At least two phenomenons can be found here :
- The drive to wath the TV series is higher than the drive to study.
- The TV series are structured in such a way to attract and hook viewers.
I will try to answer the second :
TV series i.e. soap operas, Lost TV series etc mostly use two components to create addiction to viewers : curiosity and emotionally charged stories.
Curiosity-drive theory relates to the undesirable experiences of
"uncertainty". The reduction of these unpleasant feelings, in turn, is
rewarding. This theory suggests that people desire coherence and understanding in their thought processes. When this coherence is
disrupted by something that is unfamiliar, uncertain, or ambiguous, it
is curiosity-drive theory that attempts to gather information and
knowledge of the unfamiliar to restore coherent thought processes once
again.
...
British psychologist Edward B. Titchener (1867–1927) might have argued
that we become glued to complex, emotionally-charged stories because
of our ability to recognize the feelings of others. A newly identified
phenomenon at the time, Titchener coined the term empathy in 1909. In
addition to identifying others' discomfort or elation, "cognitive
empathy" examines how humans can also adopt others' psychological
perspectives, including those of fictional characters.