In his viral speech about how entertainment execs should adopt the Netflix model, Kevin Spacey says some stuff about marathoning.

I'm pretty sure he uses the word 'binge'.

There have been lots of shows, especially cable dramas, that I enjoyed much more on a binge than I would have piecemeal...for the reasons le nubian suggests.

I hate to admit that I haven't seen a single minute of Breaking Bad, as that cements my place on the uncool bench.

It feels (with no logical rationale on my part) a lot like The Shield which, once I started watching, I could not stop. And when I was done watching, I wasn't glad that I had...if you know what I mean.

Interesting. As much as I've often bemoaned having to wait to get the next bit of Breaking Bad, I've always felt a little grateful to have the time off from watching. Each episode (well, not every single one, probably, but enough of them) wrings me out so much, I just can't keep that up.

wrings me out so much, I just can't keep that up.

This is what I'm saying...with added impulse control weakness.

t,

Some critics think cluster watching/binge watching/marathoning is not a good idea for BB.

I'm so used to watching at least 50% of tv this way that I like the control it gives me. I can wait a few days between eps if I want. Or I can watch the next ep. I can stop in the middle of the next ep if I want.

If not for the fact that I'm worried about being spoiled, I probably would have started this season around now and watch the eps in clumps.

My sister waits for the end of the seasons of cable shows. I hope she's not intending to wait for the end of SPN, because I will not be able to handle myself. I waited for four or five months while she watched eight seasons. No more waiting.

But her needing to binge Breaking Bad meant that I couldn't watch it, IN MY HOME, when she was here. Doing me huge favours. Er.

I don't ever do that with things that are airing now in the US. Not if I know they like them. And mostly not with UK stuff either, really.

I don't do it on purpose. I have sometimes felt that when I ended up binge-watching something to catch up that it served the show well, though I can't remember specific examples right now.

I would imagine that binge-watching would well serve shows that are myth-arc-heavy, where new over-arching plot points are revealed every ep, and future eps constantly rely on knowing what happened in past eps.

But I can see how the emotional exhaustion can't bear up under that, if it's that type of show.

I also find that binge-watching leaves me unprepared to emotionally deal with catching up to the show in real-time, and having to wait a week and deal with commercials.

I tried BSG binging once. My next step was almost quitting. I had come to the conclusion that if you can't binge on it, it's not well-balanced good eatings.

Which is silly.

Bon and I binge together--SuperWire, we do. It's fun, because whatever emotional state binging on one show has worked you up into, switch over! It'll put marzipan in your pie plate bingo until you need to switch back and get yourself out of a different mood.

I can see similarities between BB and The Shield, but BB, as good as it is, is SO over the top that I don't feel the emotional connection to these characters like I did with The Shield. My god, that show knew how to throw the gut-punches. Whereas with BB I spend as much time rolling my eyes as I do on the edge of my seat.

Sons of Anarchy premieres this Tuesday, in case anyone needs to set their DVR.