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TV shows...not so great on the TV.

DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
edited June 2010 in Debate and/or Discourse
After baring through the final season of Lost, having caught up through 5 seasons on DVD I began to wonder if perhaps, certain TV shows really dont work as a weekly serial on TV.

I really began to wonder this when I watched season 2 of Dexter, and I had heard from lots of people that it was the worst season. I, watching it on DVD, thought it was amazing. I went back and spoke to those who disliked it, and they had watched it live on a weekly basis. Upon hearing this, I realized that most of what I loved about the season probably would have sucked if it was drawn out for a month or 2. Like the last 6 episodes I couldnt stop watching, but if it took 6 weeks...yuck.

I also noticed, most shows I fall in love with on DVD or internet viewing have a drastic quality drop off when I start watching them from week to week.

For example, would I have liked BSG season 3 and 4 more if I had not watched them week to week?

It seems like some of the best shows on TV are ones with ongoing, gripping story arcs. But it also seems that the format is less enjoyable when forced to wait every week.

Or rather, the experience may be better waiting, because you have that anticipation and reward for your patience, BUT the view of the work will be negatively impacted. Most people hated season 2 of Lost, thinking the hatch and button pushing was lame. I personally loved it. But I recognize in retrospect, nothing much happened week to week, and watching it live would have sucked.

So I guess, the question is, is it better to watch these ongoing TV shows like Lost, Battlestar, Dexter etc as they air, or on DVD at your own pace?

I would argue that the experience is unique and possible more rewarding live. Theorizing, discussing it with friends, anticipating what happens next with no clue of where it will go, is all great times. However I will also argue that the episodes themselves will seem worse because you will feel a lot of dissapointment and lack of reward for your waiting.

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Posts

  • reVersereVerse Attack and Dethrone God Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I prefer watching them on DVD. That way I can watch them at my own pace, uninterrupted by commercials, and as you mentioned, sometimes when a show is good there are those "oh my god I must see more" moments and having to wait a week for the next episode completely kills the momentum the show has built.

    reVerse on
  • LanlaornLanlaorn Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Well any good dramatic show will leave you desperately wanting more. I just watched seasons 1-3 of Mad Men and at the end of Season 3, it's not really a "cliffhanger", more a new beginning, but OMFG am I anxiously awaiting the start of Season 4.

    It's just an element of gripping storytelling, and it doesn't just happen in TV. Peter F. Hamilton, one of my favorite living authors, is currently in the middle of a new trilogy and after reading book 2 I desperately want book 3. Heh, I started reading the Bleach manga because I couldn't wait until next week to see what happens on the anime and now I'm stuck desperately waiting for new scanslation releases of THAT every week =P

    There really isn't an alternative to this though, while it's more fun to get instant gratification on all those cliffhangers I'm pretty sure it's vastly more money to make a successful book series, TV series, etc. than a one shot of some kind.

    Lanlaorn on
  • Protein ShakesProtein Shakes __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2010
    Plot-based TV shows aren't satisfying when watched on TV in my opinion. One week is a long enough time to somewhat forget what happened on the previous episode, and on top of that you get commercial breaks like every 10-15 minutes, which further distracts.

    I like watching shows like that on Netflix one episode after the other. Keeps things condensed and entertaining.

    Protein Shakes on
  • JonBobJonBob Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I think there's a lot more potential in "event TV." Take for example Torchwood season 3, which took a mediocre show and distilled it to a serialized 5-hour story, broadcast over five consecutive days. It became brilliant sci-fi. I think the lack of waiting, while allowing for discussion at the same time, had a fair bit to do with that.

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  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I think the medium is far more appreciated when you cut out the commercials and the waiting. I think that a lot of the time people claim TV shows get worse as the go on is partly due to the fact that their medium has changed for viewing it. Or at least, their timetable has.

    I would argue that perhaps season 3 and 4 of battlestar werent all that worse then 1 and 2, but I and others just feel that way because many of us discovered the show during or after season 2.

