How To Properly Enjoy Your TV Show
Some people are just casual TV watchers, and this is fine. Some people's schedules just don't allow for planning an evening around watching a certain TV series (kids, work, etc). Hey, and some people just don't watch that much TV, and just turn it on occasionally to kill some time, flip around from channel to channel and look for something interesting that might kill an hour or so. And that's a fair use of the television medium, too. All depends on your interest level and your lifestyle.
But if you're someone who really enjoys a certain show, why not make sure you're getting the most out of it? Put a little effort in? Believe me, following a few simple tips can greatly increase your enjoyment of that show that caught your attention. Why not try them out and see what happens?
Watch the Whole Episode
Okay, step one starts with the episode you're watching. Really, some writer went through a lot of effort to write a whole script for you, one with a beginning, middle and end, with a plot and character development and everything. So if you, say, turn on the show in the middle, or flip around a lot while you're kind of half-watching it, you're really missing out on a lot, and cheating yourself. I have a friend who drives me nuts with this. If there's two different things on he's interested in, he'll just flip back and forth between the two. Then he'll call me later to discuss the one that I, too, watched, and he'll ask things like, "So why wasn't (supporting character) there at the end, and why did everyone seem so sad?" Um, that's because that character died while you were flipping over to see who was getting over on who on Survivor, that's why!! Really, if there's two things on you want to see, you're either going to have to make a choice, or you're going to have to find some other means to watch the whole of both, like figuring out how to watch something on one channel while taping another on your VCR, or, if you're like me and your cable setup won't let you do that, have another VCR hooked up to another TV in another room. You can be taping one while the other's going, then watch the taped one right after or at your leisure. Or maybe you've got a friend at work who watches show "A" and you can ask them to tape it for you. Either way, you're cheating yourself if you're not watching the whole episode, so determine to catch the whole thing.
Watch Every Episode
To paraphrase Jules from Pulp fiction, there's this invention called television, and on this invention they show shows...and these shows are made up into seasons (generally 22 per year unless it's a cable show), and with most of these shows, the season follows a story and/or character progression (if they're any good). The episodes all kind of fit together and move toward a predetermined climax. Or, at the very least, stuff will come up again 3 episodes down the road that you would have had to watch a previous episode to really understand. If you're wondering why, in the episode you're watching, male character seems put out when he sees female character with another guy, it's because you missed the episode where male character and female character realized their romantic feelings for each other. This is exactly what makes the television medium so great. You follow these characters and see how they change over time, and the stuff that happens to them keeps coming back and affecting them later (not unlike real life). There's nothing more satisfying than watching an episode and seeing something happen that makes you go "Oh, yeah! I remember that from that time when they took the drive to Vegas!" That's when you get that special feeling, when you realize you're really part of the show. That it's your show.
The tough part, as mentioned earlier, is that some people lead complicated lives, and it's hard to always be around Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. week after week to watch your show. Well, the good news is, in this day and age, you don't have to. I know, there's the old cliched joke about technology where you say "I can't even figure out how to program my VCR!". Well, cliches aside, it's really not that hard. You can set your VCR when leaving the house that morning to catch your show, or you can set your VCR to always record Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. (just make sure you leave it on the right channel (this is for cable box users) and that you have a tape in the machine). Or, better yet, do what I've done. Step up to TiVo. This is the greatest invention for TV watchers ever. If you're not familiar with it, it's kind of like a VCR but with no tape. It records everything digitally, onto a hard drive. Later, whenever you have time, you can just pop on your TiVo and use your remote to cycle through all the shows you've recorded, and watch that episode (and be able to scan through commercials, too). This saves later trying to search for which tape you put that particular episode on, and believe me, I've been there too many times. Or, if you're really lucky, maybe your show has been released on DVD. Just take a look at the top selling DVDs these says, and you'll see the list filled with things like "Friends, The Complete Fourth Season". You can buy (or rent) a whole season of the show that interests you, and watch them one at a time, several at a time, or, if you're a serious freak and into the show, in a big 22-hour marathon (don't forget to take those restroom breaks). I think this is the best thing to happen for episodic TV lovers, most especially for people like me who'll go back and watch a season of a show over again. I own a number of these sets myself, and wish more shows I loved in the past would come out like this so I could experience them all again. The point here is that, one way or another, you want to make sure you're seeing all the episodes of your show, in the right order, if you're going to truly experience the show.
