HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Remember when you would turn on the TV by pulling out a little switch? And then the arrival of the remote control, very fun. But another thing that has evolved is...bingeing.
Remember Must See TV on Thursdays? It was Friends, and then something else I forget, and then yyou were supposed to watch ER. (Although I'm not sure I have ever seen ER.) And if you didn’t watch it on Thursdays, you would not be able to see it until the reruns.
(Which, remember, they called New to You? Which I always thought was genius.)
But then, and I looked up the timing, starting in 2013 with a certain television show (more on that in a minute), you could watch all of the episodes of a show in one sitting if you wanted. They began to call it bingeing, where a production company or cable platform would put out an entire season of a show, and you could watch however many you wanted in a row.
Other shows remained as once a week, or specials. You could never binge Survivor, back then, or most things on broadcast TV.
I remember the delight I felt in bingeing — like somehow I was getting a secret advantage, and I could just wallow in The Wire and Outlander, and watch however many I wanted. Still, I tried to pace myself, because I knew when it was over, it was over.
Soon, everyone binged. We all talked about it, how we had discovered a new show, and we were there for the duration.
And then I think, and just my assessment, production companies realized that we were all burning through their shows faster than they could provide them.
And the pendulum swung back to once a week. Downton Abbey was only once a week, wasn’t it? And now the Laura Dave movie, and Paradise, and the Jon Hamm show, many more are still just once a week.
How about you Reds and Readers? Do you binge? Did you used to and not anymore? How do you feel about waiting a week for your next episode? Do you ever save them up so you can watch more than one at a time?
And oh, according to Google :-): the first bingeable show, back in 2013, was House of Cards. (About the demise of which I will not comment.)
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I don’t mind the once a week format so much. I kind of like having those markers in the week to look forward to. I can remember when our life centered around the Sunday night episode of the X-Files–and mine around Masterpiece Theater! Now, for things on broadcast TV that are once a week, we either record them, or watch the next day on Hulu.
Rick, on the other hand, despises the once a week drop, and will wait until a season of something is finished so he can binge it.
JENN McKINLAY: Weirdly, I’ve never binged a show. I think I’ve been on deadline since 2008 so I never had time. I will indulge in 2 episodes back to back but that’s it. On the flip side, I want to watch an episode every evening until I’ve finished the series so I generally won’t start a show unless all the episodes have dropped.
HALLIE EPHRON: I don’t think I’ve ever binged a show, either. But then I eat my fruit cocktail pears (least favorite) first and cherries last. Somehow I think that’s related.
Also, I don’t like to engage with the TV for that long in one sitting. And some shows (Great British Baking) need to be savored in one-episode pieces. I do love being able to record a show and watch it at my convenience.
LUCY BURDETTE: We don’t binge either, though we will watch a show one episode a night until it’s finished, if time permits. Right now we’re watching the most recent season of THE LINCOLN LAWYER that way. I don’t like when TV interferes with my reading though!
Love the fruit cocktail analogy Hallie!
RHYS BOWEN: I very rarely binge. When the Crown came on Netflix I did watch several episodes in a row, but on the whole I like the suspense and anticipation of waiting a week for the next episode, especially with good mysteries like Magpie Murders. The waiting made it all the sweeter. And Hallie, I enjoy waiting, week by week, for the Great British Baking Show.
I’m really looking forward the the Other Bennet Sister that is coming to Britbox this week. I’ve seen several clips and for a big fan of P and P I might be tempted to binge.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: The only show I can remember truly bingeing was the first season of THE WALKING DEAD. My daughter Victoria and I decided to “give the first episode a try” around 8PM one Friday. We finally turned off the TV at 3AM!
I don’t have that kind of stamina anymore. To me, bingeing means, as Jenn says, watching one or two episodes every night until the show is done. That’s my pattern with my beloved Kdramas. I also enjoy the swing back to weekly - what do we call it? Drops? It’s not broadcasting. Anticipating the weekly episode of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING was half the fun.
