We're watching Julia Child, sometimes accompanied by Jacques Pépin. Good Eats. Star Trek: The Next Generation (though we may have to skip over much of the first season). Twin Peaks. The Muppet Show. Jeeves & Wooster. And eventually, hopefully, Buffy (which I've seen many, many times, but R never has; it's a big step). On the recommendation of a friend we're about to give Endeavor a try. The only shows that are currently on that we're watching are Doctor Who and Sherlock (which only very infrequently is anyway).
As for the rest... I know there are good shows out there. People tell me there are. They're probably right. But for me, "good" isn't enough. I want something I can care about.
Humor helps. (I had to stop watching Battlestar Galactica because it was so relentlessly dire.) Science fiction or fantasy elements help. (Though I actually prefer Twin Peaks before it gets all supernatural.) But what really makes a show something I want to watch?
A lot of times, it seems people get sucked in by needing to find out what happens next. Recent advances in Netflix binge-watching only facilitate this. And it works, so long as you keep the streak going. But go away for a week or two, and take stock: Are you still invested? I tend to find I'm not.
Corollary to this is the idea that knowing what comes next will spoil it. I don't buy this. If a thing can be spoiled, it wasn't fresh to begin with.
So. It's not about finding out what happens next; it's about wanting to spend time in that world. I will always enjoy spending time with Alton, Julia, Picard, Cooper, Kermit, Bertie, and Buffy (in the same way that I will always enjoy listening to Stephen Fry read Harry Potter to me). Good shows aren't fresh fruit; they're fine wine.
RECIPE: Challah, Sausage, & Dried Cherry Stuffing. Where it is at for Thanksgiving. I like swapping in a nice fennelly, spicy sausage.
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