Sometimes TV shows make it hard for you to remain a fan. Either the showrunner or writing staff change and with it the tone of the show or your favourite character is continually left out of major plots or is killed off. Or even worse the show completely jumps the shark and needs to be shot.
I rarely use the term ‘guilty pleasure’ about the shows that I watch because I’m either IN or OUT. I’m not embarrassed about the shows I like but there are levels to my IN and OUT.
I’m into this show
- This is awesome, I need to watch it, re-watch it, talk about it and write about it.
- All off the above plus cosplay/conventions and/or buying merchandise ( I have props from Xena – bite me)
- This is awesome, I can’t really write about it. Let me just bask in the glory of it’s awesomeness.
- This is cool, easy on the eye and brain (mainly procedurals).
- I’ve invested too much to quit now. (Lost, Prison Break)
- Car crash TV. It’s crap but I can’t stop watching
To get to the above levels I usually start out with the thought that this is an interesting premise let me watch it and see where it goes. If I’m lucky the show delivers and I’m hooked before I know it. If not I start slipping down the slope to Outsville.
Drop me out
- That was an interesting concept but they fucked it up.
- That was a cool show for the first couple of seasons but I’m over it now (Glee).
- The show summary doesn’t appeal so I’m not even gonna give it a chance.
- Reality TV shows
If you are unlucky you may have invested your heart and soul into a show and then it turns into something you don’t recognise and you feel lied to and cheated on. You might end up uttering words you never thought you’d say like: that’s xxx hours of my life that I’m never gonna get back! Emotional right?
It’s not you, it’s them
It’s like a relationship breakdown. When you started you both wanted the same thing but people change and grow apart due to incontrovertible differences. But in the case of your TV show, it’s not you, it’s them. The head banging starts when you end up cursing yourself for not seeing the signs: ‘I can’t believe I didn’t see this shit coming’, bang, bang, bang. Ouch!
The reality might be that you actually saw the signs but refused to believe them. You may cast your mind back to season 6 and recall that viewing figures were down so they introduced a random curvaceous woman into the show whose only job was to have her boobs fall out in every episode. Or they stop writing about vampire integration and dedicate a season to starting a war against humans and vampires (I’m looking at you True Blood). Signs like that.
As you are recalling signs that you knew the shit was hitting the fan, you must remember it’s not you, it really was them otherwise you’ll be facepalming and banging your head against any available hard surface as you go through the inevitable stages of grief.
TV Fandom can be a serious thing but don’t take it so seriously that there are permanent palm prints on our cheeks or bang your head to the point of brain damage. As those horrid people who don’t understand us like to say: “It’s only a TV show”. Piss off, horrid people!
This post is brought to you by my disappointment with this week’s episode of Under the Dome. It’s not me, honest.
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