What TV shows are people watching?

EPOCH6 · 10-01-2017, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paedantic Basterd

How do you folks decide when to drop a series? I've got a bunch of things on the go that are honestly not that appealing, but I also have issues with closure and a compulsive need to finish things after I start them, which means that I waste a lot of time on straight garbage, whether it's music, series, books, or movies. I mean, I've been reading The Stand since 2011 and still can't admit to myself that I quit reading it.

So, what determines the cutpoint for you? At what point do you know that the satisfaction of completing something cannot make up for the time you invested in it?

The only series I've ever stopped watching with no intention of finishing is The Walking Dead. For me a series is no longer worth watching when you can no longer remember a single significant scene or event from the preceding episode. If nothing is sticking in my memory or making even a slightly lasting impression on me what's the point of continuing? At that point you're just passing time.

djchameleon · 10-01-2017, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paedantic Basterd

How do you folks decide when to drop a series? I've got a bunch of things on the go that are honestly not that appealing, but I also have issues with closure and a compulsive need to finish things after I start them, which means that I waste a lot of time on straight garbage, whether it's music, series, books, or movies. I mean, I've been reading The Stand since 2011 and still can't admit to myself that I quit reading it.

So, what determines the cutpoint for you? At what point do you know that the satisfaction of completing something cannot make up for the time you invested in it?

I'm really bad at cutting shows off. If I started a series from the beginning. I feel obligated to stick it through til the finale even if I notice it becoming ridiculous and they should end it. It happened to me with True Blood.

I'm glad that I was able to cut myself off from Supernatural though. I believe it is going on its 13th season and I haven't watched it in seven years.

I guess it is a bit different for me because I tend to watch most shows in their original run so I have to wait week to week instead of how most people just binge whole seasons.

Trollheart · 10-02-2017, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paedantic Basterd

How do you folks decide when to drop a series? I've got a bunch of things on the go that are honestly not that appealing, but I also have issues with closure and a compulsive need to finish things after I start them, which means that I waste a lot of time on straight garbage, whether it's music, series, books, or movies. I mean, I've been reading The Stand since 2011 and still can't admit to myself that I quit reading it.

So, what determines the cutpoint for you? At what point do you know that the satisfaction of completing something cannot make up for the time you invested in it?

I think the important thing is that you need to have characters you care about. After all, if you don't care about someone, how can you have a reaction when they're in danger/killed/get dumped etc? Character is king for me. As my Sky box has only 1 terabyte of space (sounds a lot, but it isn't really) space is also an issue for me. I have currently about 11% left, so I'm constantly looking either for things I will never watch, have tried and don't like, or can be watched any other way (Netflix, Plex etc). I usually go for 1 - 3 episodes, though sometimes after 1 I can be done if there's nothing there for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

These days with so much competing media and acclaimed series' that people tell me "I just hafta watch", my threshold is pretty low. I'd say for TV shows it's about 3-4 episodes, maybe more if the episodes are short. With books it kind of depends, but usually if I'm not hooked within the first 100 pages I'll ditch it. In rare instances the book becomes my "in betweener" book, just something I read when I'm between books. It kind of sounds like The Stand is your version of that, which is commendable. For me it was The Godfather by Mario Puzo, by god was that thing a chore to get through.

Jesus yes! I was enjoying it up until the completely unnecessarily-graphic description of what he could do with a woman's pelvic floor, and after that I really didn't care any more. Never finished it.

Paedantic Basterd · 10-02-2017, 11:41 AM

Yeah Troll, I'm with you on character being the most important factor. I'm like Deej though, I feel obligated to finish something I start, not even because I want to know what happens, but just because I want to know I saw it through. The only series I've outright QUIT watching were ones that pissed me off by ****ing up their story, like Heroes and Dexter.

There are also a bunch that I gradually stopped watching, but in my mind I'll finish one day, like Parenthood and House of Cards.

I want to bail on Black Bullet because it's garbage and I know it ain't gonna get better, but at the same time, there are only 13 episodes and each episode is 20 minutes, so right now the value of getting to say I know indisputably that it's crap is greater than the fact that it's crap, so I'm still going.

After Breaking Bad though, I realized that some series are made BY their ending (Stein's Gate was another), and now the need to finish a thing is even worse than it was before when I only wanted closure. Now I'm scared of missing out too.

