The amount of time spent watching the opening songs of your favourite shows is VERY surprising

We all love a good Netflix binge...

Netflix knows this too, that's why it saves us the trouble of skipping the end credits and moves straight onto the next episode of whatever we're watching in a matter of seconds. You'll notice that it doesn't do this for the opening credits which, to be fair, often serve the purpose of getting you in the right frame of mind for 42 minutes of your favourite show. However, halfway through a Gilmore Girls marathon I realised that I've spent so long listening to Where You Lead that I can pretty much sing Carole King and Louise Goffin's parts note-for-note — leading me to question just how much of my life I've wasted watching the opening theme of the Gilmore Girls when all I really want to know is whether Rory fancies Jess or Dean this week. I crunched the numbers and what I discovered was not pretty. For your convenience, I've put together some data on how much time you can save yourself by ignoring the opening credits of your favourite shows.

Friends: 236 episodes x 48 seconds = 3.147 hours

The Sopranos: 86 episodes x 96 seconds = 2.34 hours

Gilmore Girls: 153 episodes x 51 seconds = 2.17 hours

The West Wing: 156 episodes x 49 seconds = 2.12 hours

Game of Thrones: 60 episodes x 101 seconds = 1.68 hours

The Wire: 60 episodes x 91 seconds = 1.51 hours

House of Cards: 52 episodes x 97 seconds = 1.40 hours

The Walking Dead: 88 episodes x 49 seconds = 1.2 hours

Mad Men: 92 episodes x 37 seconds = 56.7 minutes

24: 204 episodes x 11 seconds = 37.4 minutes

LOST: 121 episodes x 15 seconds = 30.25 minutes

Breaking Bad: 62 episodes x 18 seconds = 18.6 minutes

And for the grand finale...

Law and Order Special Victims Unit: 395 episodes x 65 seconds = 7.13 hours