I am not a big TV show watcher. I only have a handful that I am really interested in, and even then, it’s more casual, every-once-in-a-while watching than bingeing. For the most part I rewatch sitcoms I like or shows I’m trying out with friends or family. I could go for months without even watching anything. Every once in a while, however, a show comes along and I get hooked. Like I’m talking about episode after episode, ‘just one more,’ thinking-about-it-every-second obsessed.
When I was younger, and my parents monitored screentime, it was much harder to become this head over heels obsessed with a certain show. I had my interests, of course, but I think I had to look towards books (probably the healthier alternative) for my obsessions.
The first show I remember really being obsessed with was “Once Upon a Time.” The suspense, the mystery, the overly complicated family tree, really spoke to 12-year-old me. After that there was “Agents of SHIELD,” “Jane the Virgin,” the entire CW Arrowverse, to name a few. Over COVID-19, I watched four seasons of CW’s “The Flash” in a week. It got a little out of hand.
Since starting college, I haven’t watched anything that has hooked me to the point of unhealthy obsession. I watch shows with my roommates, but not to the extreme that was happening in middle and high school. Well, not until now.
I started watching “The O.C”. a couple of weeks ago and that, along with the desperate need for a break, has led me to procrastinate worse than I have during my college career. It’s not even that good of a show. The show follows this guy named Ryan as he’s taken in by this super wealthy family, the Cohens, after pretty much being abandoned by his. It’s generally predictable, the characters are the worst communicators ever (almost every single one of their problems would not be a problem if they knew how to talk to each other), and they’re all kind of annoying. I need to know what happens next.
Multiple times this week, I’ve fallen into the trap of telling myself I’d watch one episode before doing homework, and then all of a sudden it is 1 a.m. and I am 4 episodes deep and can no longer materialize thoughts without it having something to do with the show. It’s a little insane, I’m sure.
At this point, the best thing I could probably do for myself is binge the rest of the show over spring break and get it over with. Hopefully after this one is done, I won’t find a show to obsess over for another few years.