It’s hard not to binge your favorite shows. Many of us have found ourselves staying up until three in the morning, thinking, “Just one more episode…” (which, of course, turns into five, and then somehow it’s 7 a.m. and you’ve just watched an entire season). When Netflix released the complete season of Stranger Things, I was so scared of getting spoiled on social media before I had a chance to watch it, I sat down and finished every episode the very day they came out. Since we can now watch shows at breakneck speed, thanks to streaming services, there are no waiting periods or cliffhangers—just instant gratification.
And it was amazing at first. By binge-watching, you may fully enter the universe of a show. Whether it’s a compelling drama or a guilty-pleasure reality show, finishing a season in a single weekend seemed strangely fulfilling. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm declines at some point. You start to feel drained after watching for a long time, as though you’re just trying to get to the finish line.
Spoiler alert: You are. I recently watched A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I finished the series feeling more tired than thrilled. It was a great show, but by the time I reached the finale, I was just fast-forwarding through the episodes trying to be done with it. Binge-watching might be convenient, but cramming so much content in a short time frame can feel like a chore. Plus, with every streaming platform releasing more must-watch shows every week, it feels like there’s a never-ending queue of series we’re being pressured to watch.
This is where you start to get burnt out. Instead of savoring a show, we’re consuming it in large chunks — and it’s exhausting. We lose the time to process what’s happening in each episode, and we don’t connect with the characters and their stories, skipping the anticipation and excitement that once made TV so fun. When you’re rushing through content, it’s hard to truly appreciate the emotional highs and lows, the character development, or the subtle details that make a show fun and engaging.
Growing up, watching TV shows week to week, was a whole experience. I still remember the anticipation of waiting for the next episode of Jane the Virgin or Grey’s Anatomy every week. The week between the episodes was spent dissecting every little detail and coming up with theories of what would happen next. That build-up became a part of the TV magic, turning each episode into something people looked forward to.
In the age of binge-watching, that magic seems to have disappeared. But some platforms, like Disney+ and HBO Max, are bringing it back. Shows like The Mandalorian, Only Murders in The Building, and Euphoria are released on a weekly basis, reigniting the recess conversations (or now, social media comment section) that we’ve been missing.
Binge-watching isn’t going away anytime soon, and to be honest, I don’t want it to. Sometimes, all you need is a cozy weekend with your favorite show and a bag of popcorn. Maybe, just maybe, we could slow things down a bit. Instead of racing to the end, let’s try savoring the ride. Whether it’s resisting that “play next” button or getting hooked on a weekly release, there’s joy in taking our time with a story.
After all, TV isn’t just about finishing a series — it’s about falling in love with a story and characters so that they’re basically your friends.
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