How to TV Binge in 10 Easy Steps

I know watching a lot of television isn't necessarily a good thing. But with the advent of DVD rentals and Internet streaming, I think it's fair to say that binge-watching a series is now something like the 21st century equivalent of staying up all night to finish reading a good book. If the story is strong and the characters are compelling, well, why not?

One of my projects for spring break this year was to clear out my DVR. A big part of doing that meant watching the entire series run of "True Detective." I'd read a lot about it before it aired and knew I wanted to see it, but it's kind of hard for me to get caught up in a new TV show when I've got a lot of other things going on. It didn't take long to decide I'd just record the whole thing and watch it when the series ended, which was coincidentally right when I was beginning spring break.

I won't say much about the show because I know how much I hate to have things spoiled, but I will say it was pretty great. "True Detective" had a perfect sense of place that made you feel like you were in Louisiana, as if every minute visual detail had been carefully constructed that way. The music was very important, both in terms of supporting the setting and establishing a menacing tone when it was required. The actors did a great job of inhabiting their roles, to the degree I began to identify even the most well-known on the cast more as their characters than as their own real-life personalities. And the writing was great. The dialogue was full of the type of artistry and care I wish people would put into their every day interactions. Why tell someone they look tired when you could say "Your eyes seem kind of brittle" instead?

A show like "True Detective" makes it easer to binge-watch a series because it keeps you engaged. I've gone through a few shows like this in the past, and I've learned that even if the show really captures your imagination (because why else would you stick with it?) there are certain strategies to use that can be helpful on a television binge. My tips:

1 - Find a time to start watching when you'll be able to get at least the first three episodes in. You need some time to get to know the characters and see how the arc of the story starts to build.

2 - Take breaks between episodes. Come back to the real world so you don't get too lost in what's going on. This is especially useful when you get into the "Silence of the Lambs" level of creepiness that "True Detective" had in its most unsettling moments.

3 - Pay attention to the "last time on" previews at the beginning of the episodes. They don't just catch you up, but they clue you in about what's going to happen next.

4 - Pay attention to the imagery in the opening credits. It isn't all random.

5 - Have your Shazam app ready to go in case a great song gets played over the closing credits.

6 - Respect the story arc. Not every episode will be jaw-dropping, but they all work together to build the bigger picture.

7 - Prepare yourself for disturbing moments to occur right at the end of most episodes.

8 - Don't read anything about the show online when you aren't watching it. When I read the finale of "True Detective" had crashed HBO's online streaming server I knew there was a reason, but I didn't want to know what it was.

9 - Remember that the story is going to end and the absence of these characters you've spent so much time with will leave a bit of a hole in your life for awhile.

10 - Have the next thing ready to go so you can plug that whole. I've got a Lydia Millet book on my nightstand ready to go, but I've got three months of "True Detective" online theories and articles to catch up on first....