First off, there are so many shows on so many platforms I just wait for people to recommend a new show. And of course it has to be on a platform that I can get.
Reading subtitles off of TV is too annoying. If it’s a foreign show I need it to be dubbed. This can be problematic, especially if the show is Danish and everyone speaks in a Welsh accent. That said, if the show is good I stick it out.
I sit down and watch the first episode. I realize it’s a first episode and they’re setting things up so I give it a certain amount of space. Better episodes are likely coming. But if I’m bored out of my mind, or find I just don’t like the subject matter, or hate all the characters then it’s one and done.
When the pilot is over I ask myself whether I want to see episode two? In a few rare cases I fall in love with the series right from the get-go and I am all in. But for most I’ll be saying, “Well, it’s kinda interesting,” “It’s sort of funny,” “I like the cast,” or “There’s gratuitous nudity” and decide to watch episode two.
Same question for episode three. Am I getting sucked in? Is it getting better? Is it starting to make sense? Has this comedy made me laugh once?
But generally after episode three comes the BIG decision. Because here is where I either get off the train and stick it out till the end.
And if I’m still in, there’s one more question: It’s 11:30 PM. I’ve got to get up early the next morning. An episode ends. Do I watch one more? If the answer is yes, then THAT’S a series I love. Most series I can cheerfully watch an episode a night, but when I’m totally engrossed I have to burn through it. Those are the shows I tell others about so they can go through the same line of questions.
I find that first episodes of new series tend to be really strong. Higher production values, more creative and ambitious visual direction. I've been burned on too many series that have a huge drop off with the second episode and quickly lose interest (I'm looking at you, Disney-Plus and Netflix Marvel shows!). If the second episode is a huge drop off, then I've learned to just give up right then and there.
ReplyDeleteThe shorter the series the better. Anything over six episodes and I'm automatically turned off because I know that 50% of the episodes will likely be filler episodes just marking time to fill out a contractually mandated episode order.
I prefer subtitles over dubbing on foreign language series.
Exceptions obviously apply, but that's my standard approach.
Our viewing process is similar to yours, though we rarely watch anything "new." Closest we've come is PEAKY BLINDERS, which had only been around five years when we started watching.
ReplyDeleteWe also can live without subtitles, though we made an exception for LILYHAMMER, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
At USC film school I had a screenwriting teacher that had a similar rule for judging whether a movie was good or not. You've gotten a large popcorn and soda at the theatre. It's the middle of the movie. The soda's been drunk. Now you have to "go." Do you get up and go to the bathroom or do you stay in your seat and hold it because you have to see what happens? That's how you decide if the movie is good or not.
ReplyDeleteDepending on the type of show, but especially with shows that are less serialized, I've found the third episode is frequently where it either gets into the groove of things or it doesn't. If it hasn't by then, it's very rare that it ever will.
ReplyDeleteThe only exception I can think of off the top of my head is FRASIER, which found its groove in the fourth episode, "I Hate Frasier Crane", still one of the funniest episodes of the series and the first one in my opinion that really has a firm handle on what made the series work. Not that I knew that at the time; I only watched it in order much more recently. First-run, I was still a kid and didn't even start watching until about 1999 or so.
It's so interesting that you posted this today. I tried "The Chair" last night and bailed after 10 minutes. Nothing held me at all, not even Sandra Oh. I was surprised considering some of the positive things friends were saying. On the other hand, "The Flight Attendant" was a complete surprise and I tore through it.
ReplyDeleteReally? I quite liked the chair , brilliant performance by Oh, as well as Duplass and the magnificent Bob Balaban and best of all for me, scene stealing Holland Taylor. For me, I agree that it started off slowly but I quite liked being in that low stakes ‘academia in an ivy league English dept’ world if you will and decided to stick to it and by the end of the six episodes I was sad there wasn’t more!
DeleteGoing through the stages right now with "The Chair." We watched the first two episodes last night. I'm not sure yet if I care about these people. But, I'll go on to #3 because, well, yeah, it's Sandra Oh.
ReplyDeleteGoing through the stages right now with "The Chair." We watched the first two episodes last night. I'm not sure yet if I care about these people. But, I'll go on to #3 because, well, yeah, it's Sandra Oh.
