I am the typical college student—spending all my money on coffee, staying up too late writing essays and simultaneously spending time with friends (a concept that works better in my head,) but one college trend I haven’t managed to get behind is binge-watching. When I got a new laptop, my mom was very hesitant to sign me into Netflix, afraid I’d waste hours watching Parks and Rec. We agreed that I could have Netflix on my laptop for the first semester, and if she wasn’t happy with my grades, I’d log out.
I’ve learned that I suck at binge-watching.
My friends all watch a lot of TV, at least compared to how I was raised. My dad constantly tells us we watch too much TV, but we were never a family that had the TV on every night. I suppose we do still watch too much, but when I look at society, I want to tell my dad he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. My friends watch a LOT of TV. I can’t say I blame them—Netflix seems to be putting up a new show every other week. I am constantly bombarded with show suggestions, yet I can’t seem to finish one. I spent two months rewatching Stranger Things—and that was just season one.
I can’t seem to make myself watch shows for hours on end unless I truly don’t have anything else to do. I’ve made myself very busy lately, partially because college is just busy, and partially because it helps keep my depression stable. When I am idle, I am lost in my thoughts, and it is very easy to find myself back in a place where I don’t want to live. TV doesn’t occupy my mind fully enough to keep back the dark thoughts, so I don’t watch it often.
This is something that can be difficult in our society; we are a culture that keeps up with trends, and the memes are updated on the daily. It’s difficult to live in a spoiler-free world when you are unable to watch Netflix every night, but in the end, I think I’m happier without it.
That being said, I would like to recommend my favorite shows.
- Stranger Things
- Parks&Recreation
- Chuck
- Leverage
- Brooklyn 99
I have seen all of these in their entirety except for Brooklyn 99, which I am watching now. If you are a binger—and no judgement to you—I hope you enjoy these shows too.
