Get to Know Binge + Cringe Founder Jamie Joffe

Photo by Tessa Marie Images

Need a good show to binge-watch? Ask Conshohocken’s Jamie Joffe—or any of the 5,300 members of her Binge + Cringe Facebook group, for that matter. Filled with recommendations, spirited discussions about plot twists and Joffe’s witty commentary, Binge + Cringe has become an online mainstay of quarantine life for many.

Updated March 2021 after original publication

MLT: What show inspired you to start Binge + Cringe?
JJ: The Affair, a Showtime series. It was 2015, and I’d just sold my business (I’m a recovering publicist). I was fried, depressed and up at night. Someone told me about The Affair, and I started watching it. I wanted to discuss it, so I posted on Facebook. Other people commented, and that’s how it started.

MLT: What are the demographics of the group’s members?
JJ: It’s 75 percent women, 25 percent men. Of the 5,300 members, 1,500 people are from the Philadelphia area. The farthest away are members from the U.K., South Africa and Israel.

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MLT: What are members’ all-time favorite shows?
JJ: Homeland, Game of Thrones, Schitt’s Creek, The Crown and Money Heist have been very popular.

MLT: Please share your thoughts on the Real Housewives phenomenon.
JJ: It’s socially acceptable voyeurism—and there’s the appeal of the revenge-redemption arcs. People hate each other, then love each other. With Housewives, there’s always a chance for a happy ending.

MLT: Has the group grown since the pandemic started?
JJ: Tremendously. We’re up 97 percent since March 2020. We’ve gone from 1,200 engagements to 2,400 engagements.

MLT: What have been the most popular shows and movies of the COVID era?
JJ: The Undoing, The Queen’s Gambit and Season 3 of Ozark were huge hits. I can tell you a movie no one liked: Wonder Woman 1984. I’ve never seen people rip apart a movie like that.

MLT: What are your top picks?
JJ: The Undoing was phenomenal. I loved The Morning Show. Then, it’s a tie between Schitt’s Creek and Below Deck (both the Mediterranean version and the original). I have a thing for Capt. Lee. My husband doesn’t mind.

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