It apparently doesn't take long at all for Netflix users to get sucked into marathons of Breaking Bad or Bates Motel.
According to the streaming service, it takes a mere two episodes of those shows for its users to go from walking/talking members of society to couch potatoes with a mission. Or, to use Netflix's term, "hooked."
Other series fared nearly as well, like Netflix originals House of Cards and Orange is the New Black -- which only take three episodes to get users committed to a whole season. (Netflix notes that it determined those "hooked episode" by noting the episode that, when viewed, "resulted in a 70% or higher member completion rate of the first season of each series.")
"Given the precious nature of primetime slots on traditional TV, a series pilot is arguably the most important point in the life of the show," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. "However, in our research of more than 20 shows across 16 markets, we found that no one was ever hooked on the pilot. This gives us confidence that giving our members all episodes at once is more aligned with how fans are made."
Here's how other shows stacked up:
Slow burner Mad Men unsurprisingly takes a few more episodes than the other shows listed to get viewers committed, hooking audiences after a full 6 episodes.
On a global scale, Netflix says the hooked episode was "relatively consistent," but a few geographic differences did appear in their research.
For example, Dutch Netflix users were generally found to get hooked one episode quicker than other countries. Aussie viewers, meanwhile, tended to be more skeptical about beginning their binges, with members getting hooked one or two episodes later than those in other territories.