Why I Don't Watch Much TV
I know a lot of people who really enjoy watching TV and it is an integral part of their life, I've pretty much always been the opposite. First of all, I'm terrible at watching a show as it is on TV. Part of me cannot and does not want to be tied to doing anything at a particular time on a particular day. It is not that I'm spontaneous (I'm not), it is just that I have never been able to get into a routine like that. It probably doesn't help that I would rather buy a show on DVD/Blu-Ray so I don't have to sit through 10-15 minutes of commercials every episode too. Commercials annoy me for the most part (I like the Direct TV and Charlie Sheen one though. Very clever) and they eat up a lot of your time if you watch very much TV. At the same time, buying DVDs/Blu-Rays are not cheap so that makes me want to find the best shows possible. I don't just mean the highest rated, but also the ones that fit my tastes.
For me, I almost always prefer a longer story in a TV show like The Sopranos or Rome or even Entourage. There is only really one or two exception to that. I love Being Human when it isn't caught up in trying to tell a longer story and is just about individual characters and their struggles with being a vampire, werewolf, or ghost. With that said, there aren't that many shows that even excite me. I tend not to like sitcoms (no story, no character development) and people generally annoy me so I HATE reality TV shows and will not watch any of those. I also think there is a lot of garbage on TV. Whether it is cookie cutter imitations of one popular TV series (CSI, NCIS, the millions of dancing and singing shows) or whether it is just trash like Toddlers and Tiaras, there is too much food that is like junk food. It may be addictive or entertaining, but it is bad for you and rots your brain. I also like more adult and complicated TV shows which you don't see as much on the regular networks. This explains why I favor so many shows that are on HBO I think. So with a narrow scope of shows to even choose from, I definitely know and understand why I don't watch much TV.
Finally, I think I replace TV shows with video games. Video games are more interactive and so I feel like I'm actually doing something instead of sitting on the couch and just watch the screen (Huge difference, I know). Also some video games are starting to tell stories that are better than much of what is on TV these days. So that makes it even easier for me to gravitate towards video games. Obviously, they are also there whenever I have the time and want to watch and a loading screen is always shorter than a commercial break. So while I think I will watch Boardwalk Empire and A Game of Thrones when I get done with grad school, I know that these will probably be some of the only shows I will watch over the next couple of years. That's just the way I am and the way I've always been.
For me, I almost always prefer a longer story in a TV show like The Sopranos or Rome or even Entourage. There is only really one or two exception to that. I love Being Human when it isn't caught up in trying to tell a longer story and is just about individual characters and their struggles with being a vampire, werewolf, or ghost. With that said, there aren't that many shows that even excite me. I tend not to like sitcoms (no story, no character development) and people generally annoy me so I HATE reality TV shows and will not watch any of those. I also think there is a lot of garbage on TV. Whether it is cookie cutter imitations of one popular TV series (CSI, NCIS, the millions of dancing and singing shows) or whether it is just trash like Toddlers and Tiaras, there is too much food that is like junk food. It may be addictive or entertaining, but it is bad for you and rots your brain. I also like more adult and complicated TV shows which you don't see as much on the regular networks. This explains why I favor so many shows that are on HBO I think. So with a narrow scope of shows to even choose from, I definitely know and understand why I don't watch much TV.
Finally, I think I replace TV shows with video games. Video games are more interactive and so I feel like I'm actually doing something instead of sitting on the couch and just watch the screen (Huge difference, I know). Also some video games are starting to tell stories that are better than much of what is on TV these days. So that makes it even easier for me to gravitate towards video games. Obviously, they are also there whenever I have the time and want to watch and a loading screen is always shorter than a commercial break. So while I think I will watch Boardwalk Empire and A Game of Thrones when I get done with grad school, I know that these will probably be some of the only shows I will watch over the next couple of years. That's just the way I am and the way I've always been.