How To Pick Your Next TV Show

Finding a great TV show used to be difficult because very few existed, but now the opposite issue exists in this era of Peak TV.  Finding a great show is easy but figuring out which great show is worth your personal time is now the issue. 

20 years ago, there were few shows outside of the major networks.  You had to make sure to be home or set your VCR in order to catch your favorite show.  Even 10 years ago, TiVo and DVRs made time and channel irrelevant but still only a few non-major networks such as HBO made shows worth watching.  Then came AMC, FX et al. started making groundbreaking comedies and dramas.  It was great, there was amazing TV everywhere.  Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Louie to a name a few.  But then Netflix, Amazon and Hulu threw their hats in the ring and suddenly instead of 4 or 5 “must-watch” shows, there were 30 or more amazing shows.  That brings us to our problem today, what is worth our time versus a good show that is solid but not the best viewing experience.

Let’s just look at the best shows of 2015.  There were over 98 shows that received at least one top 10 vote from a respected critic.  Big Bang Theory, the #1 comedy on TV only managed a single tenth place vote.  In the 90s, Seinfeld or Friends would have been near the top of any list but in today’s world a broad well-written smash hit can be great, but is no one’s favorite.  I enjoy Big Bang Theory, but it wouldn’t make my personal top 10 either.  My personal favorite show Last Week Tonight was only ranked #31 and I am not surprised or outraged.  I have not seen Fargo, Better Call Saul and am even seasons behind on The Americans, a show I love.  How can someone pick their personal favorites when there is not time to sample all of these shows let alone dive into most of these.

Here is my three step solution:

1. Find a TV critic with similar tastes.  Whether you find your favorite Hollywood Reporter, HitFix, Entertainment Weekly or Channel 33 personality through their website or podcast, you can quickly find someone with a similar taste.  Once you do, try and get their review of new series to quickly remove or add them to your list.

2. Watch the hit shows with major spoilers first.  This means Scandal, Game of Thrones or any other show known for their major deaths and plot twists.  If you do not watch these immediately or plan on living under a rock without WiFi, these will be spoiled for you.  Even if you have never seen a single Game of Thrones episode, you probably have heard of the Red Wedding.  Transparent for example is a great show, but you could start watching from the beginning without anyone ever giving away any major plot point.

3. Cut the cord quickly.  When a beloved show either completely jump the shark or simply start to show its age, get out!  I made this mistake with How I Met Your Mother.  The show was great for about three to four years, then the writers just started stringing the audience along for the slow ride.  Sadly, I sat on the ride waiting for a big payout at the end.  This never came and instead led to one of the most disappointing finales ever.  However had I stopped watching, The Wire would not still be on my must watch list.

Even with these tips, there is not enough time. But I’m not complaining, this is the best problem to have.  Gone are the days where summer is spent watching reruns of mediocre shows, now just catching ten percent of the best TV has to offer is superior to anything that came before.