T/S: one episoder per week v. an entire season in two days

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Is it more enjoyable to watch TV shows unfold week-by-week, or wait for the DVD set/marathon and watch an entire season in a couple of days?

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 02:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Depends on the show, I think.

As an example I'm currently re-watching all of Babylon 5 in reasonably short order (I'm almost thru season 4 already and its only taken about 3 weeks). With a show like that with such an overarcing storyline you can pick a lot of clues and things up you could miss otherwise. I think it'd kill me having to wait each week for a single episode! I'm so impatient.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 02:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Topically, a couple of months ago I watched the third series of Six Feet Under (13 hour-long episodes) over a period of a week. It was pretty intense.

I've done the same thing with other series, also. I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm (all four seasons) over a two-week period, and the whole of Seinfeld (9 seasons of around 20 episodes each) over a month.

I'm not sure whether it's better or worse to do this. It certainly satisfies your craving for more after each episode. I think it can become compulsive if you do it too much, too often.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 02:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Theres nothing worse than ruining a fave series thru saturation. I am actually close to that with Futurama, Ive watched it (inc with commentary trax) so often.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I much prefer one episode per week. I like having time to think about what might happen and talk about what did happen. Not that there are any tv shows on that I like enough to do this at the moment.

― isadora (isadora), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 02:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I must say, a lot of recent drama/soap type shows are all very samey! WTF is with the OC, Summerland and One Tree Hill, they even seem to have shared actors!

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Agree with the intensity factor of SFU - my gf and I went through all four seasons in about a month. I think it made our own lives a bit more of an emotional rollercoaster after being run ragged through nearly 50 episodes of it. That being said, I think that the first episode of season four is among the best TV ever.

And as for saturation - if you want it, go for it. If you're burnt out, that's the great thing - you can put it down and come back whenever you're ready.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

i just did this with the arrested development dvd

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i just did this with the arrested development dvd

Hahaha I long ago downloaded the whole series and watched it in like 3 sittings - how fucking annoying is it?!

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

it's some of the best annoyance i've ever laughed at. the last episode of the first season is one of the funniest things i've ever seen.

the second season isn't living up to the first though.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it's just the voiceover that gets to me.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:47 (twenty-one years ago)

My roommates and I got through five seasons of the Sopranos in about three weeks, to the point where any given floor of the house was hosting a separate season if you cared to indulge. No one burned out and it was great, but now we all want more.

― Slim Pickens (Slim Pickens), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

twin peaks is always a dangerous one to get involved in.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 03:53 (twenty-one years ago)

i once watched all of twin peaks over two days. And that was like the third time I'd watched the series!

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 04:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the immersion. joined netflix pretty much solely to watch Babylon 5 as fast & cheap as possible, still took 3 months.

not recommended for Strangers with Candy - too much.

looking fwd to seeing the Sopranos & 6 Feet Under some day. what a day.

― autovac (autovac), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

We've watched season 1 and 2 of the West Wing each in about 4 days. Season 3 just came out too, and it's up for the end of the week!

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 06:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I watched the Sopranos' first couple of seasons in a week each. Season three took a month. Season four I couldn't even get through because I realized that whilst the show is well-done and fairly well-acted, I actually sort of hate it.

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 07:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been doing the exact opposite of most people here -- even less than one ep per week. I've watched 2 whole episodes of West Wing, and I'm only up to episode 11 of Alias (rewatching in this case).

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 07:28 (twenty-one years ago)

sweet jesus why won't they releease season 1 of deadwood in australia aaah, it was murder waiting every week for it ahhhhh i'm glad they're showing carnivale on the abc though.

― Michael Stuchbery (Mikey Bidness), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Alias is best viewed in one block; the entire structure is set up around end-of-episode cliffhangers, so being able to indulge all at once is a joyful thing.

― Abby (abby mcdonald), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 10:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I watched series 1 of 24 in a week. It was like a book I couldn't put down. Very intense and I had some strange dreams. I still haven't seen series 2 or 3, but I'd like to do them the same way. I still feel like I need a couple more months to get over the first one though.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 11:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I do the concentrated viewing thing with pretty much any series I want to see now, since I don't have a TV. The West Wing is great like this, as is Twin Peaks (though fucking disturbing as well obv and gave me major nightmares).

― Archel having login trouble, Tuesday, 21 December 2004 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I just watched the first and most of the second season of Home Videos in the last couple days and now I find myself talking like a neurotic Hollywood stand-up comedian or something, all in fits and starts.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I love mainlining an entire season (or more) in as little time as possible - after a while you go slightly twitchy and insane from information-overload and every starts to look a little funny, a little off, and you keep expecting stuff to explode.

― cis (cis), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I go back and forth with this. I have to be strategic mostly with comedy serieses, or else the funny will be slain by over-repetition. Dramatic cliffhangery stuff though, I eat it up in marathon viewings. Recent examples include: Angels In America, The Sopranos, etc.

However, I find dramatic cliffhangery stuff more rewarding if I can bring myself to watch it once a week; especially with shows (such as LOST) where I don't have DVDs to turn to, yet.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i mainline buffy the vampire slayer, which is amazing because of the intense story arcs, but maddening because of how apocalyptic i feel after a session.

law and order marathons, on the other hand, are excellent for decompressing. each story is different, so each episode hooks you anew. oh, and on cable, they tend to begin the next episode over the credits of the former, which is genius. once you see that first scene, you have to know how it all sorts out.

― carly, Tuesday, 21 December 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

did someone upthread mention 4 seasons of curb your enthusiasm? i thought there were only 3 seasons?!?! and i have only seen 2 available on dvd. i must get out from under this rock where i apparently dwell.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, and i did the marathon thing with buffy the vampire slayer also. i had never seen it before, and i watched 6 seasons in a row. i honestly did not leave the couch except to eat or relieve myself, for several days i was so obsessed. my roommate and friends were worried as i hadn't showered or changed clothes for awhile. it was the best week ever.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

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