Not every great show hooks you from episode one. Some shows have you questioning the hype halfway through the pilot. Some leave you wondering why the internet has been yelling at you to watch them for years. And then there are those shows you start… abandon… restart months later… abandon again… only to eventually become their biggest unpaid brand ambassador.
Apparently, I have a habit of doing exactly that.
Here are four shows that took me multiple attempts to get into—and once they did, they completely took over my life.
1. Game of Thrones — Peer pressure finally won
I don’t even want to admit how many times I started Game of Thrones. Episode one. Quit. A few months later. Episode one… maybe episode two. Quit again. Every single time someone asked, “Have you watched Game of Thrones?” I’d awkwardly mumble, “I tried…”
The problem wasn’t that it was bad. It was that there were simply too many names, too many houses, too many people who looked vaguely related, and somehow everyone seemed important. I genuinely needed a family tree just to understand the first few episodes.
Eventually, the peer pressure became impossible to ignore. So I told myself, “Fine. One proper attempt.” Ten days later… I had finished the entire series. Yes, ten days. No, I do not recommend this level of binge-watching to anyone. My sleep schedule may never forgive me.
Once the story settled in, it became impossible to stop. Every episode ended with another betrayal, another shocking death or another cliffhanger that basically forced you into pressing “Next Episode.”
2. The Vampire Diaries — Damon Salvatore, I owe you an apology
Confession time. I genuinely thought The Vampire Diaries looked… childish.
Teenagers, high school, vampires, love triangles. My immediate reaction was, “This is definitely not for me.”
So I started it.Stopped.Started again months later.Stopped again.By my third—or maybe fourth—attempt, something finally clicked.
And let’s be honest… Damon Salvatore had a lot to do with it. The moment he walked onto the screen with that iconic “Hello, brother,” I suddenly understood why half the internet had been obsessed for over a decade.
What I expected to be a cheesy supernatural romance turned out to be surprisingly addictive. The mythology kept expanding, the plot twists never stopped, and suddenly I was emotionally invested in people who were technically centuries-old vampires attending high school. Television is weird, but nevertheless, I loved every second of it.
3. How to Get Away with Murder — Why was everyone talking so fast?
This one wasn’t slow. It was the complete opposite. From the very first episode, How to Get Away with Murder throws legal terms, courtroom drama, flash-forwards, murders and plot twists at you without giving you a second to breathe.
The first time I watched it, I was convinced I had accidentally skipped three episodes. Everyone seemed to know something I didn’t. I gave up. Months later, I restarted it, paid actual attention, and suddenly everything made sense.
Well… as much sense as a Shonda Rhimes show ever makes. Once you understand the structure, it becomes one of those shows where saying “I’ll watch one episode before bed” is basically a lie you tell yourself. Viola Davis alone makes every single episode worth watching.
4. Gilmore Girls — Turns out I just needed autumn
I don’t think Gilmore Girls was the problem. I think my timing was. The first time I watched it, I kept waiting for something dramatic to happen. Instead… people were drinking coffee. Talking really, really fast. Drinking more coffee. Walking around a small town. I didn’t get it.
Then autumn arrived.
For reasons I still can’t explain, I pressed play again during peak sweater weather. Suddenly everything made sense. The cosy cafés. The small-town charm. The endless pop-culture references.The comfort-food energy.
Gilmore Girls isn’t a show you rush through looking for action. It’s one you settle into with a blanket, a warm drink and absolutely nowhere to be. Once I understood that, I couldn’t get enough of Stars Hollow.
Maybe first impressions really aren’t everything
Sometimes a show simply isn’t right for you… until it is. Maybe you’re not in the mood. Maybe the first episode asks for a little more patience. Or maybe the internet spends years overhyping something until your expectations become impossible to meet. But every now and then, giving a series one more chance completely changes your opinion.
Case in point: these four.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m probably about to abandon another highly recommended show… only to become obsessed with it six months later.