HANK: Yes, I agree, Julia, and it also allows people to chat about it without fear of spoilers! And that's what we often do, too, is watch one episode at a time once they are all available.
How about you, Reds and Readers? Do you binge watch? Or do you love looking forward to once-a-week watching? Or--do you hoard and then savor?
I know some of you don't watch TV at all. So for you, when you find a series from a new author, do you gobble them all? Or is waiting the fun part?
We don't binge; we watch as the shows air weekly . . . .
ReplyDeleteAs the probably the biggest TV-aholic here, I do all sorts of watching. I watch the shows that are new and airing just once a week. The only way I usually do any binge watching of them is if I fall behind and then catch up by watching a few episodes in a row.
ReplyDeleteFor stuff that originates on streaming services, if they drop a full season at once, I will watch as many episodes as I can at once and then finish the rest as soon as I can, depending on how much I like the show.
For any shows that I've never seen before or I am doing a rewatch, it all depends on how much time I have on my hands as to how many episodes I will watch. I'm doing a rewatch of The Big Bang Theory and tonight I watched 7 or 8 episodes. Last night, I started watching the first season of the Netflix comedy Running Point and watched 4 episodes and then watched a couple more tonight.
But as someone who mostly despises going out, I'd rather be at home and when I'm not reading I'm watching TV. And sometimes doing both since all my streaming services are the "with ads" tier.
Oh and Hank, not only did I watch ER when it originally aired, that's another show I'm doing a rewatch of as well.
Let us know how it holds up! It would be interesting to know…
DeleteOh, it holds up quite well. And one of the people in attendance at Thrillerfest is on the show, Eriq LaSalle.
DeleteSuch a nice guy!
DeleteOh, so agree! And funny story: once I was at a convention, Bouchercon, I think. Right after the pandemic. And I was worried about wearing a mask or not. So I found a table way in the back of the room, and he was sitting there! And he was not wearing a mask. And it crossed my mind: oh, if he’s not wearing a mask, then I guess we’re safe.
DeleteAnd then I burst out laughing. Clearly he only plays a doctor on TV. He asked me what was funny, and I had to tell him. He laughed, too.
I am in New York teaching a Master Class at thrillerfest— So I will pop in when I can! So eager to hear what you all say…!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Thrillerfest Hank! Wish I was there, so many authors I would love to meet are in attendance.
DeleteI remember needing to get home from Bible study in time to watch ER on Thursdays back in the day. Then an episode hit too close to home and I quit watching it.
ReplyDeleteI am relatively new to bingeing. The first time I didn’t even realize I had watched multiple episodes of the show!
I actually prefer the old once a week format, but it was a killer to have missed an episode and be out of the loop on the conversation and hoping you could catch it during the summer reruns.
No binging for me. I appreciate that our Boston PBS channel does repeats on some show so if we miss the Sunday night show we can watch it on Wednesday on the second channel. We have watched 3 episodes at a time of The Lincoln Lawyer, the Diplomat and Dark Winds but my brain gets confused with any more.
ReplyDeleteI love once a week drops. Even when I CAN binge it, as with Call the Midwife, I don't, but I'm grateful I can watch a missed episode later in the week. I loved my weekly TV dates in the past with shows like ER, St. Elsewhere, Chicago Hope, West Wing, Downton Abbey, and others.
ReplyDeleteHugh and I have semi-binged a few series, but usually no more than two episodes an evening. Like others, I don't have that kind of stamina. I won't even go to the cinema to watch a movie over two hours long. I just can't sit for that long. Eventually it will come to the library and we can watch it in two stages.
I prefer once a week drops as well. Binging makes me more tired.
ReplyDeleteI confess: I binge and rebinge several shows that I love. Murdoch Mysteries is currently playing in the other room where my sick hubby convalesces. Also, we love Bones, NCIS, Leverage, and Rizzoli and Isles. Partly because I know these episodes so well, I can be busy doing other stuff and not worry about missing something, because I rarely sit down to watch any show, beginning to end.
