[…] “Exposition is the writer’s enemy,” says Simon Blackwell, co-exec-prod of HBO’s “Veep,” which posts all old episodes on HBO Go. “It would be wonderful if we could guarantee everyone would binge-watch it, because you have …read more […]

I mostly only binge watch nowadays. Did that with Dexter, Revenge, Bachelor, Hannibal, Reign, 24, etc. With so many tv shows all over cable, regular network, specialty channels, dvds to catch up on, that seems to be the only option. It wasn't like the days when I waited in baited breath for the next Seinfeld and a couple of other choices. Now, there's hundreds of hours on my tivo I have to get to each week and I don't want to erase any of it. So, it's a constant cost/benefit analysis of getting rid of shows off my tivo. I sometimes don't even watch my favorites because I decide to get rid of the shows that I'm not as into first. They need to give you more memory on your tivo.... Even though I have the max allowed on a box, it's not enough! And by the way, ratings are arcane.... there are a lot of Revenge fans but they might not necessarily watch it that week...more so than some shows that might happen to have a little higher rating that week.

And Scott, I forgot to ask another burning question to the Reader questions and I think that blog is buried 20 blogs ago...man you throw a lot of content a day. :) How do you decide between managers?--owner of a medium firm vs. manager working for a bigger firm (who might jump to a different firm since they are not the owner)? What is life like working with one and what should you expect to make the most of it. I've worked with one before, but they went on to just producing.

Eric, let me take up that question as a blog post, okay?

I binge-watch mostly because once I get into the mood with something I don't want to switch gears. Hell, it takes me long enough to figure out what to watch in the first place! Once I decided, I don't want to think about it anymore, I just want to watch! A couple days ago I finished watching all of Nip/Tuck for the first time... 100 episodes in two and a half weeks. Should I be worried I don't feel like I need a soul scrubbing afterwards? Why did I watch so much in such a short amount of time? It was about to expire. I hate that titles expire but sometimes it's the push I need. It was a bit disorienting when they recast one of the characters, Katee Sackhoff was replaced by Rose McGowan and it REALLY stood out because someone was supposed to recognize her from an earlier episode when she was a different actress!

I don't get HBO, Starz, or Showtime, so binge watching is the only way I get to see shows like GoT, Spartacus, Walking Dead, etc. I'll also binge watch Canadian and UK shows like Lost Girl and Doctor Who once they're available on Netflix. I also binge watch in the summer, which the Wisdom of Hollywood has decided is a dead zone. I've discovered the Austrailian Rush, and BBC's Ultimate Force this way. My biggest reason for binge watching, though, is because I've been burned too often by networks canceling a show that I've just gotten invested in. Firefly was the straw for me. I got sick of starting to love a show and its characters, only to have the rug yanked out from under me. Now I wait -- sometimes a full season -- before investing. If the buzz is positive enough that I suspect the show will continue, I'll watch sooner. If the show dies, then at least I can watch it knowing that it's going to end soon.

I'm the same way about waiting for the end of the season. I have too much going on and I was ALWAYS missing shows or they change the days/times and totally got out of the loop (that happened with Covert Affairs and Suits for me) or they cancel it completely or it skips a season (Hell on Wheels took too long to decide on renewing and they're still filming the next season a year later). I'm also with you on Firefly and certain shows getting yanked. I HATE THAT! I also like to really get into the show and keep the vibe going. It's how I watched GoT. I waited until after Red Wedding and then binge watched all 3 seasons in a week. OMG I was a zombie, but who cares!? It was glorious! Ultimately, my main reason for binge watching is bc I'm a busy mommy with a zillion things going on who's brain dead at the end of the day... or I have to wait until after summer break when they're back in school so I can devote a few guilty days on the couch every so often. Mwah ah ah ah ah!