North Texas Daily

Television is something that a lot of us have latched on to over the past year. Every streaming service out there has been supplying us with new shows that will keep us entertained while we sit at home and do absolutely nothing. Over the last couple of years, “binge-watching” has had its grasp around the entertainment industry, up until some blockbuster shows have shown that a week-to-week release is the strongest.

Streamer Disney+ has released shows like “The Mandalorian” and “WandaVision” that have new episodes on a weekly basis. We have grown so used to sitting down and watching whole seasons in a singular sitting that it takes away from the overall experience. There are so many benefits to watching a show on a weekly basis, and the last couple of shows that I have personally been keeping up with have gone on to prove that.

Week-to-week watching creates a more rewarding experience. For example, “Stranger Things” is one of the most beloved shows in the pop culture world, and they have released all three of their seasons with all of the episodes being released at once. That is great and all, but I seriously think that this takes away from the entire experience. All of the episodes start to mush together and you don’t get to fully appreciate each episode being its own chapter in an entire story. Looking at a show like “WandaVison,”the show releasing episodes every week allows us as viewers to fully digest each episode and get a better understanding of the episode we just watched.

There is a lot of information to take in when a lot of these shows go over 10 hours long, so these weekly releases allow us to fully watch the episode one at a time and fully take in everything we have seen.

This leads to build-up and anticipation which is something that creates an experience that can be unforgettable. Shows that have weekly releases allow fans to speculate and anticipate. “The Mandalorian” had a lot of speculation over certain cameos and appearances over the length of the season, and it had seemed that every single episode was something people were foaming at the mouth for. Of course, a lot of speculation can lead to over-theorizing, which was one of the biggest downsides of “WandaVision.” But, stretching the show out to a weekly basis makes the night before a season finale something to celebrate.

The newest show that is following this format is another Disney+ show, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Of course, there are other shows that go by a weekly release, but people are already theorizing and speculating about this show after one episode. I have no idea how the show is going to end, and I am perfectly OK with that. I have sat down and watched 10 hours of television in one sitting, and while it may have been fun at the moment, I find myself mixing up events in certain episodes because it is all one big blur to me. That could be user error on my end, but I have seen how fans react to these weekly shows and it sparks conversations and creates spaces on the internet that are so engaging and fun.

I can’t tell you how you should be watching television, but I can tell you that watching on a weekly basis is more rewarding and creates an experience that transcends anything “binge-watching” ever had to offer.

Featured Illustration by Olivia Varnell