Addiction is sometimes a beautiful thing...

Hello. My name is Mary. I am a TV show-a-holic.

I admit it. I am a binge watcher. I don't even know when this happened for sure except that it may have started when I had to "catch up" with lost episodes of The Walking Dead on Netflix. Then I discovered Orange Is The New Black. From there I went onto harder stuff like House of Cards and Breaking Bad. Last night, I nearly OD'd on Mad Men.

I never wanted to watch any of these shows. The irony is the television in my home is rarely on. I started watching The Walking Dead because a co-worker was raving about it and I decided to watch one episode. I was instantly hooked and there was nothing left for me to do buy go back and watch all the subsequent seasons so I would know what had happened and get up to speed on where the series was going. It's the only show I am completely current on and watch in real time now. But it's not on again until October so I'm left looking for other things to watch.

I avoided Breaking Bad just out of spite. It was too popular. Everyone was talking about it. It was the "in thing" and, normally, when that happens I bristle. So I purposely didn't watch it when it was on. Then, one night, with nothing to go, I clicked play on Netflix. And I sat there for several consecutive nights, GLUED to the monitor waiting to find out the fate of Walter White. I could not move and would not move. What an awesome show!

House of Cards I came to naturally because I'm a huge Kevin Spacey fan. I have the same problem with this show that I do with Orange is the New Black. When a new season is announced, I pounce on it like a starving animal and watch it all in one sitting. I emerge from my apartment, pale and gaunt and bleary eyed buy completely satisfied yet longing for more episodes. I never want them to end.

Mad Men was another show I avoided. I just wasn't interested. It didn't even sound like something I would like. But again, everyone I knew was raving about it. RAVING! Jon Hamm was everywhere. I was not impressed and never took a gander - until two weeks ago. I clicked play on Netflix, Season One, Episode One....and that's all she wrote...I was sold. Loved every stinking moment of this show. I watched seven and a half seasons in two weeks and then watched the remaining half season on AMC on-line. I stayed up way too late last night to watch the finale. And I am satisfied with how it ended. It was a great show and I'm glad I didn't miss it!

My mother always said I watched too much TV. If she only knew...HA!