February 13, 2015

Why I refuse to watch "regular" t.v.

I have trust issues.

I define regular t.v. as ABC, NBC, CBS, or Fox.  I do watch some: Once Upon a Time, I kinda like Revenge, New Girl DVRs for me and I usually get around to it…but for all intents and purposes, I avoid the major networks.  I stick to AMC and those channels I have to call to add and cancel a couple of times a year (HBO and Showtime) because I'm cheap and won't pay for them indefinitely. Also, a lot of things I find on Netflix are okay.

Okay, so this is why.  Last week, we were watching Jeopardy and then Scott fell asleep and I was reading and didn't notice that Hawaii Five-O was on until I realized I was half-watching it.  I became filled with this bitter resentment…you see, Alex O'Loughlin was on another show a few years back and I loved it.  Moonlight.  He played a vampire.  So, yeah, I really liked this show about vampires.  It was the fall of 2007 and I was enamored with the whole thing.  It was before my DVR days and I would make sure I was home on Friday nights in order to see it.  I mean, I was student-teaching that year so being home and ready for bed early was the norm on Fridays (because exhaustion).


Anyway, I loved this show.  It was brilliant in my opinion.  Like, I actually own the one and only season on DVD and I've watched it many times.  

The fall of 2007 was the year of the writers' strike in Hollywood and Moonlight fell victim to it.  Shows never had the chance to get off the ground because no one was writing new episodes.  There was one season.  16 episodes.  Then, no more.  (If you click that link up there, you'll probably be as baffled as me when you realize that Rules of Engagement and How I Met Your Mother lasted for so many years…I'm probably one of the only people who didn't like "HIMYM", but did anyone actually watch Rules of Engagement? It was awful.)

You see, the networks I concentrate on now aren't affected as much by such things.  Mostly, I'm assuming, because their seasons start at different times of the year.  Mad Men always starts in March/April, for example.  They aren't held to a strict schedule.  Shows like that have enough of a following that people will watch no matter when the season begins.  They aren't forced into the cattle chute of potential viewership and that "sweeps" week thing.  It's really like the difference between the testing that's held in public schools and the absence of state testing in private schools.  (I think I just made a brilliant comparison that also sums up my feelings on my career choice.)

After that, I lost faith in the networks and stopped watching them.  Until I picked up Once Upon a Time last year, I don't know that I'd watched anything on ABC for years.  I still haven't forgiven CBS.

Then, after Hawaii Five-O (which actually wasn't bad), I noticed that Criminal Minds was on and I saw a commercial for NCIS and I thought, "Stupid CBS. How have these shows been on for so long?" and I turned on Netflix to watch The Fall.

Is there a t.v. show that you desperately miss and are still bitter about?  Or is it just me? Technically I've been stewing about this for 7 years.

15 comments:

  1. I hear ya. Except we only watch Netflix! So I guess we watch all those forgotten one-season shows ;)

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  2. American Dreams. It got ripped out of viewer-ship and the "cliff hanger" of the previous season was just SO INTENSE and we never got to know what happened. I felt cheated for investing my time in something that never got wrapped up. Like you, I don't trust anything anymore. I've pretty much stopped watching network television--my TV watching time is so precious to me that I commit to Netflix, where I know the COMPLETE series is available, as to not get let down midway though with an unresolved series.

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  3. I still miss "Friday Night Lights," although I can't see how they could have gone on forever. It ended well, etc. I already feel lost without "Parenthood" and it's only been a few weeks. I miss the Braverman family something fierce.

    I completely forgot about "American Dreams" until I saw Joey's comment. Yes.

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  4. Oh I'm already missing Parenthood and its been gone for a mere few weeks!

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  5. I really liked Moonlight too.

    I'm still bitter Happy Endings was cancelled.

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  6. I never liked HIMYM either, don't worry.

    I haven't had cable since about 2006 and while I was in college, although I had cable, I never watched tv...so I don't even know what half of these shows are...haha.

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  7. Hmmm I kinda want to watch Moonlight now but I might be sad that it's only one season. There are plenty of shows I love that have been cancelled, womp womp. I never watch tv though, I watch things on netflix or online. And I thought I was the only one who didn't like HIMYM! yay!

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  8. I'm the lame tv person but I truly miss extreme makeover home edition. I loved that show so much and it holds a special place in my heart. I'm the reality tv girl and I just love hgtv, discovery, talc and such. I recently fired cable and have been floundering. iTunes has most of my shows but the prices seem a little much. I tried Hulu and fired them too. There was no hgtv. Not sure if I will try Netflix. It could be the same as Hulu. Estherdavison@gmail.com

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  9. I miss American Dreams and Joan of Arcadia. I loved those freaking shows and while I recognize they would have to end at some point, they just disappeared. And I can't even contain my rage regarding the cancellation of Freaks and Geeks 15 years ago after only 18 episodes. And I've talked on my blog a lot about how all the shows I currently enjoy are ending this year. I don't understand why it all has to happen at once.

    I liked HIMYM in the beginning and then it just got tired and repetitive. I felt that way about Scrubs, too.

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  10. Pushing Daisies and Life. Writers strike victims as well.

    Sorry to be in complete opposition to some of the other commenters here, but I could never understand why Parenthood got out of the first season.

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  11. OMG! As I was scrolling down to write my comment, I saw that Joey mentioned "American Dreams!" My college roommate and I were obsessed with the showM. They ended the second season with the cliff hanger, as she said, and we never found out the ending. Devastating. While I don't feel the same way you do about major network shows, since Scott and I cancelled DirecTV, we have been perfectly content with Netflix. I do still want to see my regular shows, but not having that cluttered DVRS is wonderful. I figure that I can catch up on line this summer or on Netflix when the DVDs/instant streaming release. :)

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  12. We rarely watch tv at all...it's kind of sad haha.

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  13. I did watch HIMYM, and I was pissed with how it ended. I find I can't watch it in syndication because of the ending. I love watching shows from the 80s. I am a sucker for a sitcom from the 80s.

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  14. I loved Tru Calling and Dollhouse! I miss them both. I love HIMYM but it's kind of because I was their ages when the show was on so it all made sense to me. I hate most of what's on the major networks now; just crap!

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  15. I loved Moonlight! The loss of Lie to Me after only three seasons was also devastating to me!

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