TV Binging

In general, I try not to watch a lot of TV.  I just do not have the time in my schedule to watch for hours, especially if I want to get a full night’s sleep.  Plus, it is too easy to get hooked on shows that are stupid and not worth the time being used.  I do not watch regularly programmed TV anymore, because I cannot keep to a specific schedule with the unpredictability of my work and family life.  And I made myself stop watching the vast majority of TV shows available on Netflix streaming because it was too easy to be sucked into a vortex of endless watching with the automatic play feature.  So this leaves me with getting past seasons of TV shows on DVD which means I am always behind the rest of the planet but happily only watching in short spurts every week or so.

Occasionally though, I make an exception to the no streaming rule.  For instance, when I am stuck home sick or I am completely brain-fried from work, I sometimes just want to do nothing.  Then, I find myself pulling up TV shows on Netflix and watching for hours.  This has been one of those weeks.  The chaos of work and home life has been marginally better, and that is why I have the time needed to write this week's blog, but it has been hard to motivate myself to do much else.  I am still tired and rather cranky from dealing with everything.  So for the past week, I have come home, turned on the TV, pulled up Netflix, and binge-watched my favorite shows.

My favorite types of show to watch when I am in a cranky mood are procedure crime dramas.  Of course, my selection is limited to what is currently available on streaming, but here are some of the ones I like the most.

-  Criminal Minds – I am fascinated by the psychology behind why bad guys do the things they do.  Of course, some of them are simply evil, but I am more interested in the ones that have a sympathetic background.  While I cannot imagine committing these horrible crimes, when I see stories where I can understand how they got to the killing point, it makes me wonder what, if anything, could drive me there too.  Plus I love the characters on this show, and how personal they have gotten with them over the years without making it seem too hard to keep up with everything.  My favorite character is Dr. Spender Reid because I love his awkwardness and nerdiness.

-  NCIS – This used to be my favorite show, but it has fallen to second place.  Again I am drawn to the full-bodied characters and great interaction between them as much as the smoothness of the show itself.  I am a big fan of both Timothy McGee and Abby Sciuto.  I like him because of the nerdy cuteness (yes there is a pattern), and her because I admire her and wish I was more like her.  I also am a fan of them together and am disappointed that the show does not play with that storyline more.  The reason this one has fallen from the top spot is because it has turned too far into the anti-terrorism storylines.  I want my procedural dramas to be contained in one episode and not require me to put a lot of work into keeping track of threads.  I do not mind a two-parter or a story that builds over a few episodes occasionally, but NCIS has gotten to the point where I am constantly referring back to old episodes to figure out what is going on in the current one.

-  Law and Order – I know this one is no longer on TV, but I am still watching old episodes on Netflix whenever they are available.  I like the fact that these are self-contained, mostly straight-forward murder cases.  I also find it a hoot to watch the older episodes and see how much the show changed and yet still stayed the same over the twenty years it was on TV.

-  Law and Order: SVU – I know most people think this is better than the original, and sometimes I agree with that.  However, most of the time I find the other one easier to watch and that is why I often prefer it.  One reason I find it less entertaining is the painful character arcs.  There was a stretch of time where watching Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler get more and more out of control was ruining the enjoyment of the show for me.  I am happy to say that the cast change-up starting in season 13 has breathed new life into this show and I am enjoying it much more that I was.  The other reason this one is less enjoyable is because some of the episodes are too likely to happen to someone like me.  If there are too many in close sequence where I can identify with the victim, then I get freaked out.

-  Psych – This one is a comedy rather than a drama, and so sometimes it is not a good fit for my mood.  Also, this is one of the shows I watch with my husband so I cannot pick it if he is not going to watch with me.  This show is great for silly entertainment.  It still has a crime to solve, but nothing is done to regulation or expectation.  Shawn and Gus get into trouble as often as they help out.  I am almost guaranteed to be laughing out loud whenever I watch it.  My favorite scene of all time is the Blueberry Speedbump scene (go check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7i0A5xCl0U).

What about you?  Do you binge watch TV when in a foul mood?  What shows are your favorites to gravitate toward when you just need a few hours of mindless entertainment?

Well, I am off to watch some Law and Order:  SVU.  I mean go to bed (watch SVU).  See you next week!