https://www.cnet.com/news/game-of-thrones-final-season-is-almost-here-is-it-too-late-to-catch-up/

That was almost precisely when I lost interest in waiting a week for new episodes of a show. With the sole exception of Doctor Who, I haven't followed any TV show week-in week-out for a decade. Also, I got a bit sick of talking about telly with friends. It might be the golden age of television, but instead of insightful conversations about the nuances of long-form storytelling, every conversation now seemed to involve everybody comparing which bit of Breaking Bad they were up to.

But the main reason I gave up on Game of Thrones so fast? All through the first season, the characters held barely audible whispered conversations about some dude named Stannis Baratheon who was apparently super important. Which one of the many identical bearded men is Stannis, I pondered. Is he that guy from The Wire? Is he that guy from '90s British singing duo Robson and Jerome?