To Binge, or not to BInge?

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?

In Memoriam: John Quin-Harkin

It is with profound sorrow, the utmost respect, infinite admiration, and the deepest love that we honor and mourn the passing of the wonderful, dapper, brilliant, clever, ingenious, witty, enthusiastic, and unique John Quin-Harkin, beloved husband of our darling Rhys Bowen.

He left this life peacefully, wrapped in affection,  and surrounded by those who love him.  

There is a change in the universe now, but he lives on in our love and memories. 

And our hearts are broken for his dear family--he was part of our family, too.

Writers on Jeopardy?

 HALLIE EPHRON: We started the week talking about the amazing 31-game Jeopardy run by Jamie Ding, a cool as a cucumber, orange-shirted, sweet looking, self-described "bureaucrat" with an amazing knowledge bank and lightning fast buzzer finger.

Hank noted that one of my all-time favorite thriler writers, Meg Gardiner, was a Jeopardy champion in the 1980's.

Which got me wondering if there were many crime fiction writers who've come up aces on Jeopardy.

It turns out there are lots of writers who've done well on Jeopardy, but not many who are known for writing crime fiction. Only a few, compared to the vast numbers of attorneys and academics and assorted PhDs.... (BTW Meg Gardiner is a Stanford-educated attorney in addition to being an author.) 

Then this week, a glamorous redhead, Kate Brody, who wrote the bestselling, much critically acclaimed thriller The Rabbit Hole (Soho Crime) won, beating the guy who beat Jamie Ding.

/

I'm thrilled for her.

Turns out her appearance this week wasn't her first brush with  Jeopardy. Her novel was a CLUE when it came out a few years ago.

My husband tried out of Jeopardy but was never called. He was brilliant at any questions about history or geography (a stamp collector!) or science or art or classic lit. Useless when it came to pop culture or music.

I'd be great on Jeopardy if the clues were limited to children's lit and food. Other than that, I'm good at improvising, cracking jokes... aka, talking a good line. But that wouldn't rack up many $$.

This has me wondering whether being a crime fiction writer is  advantageous to an aspiring Jeopardy champ. Or does having an active imagination actually put one at a DISadvantage?

Would you want to be a contestant on Jeopardy? Or would Wheel of Fortune be more up your alley? Or would you rather just stay home and shout answers at the TV? Or write crime novels?

Or better yet, read them.