I mentioned in another post that since the second week of January, I have been one of my father’s primary caretakers. He is dying of melanoma and also receiving hospice care. My brother and I take turns staying with my dad for three weeks at a stretch, with short visits home to our families in between. So, my job right now is: Sit in my father’s house. You’d think that I’d be caught up on every single show on television.
Nope.
For the first few weeks, my brain just didn’t function right, so I didn’t really watch any television except what my father had on (lots of NCIS and Burn Notice marathons on USA and tons of ESPN). As the weeks progressed, I lost touch with House, Big Love, Community, The Big Bang Theory, Fringe, The Office, White Collar, and The Closer. During a recent trip home, I caught up on some, but not all, of these shows. And I am not really interested in getting too caught up. I mean, maybe eventually, but it’s funny how facing an insanely depressing situation changes your taste in television.
The shows I have not managed to return to are: House (I have seen two episodes since before Christmas — that is not a return), White Collar (I saw one episode), The Office, The Big Bang Theory, and Community (I’ve seen one episode). So, why have I taken the time to catch up with Big Love, Fringe, and The Closer? Instead of catching up on beloved old shows, why have I found solace in the darkness of Dexter and Breaking Bad, and relief from the new comedy Raising Hope?
As much as I still like the idea of Community, sometimes watching it feels like a chore for me. It’s not effortless and seamless like Raising Hope. On paper, I love some of the ideas Community has had for episodes, but they don’t always translate into shows I want to sit through as well. There isn’t much character development, so sometimes I pretty much feel like if I have heard a description of the episode, I’ve already seen it.
I feel the exact same way about The Big Bang Theory. Loved it at first. Now, I’m tired of it, and I think adding Mayim Bialik was a mistake. She is unwatchable.
Truthfully, I gave up on The Office last year. I just stopped being able to sit through it. I find it either boring or grating. Sometimes both. Jim and Pam became reduced to two pairs of eye rolling and arched eyebrows. Michael just became a caricature that was painful to watch. Maybe it’s better now. Don’t care.
House. Oh, House. I have had a mostly love relationship with this show for seven years, but when I miss episodes now, it isn’t must-see catching up with me. And I am the person who insists on going back and rewinding in the middle of the show that I am watching with the captions on so I can hear/read every word, get every nuance. I’m a completist. So, not needing to go back and see ALL of House doesn’t bode very well for my return to that series, but who knows?
White Collar is like cotton candy. You enjoy it when it’s fresh on your tongue, but you don’t necessarily go out of your way to buy it. It’s more like you happen upon it and remember it and you like it. At least if you are me. So, I saw the episode that shows how the group all met each other, but I haven’t been very interested in the plot this season.
Have I made a big mistake in abandoning any of these shows? Are there any that I should really go back and catch up on?
Clacked by Jen Creer
on Mar 29, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
. . . . .
Jen:
I hear you with House. I was a must-not-miss House aficionado for the longest period. Then suddenly, at some point early last (?) year, it just died for me. I don’t recall if there was conflict in watching it or some situation arose or what, but I stopped watching it. Curious, as I had a DVR at the time, too, and it did get recorded, I recall.
Did the show do anything wrong? No. Did I want to watch it? Yes. Did I make an effort to go back and review the episodes missed? No. Will I? Eventually. Am I missing out on the current season? Absolutely … and I’m not pitching a fit about missing it, either. It gets curiouser and curiouser. What’s with this lackadaisical attitude? I loved House.
The Event? Wanted to. Then Keith set the tone for the show as I followed him and I lost interest.
The ones I do go back for are No Ordinary Family and Chicago Code if I miss’em. No longer having a DVR at my present location, the internet makes that availability simple. (Yay, internet!)
One day … one day … I’ll get to Fringe, outside the three initial episodes I’ve seen of the first season. *sigh*
Jen is so right about “Fringe” Michael. The first season was more of a freak-of-the-week deal, but then they got into the current mythology and the show really hit its stride. Once you get to the second season you’ll be salivating for each new episode. I guarantee it or else I’ll supply the saliva for you! What a deal, eh?
Jen, from the moment Mayim Bialik appeared on TBBT I began to lose interest in it. It was one of my favorite comedies, right up there with “Community,” but now I have several episodes just sitting around waiting to be watched. Every time I hear Mayim’s voice it just grates on me so much that I lose any enjoyment I might have gotten from the show. She needs to go or the whole show needs to go, but something’s got to give.
*POST AUTHOR*
Michael, you’re so noble.
Fringe has a slow build, but man, it’s worth it. Save it for some time when you can go on a marathon binge through the first season– which is excellent, but when you get to the second and third seasons, it becomes MUST SEE.
I know what you mean about the Office. If you ever get the chance, the most recent episode was really good and worth the watch.
*POST AUTHOR*
*Waves at Zak*
I’ve heard that about Community too. I associate watching Community so strongly with Dereck, though, that it will be hard to watch without him!
the fact you watch and like Raising Hope makes up for the lack of Community watching, House on the other hand is getting too out of hand without getting to the reasoning behind his recent actions (since “New” House showed up personality wise)