To Binge or Not to Binge?

I am retired on a disability, although I am not yet 50.  Years of chemotherapy have kept me alive, but crippled my body in a variety of ways, making teaching middle school untenable. I love to craft, cross-stitch, scrapbook, but shaky hands and poor vision have left that by the wayside. So I read, watch TV, and try to get out of the house several times a week. Being alone all day, I have the TV on for company in the background of whatever else I am doing. There is always a Law & Order on somewhere!

For “new” first-run shows I love my DVR and on Demand because I can watch what I want when I want. If I’m awake at 3:00 AM, I can laugh with The Goldbergs or New Girl and then try to sleep again. TV shows have changed in the last couple of years with everyone DVR-ing and binge watching. There are more shows that tell a story over an entire season, like House of Cards or Game of Thrones. This trend started with the paid cable channels, and has spread to the regular networks, as trends seem to do.

Some people, like my parents or I, DVR almost everything they watch. This sets you up for bingeing, if you are so inclined. I like to watch episodic shows like Criminal Minds and Blue Bloods each week, but save the long story lines of Broadchurch or Mad Men for a binge. My mom complains that my father can no longer follow these long story lines from week to week, and keeps asking her questions during the show. “Save them up and binge it!” is my reply. Of course, being of a certain age, changing habits is difficult, although they love a binge if they get the DVD from the library.

I just binged Bosch on Amazon and it was great! It is based on Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch police detective series, most of which I have read.They did a great job of bringing the characters to life and sticking with the storyline. It’s been picked up for another season, which I eagerly anticipate.

Do you binge with your DVR, or just Netflix and Amazon? Do you binge at all? I highly recommend it for wet, yucky days. For me it’s easy, because I am the only one watching the TV and don’t have to share DVR space with a husband or children. But I know there’s always the problem of someone deleting your shows, or wanting to DVR something at the same time as you.

This post is for the 2015 Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. I know it’s supposed to be about blogging or books, but many book bloggers also write about movies and TV, so I thought it fit.