    Its probably the same reason Firefly is so highly regarded, NOBODY watched it while it was on. So everyone got the joy of seeing it on DVD.

    The issue is, a big chunk of people have to take the hit of seeing these things live because the market demans they have to be serialized TV shows and not direct to DVD box sets. Should we give out awards and medals for watching these shows as they air?

    "I survived the season 2 break during the Pegasus Arc"

    Disrupter on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2010
    Having watched the final four seasons of Lost in one big push at the end of each season, it was definitely a much more phenomenal show than watching the first two seasons week to week.

    In fact, I actually watch the majority of my television in this way now, waiting until the season is over, and then watching the entire thing over the course of a week. The only real exceptions to this rule are sitcoms, Castle, Supernatural and Doctor Who. Everything else, I wait either for the mid season break, or for the season finale before starting.

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  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    See, I think the "experience" of watching Lost in its final season week to week was overall better then watching it in one big chunk. Because I got to talk about what happened each week, theroize and debate. The anticipation added to it.

    However "the experience" involves all of that, and the show itself did not. The quality of entertainment I derived from watching the individual episodes was probably decreased.

    I might have not remotely minded that the Jacob episode happened and wasted my time and instead just enjoyed it for what it was. When watching week to week theres a higher demand for moving things along quicker and action.

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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2010
    Disrupter wrote: »
    I would argue that perhaps season 3 and 4 of battlestar werent all that worse then 1 and 2, but I and others just feel that way because many of us discovered the show during or after season 2.

    Very possible. I watched the series from the very, very beginning, when the miniseries first aired, and I regard the quality as fairly consistent beginning to end.

    Edit: And yes, the 9-month breaks between half seasons was excruciating.

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  • RocketSauceRocketSauce Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I think the jarringly loud commercial breaks featuring car insurance, fast food, deodorant, new cars, and beer all take me out of any kind of drama or suspense that has built. That's the best part about watching a show on DVD. Sure, you can fast forward on your DVR, but it just helps to keep the suspension of disbelief going to not have to witness any kind of advertising.

    I noticed the same thing about Lost season 2 as well. I thought it was great, and it's still probably my favorite season. Watched it straight through on DVD and it was very rewarding. I loved season 3 of BSG as well, others not so much. 24 season 5 was great to watch on DVD.

    So yeah, pretty much any show is better to watch on DVD, you just have to watch out for potential spoilers, as they are everywhere now.

    RocketSauce on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I've gotten to where I'll only watch serialized programs all at once when the DVDs (or netflix instawatch) come available.

    I just don't have a stable enough schedule to catch shows week to week anymore.

    OptimusZed on
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  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    For me, 24 is the worst example of this.

    on TV its the worst show ive ever sat down and tried to watch. On DVD its an action packed, edge of my seat, must watch the next episode.

    Disrupter on
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  • ReznikReznik Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I love marathoning TV shows. 4 or 5 seasons in less than a month? No problem. Everything's fresh that way. Of course it sucks when you're done a show, but that just means you can discover a new show. When I needed to find a replacement for Buffy and Angel, I stumbled upon Supernatural, which is awesome.

    I find it a bit harder to gauge how much time has passed in a show when I'm watching it in a big marathon, but that's a small price to pay for avoiding annoying commercials and stupid waits. I swear, if I had to experience the wait between Supernatural seasons 1 and 2, or... well, hell, every goddamn season has ended with a cliffhanger. That's just mean.

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  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Yeah, I'm rounding the end of season 4 in Lost, and I don't think I could have done this one week at a time.

    Being able to watch the first season of Heroes in a couple of days and then pretending it got canceled is the only way to do it.

    OptimusZed on
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  • LanlaornLanlaorn Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I've gotten to where I'll only watch serialized programs all at once when the DVDs (or netflix instawatch) come available.

    I just don't have a stable enough schedule to catch shows week to week anymore.

    Well there's always hulu, tivo or torrents. I tend to enjoy reading and discussing shows online week to week as they air so I watch things as they're released despite it being more rewarding to watch all at once.

