Remember when you had to wait a week for the next episode?

I was thinking about how I used to watch shows like Lost back in the day, waiting for that new episode every Wednesday. It was fun to talk about it with friends at school, but man, you'd forget details. I just finished binging Severance on Apple TV+ over a weekend, and it's a totally different thing. You can really get into the weird world they built and notice all the small clues without forgetting them. The tension just builds and builds when you watch it all at once. It made the show feel way more intense and smart. I don't think I could go back to the old way for a show like that. What's the last show you watched that was just way better binged?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth_gonzalez1mo ago

You're right about the tension building when you binge. I used to defend weekly releases, said it built community. Then I watched The Bear all in one night. That show is pure stress, and stopping between episodes would have killed the feeling. It just would not hit the same if I had to wait a week to see what happened after that fridge lock. Changed my whole view.

sandralee1mo ago

Read an article that said some shows are just made for binging... like the stress needs to build without a break. Totally get what you mean about The Bear.

harper_gibson21d ago

Weekly releases build way more hype though. The Bear works as a binge but most shows lose all their staying power when you can just plow through them in a night. Nobody talks about binged shows a week later cause everyone finished it at different times and moved on. That shared waiting experience creates actual water cooler moments and inside jokes that last. Binging just makes shows feel like fast food, you consume it and forget it immediately. Some tension is good, but constant stress without any breathing room is just exhausting not engaging.