Viewers should use the "Three-Episode Rule" when trying out Prestige TV shows

The Muse

"A personal rule that I have with any new series is that I give it a mandatory three episodes to lock me in before I fully commit or decide to put it away forever, never to know how it ended or if it got any better," says Shannon Melero. "If the premise or cast is particularly strong, I extend my limit to four episodes. For my own peace of mind, I also chose to stop hate-watching things because the only person that loses, in the end, is me—and my spine, from hunching over my screen late at night trying to figure out if anything interesting will happen to Emily while she is in Paris. The beauty of this rule is that it acts as a sort of filter for the amount of television I allow myself to consume. Prior to instating this rule, I just watched whatever was on the streaming services until it ended, and if I was dissatisfied by the end and felt like I’d lost 10 hours of my life, well tough titties right? But it turns out there is a better way to live. I have the power to say no to watching every single f*cking show that is churned out by the bottomless pit that is television production. Have I missed out on some cultural moments? Yes, probably. I don’t know how The Wire ends. I’ve never seen the second episode of Breaking Bad. I’m not going to know what happens to Beth in The Queen’s Gambit. Life will just be full of unanswered questions. But I’ve got more time for other things, like knitting and playing Assassin’s Creed, which is a much better use of my time than the last show that received my three episodes’ worth of viewership, HBO Max’s Industry."