    That said, there is a bit of a "free rider" problem here, if we all wait until a show is done then it will be cancelled before it reaches season 4 or whatever.

    Lanlaorn on
  • CauldCauld Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I tried watching Arrested Development on DVD, and I liked it at first, but after about 8 episodes it seemed like half of every episode was recapping previous events I just saw. Had I been watching it on a weekly basis I think this would have annoyed me far less.

    In general, though, I greatly prefer to watch tv shows on DVD. If I start watching them on DVD mid-run and have to watch new episodes on TV I usually stop watching the show.

    Cauld on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Lanlaorn wrote: »
    I've gotten to where I'll only watch serialized programs all at once when the DVDs (or netflix instawatch) come available.

    I just don't have a stable enough schedule to catch shows week to week anymore.

    Well there's always hulu, tivo or torrents. I tend to enjoy reading and discussing shows online week to week as they air so I watch things as they're released despite it being more rewarding to watch all at once.

    That said, there is a bit of a "free rider" problem here, if we all wait until a show is done then it will be cancelled before it reaches season 4 or whatever.
    I hulu Community and Castle, but those aren't as serialized as the other shows I enjoy. And even then I usually catch up three or 4 weeks worth at a time.

    The really nice thing about Instawatch is that they'll sometimes add new episodes to the end of the previous seasons. That's how we watched NCIS and Heroes for a while last season.

    OptimusZed on
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  • VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    this is a tough balance. with Lost you can keep watching for the next step of the puzzle (or whatever) but you lose having that week to discuss it, to talk to friends or internet people who watch the show. obviously this is true of any show but with some there's more involved. You miss out on an interesting part of the experience with any show, but with some I'd say you're losing out more.


    there are definitely shows that are helped by dvd, but I'd also say there are ones where it hurts. for me, scrubs was a great show when I saw episodes here and there, but I thought I was more into it than I was so I ended up wasting some cash on a few of the seasons. now, was that my fault or was it just that the show didn't stand up when watched that intensly? I guess a little of both. I imagine that applies to lots of sitcoms.

    I will add in response to the OP that I thought dexter season 2 was my least favorite until I rewatched it on netflix. it was a lot better than I thought at the time but you're right to say it's obvious why.

    This is an interesting discussion that I've been thinking about a lot with Lost, and how different people experienced it. good thread!

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  • PeccaviPeccavi Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I'm really glad I was able to watch Lost on Hulu. Watching it one week at a time would have been way too slow to keep my attention, but I watched all 6 seasons in about a month and a half which was pretty damn perfect (other than the fact that I couldn't discuss it with anyone).

    Peccavi on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    So far, season 2 is probably my favorite season of Lost. But bear in mind that I saw it nearly consecutively on Netflix Instawatch.

    I haven't made it to season 2 of Dexter yet.

    I would wager that the only reason I made it past season 2 of Rescue Me is because I had 5 seasons available and I wasn't watching something else at the time.

    OptimusZed on
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  • Commander 598Commander 598 Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    How about when you're watching a show and it's season gets cut in half so you only see half a season and the second half of the season gets aired 6 months to a year later. I love that.

    Commander 598 on
  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    See I own scrubs on DVD and watched the first few seasons a ton. Same with Arrested Development. I will admit, "previously on Arrested Development" does get a bit old when you just saw it. But Scrubs seemed to hold up just fine to me. Sitcoms in general dont seem to gain or loose much through that kind of mass viewing.

    Then again, Ive fallen in love with many sitcoms through marathon viewing. Where as I think the only one ive managed to fall for while watching week to week is community.

    As for ongoing serailized stories, I will say that the Shield nailed it. They had a perfect blend of episode-to-episode plot lines and smaller, 3-4 episode arcs mixed with season arcs mixed with overall series plot lines. Watching it week to week held up very well.

    I havent watched the DVD version, it may be that the additional smaller storylines drag down the DVD marathon viewing experience a bit.

