29 Brilliant TV Shows People Say They Can Never Watch Again

Chernobyl was brilliant, but too depressing to watch a second time.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV shows are so good, but you can only watch them once. Here are some of the best responses:

🚨Warning: There are some spoilers ahead!🚨

1. First, The Handmaid's Tale

Hulu

"Every season after Season 1 has been so bleak and draining that I can only watch one episode at a time with at least a week in-between. I can't imagine binge watching it."

—alys4b4e83fd5

2. Breaking Bad

AMC

"This show was incredibly well done, and I was totally hooked from the moment I watched the first episode. However, every single thing that happened was utterly depressing, and I just don't want to put myself through that again."

—samantham46531ff01

3. The Office

NBC

"I absolutely loved binge-watching The Office, but when I tried to watch it again, it lost its luster. I used to laugh so hard and loved all the characters, but now I only see their flaws. It’s like we broke up and I wish them well, but it’s over for me."

—zeezeeb

4. When They See Us

Netflix

"An exceptional TV show and beautifully made, but it emotionally drained me."

—baileyb4a264d4e5

5. Chernobyl

HBO

"The show was amazing, but it's too depressing to rewatch."

—laragarciac

6. Big Little Lies

HBO

"I loved every minute of it, but I think it would not be so interesting the second time around knowing all of the answers. Also, the school bullying storyline stressed me out too much, I couldn't stand watching it another time."

—latica002

7. Gossip Girl

The CW

"Since we know who Gossip Girl is, which didn't make any sense by the way, I’m sure I won’t be able to rewatch the series. I would have preferred never finding out who Gossip Girl really was, honestly."

—wendy_mueller

8. Lost

ABC

"It was so different from everything else on TV, but it was also way too emotionally draining. I can't rewatch this show again. 'Not Penny's boat' will haunt me forever."

—jmcclelland

9. Glee

Fox

"I watched Glee a year or so ago and I absolutely loved it. Now, because I've seen a lot of people point out problems that I can't overlook, I can't watch it again. I don't want to watch it just to have it ruined for me."

—theonemitwer

10. Grey's Anatomy

ABC

"I’ll continue watching new episodes until the show is over, but I could never rewatch older episodes, especially the tragic ones or my characters' last episodes."

—chrisrox

11. Parks and Rec

NBC

"I loved the show and thought it was so funny, but I cannot stand how awfully Leslie is treated when she genuinely wants to help Pawnee. Now, the show just frustrates and stresses me out."

—mbrios85

12. Game of Thrones

HBO

"Unfortunately, the ending of Game of Thrones ruined the show completely. It was not an ending that made you want to rewatch, which sucks because I was so excited to rewatch it in it’s entirety before Season 8 began."

—michellecv

13. Six Feet Under

HBO

"Six Feet Under hands down. It had the best ending to any show I've ever seen and I've never cried so much. The entire series was a journey you can only take once."

—sarahm440b79d54

14. Ozark

Netflix

"For similar reasons to Breaking Bad, Ozark just keeps getting more and more stressful and emotionally exhausting. It's an amazing show, but I don't think I could go back to the beginning and watch it again, especially knowing how certain storylines turn out."

—spaghettijones

15. How I Met Your Mother

CBS

"The show was so clever, hilarious, and heartwarming, but the finale turned the whole series into such an overwhelming maddening bitter lie and I can’t watch it again."

—adriennec4aa2fd0bc

16. Veronica Mars

Hulu

"I loved this show, but now knowing the fate of one of the most beloved characters in the Season 4 finale just depresses me. I have a hard time rewatching any of the episodes now knowing what happens."

—mysteria19

17. Mad Men

AMC

"It was a great story with a lot of character development and it stuck to reality which I liked. However, it had a very slow pace and the story is too long to be rewatched."

—maritereg

18. Merlin

BBC

"I have yet to be able to rewatch Merlin. While it stayed true to the legend, so I knew what was coming, the series finale was still devastating. I've never cried so hard over a TV show before."

—billietallent

19. Pose

FX

"Every single episode is pure perfection, however every single episode also makes me sob. I don’t know when I’ll be emotionally stable enough to watch it again."

—megank45

20. Supernatural

The CW

"I absolutely love this show, but there are 15 seasons. I do watch my favorite episodes, but I don't think I could watch the whole series again, no matter how good it is."

—evspns

21. Black Mirror

Netflix

"It’s a great show and very thought provoking, but once you see each premise played out, that’s kind of it. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it or won’t think about it months later, but I wouldn’t rewatch it."

—melissak334

22. Once Upon a Time

NBC

"It was a brilliant show full of plot twists that made me gasp every time one happened, but knowing what all of them are, it would be hard to watch it again."

—heidi0322

23. Fringe

Fox

"It was an amazing show with awesome mysteries and some incredible plot twists, but viewing it again means it would lose some of its magic because you know everything already."

—sparklyglitter51

24. Parenthood

NBC

"It was such a heartwarming show, full of strong and meaningful family connections, but there were so many heartbreaking moments that I don’t think I’ll revisit it again."

—maritereg

25. Broadchurch

ITV

"The show had superb acting, but the story was so intense I sometimes had to go a few weeks between episodes and I could never rewatch it. Olivia Colman and David Tennant are fantastic together and it was one of the most beautifully devastating television shows I’ve ever seen."

—brynw451616e9b

26. Weeds

Showtime

"Weeds never needs to be watched ever again. The last three seasons were barely watchable the first time around and I can't start the show again knowing it gets awful."

—itswisa

27. Sons of Anarchy

FX

"Even just thinking about rewatching it gives me anxiety and makes me want to cry over certain characters' deaths. I loved this show, but I'm still not mentally or emotionally ready to go through it again."

—s4eb42b230

28. The Sopranos

HBO

"It might be a very hot take, but The Sopranos. The show was great, but a major part of the show was the story and the suspense. Once you know everything that's going to happen, you don't need to watch it again."

—selineb2

29. And finally, Dexter

Showtime

"I loved the show so much, but watching Dexter hunt down killers was way too stressful and the series finale totally killed me."

—thejackfruit

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Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.