I'm fighting off a cold this weekend, and it's gross and rainy outside, which means all I want to do is sit inside and watch endless TV. But with my tired brain (and my already indecisive nature) I always have trouble deciding what to watch.

First of all, I get what a whiny, American, middle-class problem this is. Like "Oh, boo hoo, I have all this leisure time and I can't choose what show to watch!" There are worse problems in the world.

But also: in this brave new world of digital programming, there are SO many shows out there! It's very likely that you and your friends and coworkers are all immersed in totally different shows. It's not like ye olde days of primetime TV when everyone watched Seinfeld together (except for me, because I wasn't allowed to watch TV on school nights, but that's a whole other story.)

And not only do I have a lot of shows to choose from, but once I’ve chosen one, I have so many seasons to get through. This takes me a long time, for a couple reasons:

I commit hard to most shows. If I watch the first episode or two, and I like it, I’m in it for the long haul and I don’t give up. I must watch all shows in all seasons until all plot lines are resolved.
I don’t watch TV that frequently. I guess my parents have ultimately won, because I still don’t really watch TV on “school” nights, and instead squeeze it all in on the weekend.

So now, since it’s the weekend AND I’m under the weather, it seems like a good time to take stock of everything in my digital watch lists. Here are all the shows I’ve started, but haven’t finished yet, including the next episodes in my queue:

Hulu:

The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 1, Episode 6) - I’ve been pacing myself because this shit is rough and it’s hard to watch even two episodes in a row.
The X-Files (Season 4, Episode 13) - I will probably be watching this for the rest of my life.
Difficult People (Season 1, Episode 6) - I put it aside for awhile, but now feel bad that it was cancelled and want to pick it up again.

Netflix:

Stranger Things (Season 2, Episode 6) - High on my list to finish soon — I’m truly amazed that I haven’t yet.
Orange Is the New Black (Season 3, Episode 7) - Oh yeah, this show!
Freaks and Geeks (Season 1, Episode 18) - I’ve been putting off watching this very last episode because I don’t want it to end.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 1, Episode 15) - Oh yeah, this show too!
Big Mouth (Season 1, Episode 3) - Barely started watching it and it’s early enough that I’m not sure if I will commit.

Now that I look at this list, I realize it's not as bad as it could be, given all the options out there. But is there a show I need to be strong about and take off my list? Or something I should prioritize? Or maybe I need to scrap it all, drink some more tea, and start Mindhunter?

I might just go read a book.