Use The Internet
And if you're really into a show, and if you're living in this century, you're totally missing the most you can get from it if you're not using your computer for television purposes. The great thing about this information age is finding out that you're not alone in your love for something. You may be the only person you know who watches Death Monkey Disco Squad, but if you get on the internet, you'll find out there are millions of others out there like you. And lots of places on the net to find out more info on the show than you ever thought possible.
The first use of the internet for increasing your show enjoyment is informational. Let's say, for example, you're not sure if the upcoming week's episode is a rerun or not. Oh, you may not have seen it before, but you may want to know the order it comes in so you can properly place where it is on the overall season story (you may be a little jarred, for example, to see supporting cast member walking around and talking when you just saw him fall into a coma last week). Well, a great way to avoid the confusion is look up the show on the net. Every show has got an "official site" that the network, or production company, has put up. You can find it (and other sites) just by going to yahoo.com or google.com and doing a search under your show's name. You'll likely find the official site near the top of the list, and that's a good place to start. You'll be able to find episode guides, character guides, and maybe even some cool downloadable wallpapers for your desktop with photos from the show (so everyone at work can see what a dork you are for that show). You can learn about the show's creators, too, which can be fun. The official sites are cool, but they're also pretty controlled. What I mean is, you may not always get complete or insider information here. The people who really research and know a lot about the shows are the fans. And there are usually fan sites for every show, too. Here you can learn a lot more than the networks are willing to share with you. Which brings up another topic--spoilers. Spoilers are just what they sound like...these are pieces of information that spoil something for you, like what's coming up on next week's episode or down the road a ways. Since most (sane) TV watchers hate spoilers, people who build the fan sites are usually pretty good about giving spoiler warnings before the review or article. Just keep an eye out, because spoilers are much like peeking at your Christmas presents early. Takes out all the fun. For me, my favorite general TV site to go to is epguides.com. This is a place with episode lists and other general information every show out there. If you think you missed an episode, you can come here to view the season and see if one doesn't found familiar.
Ah, but what to do if you do find out that you missed an episode of your show? You can either hope the network shows the rerun again down the road (not that likely these days, since the new norm for summers, long the great bastion for catching up on reruns, is to put summer-specific all-new programming on), or you can try your luck with the internet. Yes, you can download episodes of TV shows. You certainly won't find these episodes at the official site (what, let people watch the show with no commercials?), but if you use peer-to-peer software like Groktser, you can run a search on your show title, and see if anyone out there has that episode posted up. You can then download it and watch it right on your computer screen. Not as good as watching it on your TV (in general your TV will be clearer and have a better sound system than your computer), but a great way to make sure you don't miss an episode. Episodes can also be found through newsgroups and through ICQ channels. Just look around and see what you can find.
One of the better parts of the internet and TV, though, is bringing fans of a show together. Do a little searching around, and you'll quickly find message boards and chat rooms for the show you like. This can be a lot of fun. You can chat away with total strangers about which character you like best on the show, what your favorite episode is, what you think is going to happen next season, etc. You'll feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that you're not the only one out there that watches your show, and you'll likely learn things about your show that you never even knew. Of course, you're also going to have to deal with the ups and downs of internet conversations (idiots and insane people, or people who just lack social skills...or a grasp of the English language), but overall, you'll feel a lot more a part of your show if you become part of that show's fan community. You don't have to join any clubs or wear a button or anything...just find a room or a board and talk about your show. You'll enjoy. You might even find a friend. Or a stalker!
So, in closing, if you really want to get into that show you like so much, then do it. Watch it, watch it regularly, and use all the resources available to you to make sure you're getting the whole skinny and the most out of your enjoyment of the show. Don't be a channel flipper! Be a show watcher! Enjoy.