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One of the best features of retirement is the increased amount of free time. And one of my favorite fillers of that time has been to loll around in front of the TV. I’ve lost count of how many series I’ve binge-watched over the past four years.
I can’t recall the order of all of them, but the first show I buried myself in was Game of Thrones. It was every bit as bloody and bawdy as people said it was, and it hooked me from the start. Of course, having a soft spot for dragons didn’t hurt.
Another binge – one that seemed to take for-bloody-ever to get through because it boasts over 1200 episodes – was Dark Shadows. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon the entire series on Amazon. If you’re in my age bracket, you’ll likely remember that horribly over-acted soap opera from the ‘60s/‘70s that featured vampires, witches, and werewolves. I’ll never forget the crush I had on Barnabas Collins. That soap was as campy the second time around as it was the first, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Other shows I lost myself in included Supernatural, Psych, Your Honor, Virgin River, NCIS, Schitt’s Creek, Evil, Ted Lasso, and Bridgerton (every iteration). There were more…many more…but you get the drift. When I’m not reading or writing, I love escaping into all sorts of shows. And I’m clearly drawn to entertainment over edification.
The series I just finished watching was Call the Midwife. There were twelve seasons, but I got through them fairly quickly because I found it so hard to drag myself away. I’m not exactly what you’d call a “baby person,” and every episode highlighted at least one birth (sometimes several), but the program thoroughly sucked me in. I thought the acting was superb, the storylines were compelling, and the era – even though it took place across the pond – brought back memories of life in the ‘60s. I may not have lived in the East End of London, but the fashion and music were truly blasts from the past. And I must admit…all the babies were absolutely adorable.
As I neared the finish line, I began mourning the impending loss of the characters I’d grown so fond of. They were merely actors on TV, but I knew I’d miss them, and it made me sad.
Then I saw it…a small banner across the screen declaring Season 13 would start on September 2nd. Another season! Nearly all the series I’ve binge-watched over the years have been complete, and it didn’t even occur to me that Call the Midwife might still be in production. That little banner turned my frown upside down.
Needless to say, I’m counting the hours until the new season starts. What a happy little stay of execution!
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