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  • VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I didn't mean all sitcoms, I have watched arrested development countless times and it has never gotten old, I get something new from it every time. obviously that's just differing tastes though. I also can watch It's Always Sunny over and over, thought it helps that I only started watching them after 4 seasons had aired so I haven't known about it all that long.

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  • SlicerSlicer Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Variable wrote: »
    this is a tough balance. with Lost you can keep watching for the next step of the puzzle (or whatever) but you lose having that week to discuss it, to talk to friends or internet people who watch the show. obviously this is true of any show but with some there's more involved. You miss out on an interesting part of the experience with any show, but with some I'd say you're losing out more.

    This is definitely the best argument for keeping up each week. When a huge cliffhanger happens on a show and you're watching it each week you can have lots of discussion and speculation about it, whereas splurging all at once means "Will so and so die next episode? Time to find out....now!".

    That said I usually marathon shows more often than not, but many times I do wish I could have been around when the outcome of certain events were, well, uncertain.



    I think the worst experience is marathoning a show in progress and waiting a week for each new episode once you've caught up. I don't know about everyone else but I've burned out on quite a few things by doing that since I just wasn't able to get used to the sudden change in pace.

    Slicer on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Variable wrote: »
    this is a tough balance. with Lost you can keep watching for the next step of the puzzle (or whatever) but you lose having that week to discuss it, to talk to friends or internet people who watch the show. obviously this is true of any show but with some there's more involved. You miss out on an interesting part of the experience with any show, but with some I'd say you're losing out more.

    Honestly I think Lost is a special case at least for me. Its rare that I feel the need to speculate about things in a show but Lost necessitated that because the writers threw mysteries around like candy from a parade float. Also I think I would get more joy out of figuring out what happens in a show by watching it on DVD than spending lots of time coming up with theories. I don't enjoy sitting around speculating so to each his own.

    I RARELY watch things on TV and when I watched the Lost finale I wanted to punch someone in the goddamn face because of all the commercials.

    As for the OP I think it really depends on the type of show and quality of writing. I do think its better to run through Dexter or Firefly on dvd. However shows that are excessively formulaic become painful to watch on DVD. The first season or so of House was this way and I couldn't stand watching those sorts of episodes back to back. It didn't really have much of a story arch or character development. It was pretty much "oh noes new mysteries case lets try and solve it but at the 30 minute commercial break we will find out our solution doesn't work and they are getting worse! Epiphany at the end. Woo saved someone!" Repeat ad naseum.

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  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Disrupter wrote: »
    For me, 24 is the worst example of this.

    on TV its the worst show ive ever sat down and tried to watch. On DVD its an action packed, edge of my seat, must watch the next episode.
    I watched seasons 1 and 2 on DVD - most of the first season I saw within two days. Great at first, but then, by the end of S1, I'd become too aware of the series' predictable structure. ("Five minutes 'till the end? Ho hum, here's the cliffhanger...") That's also one of the reasons why I tired of the show, the other being Xander Berkeley's death.

    I wonder if I'd got fed up with the series less quickly if I hadn't binged on it.

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  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Sunny doesnt count for discussion, it is an anamoly. You could give me ONE episode of Sunny and tell me to marathon it and id likely come back 2 weeks later with a massive beard and looking like Christian Bale from the machinist asking if I could watch it just one more time.

    The show is great.

    But yeah, with sitcoms, I think the quality of the show really impacts whether or not it holds up on DVD. The worse the show, the more difficult it would be to watch on DVD. Mediocre sitcoms can hold my attention when they are on because I have nothing better to do. But if I walk in a room and someone is volunterily watching The Queen of Queens on DVD, id have to ask them to knock it off.

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  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Always Sunny doesn't count because it's meant to be watched as a serial while wondering "why in the holy flying fuck aren't these people in prison?"
    <3 Always Sunny.

    OptimusZed on
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  • AsiinaAsiina ... WaterlooRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I don't think it even has to do with quality, just style. I could never marathon a sitcom or comedy show. I love 30 rock. I have the first 2 seasons, but I still can't watch more than an episode at a time. It just doesn't lend itself to marathoning.

