TV is one of the greatest things ever brought to Earth by man. There are seemingly endless ways to watch and things to watch now. You can spend all day watching, all week watching. You can watch 11 seasons of a show in a row or you can spread it out over a lifetime. You can watch something new every day for at least a whole year.

Odds are though, that your roommate or significant other or whatever doesn’t actually want to watch TV all day with you, because they’re a sucker. But the internet has a solution to that: syncing (no, not your period). So open up that new tab and grab some internet friendos.

If you really don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s just watching the same thing as your friends while you chat about it online. But it’s easier than saying “ready set go” and trying to start them up at the same time, and having to rely on both of you having Netflix or something. Just keep reading and you’ll never have to leave your laptop again!

Why You Should

Watching things is awesome, we all know that. And watching things with friends is great, because sharing things you love is a wonderful way to bond. However, some parts of that scenario are terrible.

The sound of laughter is hands down one of the worst sounds in the world. Sure you love your friends, but do you still love them after a 90 minute movie? I don’t.

Additionally, people are chatty. This one I can’t blame on other people. I love to talk about the shit that’s happening in the show. I love to compare it to other shows and to compare it to previous seasons. I like to analyze why a character just did an action. But nobody wants to hear that! Also, while I can still see what’s happening while I’m talking, I can’t say the same for the poor friends I’m babbling at.

The solution is syncing. Sit in your own room alone. Laugh to your heart’s content. Don’t get annoyed when your friend watches your face to see your reaction to a hilarious joke. Plus you don’t have to put any pants on.

Where to Sync

There are, I’m sure, plenty of sites to do this. They are always popping up (and disappearing), so you may already have your own favorite. There are two that we’re fond of that still currently exist:

• Rabbit – www.rabb.it
  You can log into Hulu and Netflix on this one.
• Watch2Gether – www.watch2gether.com
  You can log into Amazon on this one.

It’s easiest if you make an account, honestly. You get all the options and can make a room to invite your friends to real easy. Sometimes you gotta sign up to sync using the pay sites, even when you already have subscriptions to them. But then you can watch things from home, work, wherever you want. I don’t actually endorse watching from work. You can even watch in the bath!

What to Sync

Obviously this will differ for most people, but some things certainly work better than others in general. Rapid-fire TV comedies work a lot better than slow dramas for watching in an internet group; it makes it easier for people to continuously offer input. For movies, I’d recommend animation.

If you’re watching while you do some other stuff, or you really look forward to chatting about it, make sure to pick something with either a lot of jokes or a lot of scene changes. Don’t choose anything that will get you lost if you look away, or something where every single word matters on several levels in the show.

The ol’ reliables:

• MST3K – Mystery Science Theater 3000 is not only obviously perfect for doing this, but available many places online, including as streaming marathons.
• Sassy Cartoons – Dr. Katz, Bob’s Burgers, The Critic, Home Movies, Duckman, etc. Good for frequent laugh chatter.
• Good Comedies – Broad City, Strangers with Candy, Difficult People, Happy Endings, etc. Also good for frequent laugh chatter.
• Vintage Cartoons – Pokémon, Voltron, Jem and the Holograms, etc. Also good for laughs and sassing up the place.
• Old Movies – Something filmed before WWII, preferably Pre-Code, sometimes Silent. Good for that special kind of bewildered scandalized feeling.
• Lifetime Movies – These are just perfect. I don’t think I need to explain.

Important Considerations

Don’t invite too many people, especially if you’re not used to a busy, fast-paced chat. Invite one or more friends to the room you want to watch in and set up a show before you begin. Give everyone a chance to take a piss and get some snacks or without fail everyone will want to do this right after you start the video.

Invite your funniest and/or sneeriest friends because the chat feature is ideal for that. It’s extra great because talking won’t interrupt the audio. There’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing line after line of people saying “hahahahaha” at the same time. I don’t actually make noise when I laugh IRL but over the internet I might as well give some sort of alert that I, too, find the thing funny.

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