TV - What's your passion (NON-sports)?
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The more I think on it, I have come around to the belief that the new Matlock only works as a one-off, two seasons tops. At some point, you have to either:
... And frankly, you can maybe milk one extra season out of Option 2, before the show goes to hell.
- Have Maddie get justice for her daughter, in which case, the show is over, or
- Keep inventing contrivances to keep Maddie from getting justice.
I watched Matlock last Week. Enjoyable. Good writing and Kathy Bates, of course, hits the mark perfectly. Ending was a sneaky good hook. It’s relaxing to occasionally watch an old fashioned 60-min procedural or 30-min sitcom on network TV. Next episode is Oct 17 then weekly with next day on Paramount+. Also on Paramount+, Tulsa King has some promise if season 2 improves on season 1. Stallone stars and is producer.
Kathy Bates has said that she wants to retire after Matlock so I do wonder if there’s not some handshake agreement between all parties involved to just get in, tell the story that they want to tell, and then get out of dodge before they get asked to extend their run (plus if need be, it seems to me there are multiple ways for them to spin-off some of the supporting cast into their own shows Good Wife-style).
When a season is released episode-by-episode, I'll often wait until the whole season is out before watching. As such, I binged Agatha All Along (Disney+) over the last day on the trip back from Oregon and while donating blood this morning. Overall, I liked it. Quirky, with some twists along the way. Not bad, Marvel.
We'll just have to agree to disagree. My wife and I binge shows all the time. We certainly were not going to artificially spread out watching, for instance, 9 seasons of Suits when we could binge several episodes at a time!
I had a 9-hour car ride (of which I drove a good portion) and a 2-hour blood donation (I donate platelets and sometimes plasma and/or red blood cells once every 2 weeks) and I'm certainly not going to only watch one episode of a show I want to watch and then do nothing when the rest of the season is sitting there staring me in the face!
I had a 9-hour car ride (of which I drove a good portion) and a 2-hour blood donation (I donate platelets and sometimes plasma and/or red blood cells once every 2 weeks) and I'm certainly not going to only watch one episode of a show I want to watch and then do nothing when the rest of the season is sitting there staring me in the face!
I think it really depends on the nature of the television programming with which you're engaging. Sometimes binging can feel right. Sometimes it just doesn't work. Deadwood is my favorite TV series of all time. It is a show that hypnotizes, that lingers on the palette, that forces the viewer to reckon with the messiness and dualities of human nature. It requires patience. It would not benefit from a binge-watching approach. Instead, it benefits from taking time to reflect on what you've watched, to let its language and its themes marinate inside your mind awhile. The writing demands that the viewer rest with it for a bit. I rewatch it almost every year, and I usually watch one to two episodes at a time, and usually only once or twice a week.
By contrast, many modern shows are designed as "content". They are meant to be consumed, not to be reflected upon. The binge watch model is kind to these shows, because pausing for reflection actually does them more harm than good. The viewer starts to recognize the characters as paper-thin, the plots as held together by duct tape, the themes as shallow constructs. And that's okay! There's nothing at all wrong with consuming a bit of TV junk food! Your average sitcom, old or new, likewise doesn't require much time to live with each episode. There's comfort in lengthy "hangouts" with the characters from those shows, and I think the binge-watch model is kind to them as a result, because it breeds quick familiarity and that can be an effective salve during stressful times.
That said, I can't speak to shows like Agatha All Along, as I hopped off the superhero content train many, many stops ago. Viewers and critics seem engaged by it, but I wouldn't rightly know if it's a good show to binge watch or not. Personally, I'm more inclined to take my time with things these days. I'm never in much of a rush.
By contrast, many modern shows are designed as "content". They are meant to be consumed, not to be reflected upon. The binge watch model is kind to these shows, because pausing for reflection actually does them more harm than good. The viewer starts to recognize the characters as paper-thin, the plots as held together by duct tape, the themes as shallow constructs. And that's okay! There's nothing at all wrong with consuming a bit of TV junk food! Your average sitcom, old or new, likewise doesn't require much time to live with each episode. There's comfort in lengthy "hangouts" with the characters from those shows, and I think the binge-watch model is kind to them as a result, because it breeds quick familiarity and that can be an effective salve during stressful times.
That said, I can't speak to shows like Agatha All Along, as I hopped off the superhero content train many, many stops ago. Viewers and critics seem engaged by it, but I wouldn't rightly know if it's a good show to binge watch or not. Personally, I'm more inclined to take my time with things these days. I'm never in much of a rush.
