Binge-Watcher Primer

A quick binge-watcher show primer

Binge-watcher shows are generally serial in nature, meaning there’ll be at least one major story arc evolving over a season or even an entire series. Themes and characters are given space to develop without the need for a tidy conclusion every episode, and your loyal attention is more-often-than-not rewarded.

The opposite of the serial is the procedural show: mainly consisting of self-contained episodes, there’s often a limited sense of immersion and no compulsion to watch more than one at any one time. Procedural shows are therefore less likely to feature here.

Plot Points

Most of the really absorbing shows depend on skilful story development, twists and “wow” moments, and those are experiences for you alone to discover as episodes unfold. Everything here is written with new viewers in mind, so great efforts are made not to ruin the upcoming enjoyment of the shows featured.

Now, in order to consider binge-watching a show, you’re obviously going to need some idea of what a show’s actually about beyond “it’s a great show, trust me”, so each show featured has a starting outline to set the scene – generally nothing more than is revealed up to the first half of the first episode – enough to decide if it’s for you.