Many people are truly spoiled for choice with “far too many options” on streaming sites like Netflix and Disney+. 

A study by Currys found that British people spend roughly 30 minutes a day, or 182 hours a year, trying to decide what to watch. 

Conversations on Lunchtime Live this afternoon suggests Irish people face the same struggle of choosing what to watch. 

Pop culture expert Deirde Molumby said there are simply “too many choices”. 

“I mean, just think about the number of streaming platforms that we have now - never mind live TV channels - between Disney+, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Paramount,” she said. 

“There’s just far, far too much choice.” 

Deirde suggested this level of choice paralysis often leads to people turning to shows they have already watched before. 

“There's this real fear of wasting your time watching something that either you're not going to enjoy or something that's all-out bad,” she said. 

“That's why I think that reviews for movies and TV shows are quite relevant - you might see something like pop up like recommended to you based on previous watches. 

“But then you'll Google it if it has bad reviews, you might have a good idea of oh, maybe I want to avoid this.” 

'Curated' recommendations

Deirde also noted viewing tastes have become very “individualised” because of “curated” recommendations. 

“It'll just kind of push to you more of the same genre, more of the same kind of keywords that you're going to like,” she said. 

“You end up kind of watching that stuff over and over again, as opposed to maybe exploring something a bit different.” 

Streaming the old reliables

Irish Sun journalist Nicola Barden said she is also guilty of spending so much time trying to decide what to watch that she will end up turning to old reliables. 

“You also have to factor in the mood you're in,” she said. “Am I ready to be focused? Am I going to sit and be able to take in details?” 

Developing a habit of going on your phone while watching TV also boosts the habit of rewatching shows, according to Nicola, as you don’t need to put as much effort in. 

Shows like Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, Law and Order: SVU and FRIENDS have become staple rewatches in the era of streaming. 

Deirdre recommended some new shows out now for anyone in a rewatch or scrolling slump. 

Baby Reindeer is Netflix’s newest thriller based on the real-life story of comedian Richard Gadd and his stalker. 

Ripley, starring Ireland’s own Andrew Scott, is also available on Netflix and is a new spin on the iconic character Tom Ripley.