I'd object to your usage of "many," but that's probably splitting hairs. I do agree with the general sentiment, though. If you're watching Abbot Elementary, or South Park, or The Simpsons, or NCIS, or Chicago Med, or Blue Bloods... or Suits... like, any sort of sitcom or case-of-the-week shows like that were created to be 'content,' to use @Padrino's words. And I don't think that I'm as judgmental or condescending towards those shows as Padrino is (my posting history in this very thread will prove that I am a fan of many of these kinds of shows), but these are not shows that are designed to be digested, to be drank deeply of, to be grokked in fullness. So, while I still think that binging is a suboptimal way of consuming those shows, at least from a community engagement and dialogue standpoint, if you've got time to kill and nothing better to do, you might as well.
The problem is that there are definitely shows that are not meant to be binged, and "binge people" tend not to make the distinction.
As someone who has not and will not ever "hop off the superhero content train" (it's basically the only thing relevant to my interests these days), I can speak to Agatha All Along, and it's definitely a show that you're not getting the best experience out of by binging.
The problem is that there are definitely shows that are not meant to be binged, and "binge people" tend not to make the distinction.
As someone who has not and will not ever "hop off the superhero content train" (it's basically the only thing relevant to my interests these days), I can speak to Agatha All Along, and it's definitely a show that you're not getting the best experience out of by binging.
I say "many" because of the sheer amount of scripted and unscripted television being made in 2024, spanning an unwieldy number of networks and streaming services. Most of that programming is meant to be easily digestible. Much of it is forgettable and disposable. A lot of it never survives past a season or two because it must compete in a massive attention economy with fickle audiences who possess ever-shrinking attention spans and nearly unlimited choice when it comes to their entertainment and content consumption.
I do agree with your point that "binge people" don't necessarily distinguish between that which is meant to be binged, that which can be binged even if it wasn't designed to be, and that which is fundamentally ill-suited to the binge approach to consuming television. But I think this is more of a general media literacy problem. The Internet has reshaped the media landscape so rapidly that there hasn't been much time for introspection on the part of creators and audiences. Everybody's just kind of "going with it", and even though it may feel to some as if the streaming era has reached homeostasis, we absolutely have not settled into anything resembling the kind of reliable stability that we saw from the major networks and cable companies for decades.
I honestly have no idea if we'll get back to that level of stability. So much in the entertainment industry has been "disrupted" that it's probably going to take a long while to sort through the wreckage. All the data and reporting does suggest that current approaches in the industry are unsustainable, so I'll be curious to see how audiences deal with whatever whiplash is coming. The binge model feels a bit like a Pandora's box, so I'm not sure that's going away. But perhaps audiences will also come to accept that not everything needs to be consumed in the immediacy of its release.
I do agree with your point that "binge people" don't necessarily distinguish between that which is meant to be binged, that which can be binged even if it wasn't designed to be, and that which is fundamentally ill-suited to the binge approach to consuming television. But I think this is more of a general media literacy problem. The Internet has reshaped the media landscape so rapidly that there hasn't been much time for introspection on the part of creators and audiences. Everybody's just kind of "going with it", and even though it may feel to some as if the streaming era has reached homeostasis, we absolutely have not settled into anything resembling the kind of reliable stability that we saw from the major networks and cable companies for decades.
I honestly have no idea if we'll get back to that level of stability. So much in the entertainment industry has been "disrupted" that it's probably going to take a long while to sort through the wreckage. All the data and reporting does suggest that current approaches in the industry are unsustainable, so I'll be curious to see how audiences deal with whatever whiplash is coming. The binge model feels a bit like a Pandora's box, so I'm not sure that's going away. But perhaps audiences will also come to accept that not everything needs to be consumed in the immediacy of its release.
^^^ Eh, this is a minor-ish quibble, but binge watching does not, in fact, require immediacy. If you binged Agatha All Along, you had to wait a minimum of two months for the entire series to be published; they didn't release all nine episodes at once. On the other hand, immediacy does actually have value in the consumption of media, as it relates to community: if you have a desire to share in the experience of watching a TV show with other people (and I often do), then that requires consuming the show when the show is released. But that desire to fellowship about a TV show is also exactly what makes binge watching suboptimal.
Now, if you don't have any friends or family that you like talking about TV with (or, like, if you only talk about what shows you're watching with your wife, and only while you're actively watching the shows). If you don't value that community experience, what's it to you if you wait 2-3 years before you get around to watching Succession or Game of Thrones or whatever? Not everybody likes "prestige TV" and if you do like it, but you don't care about thinking about it below the surface level, then I guess you might as well binge it.