ReplyDeleteI very rarely watch TV--and when I do watch, it's usually a documentary. But I did love the anticipation of the weekly drop of favorite TV shows back in the day. So many new shows sound like they would be entertaining, and I've even checked out the first season of something or other from the library. Eventually it goes back to the library, unwatched. With a new series, I will try to get the first books and read those in order. At the rate I'm reading these days, I wouldn't call it bingeing. :-)
ReplyDeleteNot a binger--2 episodes of anything are about all I can take.
ReplyDeleteSame with book series: 1 or 2 in a row. Though I will often wait until more of the TV or book series is avaliable, so I can choose when & how much I want, at any time.
Also, I eat the least favorite things first, but in fruit cocktail mine are reversed from Hallie's!
Not a binger, although I have watched a couple of episodes at a time--catching up on Downton Abbey or Grantchester on OPB Passport. I sure remember that The Beverly Hillbillies were on Wednesday nights and Mr. Ed was on Sunday nights. Definitely worth waiting for.
ReplyDeleteTo binge or not to binge. While we don't watch network TV (not even the local news, if we can help it), we both do watch shows on streaming services: Nerflix, Acorn, Britbox, PBS, and Roku freebies. Sometimes I'll drop Acorn or Britbox and subscribe to Apple TV or Hulu, if there's a series or two we want to see, but for a limited time.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I ever binged any shows was about 12 years ago, when I broke three ribs in a horseback riding accident. I spent most of that time in the recliner in the family room, so I ended up bingeing all the seasons of Mad Men, which I had never seen, and a couple other shows.
A couple years ago I flew out to Boulder to stay with middle daughter for two weeks while her badly busted knee was repaired after a spectacular snowboarding collision. She and I binge watched Emily in Paris and a couple other shows to take her mind off the pain. She's coming to town this week, and I've been waiting to watch the new season of Emily for us to see at least a couple episodes together. I don't think we will have time to see every episode, but I'm so looking forward to dishing on the clothes, the men, the Italian scenery! Plus, this will be the first time we have been together since Thanksgiving, and she has since gotten engaged.
What a fun mother-daughter watch, Karen!
DeleteMy bingeing strategy, if you can call it that, is the same as Jenn's. Right now I am rewatching my way through all of the House M.D. episodes. I had forgotten most of them so it's like watching a brand new program. I'm more than halfway through, with the goal to finish before Hulu goes completely to Disney. I was shocked when I realized that Hulu is the most expensive of the streaming platforms I use. I don't have Netflix or HBO.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile I know I am missing a lot of other good things and hope I'll still be able to remember them and find them.
I’m like Debs - I don’t mind the weekly wait, but my husband likes to binge so we typically wait for all of the episodes to drop (time to start The Pitt S2).
ReplyDeleteBattlestar Galactica is finally back on streaming services (Paramount and Pluto) after being gone for a while, so maybe it’s time for a binge of that.
And speaking of binging, Happy Murderbot Day to all who celebrate! I saw somebody post “Murderbot is my Sanctuary Moon” and I need to find that on a T-shirt!
DeleteOh, yes! My Audilble copy is downloaded and I will start it tonight. Although I was distressed to find that it's a novella rather than a novel and the listening time is under six hours. :-(
DeleteIt’s never enough, is it? Going down to San Diego with a friend on Friday for a signing with Martha - yay!
DeleteI absolutely love Hallie's fruit cocktail analogy. It really captures how I am about bingeing, too! We almost never watch TV that isn't on streaming, so most of our shows are available to binge. But we don't. We watch one, or at most two, episodes at a time. Depending on our schedule, we might watch more frequently than a week apart, but usually not the same show two nights in a row.
