Aite. This post needs to be written. There has been occasion upon occasion for me to write this but I just haven't had the patience or really any clear idea of how I planned on organizing this post.
So let's see, the last few landmarks that could have been used as alternative introductions... Well there was the "winter premiere" of the USA network shows back in January (you know, when the rest of the popular broadcasting companies like ABC, NBC, and CBS had a huge hiatus on all their fall shows). Then there was the time I watched all 3 seasons of Downton Abbey - though it was interesting that I didn't realize that the Christmas specials were actually bridges between the seasons at first... (I actually made an effort to write an intro for this, you can find that introduction at the end). Then of course there was the premiere of one of my favorite USA network shows, Psych.
But of course as you know, these all have gone by, so what encouraged me to finally make the effort? Well, rewatching the entirety of Veronica Mars. And considering how much time I shouldn't have on my hands to make that happen, well I guess should consider talking about it? ^_^
I'd like to clear things up a bit before I continue. I make a distinction between television and movies (including those shown on television or produced by tv broadcasting companies). I don't actually watch most of these live, so it really is the 20-90 minute episodes of various television series that I refer to. Yes, I do like to watch movies, and yes I have several in my collection. But to be honest, I don't think I see movies more than the average person does. However, my television watching just seems to over run my life sometimes.
How does it over run it? Well, let's just say it gets cumbersome when you have 6 or 7 shows that air on the same evening. It doesn't exactly help when you have other priorities - it becomes something that steals sleep or steals the time that is more productively used.
Maybe it's an exaggeration to say that I watch too much - I know it's a bit of an integral part of our lives where you come home and watch television in the evening. But here's the thing, I don't think I really got into watching anything much until after I started college (there might have been maybe 1 or 2 shows I would attempt to watch every week), and that was the first time I started regularly keeping up with shows. And even then, it evolved from initially watching all the movies I could that I never had the chance to before and only then slowly converted to regularly watching a very small number of shows.
Those probably included Psych, Eureka, Bones and Firefly (though that one was sent to me by a friend ^_^). But most of the shows I started watching at that time had already begun, so I was watching from the second or third seasons. It was only until I figured out a way to easily watch previous seasons of shows that I would really go back and start watching from the beginning. Though there are shows that I have yet to watch from the start (like How I Met Your Mother or The Big Bang Theory).
Now, I could list all the shows I have ever watched in the past, but really I'm sure that you'll be quickly bored by any of those attempts, and I am pretty sure that I will forget several of them. (I forget the names of shows that I'm currently watching). Of course I could present you with a sort of schedule of all the shows that I am watching in the present, but that's just annoying and too much work - but I'll think about it ^_^.
When I look at the shows that I have watched in the past, I feel like I can divide them up into roughly 3 categories. The first are shows that I am genuinely interested in (my constants). These of course would include Firefly, Veronica Mars, Psych, Eureka, White Collar, Sherlock, Covert Affairs, Bones, Suits, Leverage, Fairly Legal, Downton Abbey and others. These are the ones that really capture my attention, and it is important to me that I watch all the episodes (the exceptions would be The Daily Show or The Colbert Report because they are current events type of shows, so the missed episodes are literally in the past).
Unfortunately for me, there are also a handful of shows that belong in this category that have been cancelled (out of the ones I've listed that have been completed, only Eureka and Leverage were given a conclusive ending). I guess it's just disappointing when you want the story line to continue and you're left with a vague incomplete story line that was really just meant as a segue into the next season (i.e. way too many unanswered questions and way too little satisfaction :P).
Another thing I've realized about the shows in this category, is that a lot of them belong to USA Network. I have to tip my hat to this network, because they have a lot of solid shows that I enjoy and that satisfy my mental appetite. That's probably why they've been the number 1 network for the last 7 years. But that's been slightly eclipsed for me by the fact that they cancelled both Fairly Legal and Common Law - especially since I can't really see the reason why... >.> ... My mother soothes the sting of that news by saying those shows are too intelligent for the masses. Sigh, well there's hope for that Veronica Mars movie at least...
The next category is what I would call my dirty little secret category. This of course are the shows that I like to watch, but I don't really broadcast that I watch them. This is where I include shows like True Blood. Ok, that's probably the only one that I'll share. Ok, so these shows are akin to what romance novels are in my reading repertoire. I feel silly watching them, but well I like watching them ^_^.
