Thursday, May 29, 2014

2014 DVR Bloodletting

Another year of this. You know the drill. Same as 2012 and 2013. I'll do a quick inventory of what shows I'm watching live(ish) and how likely I am to continue. The only difference this time is that, due to all the online offerings and my shitty cable package, I'll be including a section for what I would be watching live if I could. It's sort of a cheat, but I made up this game so I can change the rules if I want. 


Absolute Locks to Stay
Mad Men - It only has one season left and it's still one of the best dramas on TV.
The Middle - Yep. I'm moving it up to a lock. I've liked it more with each season and it is aging better than most of the class of 2009 shows.
Parks & Recreation - There is no chance I'm going to stop watching with only one season left.
Louie - This is a wholly unique show and one of the richest TV experiences you are going to find.
Brooklyn Nine Nine - I simply can't fathom a reason why I would not continue making this priority viewing.


Going Down with the Ship
Wilfred - The only show that I know is ending that I'd otherwise wonder if I needed to continue watching it. Being the final season though, I can't find a good reason to quit it.
Cougar Town - I'm done with the series. This season did nothing for me. It's amiable, but that's not enough these days. Then, I heard it would be the final season next year. I can stay on board for that.


80/20
The Walking Dead - I've been impressed enough with the direction of the show that, if nothing else, I absolutely must see what happens when the new season starts.
Tosh.0 - Disposable and funny. If it disappeared, I wouldn't be heartbroken but as long as it's here, I will be too.
The Americans - In reality, it's a lock but I've dropped shows unexpectedly before and it's not a priority series yet.
The Big Bang Theory - Like I'm going to stop now?
Archer - I've never appreciated it as much as it deserves. Such a consistent show.
Saturday Night Live - I like the cast and the writing has been better than people give it credit for.
Hannibal - I still feel like I'm in a special club for watching and appreciating this series.
Agents of SHIELD - Halfway into the season, this was a "One Wrong Move" series but it has found its footing now.
Fargo - I'm not sure how this limited run series thing works but if each season is as enjoyable as this one, then I'm in.
The Mindy Project - Few jokes can guarantee a laugh each episode like this can. If the story had a little more direction, this would be flirting with being a lock.
Parenthood - It made a lot of missteps this season but not enough to outweigh what I find enjoyable about the Braverrmans.


One Wrong Move
New Girl - I'm surprised to see this here too but this season fell so flat for me that it has me wondering if the good runs on the show were a fluke.
Modern Family - To be completely honest, I still watch this because it still gets Emmy love (and I must know why!) and, well, inertia. I'm looking for a reason to stop.
The Bridge - Well acted. Good cast. Interesting story. Great setting. I don't know why I'm not more into this show.


Series Ended/Cancelled
How I Met Your Mother Aunt Robin - Thank God it's over. It's freeing no longer having to worry about it.
Dexter - Another show that I'm simply happy that it finally went away.
Breaking Bad - It hasn't sunk in yet that there won't be another season this summer.
Community - I refuse to believe it's gone. It can't be killed, nor would I want it to be with Dan Harmon in charge.
Suburgatory - After three seasons, it was more a collection of parts than a show. I'm sad but ready for it to be gone.
The Crazy Ones - The most surprising one-and-done of the year.
Back in the Game - A really good show and I'm still not sure why ABC didn't pick it up. Good cast. Competitive ratings. Perfect companion show for The Middle. It makes no sense.
Trophy Wife - I liked it but I also stopped keeping up with it at some point in the season so I can't really be disappointed by this.
The Michael J Fox Show - Did this show ever not work. An astounding miscalculation on every level.


If I Only Had That Channel
Shameless - I hate not having Showtime so I can watch this. Now I'm a season behind and I hate that.
Homeland - I like not having Showtime so I have an excuse to not watch this. I mean, I'll get to it eventually. Claire Danes is too good to ignore, but there's no longer a sense of urgency.
Californication - I think it's on the last season. While I haven't enjoyed the past couple seasons very much, I'm still sad to miss this.

Look at the list below. I probably need to go and get HBO or access to someone's HBO Go account. All of these are shows that I'm a season behind on and would be watching weekly if I had the network.
Game of Thrones
Girls
Veep
Looking
True Detective

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - One of my favorite shows on TV. I'm mad they moved it to a lesser network I don't have.
The League - While I don't hold it in the same esteem as Sunny, it's still something I'm annoyed I can't watch on a weekly basis.
Legit - Actually, it looks like this has been cancelled as well, but I got a season behind due to the FXX switch as well.
Maron - I mainly watch it because I love seeing everyone's attempt at a Louie. It's ok and certainly grew in it's first season.
Rectify - I was so happy that AMC aired all the episodes in a marathon last year. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would've seen in.


Online/A Season Behind
Orange is the New Black - I'll get to the new season eventually. Perhaps not immediately.
House of Cards - It's becoming tradition to binge this as quickly as possible. Not out of love for the show. Just habit.
Sons of Anarchy - I'm comfortable waiting on Netflix for this rather than arranging to follow live.
Scandal - See Sons of Anarchy.
Doctor Who - Not having BBC America doesn't help, but I am all caught up at the moment.

As you can see, I've knocked the list down to 21 somehow. It's not that I and managing time any better. In fact, it's probably quite the opposite. When you consider all the shows that would be on there if I had a better cable package, that balloons to 32, not to mention the shows I follow in non-DVR ways. Hopefully, I'll continue to be a tad more discerning about what I watch and the list won't get too inflated over the next year. I don't have the highest of expectations for myself though. With the increase in online programming, this list is getting more redundant by the week to the point that I'm looking for a different way to report this.

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