As a millennial, Thursday nights were sacred when I was in high school. At 8 p.m. sharp, I had a silent agreement with the rest of my family that I would be granted full access to the TV to watch my favorite show. My eyes stayed glued to the screen from start to finish. I discussed plot twists with my friends during commercial breaks, and the real-time hype left a lasting impression on my childhood TV experience.

Back then, live television had a captivating hold over its audience because of its serial nature and week-to-week releases. Contrastingly, modern shows are designed to be more bingeable, giving a different nuance to the way we watch and experience a TV series. While there are pros and cons to both viewing styles, there’s something nostalgic and whimsical about the collective experience of weekly watching. Sharing 22 episodes over 22 weeks with a handful of devoted strangers may be the closest humanity ever comes to true unity and understanding.

Via u/Thunderdungeon