Have you ever been happily watching your favorite TV show, when the episode ends suddenly on a nasty cliffhanger?  This can be the most frustrating problem ever for many people in today’s world.  Because of this, many people, including myself, have asked themselves at one point or another, is there a better way to watch my TV?  I can now tell you that there is a better option.  This option is a new craze that is sweeping across the world, and it is called binge watching.  As you may have guessed from the name, binge watching is much like binge eating, but instead of eating a ton, you watch a very large amount of TV.  Binge watching is usually a technique used when a person is watching a specific TV show or series of movies.  Until recently, this never would have been possible, but thanks to the recent uprising of streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, watching entire TV series as quickly as you want is now possible.  These services give us the power to choose any episode from a vast collection of TV series and watch it instantly.  This means that it is possible for people to watch episodes of programs back to back as quickly as they want.  A typical binge-watching session could last as long as a full day, in which a person may watch multiple seasons of one show.  Binge watching is the way of the future.
There are many advantages to binge watching a show.  These benefits of binge-watching include remembering what is happening in the storyline from episode to episode, not having to wait a week to learn the ending to a suspenseful cliffhanger, and maybe even catching inside jokes within a series that you would have forgotten if you didn’t watch the episodes back to back.  Binge watching is very rewarding if you are able to do it successfully, but executing a good binge watch can be very difficult for beginners.  Many greenhorns may find themselves lost and confused on where to begin.  But luckily for them, they will no longer have to feel that way, because this step-by-step tutorial teach you everything there is to know about the wonderful world of binge watching.

You might be asking yourself, what makes this guy a credible source for information on binge watching?  Let me assure you, I have vast amount of experience on this topic, and I have dedicated my many hours of couch sitting to devising the most efficient and comfortable system of watching my favorite shows for hours on end.  I have successfully binge watched several shows on various streaming services.  These shows include Making a Murderer, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and Survivor.  I remember my first binge-watching experience, and it was nowhere near as enjoyable as the binge watching sessions that I have now, as an experienced binge watcher.  There are several key elements to a good binge watch, and we will start with the basics.  Our first topic of discussion is choosing your streaming service.

I have been blessed to live in a household that already owns subscriptions to multiple streaming services, but not everyone is as lucky as I am.  Many people don’t even own a subscription to any service!  Streaming providers are essential to the very essence of binge-watching.  Therefore, in order to get started, you must first choose which service you will use.  There are several very good options out there, a few examples of the more popular ones are Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.  I personally prefer Netflix because after you pay the initial $9.99 monthly subscription fee, everything is available to you for no extra charge.  This is different from Amazon Prime, where you pay $99 dollars a year ($8.25 per month), but some of the movies and TV shows you will find on there cost extra money to watch.  These extra options are usually the newest and most popular options.  Hulu is available for only $7.99 per month, but you are periodically shown commercials during each show.  As a person who prefers to watch uninterrupted shows that are always included, I prefer Netflix, but you must make your own decision on which service best suits you and your preferences.  Next, we will explore the process of preparing your ideal area for a perfect binge watch. 

The second part of preparing for a good binge watch is preparing your “bear cave”.  A binge watcher’s bear cave is his or her sanctuary.  This is the place where the binge-watching session will take place, so it must be prepared properly.  First, you must find the room in your house that has the best TV, and the most comfortable spot to sit.  A perfect couch is defined as soft enough that you sink into it, but not so soft that it takes a large amount of effort to stand back up.  If your most comfortable room doesn’t have the best TV, or vice versa, you will have to make the hard decision between comfort and viewing experience.  I personally prefer comfort over TV quality, but I am lucky enough to have my favorite couch by the nicest TV in my house.   Once you have decided on your room, most binge watchers prefer to watch their shows in total darkness.  This is where the name “bear cave” comes from.  Good bingers prefer the darkness so that they will not be distracted.  This perfect darkness can be obtained in a room that has windows by putting down the shades, if the room has them, or by putting blankets over the windows to block out any light.  Now that you have total darkness, you must collect additional blankets for your comfort.  Once you have completed these steps, your “bear cave” is complete and ready for some hardcore binge-watching.  After you have your “bear cave” prepared, you must collect your diet essentials.

Another important component of a great binge watch, is collecting the correct snacks and beverages for your time in TV Land.  Snack foods are one of the most important parts of a good binge, because they keep the viewer energized and ready for whatever plot twists those pesky shows will throw at them.  A binge watcher’s diet during an extended binge usually consists of two or three different types of chips or crackers (I usually go with the good ol’ Chex Mix and Doritos combo).  The nourishment of a binge watcher also includes a serious amount of pop or some other sugary drink.  This beverage could be anything from Mountain Dew to Gatorade, but if it isn’t sugary, even an experienced pro could be caught snoozing during an important episode!  You can get these much-needed refreshments at just about any supermarket or gas station, but your local supermarket is going to have more choices.  Most experts will agree that the key to a good binge watch is to stay filled up on these important foods!  Now that you have your food, it is time to decide on what you are going to watch.

Before you may begin your viewing, you must decide what you are going to watch.  There are too many different options out there for me to go into detail on all of them, but before you decide what you are going to watch, you should at least ask yourself a few of these questions.  Are you more of a TV person or a movie series person?  Your answer to this question is important because a person could binge watch any TV show, or they could watch a series of movies like The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or all of the Shrek movies.  Both TV shows and movies are good for bingeing, but certain people like certain things.  You should also ask yourself if you like action shows or comedies more.  There are many good options for either choice, but a person must decide what genre they want to watch before they can even hope to narrow down the choices.  Now that you have a general idea of your format and genre options, it should be easier to decide upon your program to be viewed.  It is now time to discuss the most crucial part of binge-watching: time management.

The final preparation you must take before starting any binge-watching session is to clear your schedule.  If you haven’t figured it out already, binge-watching can last a very long time.  If you have to go do something else in the middle of your session, it isn’t a real binge watch, and it’s possible for you to forget what was going on in the show you are watching.  Because of this important fact, you must never ever try to binge watch before you clear your entire day and dedicate it to your glorious TV.  I would even suggest that you do any chores or homework before you start, so that you don’t have anything on your mind while you are trying to focus on your TV.  Many experts agree that the key to a good binge watch is total and complete dedication.  If you aren’t dedicated, you may not be cut out for this brutally intense pastime. 

Now that all your preparations are complete, you should have your streaming service ready to go on your favorite television, your “bear cave” primed and ready for action in complete darkness, your snacks and refreshments should be ready to be munched on, and you should have the entire day cleared for your viewing enjoyment.  There are only a few more pro-tips that you should hear before you get going.  First, never ever take bathroom breaks in the middle of episodes, it kills your momentum.  Only take bathroom breaks in-between episodes.  Second, turn your phone off!  Nothing is more irritating than having to rewind the program because you were looking at your phone and not paying attention.  Lastly, never ever EVER let anybody trick you into thinking that binge watching is a waste of time.  Only the most committed of viewers are able to binge successfully. 

The time has come, you have gone from a novice to an expert.  I sincerely hope that you now feel ready to plunge into the world of binge-watching. I have taught you everything I know, the only thing left to do is to put your training to use and get watching! Happy bingeing friends!