ReplyDeleteMy approach to books is pretty similar. When I encounter a book series I love, I do cycle back to them often, but usually not back-to- back unless there is some burning question left open to which I just have to know the answer. So for example I am absolutely loving my way through Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series and Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series. But in both cases, that means I enjoy another three or four books in between before picking up the next. That allows me to savor each one. Plus I know a day will come when I catch up to the author (even though those are both long series already, allowing me lots of savor time.)
I think I really starting bingeing during the pandemic, and I'm glad I did because I totally enjoyed series that I hadn't seen before (or thought I didn't like after watching the first episode)--Schitt's Creek, The Good Place, Gilmore Girls,The Office. Loved them all! I binge sometimes now if I'm not sure if I want to continue to watch a series but want to give it a chance--first three episodes usually allow me to decide. But I don't mind waiting for each weekly entry into Shrinking, Hacks, The Great British Baking Show, etc. The Traitors and all of its English-language variations (US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland coming) is another story. I have to force myself to parse them out over the weeks so I can extend my joy when I get all of the episodes at once, which usually applies to the versions from other countries. I just have to be careful not to see spoilers online!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Thrillerfest, Hank! To binge or not to binge? Even if I wanted to binge, I do not have the stamina to binge watch. I often fall asleep. Once in a while I can binge watch. Yes, I remember the days before the VCR and streaming videos. I remember only PBS will repeat their episodes if you missed it the first time. Regarding binge watching, I remember one year on Fourth of July or was it New Year's Day when PBS showed all of the episodes about John Adams, one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and his family. I was younger and able to binge watch.
ReplyDeleteMore recently, I remember binge watching the Danish drama Borgen and a Spanish series about a lady's maid. Because I got a free week from Paramount Plus, I got to binge watch MATLOCK with Kathy Bates before I cancelled the subscription.
On another note, one of my favorites is a Kdrama BEYOND THE BAR. Believe it or not, I am happy to wait for the next episode each week. I would eagerly await the next episode.
I'm not sure what binging is exactly - I guess it is watching an entire season in one setting? That would take forever!
ReplyDeleteI've never done that, but we do watch at the most two shows in a row.
I like to watch some shows that are repeats but they have commercials and you can't fast forward through them. Ugg!
I'm with Anonymous on this one. I think of binging as not watching anything else until that series is finished. We did that with The Diplomat, Longman, Yellowstone, Only Murders in the Building. We never watched more than two or three episodes a night, but we didn't watch anything in between unless you can count the Final Four or The Masters!
ReplyDeleteI have to confess - I love a good binge and I hate waiting! Also, I live in Minnesota - when it's below zero outside, bingeing under a blanket seems like the most reasonable thing to do. This past winter, I binged MAGPIE MURDERS (sorry, Rhys!) and MOONFLOWER MURDERS. I think with complicated mysteries like these, watching them all in one go makes it easier for me to keep track of all the plots.
ReplyDeleteWe wait until the whole show has dropped before watching. We’re not that disciplined; we’re just usually that far behind! For example, we just started watching Ted Lasso a few months ago. We finished Season One and will watch Season Two sometime in the coming months. At most we watch two episodes of any show at a time. And we almost never watch the same series two days in a row. That’s my husband’s preferred way of watching. Me? I would probably watch every day until the season was done. Does anyone remember the series “24”? That was torture having to wait a whole week for the next episode (hour) to air.
ReplyDeleteWith book series, if they’re not really long books, I sometimes read two back-to-back. It gives me a nice taste of the characters. — Pat S
Maybe we should have been more clear on the definition of "bingeing." To me that means, usually, watching one episode a night until the season or series is finished. No way do I have the time or the stamina to watch more than one (or two if they are short) episodes per night of anything!
ReplyDeleteWe are not watching Elementary and enjoying it so much. I'd seen a few scattered episodes but somehow never watch regularly, so this is a real treat. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu are amazing. And I wish I had access to the writers' "plot bank!" So many complicated plots!
"now" watching!