    For those talking about Lost who didn't watch seasons 2 and 3 live, let me explain the release structure: Season premiere, new, new, new, rerun, rerun, new, rerun, new, new, rerun, rerun, rerun, new, new, new, rerun, rerun, new, new, new, season finale.

    People got fed up with it skipping weeks. The half-season format was much better. It also allowed them to not have nonsense filler episodes.

    Personally, I hate the water-cooler theorizing about shows, so I would marathon every series if I had the patience.

    But like Slicer said, they have to be finished. There is truly nothing worse than watching a couple of seasons in a month and then going to a week-by-week format.

    Asiina on
  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    See, I think good sitcoms do hold up to marathon viewing. I did it with 30 Rock, Sunny and Arrested. Though, I guess the difference is you can pound out 6 sitcom episodes in 2 hours, feel like you really marathoned and took a break.

    6 episodes of Dexter literally takes 5 hours...

    So, yeah, 5 hours of a sitcom, even the best ones, might be too much to take. But 2 or 3? Thats plausible. I can usually pound out a disk of a sitcom no problem if its good.

    Disrupter on
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  • JuliusJulius Captain of Serenity on my shipRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I've watched three seasons of Chuck over the last week (never watched an episode of it before) and I must say it probably gave me a greater pleasure then if I had watched it on tv.

    Not only does it make the plot feel less dragged out (not that I think it really was in case of Chuck, but whatevs) but you also notice more things. Jokes and references to previous episodes resonate more because those episodes are still fresh in your head.

    Julius on
  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I gotta watch Chuck sometime.
    As for ongoing serailized stories, I will say that the Shield nailed it. They had a perfect blend of episode-to-episode plot lines and smaller, 3-4 episode arcs mixed with season arcs mixed with overall series plot lines. Watching it week to week held up very well.

    I havent watched the DVD version, it may be that the additional smaller storylines drag down the DVD marathon viewing experience a bit.

    It did a little bit, yes. But it's not nearly as badly as the aforementioned formula shows (like House, and to some extent 24), where you realize every fucking episode is the same. Still, I found I preferred watching The Shield weekly over DVD-style. The only sad part about FX shows is that after 13 weeks you're done, and you're like that's...it?

    WANT MORE.
    But like Slicer said, they have to be finished. There is truly nothing worse than watching a couple of seasons in a month and then going to a week-by-week format.

    I never realized it, but I really do think this is what killed (by "killed" I mean made marginally less awesome) BSG for me.

    mcdermott on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2010
    Lanlaorn wrote: »
    I've gotten to where I'll only watch serialized programs all at once when the DVDs (or netflix instawatch) come available.

    I just don't have a stable enough schedule to catch shows week to week anymore.

    Well there's always hulu, tivo or torrents. I tend to enjoy reading and discussing shows online week to week as they air so I watch things as they're released despite it being more rewarding to watch all at once.

    That said, there is a bit of a "free rider" problem here, if we all wait until a show is done then it will be cancelled before it reaches season 4 or whatever.

    Only if we have Nielson families that post here.

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  • DeadfallDeadfall I don't think you realize just how rich he is. In fact, I should put on a monocle.Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I got into The Office because of the DVD's. Didn't care for it at all when I first caught it on tv.

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  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Lanlaorn wrote: »
    I've gotten to where I'll only watch serialized programs all at once when the DVDs (or netflix instawatch) come available.

    I just don't have a stable enough schedule to catch shows week to week anymore.

    Well there's always hulu, tivo or torrents. I tend to enjoy reading and discussing shows online week to week as they air so I watch things as they're released despite it being more rewarding to watch all at once.

    That said, there is a bit of a "free rider" problem here, if we all wait until a show is done then it will be cancelled before it reaches season 4 or whatever.

    Only if we have Nielson families that post here.

    I used to get the diaries. It was actually kinda cool writing down the shows I like, and knowing it (to some small extent) "mattered."