Now, if you don't have any friends or family that you like talking about TV with (or, like, if you only talk about what shows you're watching with your wife, and only while you're actively watching the shows). If you don't value that community experience, what's it to you if you wait 2-3 years before you get around to watching Succession or Game of Thrones or whatever? Not everybody likes "prestige TV" and if you do like it, but you don't care about thinking about it below the surface level, then I guess you might as well binge it.
How is binge watching a show any different from finishing a novel in a day? Often we're captivated and immersed in that fictional world that it makes sense to continue watching when our mind (or working memory) is flush with details and we're able to make connections better. It's like getting to the "flow state" and you want to keep going. Binge watching means you take your mental break when you want it rather than being forced upon you by the editor who is constrained by need for that "cliffhanger ending" and episode length requirements.
People do that? 
Off the Books
Angel of Vengence
Look Out for the Little Guy
Extinction
Kingdom of Bones
Fourteen Days
The Lost Tomb
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
all probably fit within this reading time frame of less than 8 hours, and several of these I know I polished off in a day or so. Those are all just from 2024, and just from my Libby history. If I go back earlier, or look at what I also read on Kindle, there's a LOT more. I've read a lot of Heather Cox Richardson, Anne Applebaum, Brian Klaas, Max Boot, etc., this year that are typically very slow (non-fiction) reads that obviously don't fit this time frame.
I don't really discuss much TV watching with others, other than to discuss the show overall with folks once I'm done with it (like The Expanse, which is darn good but 6 seasons long, and the books were great, too, or GoT, or whatever). I'm not about to go to work and start talking about a TV show every week for 6 years. No thanks. Who does that?
I think you nailed it here to a large extent. I don't want to watch one episode of a show every week spread over two months. Objectively, who does, unless it is specifically for discussing it with others on a set time frame?
I also think that my habits have changed over the years. Back in the day, we didn't have the option to binge shows and if you missed one, well, sorry. But that also meant that if you didn't hear about a show when it started and missed the first episode or two, you had no clue what was going on when you finally caught a show that spread by word of mouth.
We don't have that issue now. If I hear a show is good, I can watch it whenever and however I want without worrying about missing something. This also frees me up to not try to catch the first show of anything that looks good but really isn't. I can prioritize my watching and not be stuck to some stupid and artificially drawn-out release schedule. If I want to check something out, I watch the first couple episodes and quickly determine if I want to continue. I don't have to get 3 weeks into a show to figure out it stinks. I'm at that stage in about 2-3 hours, tops.
I also think that my habits have changed over the years. Back in the day, we didn't have the option to binge shows and if you missed one, well, sorry. But that also meant that if you didn't hear about a show when it started and missed the first episode or two, you had no clue what was going on when you finally caught a show that spread by word of mouth.
We don't have that issue now. If I hear a show is good, I can watch it whenever and however I want without worrying about missing something. This also frees me up to not try to catch the first show of anything that looks good but really isn't. I can prioritize my watching and not be stuck to some stupid and artificially drawn-out release schedule. If I want to check something out, I watch the first couple episodes and quickly determine if I want to continue. I don't have to get 3 weeks into a show to figure out it stinks. I'm at that stage in about 2-3 hours, tops.
My current watch/rewatch slate;
-Scrubs (Final true season, will watch the soft reboot season as well)
-Community (Season 2, never saw the *full* run so getting that now. Great great show)
-Wednesday (It’s more my girlfriend’s speed, but I’m entertained enough)
-Squid Game Challenge (reality show. For a reality show it’s fun)
Probably a couple others I’m not thinking of. A whole slate of MAX shows when I re-up my subscription.
-Scrubs (Final true season, will watch the soft reboot season as well)
-Community (Season 2, never saw the *full* run so getting that now. Great great show)
-Wednesday (It’s more my girlfriend’s speed, but I’m entertained enough)
-Squid Game Challenge (reality show. For a reality show it’s fun)
Probably a couple others I’m not thinking of. A whole slate of MAX shows when I re-up my subscription.
And this is something that I cannot relate to since, as of late, I have made a conscious effort to not watch shows that I don't want to talk about with other people. I don't want my consumption of TV to be a solitary experience and, if I'm watching something years after everyone else has moved on from it, that's what it becomes.
I can't answer that question until I know what you took from it? I can't very well comment on what you didn't see if I don't know what you actually saw. What I can say that you missed was the communal experience of engaging with other people about the show which, as you have stated and re-stated, you don't care about.
How familiar are you with the source material? What did you know about Agatha Harkness, the other witches in the coven, or the Teen before you watched the show? Did you watch enough of WandaVision that the references to that show meant anything to you?
How familiar are you with the source material? What did you know about Agatha Harkness, the other witches in the coven, or the Teen before you watched the show? Did you watch enough of WandaVision that the references to that show meant anything to you?