ReplyDeleteYeah I wasn’t overly familiar with her but after watching this series, have become a huge fan of hers. She has great ability to shift seamlessly from scenes of dramatic tension and Serious Things to slapsticky physical comedy.
DeleteMy picks come from three places:
ReplyDeleteRecommendations
Writers I like
Actors I like who make strong choices on their roles
I don't usually give it more than the first episode if it doesn't appeal to me. I do try to make it through the entire first episode.
I also don't mind the subtitles.
I RARELY make it to episode three. In fact, most shows I don’t even make it through the first episode. And not always because I didn’t like it. I have to be IN THE MOOD for the show AND like it enough to continue. There are a ton of (apparently) good shows I’ve watched part of the first episode of perhaps even a few, that I just didn’t continue for some reason or another. Sometimes when I’m bored I will think about watching one of them and ask myself, “am I really in the mood for this show?” And most of the time the answer is no.
ReplyDeleteMy wife recently got a recommendation from a co-worker for a show neither of us had somehow heard of for the past 20 years: Trailer Park Boys. We are now mainlining it, I think we're on Season 3.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much stick through anything that I start, but I've bailed on a few.
ReplyDelete"Click Bait" on Netflix...I almost didn't make it past ten minutes, as I found the lead actress so unappealing. The sister. But I'm glad that I continued, even though I find the actress incredibly annoying.
"Nine Perfect Strangers" on Hulu. Melissa McCarthy seems to be in a different universe than everyone else. She's playing comedy, mainly, and the show isn't a sitcom. I love actor Michael Shannon, but his performance is cartoonish. Nicole Kidman is good, although I read that she was all "method-y" on the set. SUCH a bore. I worked on a TNT historic mini-series, back in the 90s, and the lead went that route. We all hated him by the end of the shoot.
As a Dane, I am curious if Danish shows was just a random example or if you've actuall watched any and if so, what is your favourite?
ReplyDeleteBorgen and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteI generally think that if a pilot episode is promising, then there is better still to come. I would give any show a chance, and see where it goes within the first season.
ReplyDeleteJust to preach to the choir here: MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER all did that. They were brilliant from the start, and just got better and deeper.
When it comes to movies, I have a bit less patience. If it has an unpleasant lead charatcer or premise, I'm done with it in 15 minutes. This may not be fair, but I think my judgment is for the most part good. Feature films need to tell a story, and the exposition is really key. Sitcoms are fun because they can develop and evolve over time.
Jonny M, your teacher story reminded me of Mark Harris's description (in "Pictures at a Revolution") of Arthur Penn screening BONNIE AND CLYDE for Jack Warner. "If I have to get up and pee I'll know it's a lousy movie," said the 77-year-old mogul. "He was up before the first reel and several times after that," recalled Penn. "I had made the most diuretic film in human history."
ReplyDeleteInteresting that "The Chair" is currently being discussed. I've watched 2 1/2 episodes. I love Sandra Oh and it has promise, but I feel a real repulsion for the Jay Duplass character.
ReplyDeleteHe just might the deal-breaker. I never liked any of the "Loki" series, but the rest of the Marvel shows on Disney+ have been good. I really like the "What if..." series so far.
Back in the day when I was evaluating scripts for potential development or as writing samples, on two different late nights and being very tired I had to read a different screenplay each night. I could hardly keep my eyes open while reading the first, but the second one was compelling and held my attention later into the night. I recommended the second writer for writing assignments, and he was hired on one of our series. That's kind of my standard, especially if you're tired...if you're not falling asleep while watching or reading, it's something special.
ReplyDeleteI just started watching "The Secret Life of Us", which was an Australian tv series that is sort of "Friends, with Benefits (and some nudity)". I noticed that the pilot had me caring about the characters, with whom I have nothing in common, from the get go. It's on Amazon Prime if you look hard enough.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I really like the Danish series Seaside Hotel, which is on the PBS streaming channel. It has subtitles, but it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteI look at new TV shows like I look at new restaurants. I'll try it once. If that goes all right, I'll go back. But it only takes one bad meal or service to turn me off of a place for a long time. On the other hand, one really great meal can make me a repeat customer and fan for life. I remember that the "Newhart" pilot had one throwaway gag that had me laughing for five minutes, and I knew I was in for the entire run.
