A couple of random observations

[mets82]

First off, I guess binge worthy is the new buzzword. I guess thats a cool or hip way for another word for marathon. All I've heard is "so and so stars in a binge worthy marathon of" fill in the blank show.

I find it odd that daytime tv seems to have the same repetitive formula. I've never understood how game shows and soap operas are passe yet I keep seeing talk shows coming out of the wood work. Not only that, they never last a season or two. Ex. Greg Behardt show, Larry Elder, The Revolution, Megan Mullahy show, Jeff Probst and Nate Berkus just to name a few.


Also, the way studio shows like "Kathie Lee and Hoda" or "The View" or even "The Talk" are set up. They have there chit chat session which is fine but then to me, they seem to rush everybody especially the cooking segments. You really cant understand what there doing because there in a rush to go to a break during the cooking segments.

Has anyone else noticed these trends?

[Mace Dolex]

Yeah I hate that term "binge" when referring to watching multiple episodes to catch up, how is your life so busy that you can't set aside 30 minutes to an hour to watch your favorite show?

[MacLeaper]

Yeah I hate that term "binge" when referring to watching multiple episodes to catch up, how is your life so busy that you can't set aside 30 minutes to an hour to watch your favorite show?

I agree somewhat. I think there are better priorities than finding time in your busy life to watch television shows though. And along with that- I don't have time to "binge" watch television shows, whether it's on the weekend or not. There are a lot more things I like to do and other things that I need to do besides watch TV. This is one reason I like to watch a lot of shows on DVD- especially if the entire series is available. Then I can watch episodes as I have time to at my leisure- and I'm not bound to the TV schedule then for my life's schedule. Yes, taping shows is always an option- but there's nothing on now that I'm into enough that I would bother to tape, so I'm not worried about that. Usually, flipping through channels on TV is just to see if there's anything of interest to me at that moment; not to look for a specific show that I'm tuning in to see. (Sometimes I might do that- but very rarely.) When I'm really intently watching TV, it's usually following a series on DVD or VHS.

[Sal]

Binge watching is commonly defined as watching several different episodes of a series all at once, like in a marathon, in order to catch up on it, or simply to enjoy and re-live your favourite season. This can be done through many different forms: (live TV, DVR/PVR, DVD/Blu-Ray, Hulu Plus/Netflix, online video sites like YouTube). I happen to enjoy it, since on most nights, except for Thursdays and Saturdays, there's just nothing on anymore on "network TV" that interests me.

I tend to binge watch in a different way. Instead of watching many episodes of one series, I'll watch one or two episodes of many different series using either my signature link below or my DVD collection and try to create my own Antenna/Me TV-like nightly schedule, and it's different every time. Last night I watched "Green Acres", "The Donna Reed Show", "Dennis The Menace", "I Love Lucy", and "The Beverly Hillbillies". Next time it will be a little different. I think this way is more fun. It allows me to be more creative and it's a lot less dull.

[Retro4Life]

I don't like the practice. It's much more satisfying to see a show week to week and follow it that way, with the anticipation building from one week to the next (assuming it's a serialized show; if it's not, there's little anticipation).

The whole practice of watching TV shows has changed so much. It's no longer a communal thing. When I was young, you came back to school on Wednesdays and everybody was talking about what had happened on Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley the night before, the same on Fridays after Mork and Mindy and Soap, et al. Now we all just sit in our individual bubbles, when we want, and view them alone; there's a freedom there, but also a certain amount of loneliness and detachment.

Think I liked the old way better, really. No matter how much I like a show, I can't stand watching it for hours and hours. I need a break, and I miss the community thing.

[biffbronson]

I agree about the loneliness & detachment aspect, but that's why I come here -- to talk with other people about the stuff we're into, even though we're not all watching the same eps.

I do think it's great that people can get excited about new DVD releases or additions of older series to channel lineups, and I appreciate those opportunities. I think for all of us, going back to watch, some aspects of series held up well, while others may disappoint. But regardless, we can enjoy the actors' work and keep their memories alive.

The shows you've mentioned all had commercial and social impact to varying degrees. I knew a lady who used to call Soap "trash." People may not realize how much merchandising Happy Days used to generate and how those things became part of popular culture. To this day, when I think of Charlie's Angels, I remember how one of my friends had some of the trading cards in the 5th grade.