    Also, don't modern DVR systems have reporting mechanisms? I though some ratings were gathered through those.

    mcdermott on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2010
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Lanlaorn wrote: »
    I've gotten to where I'll only watch serialized programs all at once when the DVDs (or netflix instawatch) come available.

    I just don't have a stable enough schedule to catch shows week to week anymore.

    Well there's always hulu, tivo or torrents. I tend to enjoy reading and discussing shows online week to week as they air so I watch things as they're released despite it being more rewarding to watch all at once.

    That said, there is a bit of a "free rider" problem here, if we all wait until a show is done then it will be cancelled before it reaches season 4 or whatever.

    Only if we have Nielson families that post here.

    I used to get the diaries. It was actually kinda cool writing down the shows I like, and knowing it (to some small extent) "mattered."

    Also, don't modern DVR systems have reporting mechanisms? I though some ratings were gathered through those.

    They do, but they still mean next to nothing on whether a show gets renewed or not. The only thing advertisers care about still is Nielson numbers, while DVR numbers can take a flying fuck, because people will skip over their ads.

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  • deowolfdeowolf is allowed to do that. Traffic.Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    Being able to watch the first season of Heroes in a couple of days and then pretending it got canceled is the only way to do it.

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  • Raybies666Raybies666 Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    deowolf wrote: »
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    Being able to watch the first season of Heroes in a couple of days and then pretending it got canceled is the only way to do it.

    Thirded.

    I was off sick for a while, my brother gave me heroes season 1 and it was awesome until the last minute when Sylar
    gets away after Hiro swords the fuck out of him. I've been told after that someone saved him or some shit like that, but I was enjoying the superheroes in the real world angle so much that as soon the "comic book" death was revealed, I washed my hands of it.

    I probably didnt need to spoiler that at this stage, but just being careful. I've tried the show since, but just didn't care anymore. Shame.

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  • desperaterobotsdesperaterobots perth, ausRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    The most cock-teasingly difficult thing to watch 'live' was BSG's Season 2 'mid-season break' cliffhanger.
    "I'm getting my men!/Launch the alert vipers!" awesomeness.

    Fucking months. Like, what. 6 or 7? Fucked up.

    DVD is superior.

    On the other hand, trying to watch episode after episode of In Treatment made me want to seek therapy. Never finished the first season.

    desperaterobots on
  • HotTunaHotTuna Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    So I tend to think that marathoning a marginal show can make it watchable, marathoning a good show can make it great, and if you're watching a great show it can make you wait on it every week and hold your interest, so it really doesn't matter which way you do it.
    However, the greatest thing marathoning a show has going for it is getting you past a fair to middling pilot episode. I tend to think that a pilot is prolly the hardest thing to write, cause there is just a lot you have to do in a 1/2 hr to hr long episode.
    I may never have gotten out of the first two to three episodes of my now favorite show evers, Avatar, the Last Air Bender if a didn't have a whole season on DVD. And that would have been a crime against humanity.

    HotTuna on
  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    HotTuna wrote: »
    So I tend to think that marathoning a marginal show can make it watchable, marathoning a good show can make it great, and if you're watching a great show it can make you wait on it every week and hold your interest, so it really doesn't matter which way you do it.
    However, the greatest thing marathoning a show has going for it is getting you past a fair to middling pilot episode. I tend to think that a pilot is prolly the hardest thing to write, cause there is just a lot you have to do in a 1/2 hr to hr long episode.
    I may never have gotten out of the first two to three episodes of my now favorite show evers, Avatar, the Last Air Bender if a didn't have a whole season on DVD. And that would have been a crime against humanity.

    I dunno, I think marathoning a marginal show can make it worse depending on the kind of show. More episodic shows can wind up seeming even more formulaic when you plow through several episodes in a short time. Hell, even good shows (thinking of House, as previously mentioned) get worse when you watch them back-to-back.

    However, in a show with a strong serial storyline I'd agree that marathons can help a marginal show. Hell, I can't imagine how painful it must have been watching the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer "live." Ugh. On DVD? Decent. Mainly because you can fast forward through some of the shittier episodes.

    mcdermott on
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