One of my most favourite back handed comments ever is when people say ‘ohhh I just don’t have time to watch TV’ – with the underlying implication that I have all the time in the world.
It’s true, I love my television shows. I have since I was younger. As a teen, I snuck in a few cartoons here and there (X-Men and Gargoyles were among my favourites) and at night, after homework and in between telephone calls to my BFF and boys I would watch ER and The X-Files (the later in which I was completely obsessed. If I had internet access to Tumblr and fan sites the way I do now, let’s just say I would have been completely engrossed).
That carried over into my twenties, although not quite to the same degree. Working 30 hours a week plus going to University meant no matter how much I wanted to, television wasn’t always a possibility. And yet, I’d still find myself watching favourite shows late at night or skipping the second half of my Slovak Studies course to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
After I graduated and got married it was clear that my husband wasn’t into TV as much as I was. He can spend hours though watching baseball and The Passionate Eye documentaries, where as I would spend hours staring in the eyes of Michael Scofield on Prison Break. But that was ok, I stayed up a bit later to watch my shows.
When I had my first child, before the days of PVR, I was able to watch television thanks to time shift and late night nursing feedings. I’d catch up on most shows, laugh at Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and get lost in Lost.
Now, my shows have changed but my fan love hasn’t. A great television show (like a great movie, or book) makes me enter a fictional world for a short amount of time and excite me. It makes me nervous, angry and emotional (Game of Thrones), it makes me squint my eyes or drool over something tall and blond (hello True Blood) but ultimately it’s escapism. Entertaining and enjoyable.
It’s not that I have oodles more time to watch TV – I don’t watch during the day and only catch the shows I’m dedicated to at night. It’s just that I make the choice to spend time doing it. Because I like to. I also love a good movie, and a great book. I have a lot of other hobbies but few others make people raise an eyebrow in question like television, as though it’s a low form of entertainment.
Maybe for some it is. Maybe there are better ways I could spend my Sunday night at 9 pm (**side note: NO THERE ISN’T!! Game of Thrones is on Tonight!), but I like it.
My name is Rebecca and I’m a Television-holic.
What about you? Do you like to get lost in fictional television shows? Are you having an affair with Netflix? This is a safe TV loving zone here, feel free to comment 😉
TV gets a bad rap. Especially now when there are such great series on TV through HBO, BBC (GoT, Sherlock, etc). I always had an anti-TV bias, until i watched all of Rome and Deadwood (and countless episodes of Missing) while nursing newborns! I say go for it!
it does get a bad rap! ooooh you mentioned a fave of mine – Sherlock!!
To tell you the truth, I feel a bit “lost” when I don’t have “my show” … what I mean is a showing that I’m really into and look forward to watching on a particular night of the week. I have a PVR, but I never use it. I think that like you, I grew up enjoying select series and gathering on that night to watch it. As a kid, I remember us all watching the Anne of Green Gables series as a family and then of course there was the weekly Family Ties on Thurs night. Now, “my show” is The Good Wife. I just love it and I’m looking forward to watching it tonight with my feet up and a glass of red!
we love having something to look forward to. On Sunday night, both Andy and I watch Game of Thrones (or Boardwalk Empire) and really look forward to it. It does feel nice to have ‘destination tv’
I think we’re soul mates! I have and do watch all the same shows you listed in addition to many more. I don’t have a lot of hobbies, spend my days as a SAHM, cooking, cleaning, etc. etc. TV (and movies!!) are my escape. I married a man who likes a lot of the same shows as I do and then we also have our own favourites (and own TVs to enjoy those on). I am a huge TV-holic!!! 🙂
Welcome to the tv-holics club 😉 There are a few shows like Top Chef and Game of Thrones that we make a point to watch together (oh! Boardwalk Empire!) and it really is nice to watch together
I too love me my TV, which can be summed up nicely by a saying I once heard that described friendships – either for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Mostly for me I indulge seasonally. I admit to enjoying the brainless ‘Dancing with the Stars’ ‘American/Canadian Idol’ and have watched ‘Survivor’ since the beginning. My latest? Splash! It’s impossible to pull away from that one once you get a glimpse of any of them ready to jump from a 20 foot platform. I PVR everything, so once the kids are down I grab the laptop, turn on the TV, and “relax”.
I have had PVR for almost a year and am still getting used to the ability to set it to tape my favourite shows automatically. It’s exactly how I like to relax too!
Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I’m a television addict.
Ellen, Coronation Street, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Shameless, The Americans, Homeland, Grey’s Anatomy.
Like going to the moving picture show, it is escapism at it’s finest. Sure as hell better than escaping through drugs and alcohol, no?
it’s a healthy outlet I think! Also – DEXTER!
When I moved back and forth across the country a couple of times TV helped me keep my bearings, now with a PVR and TV on DVD I’m able to keep up with some of my favourite shows no matter what, and watch some of my old favourites over and over.
I’m curious to see if anyone who isn’t a TV addict will post here. Cuz that sure ain’t me!
I usually try and do something while I watch to alleviate the guilt, like knit. But most of the time I just sit, slack jawed and loving every minute of it. At the moment. Dowton Abby, Doctor Who, GoT, Grey’s, Homeland, Modern Fam, The Following. OK, I’ll stop there because it’s starting to sound like I don’t work, or have a family, or eat.
I miss Gargoyles. Though I was in my 20s when I was watching it. 🙂
ha! My list is too long too 😉
can we agree that Gargoyles is one of the most amazing cartoons ever created? My brother bought me the fist dvd for my birthday in my twenties. I’ve rewatched since I was younger 😉
Netflix is evil. Seriously. I was up until 1 am last night watching Season 5 of Mad Men. Sheesh.
love Netflix. I go to bed with my lover, Netflix, often 😉
That ‘I’m too busy to watch/read/breathe’ comment drives me a little nutso. I love watching certain shows too and it does work the imagination. Right now I’m a big fan of Game of Thrones while Downton Abbey is off air, and my guilty pleasure has been Lost Girl for the past few seasons. I’m a sucker for fun/cheesy sci-fi or fantasy shows.
Downton! I’m a sucker for those kinds of shows too! did you watch Merlin?