ReplyDeleteI avoid all programs built around deep mysteries and conspiracies that take years to resolve. I've been burned too often. First, because I know nothing really important can happen in the episode I'm about to watch or the series is over. Second, the series is likely to get cancelled before they uncover the conspiracy or solve the mystery. Third, the showrunners don't often have any idea how they plan to solve the mystery, so they just keep throwing out nonsense clues and, if pressed, wrap it up in some disappointing way. I don't waste my time.
I prefer captioning to dubbing. Increasingly I find myself turning on CC for British shows, which is kind of embarrassing but when my wife and I look at each other and ask, "I didn't catch that, did you catch that?" we click 'em on.
Friday Question:
ReplyDeletePilots have always been hard to write, (believe me I know) and even harder to execute, but there have been some amazing Pilots in the past that nailed it right from jump. For example the pilots of shows like Martin, Frasier, Hill Street Blues, Homicide: Life on the street etc. were exceptionally perfect and seemed to nail everything like tone, characters etc. right away and other pilots that were structurally amazing like Cheers, Everybody Loves Raymond etc. But as I try to watch more current tv series I can't seem to conjure up interest after the pilot. What was the last really strong pilot that hooked you right from the start?
Cheers, to me, is maybe as close to a perfect pilot episode as possible.
DeleteIf I recall correctly, this is the pattern that Netflix discovered among its series viewers -- that the third episode was the tipping point, where someone either continued with the series or they bailed.
ReplyDeleteI've found with a handful of series that Season Two's first episode was also a good place to stop watching. Some streaming shows just have a great story that first season.
Corner Gas. Most comedies we give about twenty minutes and then we’re off. But this one had us from the get go. The characters are quirky and hilarious. No laugh track but it doesn’t need one. It’s now our favorite comedy series ever (sorry Seinfeld).
ReplyDeleteYou shoulda stuck it out with White Lotus, I'm tellin' ya...
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame you can't stand subtitles. On Netflix there is a series called Fatma that is really good. Just watch the teaser and see if it seems interesting to you.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate having the option to turn TV subtitles on or off. I wish there were a way to get rid of the sign language performers that junk up the screen during many televised press briefings. There may be tens of millions of Americans with hearing impairments, but a majority of us (speaking for myself) would rather read captions than watch signers.
ReplyDeleteYep, that was pretty much my ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING experience yesterday: couldn't really tell after episode one, got hooked in ep 2, thena watched all three available episodes. wouldn't have watched a fourth, if available, though.
ReplyDeleteFRIDAY QUESTION: You mention how much is riding on the pilot of a series to you personally in order to keep watching for the long haul. Can you think of examples of weak pilots that turned into killer shows? How about strong pilots that became even better in Episode 2 and beyond?
ReplyDelete@Mona Pleasure - I can't read lips, but in my Perfect World, the best way to know the truth behind what any politician says during a speech or press conference, would be to keep your eye on the sign interpreters.
ReplyDeleteAs a diehard fan of Martin Short, I desperately wanted to enjoy “Only Murders” but I’m at a loss. I found Selena Gomez as uncomfortable to watch as she seemed uncomfortable to be in this show. I’m not a fogey but is it now a requirement to have everyone say ‘F..k” every other line?
ReplyDeleteUntil Nathan Lane showed up, I didn’t even chuckle once, and I’m a pushover. What am I missing?
And, as a close friend of the late Earlo, who specialized in such matters as continuity and plot development, and never used profanity for a cheap laugh, I found the inconsistencies and implausibilities in the storyline very distracting and irritating.
Also distracting is the severe thinness and extreme plastic surgery of some of the actresses (I’m trying not to look at you N.K.) no wonder everyone loves Melissa…she looks like an actual human being.
As for watching Network shows, I don’t even know what channel numbers they are anymore. Whenever I scroll around, in despair, looking for something…anything…to watch, all I see on them are talent shows.
Shows seem to be all about really rich, unlikeable bores taking extravagant holidays where they drink a lot of wine, pout, snipe and murder each other.
I’m done now.
Get a vaccine! Get two!