Oh, binge-watching. How do we have a love-hate relationship with thee? Let us count the ways.

Yes, binge-watching, like anything else that’s overdone, can be unhealthy.

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The upcoming “Gilmore Girls” reboot on Netflix is a definite check mark in the binge-watching love relationship column. No one knows exactly when “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” will stream, but based on Instagram and Twitter clues, most bets are on December.

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And most bets are that a lot of fans will binge-watch it the minute it arrives. It’s not a pretty thought.

Yes, binge-watching, like anything else that’s overdone, can be unhealthy. Experts say that excessive binge-watching can lead to depression (or even be a sign of it), heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity — probably bubonic plague and liver spots, too. It might also cause people to lose friends since others tend to believe you’ve fallen off the face of the planet when you don’t emerge from your darkened, pizza-box-strewn, Hulu-streaming cocoon for a month.

Let’s be realistic here. Anything can be harmful in excess. Let’s focus instead on when binge-watching is not overdone.

This is why (and when) we enjoy it:

We need a break from reality
Reality (known as “adulting” to some) can be brutal. Many people are chained to their work laptops. Some employers even contact us during dinner — if we eat dinner at all. And if it’s not our careers that are grueling, it’s errands, kids’ homework and countless extracurricular activities, and the housework that’s left to do or perpetually left undone.

What do we do to relieve all the pressure? Sure, we could jog five miles. Sometimes we do. But as everyone knows, the occasional glazed doughnut among the more “wheatgrass” aspects of life does not kill anyone. It might even lift our spirits. “Gilmore Girls,” “Arrested Development,” “Outlander,” “White Collar,” “Breaking Bad,” and a million other addictive series are the Voodoo Doughnuts of the entertainment world. After a few bites, boom. We get recharged. Mmmm, doughnuts.

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Family visits, vacations, insomnia, and illness
No, those things are not similar — until you realize that each is an opportunity to shamelessly binge-watch. If you have the flu or any other contagious illness your coworkers don’t want you to share, stay home and watch “House of Cards” as long as you please. Over Christmas, watching a Ken Burns documentary or “Roots” with extended family might spare you unwanted political or religious conversations. Can’t sleep or have a vacation day and want to veg? You’ve got a computer and a streaming service. Ta-da! Endless entertainment.

We’re literally wired for stories
Our brains crave a good saga. As master storyteller C.S. Lewis said, “We read to know we are not alone.” While binge-watching is not as “noble,” perhaps, as reading, it’s often just as comforting. We see ourselves in characters and storylines. We love to love and hate fictional strangers. And the “hero story” touted by late mythologist Joseph Campbell may be the universal storyline. As fictional heroes — even anti-heroes — struggle against obstacles, successfully or unsuccessfully, we often gain empathy, courage, and understanding as we watch. Some storylines can serve as good examples for our own behavior — or as cautionary tales.

Paul Zak, a neuroeconomist who has researched how stories affect our neurological systems, says, “Once a story has sustained our attention long enough, we may begin to emotionally resonate with the story’s characters. Narratologists call this ‘transportation,’ and you experience this when your palms sweat as James Bond trades blows with a villain on top of a speeding train.”

(That reminds us: Bond movies might not be a bad binge-watch, either.)

Upcoming Series
If you want to binge-watch but aren’t sure what to tune in to, this summer the most anticipated shows are:

  • Fox’s “Prison Break” (Netflix will stream new shows for the 2016-2017 season, so get caught up on re-runs).
  • CW’s “Gilmore Girls” (again, re-runs to catch up for the reboot on Netflix!).
  • CBS’s, “Zoo,” based on the No. 1 bestseller by James Patterson. The series (which was the most-watched scripted show last summer) is a global thriller about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans across the planet. The new season premieres June 28.
  • “Braindead,” from the producers of “The Good Wife,” kicks off June 13 on CBS. Described as a comedy thriller, the series centers around the White House and Washington, where a conspiracy is set that many members of Congress have been infected with a sort of bug.
  • TBS’s “Angie Tribeca.” A new season of the Steve Carrell comedy, starts Monday.
  • ESPN’s seven-hour bio-pic, “O.J.: Made in America,” starts June 11. Yes, more O.J.

Paul Zak even encourages people, saying, “So go see a movie and laugh and cry. It’s good for your brain, and just might motivate you to make positive changes in your life and in others’ lives as well.”

But no need to “go see” a movie. Just binge-watch a bunch on TV.