The last category is basically the fluff. These are the shows that watch because I'm bored. You could probably include a few of the comedic shows and a couple dramatic ones here and there. These are the ones that I watch because I just feel the need to watch something. I also could care less if I've missed an episode - because in the long run, they always feed you the recap that's relevant to the episode you watch, and frankly I don't care about knowing all the details in every episode. These shows tend to accumulate when I don't watch them, and serve as wonderful time fillers when I am bored out of my mind.
I mean some of these I did watch regularly, but it is very easy for me to just stop watching and move on with my life. Some of these I only watched because I had company that enjoyed bashing the show with me - they had no allure when I watched them alone. Others, I found initially interesting, and then I realized I was just watching the show for the sake of watching it. It just became a way for me to waste time.
I think you could also include the few reality shows that I have caught my attention into this category. Let's see, the first of the bunch would have been Dancing with the Stars. This was dropped when I got tired of hearing that each dance was the best they'd ever seen, when I was just not impressed (plus the twists and theatrics only turned me away from it all). Then came America's Next Top Model - but I got tired of hearing all the drama, and skipping through it to get to the photoshoots and the judging just got tiring. In a similar way, that happened with Project Runway - but thanks to the way the show is set up, I can watch the start to find out the challenge, and then just watch the runway/judging at the end - no need to sift through the middle contents.
Then of course there is my current favorite: Chopped. With it's lack of drama, attention to cooking styles and methods, live judge commentary and intellectual analysis of the final products leaves for a genuinely interesting set up that doesn't grate at my nerves with the false nature of the content. It probably helps that contestants change for each episode, and it's pretty neat to see what the cooks do with the surprise ingredients they are given.
I guess when it comes down to it, I like to watch TV because it is something that distracts my mind. It's basically like watching an interactive book. And each episode is a chapter. For the shows that I really enjoy, there has to be more than a frivolous plot or context. If it can take away the extra mental energy, then I find that I can concentrate on my actual work with ease (as if all the distracted parts of my brain were satisfied).
Well I guess that about sums it up. I have doubts that I'll really ever stop watching television because it's too easy to use it as an implement to occupy my brain. But it's the really good shows that I'll end up watching over and over, because well, they're just that awesome.
| And just because I've been watching Veronica Mars constantly, and this song is just stuck in my head, I had to share it with you ^_^. The second track is the remix they used for the last season, and well it's awesome in a psychedelically cool way :D. |
P.S.: Aite so here's the first introduction, if you are inclined to read it [Warning - I was a little high on Downton Abbey]
It is time. It is time for you all to know. It is time to write about a horrible truth - especially considering I've just spent almost the entirety of the last 54 hours viewing 3 seasons of Downton Abbey.And I figured I'd share my current television schedule, just because I wanted to play around a little with html. Keep in mind that I'm not actually watching all of these on a weekly basis - this is a compilation of all the shows I watch year round. They definitely don't all coincide. These are the ones I'm pretty sure are either currently in season or the ones I believe are returning for another season later in the year. But if they did, then I would officially have no life.
It is quite the most opportune time to speak of this, for as the weeks progress through January, those that have gone into hibernation will reappear across my screen. And considering I will be consumed spending time watching their stories, there will barely be time for writing.
My dear, it has come to my attention that I watch waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much television (ok, this is not a recent relevation - it's just for effect that I put it this way ^_^).
[Please excuse the slightly odd tone of my writing, all of this is being spoken in a British accent - for which I entirely blame Downton Abbey - after hearing it almost continuously, I've been successfully conditioned, I'm afraid]
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Girl 60 Minutes Revenge Drop Dead- Diva The Client- List True Blood Sherlock |
Bones How I Met Your- Mother 2 Broke Girls Rules of- Engagement Mike&Molly Castle |
New Girl The Mindy- Project Cougar Town Go On Hart of Dixie Emily Owens MD Warehouse 13 Smash Awkward. Covert Affairs Chopped Project- Runway White Collar |
Suburgatory Modern Family Arrow Necessary- Roughness Psych |
Big Bang Theory Person of- Interest Men at Work Glee Burn Notice Elementary Suits |
| Friday:none | Saturday: SNL | Priority key: white > light gray > gray | ||
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