UNITED STATES—It is hard to fathom that 10 years ago, no one ever heard of the term binge-watching, but nowadays it’s a trend in the world of television. For those who are out of the loop, its where one sits and literally watches an entire season of a TV show or a series without taking any breaks. Yes, it sounds bonkers and for most people it is, but it is a habit that has become popular with most Americans who work full-time and have only 1-2 days off during the week.
During those off days, you cozy up on the couch and you pop in the DVD, utilize Netflix, Hulu or some other streaming service and get caught up on your favorite series or a series so buzzed about that you want to be in the know, when the water cooler conversation kicks off Monday morning at work. I’ll be honest; I’ve only been able to do this like maybe 2-3 times in the past 2-3 years. Why? 1) They were shows that were so good I couldn’t stop watching 2) I stumbled on a show that I didn’t expect to be entertaining, but it was more entertaining than I ever expected.
I will give you the perfect example: “Breaking Bad.” Hands down this is one of the best TV shows I have ever witnessed to grace the small screen. I heard plenty of buzz about this show in the past, but never seemed to find the time to watch until it was on the verge of ending. I happened to have a spare Saturday off and just happened to be channel surfacing and landed on AMC and the rest was history, I watched like 2 seasons of the show in 24 hours without missing a beat, except to utilize the bathroom and grab a quick snack. So when it comes to binge-watching, I don’t think it’s always about having time to watch, it’s sometimes just finding the right show that hooks you so strongly you don’t want to turn your face away from the TV screen.
I’ve heard the buzz about the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things,” and I’ve FINALLY purchased the first season on Blu-Ray and when I finally have the time to sit and watch I’m going to attempt to binge-watch the entire first season without interruptions. I’m a fan of nostalgic horror, especially those of the 80s that were actual horror films and not whodunits with massive amounts of blood, guts and everything to churn one’s stomach. I feel terrible considering season two has already wrapped and I haven’t even watched the first one. Perhaps I should just get Netflix, but I feel like I’m already paying too much for Cable now, so that is a no go people.
For those who don’t have a job or just seem to have loads of free time you can easily binge-watch your favorite series and get caught up on the water cooler conversation with ease. However, cut a bit of slack to those of us who unfortunately might be workaholics or who have schedules that are so sporadic and chaotic it’s hard to catch a breathe sometimes. We’ll do our best to navigate our schedules to make it happen, but this goes in tandem with my ideology that a great TV show will always find the viewer, the viewer should have to find a great TV show.
