Changed my mind on rewatching shows after the third time through The Wire

I used to never rewatch anything. Just figured once I saw it, why bother again. But last winter I gave The Wire another shot and caught details I missed the first two times. Things like the camera work in season 4 and how a minor line in episode 1 sets up something big in episode 10. Now I keep a list of shows I want to revisit every couple years. Has anyone else found a show that got better the second or third time around?

3 comments

3 Comments

robin59125d ago

That thing you said about "the layered stuff that makes a show actually great" really hit home for me. I used to be on william_garcia's side honestly, thought rewatching was just killing time when I could be watching something new. But I gave Deadwood a second chance and it was a completely different show the second time. You catch the small stuff, the way characters look at each other, the set design that tells a story without a word being said, and suddenly it feels like you're seeing the real show for the first time. Now I get why people say some shows are meant to be seen more than once.

william_garcia26d ago

Honestly I gotta disagree here. Rewatching shows feels like a waste of time when there's so much new content out there. The magic of a first watch is gone once you know what happens next. Tbh that minor line setup you mentioned just feels like the writers being clever instead of telling a natural story.

paul_taylor2125d ago

Wait, have you ever tried rewatching something you barely remember from years ago? I did that with The Wire and caught so much I missed the first time around because I was younger and dumber. Sometimes a show hits different when you're in a different headspace or life situation too. Honestly, skipping rewatches means you miss the layered stuff that makes a show actually great, not just flashy.