My niece asked me what a commercial break was

We were watching an old show from the 90s on a streaming service and she got confused when the screen went black for a second. I had to explain that's where ads used to play. It made me think about how we used to plan our whole night around a show's time slot, and now we can watch ten episodes in a row. I remember waiting a whole week just to see the next part of a story. Does anyone else have shows they loved but could never binge the way we do now?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.evan10h ago

Funny how you never miss something until it's gone. Used to hate waiting for new episodes of The X-Files. Now, binging the whole series feels weird, like you're rushing through it. That week of waiting made you talk about theories with friends.

lewis.finley7h ago

Remember how you had to actually call your friend's landline to argue about whether Mulder's dad was involved in the conspiracy? That forced gap created a whole social layer that's just gone now. Do you think the loss of that shared weekly wait is why nothing feels like a true cultural event anymore?

betty_wells7h ago

My brother and I would tape every episode on VHS. Labeled them with the date and a one word clue. "Scully" for the one where she gets sick. "Flukeman" for that gross sewer one. We'd rewatch the tape all week looking for clues in the background. That ritual was half the fun.