DeleteI watch very little tv, but when I did or if I do come across something with multiple episodes I prefer to just watch one at a time and look forward to the next one. There have been some exceptions such as Bondi Vet. I don’t recall where I found it. It is NF about a vet whose practice is near Bondi Beach in Australia and features sort of All Creatures type episodes except they are real. He also treats unique patients such as crocodiles and Tasmanian devils. The vet is vey handsome and has a good sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteAnother series I watched was GPs Behind closed Doors. This is still being shown in Great Britain but the current episodes are primarily available through some of the British channels.
Some of the earlier episodes are on Youtube or some other easier to find channels. The program features different medical practices in the UK and the cameras go into the consultation rooms and the interactions between the doctors and their patients. I found the differences between how the doctors do things very interesting. Many of the examinations and treatments that are done in the office here, but there they have to refer the patients to a specialist and many of the screenings require authorization from the National Health Service and long waits for appointments. When everything was shut down during the pandemic, the NHS went around to many of these practices and set up trailers in parking lots where drs could see patients.
It obviously limited the number of people who could be seen, but it did provide some access to medical care for a lot of people.
As for books which are part of series, I usually like to take time between books and go on to something different. It also depends what kind a story it is, I need some time away from some that are more intense and want a lighter option. There have been a few exceptions where I have read the next one immediately after the previous one. It really depends upon the author.
This would be particularly true if the writer is not prolific and I know it will be quite a while before the next one appears.
I do the same thing with fruit cocktail, although I don’t remember the last time I had it, pineapple and cherries come last.They will also be eaten last on an ice cream sundae.
Two episodes of one show is the most I can handle. We may flip from Midsommer Murders to New Tricks or A Taste of Murder. I may watch two in a row of Outlander or Diplomat. But no marathons for me!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever discovered a new series of books that are mostly already published and read two of them back to back. But I've certainly binged in the sense of reading a new one about every three weeks. That was what I did when I discovered the Vera books (Ann Cleeves) and the Karen Pirie books (Val McDermid) at around the same time. I alternated them with Peter Grainger's DC Smith series--and occasionally a fantasy, sci-fi, or standard novel--until I was all caught up and waiting for a new book in all three series. It was great fun to know that for months I would have one great book after another to read!
ReplyDeleteI do like to binge, but recently I've rather liked the Jon Hamm Your Neighbors and Friends dropping on Friday and watching it together with my husband. One we just binged, which I'm not going to say was great, but it kept our interest was The Hunt, a French six-part series. I've watched a couple of episodes of Criminal Record with Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi, and I plan on going back to it. Widow's Bay with Michael Rhys on Apple just started in April, and tonight is the fourth episode. I'm interested in watching that. I'm waiting for season four of Ted Lasso, and I will finish Outlander sometime soon. The show we watch the most will probably surprise you. It's Gunsmoke, and it's on almost every night with three or four episodes a night. I first couldn't understand why Philip and I were so drawn to Gunsmoke, but I think I've decided that besides liking the main characters, there are so many actors and actresses that were very young and just starting out that are guest characters on the show, and good usually wins over bad/evil at the end.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a binger. When I get too much of one series, little things start to irritate me. Also, I like a change and have a lot of shows to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe exceptions are when I get a DVD from the library or watch Comcast's Free Preview week. Then I need to get shows watched before they either need to go back to the library, or the Free Preview week end.
For books, I tend to alternate mysteries, romances, and autobiographies with some fantasy thrown in.
LOL on Hallie's fruit cocktail. That makes perfect sense to me.
ReplyDeleteso much fun to read all these! I am rushing off to my next event, but I agree, binging is when all of the shows are available, you watch one after the other, not necessarily all in a row, for goodness sake :-) But one maybe two at a time to the exclusion of everything else.
ReplyDeleteSilent Witness drops on Thursdays. Only one more day until we can watch the second half of the most recent "double"! That's the price of watching the newer episodes.
ReplyDelete