Appointment TV and Binge Watching -- TV Nirvana

by Toni L.P. Kelner / Leigh Perry

As readers of my "Where are they now?" series could probably guess, I'm a big fan of TV. And I have to say that this is probably the best time ever to be a TV fan. There are just so many options!

I remember when a big event of the week was getting the latest TV Guide, so I could decide which shows I was going to watch, figure out which were reruns, and guess at which "specials" would be special enough for my taste. (I was always a sucker for Christmas specials.) I didn't plan my entire life by TV, but I did plan many hours around it.

I was a particular fan of Starsky and Hutch, and really wished our Gran Torino were red-and-white rather than burnt orange. (In case you're curious, Starsky was my favorite of the two hip, young street cops. No offense to the Blond Cop, which is what all the villains called Hutch.)

I remember watching a lot of S.W.A.T. and Welcome Back, Kotter in those years. If you named a night, I'd tell you what shows I watched on that night.

You youngsters have to understand that life was different then. There were reruns, but they were hard to track; syndication didn't include every single show ever made; and the idea of DVD releases of entire runs of shows was far in the future. If I didn't watch Starsky and Hutch on its appointed night, there was no telling when I'd catch up. If it was a short-run show like The Quest, an obscure and short-lived Western that starred Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson, missing it during the first run meant missing it forever. (Again, my favorite was the brunette.)

Now it's different. Miss an episode of your favorite TV show? Record it with your DVR. Catch it on Hulu, Fios On Demand, or some other streaming service. Or find the spoilers online, even see key scenes on YouTube. Even TV Guide is online! (Excuse me, I mean www.tvguide.com.) And if a good show still sneaks past you, or comes on a network you don't get, wait for the DVD of the whole season and binge-watch that baby.

Still there are usually a few shows that we Kelners consider appointment TV, meaning shows we watch live. Currently, we have two: The Flash and Agent Carter.

Well, normally they're both appointment shows. But for some reason, last night's schedule gremlins put them on opposite each other. We adore both, but we watched Agent Carter because it was the series finale. As for The Flash, we'll catch him as fast as we can. (Catch the Flash? See what I did there?)

Once Agent Carter ends her run, we'll go back to watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in that time slot--it's another Kelner favorite.

We have another show that was an appointment show for a couple of years, because it's great fun: FaceOff.

Unfortunately, it comes on opposite Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, so we stream it at the first opportunity. (Since it's a competition show, getting spoiled is a real problem, so we try to get to it the next night if possible.)

Another change is the constant flux in seasons. I used to track the days of the week by the shows, as in Thursday was Cheers and Hill Street Blues. Now no schedule is set for long. Agent Carter was only six episodes, and filled the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spot. Face Off has half-seasons, more or less. Doctor Who and Sherlock use the British system, and we have to watch for them. Gravity Falls seems to air a show once a month at best.

When there are no TV appointments to keep, it's time for the shows we binge watch, waiting for the DVDs to come out so we can wallow: Castle, Big Bang Theory, Once Upon a Time, and our latest, Arrow. (We've just started Season 2, so don't spoil me, okay?)

Then there are the shows we've already watched and will undoutbly watch again: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Torchwood, older Doctor Who. So many options. Other sets are on our shelves waiting, notably Game of Thrones. So many shows, new and old.

This is a golden age for TV watching. The only hard part is making myself step away from the TV once in a while.

Now how about you? What shows do you make appointments for, binge watch, or watch over and over again?

 

 

Comments

[Kathy Lynn Emerson]

Oh, yeah--serious binge watcher here. My only appointment TV is Monday night's Castle (if I don't fall asleep before ten) with DWTS beforehand when it's on, and Tuesday's Agents of Shield. I just finished binge watching the first seven seasons of Murdoch Mysteries and have DVDs of the latest Midsomer Murders coming from Amazon. While I'm waiting, I'll probably re watch some favorite episodes from previous binges: Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse (do you sense s theme here?), Babylon 5, Stargate SG1 and Atlantis, Dr. Who (David Tennant or Tom Baker--most others need not apply), Brisco County, or maybe one of the oldies--Ellery Queen, Snoop Sisters, or the Dick Van Dyke Show. I obviously own way too many DVDs!
Kathy/Kaitlyn

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

We're madly watching MOZART IN THE JUNGLE, a wonderful soap opera, really, about he New YOrk Symphony.

And we loved BOSCH--we watched five in a row before we had to go to sleep..and couldn't wait to see the rest.

And soon the new HOUSE OF CARDS!

[Mark]

I believe that The Flash was a rerun this week. (At least I hope it was.) It's supposed to be back on March 17th, the night before Arrow returns.

I've been watching Arrow since the pilot, and let me tell you, it is only getting better. Season 3 is constantly blowing me out of the water.

My biggest "appointment" shows are Once Upon a Time and Castle since I recap both of them for my blog. But in general, I try to still watch the shows on the night they air if at all possible. I am so thankful for the invention of the DVR because I was out playing ultimate Frisbee on Tuesday night, but still was able to watch Agent Carter. And tonight will bring me the season premiers of Survivor and The Amazing Race recorded last night while I was watching other shows.

As I was reading your post, I suddenly realized why this is the golden age of TV. Thanks to DVRs and DVD, we can have story arcs and true character growth on TV. It's much easier to catch an episode you miss and follow a story than it was even 20 years ago. With the changing in how we watch TV, it has allowed those who create the shows to change how they tell us stories.

Okay, I'll stop rambling now.