! And now Netflix has series' so I'm good! I love that you and your husband watch together. I picture you both on the couch eating takeout glued to the screen. Heaven!

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    1. Your picture is pretty much exactly what happens in my house very single night, except I usually cook, and take out is reserved for Thursdays :)

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  19. Totally get this! 24 is one of my favs! We are doing Lost now. I love Netflix ;)

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    1. David already did Lost, so I'm on my own with that. I can't say enough amazing things about 24. It's the best ever.

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  20. Hahaha! My husband and I have been "binge watchers" since we moved to Japan. Not having what you actually want to watch on TV and then getting it all at once kind of lends to this. We also started with 24, I think, because it was the only English-language DVD series we found in our house when we moved in!

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  21. I used to binge watch...and then I had a kid. And who has time anymore?

    Good point about summer TV. People forget how summer used to mean you'd be stuck watching re-runs, and you just had to deal with that reality.

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  22. I guess I am an oddity. I don't watch TV.... But if I could binge it would be Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Spartacus, Shameless and Big Love.

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    1. I don't know what I would do without TV...Big Love is one of my favorites. It ended way too soon, and then everyone forgot about it.

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  23. We do the same thing, via Netflix. Right now we're watching a little-known show called "Flash Forward." It ran for only one season during 2009-10, but we're really enjoying it. Problem is, my husband doesn't want to watch episodes every night, so we get two every Tuesday and sometimes Thursday--we watch features the other nights. We did "24" that way, too. I felt real withdrawal when it was over.

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    1. I remember Flash Forward! I think my 24 withdrawal was the worst I ever experienced in all my years of binge watching...

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