The Batlord · 10-02-2017, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paedantic Basterd

Yeah Troll, I'm with you on character being the most important factor. I'm like Deej though, I feel obligated to finish something I start, not even because I want to know what happens, but just because I want to know I saw it through. The only series I've outright QUIT watching were ones that pissed me off by ****ing up their story, like Heroes and Dexter.

Call me crazy but, although I'm glad they dropped the cringey romance subplot between Deb and Dexter with season 7, I think if they actually went with it and made it a one-sided thing about Dexter having unintentionally emotionally manipulated her over their entire lives into a sick, co-dependent obsession with him to mirror his for her then it would have been pretty interesting, and provided a much more non-****ty subplot for season 8 than that goofy return of what's her name (and no I'm not saying they should have gotten together cause that would be as stupid as it would be weird). Not that they'd in any real way built up to that with the previous seasons, but at least they could have done something more than what they did (even if season 7 was amazing anyway).

Trollheart · 10-03-2017, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paedantic Basterd

Yeah Troll, I'm with you on character being the most important factor. I'm like Deej though, I feel obligated to finish something I start, not even because I want to know what happens, but just because I want to know I saw it through. T

I absolutely do not subscribe to this. What's the point of forcing yourself to watch something you don't like when you could be using that time for other things? It may even be, at the end, that you wasted your time and it has a terrible payoff. Up to you, but I wouldn't bother. If something doesn't click with me pretty quickly it's dead to me, and I don't feel any compunction about dropping it.

On another note, kind of related, does anyone else check, when a new series comes on, to see if it has been axed before they start watching it? I hate getting into something new only to find that it's the only season or they stopped making it before the story arc concluded, and if I find that out, I usually don't bother as it's going to be a disappointment at the end.

Paedantic Basterd · 10-03-2017, 03:10 PM

Yeah, cancellations are so bad right now that I rarely watch a series unless A) I know it's over and B) I know it ended without a loss of quality.

Like, I'm never gonna start the Walking Dead 'cuz the quality has dropped so much.

Trollheart · 10-03-2017, 05:38 PM

It's so annoying when you get that big blurb from (over here) Sky Atlantic, trumpeting the "great new drama from the US! Critically acclaimed! Etc! Etc!" and then check on TV.com or Wiki and see "cancelled, no further episodes, axed, stopped mid-season" etc. Bastards.

djchameleon · 10-03-2017, 07:01 PM

I'm always so nervous about getting into new shows in the fall because of early cancellations. The last show that I was disappointed over but atleast they aired the full season was Emerald City. NBC didn't deserve that beautiful show. There are some great one season shows so depending on the show I will still watch.

**Goofle** · 10-15-2017, 04:21 PM

Riverdale!!!!

10-03-2017, 05:38 PM	#5708 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	It's so annoying when you get that big blurb from (over here) Sky Atlantic, trumpeting the "great new drama from the US! Critically acclaimed! Etc! Etc!" and then check on TV.com or Wiki and see "cancelled, no further episodes, axed, stopped mid-season" etc. Bastards. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-02-2017, 11:41 AM	#5704 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	Yeah Troll, I'm with you on character being the most important factor. I'm like Deej though, I feel obligated to finish something I start, not even because I want to know what happens, but just because I want to know I saw it through. The only series I've outright QUIT watching were ones that pissed me off by ****ing up their story, like Heroes and Dexter. There are also a bunch that I gradually stopped watching, but in my mind I'll finish one day, like Parenthood and House of Cards. I want to bail on Black Bullet because it's garbage and I know it ain't gonna get better, but at the same time, there are only 13 episodes and each episode is 20 minutes, so right now the value of getting to say I know indisputably that it's crap is greater than the fact that it's crap, so I'm still going. After Breaking Bad though, I realized that some series are made BY their ending (Stein's Gate was another), and now the need to finish a thing is even worse than it was before when I only wanted closure. Now I'm scared of missing out too.

10-03-2017, 03:10 PM	#5707 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	Yeah, cancellations are so bad right now that I rarely watch a series unless A) I know it's over and B) I know it ended without a loss of quality. Like, I'm never gonna start the Walking Dead 'cuz the quality has dropped so much.