In Other TV: The New Media
Oct. 13th, 2009 02:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maggie2I always enjoy hearing what people think of the non-Buffy shows they're watching, so I thought I'd do some occasional postings on "other" TV. But first I thought it was time to do a bit of a squee about how great the new way of watching TV is.
I'm of a certain age. By that I mean I remember when there were four channels to choose from and no way of time-shifting. You either caught the show when it aired or you never saw it. Probably that's why old TV was almost entirely episodic. People were too likely to miss individual episodes to be able to follow a complicated arc. Soap operas moved glacially so that people missing episodes would never get lost. Miniseries were Big Events.
I don't have a DVR and I don't care. I just cancelled my cable. I love watching TV on DVD because there are no commercials, and because I can see the show as a whole by watching the episodes in rapid succession. That's how I became a fan of BtVS, and I've blazed through a bunch of shows that I'll be talking about from time to time. I actively dislike watching shows that are on the air now. While it's true that you can be swept up in the enthusiasm of others when you watch the show at its peak popularity (i.e. when it's actually on), the waiting between episodes drives me nuts. Right now I'm watching Dollhouse, LOST, and Dexter. LOST is really just an exercise of loyalty at this point -- when the show got uber-plotty I stopped caring very much. So I don't mind waiting between seasons or between episodes. Dollhouse (alas) has never had me thinking I just *have* to see the next episode right now. Dexter I wish I had on DVD. I'm a big fan. Anyway, Dexter has lured me into the world of online viewing, about which I know next to nothing. But I'd much prefer it if I'd waited to check it out until the series had run its course. At any rate, Netflix is my friend. And in a few years I bet it's all instant streaming, which I already find uber-cool because it means that if I'm not in the mood for Dexter, I can watch 30 Rock instead, or any one of a hundred movies that I've always meant to see. Roku. Love.
Other people do have DVRs and cable. This is also good. DVRs mean we aren't wedded to episodic TV and instead can get big epics like Battlestar Galactica. Cable means we can get quirky shows that don't appeal to a ton of people. People my age like to puff up and declare that they don't watch TV (what with it being beneath them and all). Ha! The new TV isn't just miles better than old TV, it's better than most movies. So:
Squeeeeee!!! We live in a golden age!
I'm of a certain age. By that I mean I remember when there were four channels to choose from and no way of time-shifting. You either caught the show when it aired or you never saw it. Probably that's why old TV was almost entirely episodic. People were too likely to miss individual episodes to be able to follow a complicated arc. Soap operas moved glacially so that people missing episodes would never get lost. Miniseries were Big Events.
I don't have a DVR and I don't care. I just cancelled my cable. I love watching TV on DVD because there are no commercials, and because I can see the show as a whole by watching the episodes in rapid succession. That's how I became a fan of BtVS, and I've blazed through a bunch of shows that I'll be talking about from time to time. I actively dislike watching shows that are on the air now. While it's true that you can be swept up in the enthusiasm of others when you watch the show at its peak popularity (i.e. when it's actually on), the waiting between episodes drives me nuts. Right now I'm watching Dollhouse, LOST, and Dexter. LOST is really just an exercise of loyalty at this point -- when the show got uber-plotty I stopped caring very much. So I don't mind waiting between seasons or between episodes. Dollhouse (alas) has never had me thinking I just *have* to see the next episode right now. Dexter I wish I had on DVD. I'm a big fan. Anyway, Dexter has lured me into the world of online viewing, about which I know next to nothing. But I'd much prefer it if I'd waited to check it out until the series had run its course. At any rate, Netflix is my friend. And in a few years I bet it's all instant streaming, which I already find uber-cool because it means that if I'm not in the mood for Dexter, I can watch 30 Rock instead, or any one of a hundred movies that I've always meant to see. Roku. Love.
Other people do have DVRs and cable. This is also good. DVRs mean we aren't wedded to episodic TV and instead can get big epics like Battlestar Galactica. Cable means we can get quirky shows that don't appeal to a ton of people. People my age like to puff up and declare that they don't watch TV (what with it being beneath them and all). Ha! The new TV isn't just miles better than old TV, it's better than most movies. So:
Squeeeeee!!! We live in a golden age!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-13 09:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-16 02:25 pm (UTC)I just saw a bunch of brief teases for the Dollhouse episodes through November, and it's looking *really* interesting. If it plays out well I don't think the shows demise after 13 episodes is a done deal.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-17 09:24 pm (UTC)I so hope you're right, Maggie, though if you're not, I hope Joss has prepared to wrap things up properly. I do love this show (which still makes me feel vaguely guilty). See, icon. That shows I'm serious.