I know many of us didn’t have the most exciting Christmas break, (full of junk food, Netflix, and sleep) but depending on what shows you watch on Netflix, you might have actually learned a few things or two.   

"Criminal Minds," "Law and Order," "NCIS," and "CSI" were my guilty pleasures over this holiday break (along with every other weekend), and I know I’m not the only one. Since these shows are so mentally thrilling and keep you guessing, it only makes sense they are educational and teaching you something (good or bad) along the way, right?  

Depending on the show and the crime, there have been various studies done on just how realistic some of these shows are and just how big of an impact they leave on viewers.   

For example, with the oh-so-popular "Criminal Minds," which looks into the profiling of criminals in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of course the BAU is a real department of the FBI, with employees who do, in fact, profile and look into the minds of these top criminals, but as for the drama in every crime making Shemar Moore every girls dreamy hero, not so much…  

Just like in most of these crime scene shows, the crimes and jobs of these professionals are (fortunately) not as crazy and similar to a Batman movie as portrayed. Another unrealistic thing is just how fast all of these crimes are solved; hence the fact that each shows runs for about 45 minutes. Realistically, these top-of-the-line crimes can take months or years to crack. Most of these crimes are drawn out and made to be thrillers simply for good TV entertainment. So with that being said, are we learning anything by watching this?

In the terms of thinking skills and puzzle solving, I’d say so! 

One of the main reasons these shows are so addictive is the fact that they enable you to figure out these jigsaw puzzle crimes alongside the officials in the show. You’re learning to think quickly and out of the box, but let’s be real people: I wouldn’t take it that far as into quitting school and becoming a full-time Netflix watcher, but we all can dream, right? 

I also wouldn’t suggest looking to these shows into helping you decide your career. If you are serious about a job similar to the ones portrayed in these shows, I would look into the real deal and find out factual job descriptions and information.   

I also wouldn’t ignore those comedy shows the next time you log into Netflix. Even though we are addicted to these thrilling shows, the sole purpose of TV is to get a way from the stresses of the world for a while, so don’t forget to put down your CSI badge every now and then and relax.    

With all of that being said, I think it’s safe to say there is no harm in tuning into so much Netflix. After all, Netflix doesn’t ask questions, Netflix understands.