Thursday, December 31, 2015

Peak TV: Boon and Bane

There is so much good tv now that network executives and TV critics are complaining. The former because it is harder for the good but not great shows to stand out and also because it is harder to get talent (writers/actors) since they can be paid the same by Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, etc.  The latter?  Because they have to watch yet more stuff.

For me, peak TV is boon and bane.  As a TV addict, it is great since there is so much good stuff on to enjoy.  For instance, iZombie is simply delightful--fun, fun TV with some heart.  Jessica Jones and Daredevil show that a comic book tv series is pretty superior to comic book movies because one can really get a character arc.

But, of course, the problem is that I cannot watch everything.  I have noticed that I am becoming more accepting of that fundamental Steve problem: being left out.  I always hated feeling like I was missing out on stuff--as the youngest child, for instance.  Damn near pathological, as I used to go through my twitter feed from when I was sleeping to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Anyhow, I am working on it.  Declining to watch all of the great TV programs is part of this acceptance.

So, what do I choose?  Aside from the limits imposed by FX not being on my satellite system, I tend to choose not to watch that which is really dark or really slow.  With peak TV, I can choose great fun stuff and leave the morose to others.  So, yes, I have not watched the Leftovers.  I stopped watching the Knick.  Oh, and I am too cheap to pay for Amazon Prime.

What does this mean?  It means I am way behind on catching up on The Shield--still in season 5.  I am behind on a bunch of Netflix, but did enjoy the third episode of Master of None.  It means that I will not start digging into Fargo, Season 1, until my daughter has time to share it with me.  Oh, and our Wire project (her a newbie, me for the second time) is still stuck in season 2.

Anyhow, too much TV is a good problem.  Hopefully, it will continue when my daughter looks for jobs in the content creation business (tv or movies). 

No comments: