A TV Viewer in America

TV viewing is a very vast landscape. With the myriad of options available to us, and the vastly different tastes exhibited by viewers, it's nearly impossible to pinpoint what it is that entertains the fans. Therefore, the next best thing would be to hear from a randomly selected avid TV viewer, and get an idea of what she thinks concerning various topics regarding TV:


Q: What are your favorite types of series? What genre do you enjoy the most?
A: My favorite series are ones that aren’t blatant love stories, or about teenagers. I love good sexual tension between characters, but if the whole point of the show is for the characters to find love, I’m not going to enjoy it. I also cannot enjoy shows that take place in High Schools. It’s because my school was nothing like the portrayal of high schools on TV. I cannot get into them because I cannot connect with it.
I feel like I enjoy Sci-fi the most. It is so creative. Every episode is another creature or another planet, or even another language, and it’s just so brilliant. So much work goes into one episode.

Q: In what way do you watch TV? How often do you watch live, or catch up on the computer/laptop? Is it more preferable to just watch on one’s personal computer?

A: I usually catch up on my shows via the computer. I usually miss my shows because someone is watching something else, I don’t get the channel it’s on or there is either a hockey or football game on that I want to watch. If the station re-airs that night I usually watch the show later. I call it West Coast watching. I prefer watching on my computer. I really don’t have the attention span to watch something on TV, and most commercials are annoying. I like watching on my computer because I can pause it, and go do something else, and I don’t have to worry about missing an important moment because someone talked, or I was reacting to something.

Q: Is TV more entertaining than movies to you or not? Why?

A: I find them both entertaining. However, I would rather watch a TV show than a movie. I like the slow building of a character, and the lengthy plots and the shorter subplots of a TV show.  I can get more attached to TV shows. I love how TV shows aren’t always confined to one genre. ‘Weeds’ started out as a comedy, as it’s progressed it has become more of a drama. It is still funny, but it has more dramatic moments than it did when it started. TV shows also have cliff-hangers. There is nothing better than a season ending and the only thought running through your head is “how am I going to wait for this to get resolved.’

Q: What is it about the narrative form of a series that appeals to you? Do you appreciate the developing of story and character throughout a span of years?

A: I love character development. I watched the first season of ‘Walking Dead’, and I was very tempted to not watch the second season because of the lack of character development. It really will make or break a series for me. I also enjoy it when there is a story arc that carries through a season, especially in shows that have a different story every episode. The plot will be unrelated to the story arc, but there will be that one moment in the episode that reveals a bit more about main story. I really like going back and re-watching shows after the end of the main plot to pick up on the subtle things that I missed the first time.

Q: There seems to be the impression that cable TV is the place to go to for quality programming. Do you feel that cable TV is better than network TV?

A: Not in all circumstances. I prefer network comedies to cable ones. The cable shows usually have mostly swearing and sex, and those things are funny; however, they are not that creative. I enjoy comedy where the writers have to be creative in order to get the point across, and still make the audience laugh. The only Cable comedy I watch is ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’, and do not think it’s that funny, I just enjoy the situations they get into. Most of the network shows that I watch are comedies.  I do think, for the most part, dramas are better on cable. I feel that they are more able to encapsulate real drama, because they do not have to restriction that network TV has. To me, the restrictions cause the network drama’s interpersonal relationships to appear soap opera-esque. That’s great for a soap opera, but if I’m watching a cop show I don’t want the personal lives of the people to come off as if they are in a soap opera. House and Bones are both like this. They were great when the characters were sticking to the cases, and were dosed with awkward sexual tension. After the main characters got together, they became soaps with a touch of illness and death sprinkled in.  I believe that the Cable shows are freer to explore the interpersonal working of people, where as the network shows are not. This is why I prefer network comedies, and cable dramas.

Q: What types of characters do you find yourself associating the most with? Are you more drawn to hero-like personalities, or characters with more shades of gray and a certain level of villainy?

A: I love flawed protagonists, and villains. The only time I feel like I don’t like the villain is if the show is about a really flawed main character(s), because then the villain is the one on the moral high ground and I’m just not as able to associate with them. I rarely dislike a character. I can never associate with a solid hero character, or a non-flawed main character. I find the more flawed the character the more I like them. In True Blood, I am really not a fan of the main character, because I feel like the supporting characters have more gripping back stories. The only characters I always dislike are those that are whiny, poorly written, and teenagers. I always hate teenagers in a show, mostly because they are pushed into stereotypes.

Q: American TV is quite censored, especially when it comes to network channels. Do you agree/disagree with censorship and why?

A: For as much as I am against censorship of music and speech, I actually agree with it when it comes to television. I feel that without it, there would just be a gratuitous amount of sex and profanity on TV. I feel like the quality of TV is better with the censorship. I do watch shows on Showtime and HBO where they can swear and show the sex, and I enjoy it. However, they aren’t necessary elements for a successful show. In the books that ‘True Blood’ is based on, the main character doesn’t really swear, and she even tells people not to. In the TV show, she is swearing just like everyone else, and I feel like the profanities detract from the character. I’m all for sex scenes; however, I like that most channels cannot show too much. I really don’t want porn to break out in the middle of my programming. If I wanted to watch Porn, I’d go watch porn. So, I guess, I am thankful for the censors when it comes to TV.

                                                                Enough with the swearing, Sookie!

           

Q: Do you feel that there is too much violence in shows or too little? How about the depiction of sex?

A:  I think it depends on the show. There are some shows that have a plot overview that calls for the sex and the violence. However, there are times that those shows go too far. Similarly, there are shows that do not call for it, but when they imply things and don’t show them it does not feel right. I watch Sons of Anarchy. It’s a show about a Motorcycle gang that runs guns for the IRA and drugs for another motorcycle club. I feel like it would be missing something without the viewed violence and sex. However, the domestic violence scene in the most recent season was ridiculously graphic. I feel like it was too much violence. Reversely, Bones last season didn’t take it far enough. In the one episode she was crying on Booth, and in the next episode she was pregnant. They could have at least kissed. There was nothing to even imply that anything happened. The whole Network censor thing cannot even come into play because I’ve seen more on daytime television. I really do believe that every show has an expected amount of sex and violence. Some do show more or less, but that really depends on the nature of the show. My only problem is with ‘reality TV’, especially the ‘house shows’. I know they are supposed to capture human nature, and there is violence in that. However, I think it is a bit much when the staff just lets it happen, and participants end up bloodied and bruised.

Q: Reality TV is an often debated subject. What’s your view on it?

A: I really dislike about 90% of what is considered reality television. I do not like the ones where they put a group of people together in a house, an island, or any situation that they wouldn’t normally find themselves in. I, also, do not like the one where people are being exploited for some mistake or flaw, like Teen Mom. I don’t watch them, and I honestly do not understand how people do. I enjoy some of the competition-reality shows. I cannot watch the ones where the people audition, and the show the bad ones. They offend me on some level.  I enjoy the ones where camera crews follow people around while they are doing their jobs, like Pawn Stars. I feel like those are the only true reality TV, and that the situational ones should be given a different title, and genre.

Q: What would be the ideal TV landscape to you?

A: I really think Doctor Who is my Ideal TV landscape. It has a space and time traveling alien, random and not overpowering romance, and every season has a big story arc. He travels to different planets and different times in Earth’s history, and it really is just lovely.


Thank you very much to this avid TV viewer for the answers!