The agony of indecision

Why does anyone watch new TV when there are perfectly good copies of every season of Gargoyles they could be pirating?

And then for one, "yeah I like that show!"

"Oh do you remember when x did y?"

...No, I forgot everything that happened a week later.

I've taken to calling this kind of media "Mandatory Adult Television." I think the first of its species was Lost; there were predecessors with some similar traits like The X Files or The Sopranos, heavily serialized adult content television that was very popular water cooler talk, but Lost was the first one I remember as segmenting the population into those who follow he show, and those who don't. Game of Thrones was THE big one. You either watched Game of Thrones or you weren't allowed to socialize as an adult. "Hey, did you see Game of Thrones last night?" "No, I don't watch that show." "Oh. Bye." For nearly a decade. No one wants to talk about that show anymore. Same with Lost.

I don't wanna overanalyze the meme, but it is irritating when you can't have a conversation with someone without their whole identity being based on whatever they've recently watched. Then if you haven't seen it, them uncreatively explaining the plot to you.

Severance is great. I watched it on my 3-month trial to Apple TV.

Seen one of those (The Boys). Maybe two if you count the first season of Westworld (don't plan on watching more because it's supposed to be shite).

I only really bother with Mike Flanagan's single season stuff on Netflix, because the man knows how to open and close a story. Others should take note. Don't start a story unless you know how it's going to end and how long it's going to take to get there.

"This is popular, let's make more" is an attitude that has ruined television.

The Bear is very very good

I still haven’t recovered from a certain Season 2 episode

As someone who very rarely watches series, this really hits home. I just rarely have the patience to do so, and because of that I also don't have any streaming subscriptions. I'd rather play games, because the interaction makes them a lot more rewarding to me. To each their own though, other people don't play games so they'll have the same problem with me

Also Mr. Robot and Foundation and Good Omens and Fleabag and the new Beavis and Butthead and Station Eleven and Doctor Who is about to get good again and Irma Vep was great but I don't think that one's coming back

I honestly believe half of these shows are fake and you can’t change my mind

I feel this way about video games.

... Still haven't seen The Wire 🥲

Fellas, is it a crime to want to share something you enjoy? As long as you aren't demonizing people who haven't seen it, who cares?

Imo we should limit these to one every 5 years.

I'm just now watching the 20 year old tv show "the wire" and its better than the 4 of these I have watched (of those 4, I'd only recommend the "the bear")

Haven't watched any of these and I don't feel like curling in fetal position. What's wrong with me, doctor?

The Last of Us and The Boys.

Haven't seen anything (or even heard of a lot) of the others. Not that they are bad shows. I just like to waste my time in other activities.

Like video games. Not shows, but still wasting time.

Wait until you hear about these things called "books"…

Then there's me, on my 4th rewatch of Mash this year.

Between shows and my steam backlog who has time for it all? Then there is all that other stuff like work, making dinner, getting outdoors, family...

If I had to watch every movie/show that was/is popular... I wouldn't have time for things I really enjoy, so fuck that.

I am out of touch and I don't recognize 85% of the names, and I am suspecting that those are made up so that the comic resonates with informed people as well. And the artist seems to have little imagination ("The Watcher" is obviously a play on "The Witcher").

Who added wednesday?

A problem I often have is finding something good enough to kinda watch, but not SO good that I feel like I’m missing something if I screw around with my tablet while it’s on.

I haven't even heard of half of these shows, let alone watched them. Who even has time to watch all of these?

I mean, Wednesday and The Bear we're both great shows TBH. Russian Doll was funny and dark as well.

The Bear is a great show, would definitely recommend.

Been boycotting the media for about a decade. It frankly makes it difficult to make small talk when you refuse to know about the latest trends that Big Media sells to the populace

I feel this

Based on the mostly fantastic choices presented here, I am now using those mentioned that I haven’t seen as a guide to future choices.

Don’t even get started with anime, I feel like there’s sooo many good shows but each one has over 600 episodes and I won’t ever get time to watch it all

And they're all MID

If The White Lotus isn't a TLA spinoff I'm gonna invade the Rhineland.

Edit: looking for volunteers

Are you... Me?

What about Righteous Gemstones? I'm like 4 or 5 episodes in but it hasn't grabbed my attention yet. Worth watching?

My wife and I have like 3 comfort shows that we just rewatch all year round. And this is kind of how it's like when we meet up with our friends who have watched everything new as it releases.

I honestly feel like there’s entirely too many actually good shows out there for any one person to watch.

Why bother trying to keep up to date with all these things just because of FOMO?

CONSOOM TV

Personally that agony of indecision has saved me probably thousands of pounds - I've never subscribed to a single streaming service, knowing that having to actually choose what to watch instead of settling for the least shit thing currently on tv, would paralyse me for hours each day.

I'm a big fan of serpadesign, he inspired me into terrariums and last month I made a small fish bowl, which I am planning to move to a proper fish tank that I will DIY from IKEA glass shelves as in one of his videos.

The only one of these I recognize is Westworld. I cut the cord after the first season and never looked back.

If you like Serpadesigns, give homemade ecosystems a looksie. Similar content but more silly

Russian Doll is the only one worth watching. And only the first season.

I haven't seen a single one of any of those shows.

Great... more shows to download that I probably won't watch because I'm still trying to catch up with older ones at least I just finished The Wire....

Watched the first episode of white lotus while on a flight and really couldn't be interested enough to finish that one. Does it become good later?

Out of all of those, I only saw Russian doll. Did it ever come back? There was a huge gap after season 2, and it didn't finish the story at all. Never heard of it was continued, I haven't had Netflix since I stopped getting it for free with my phone bill.

Seriously, I know none of them, not a single one. Maybe they are made up?

My ADHD is in this picture and it doesn't know why Jupiter is not another star.

Six out of nineteen ain't bad.

And just think if Hollywood continues to let this strike go on, we’re going to have the opposite problem.

I've only seen exactly one of these.

Hacks is very good. Love hacks

I get what you're saying here, but in all seriousness there's no good reason to have not watched Yellowjackets by now. You can do better. It's easily the best show of the last 10 years.

Mindhunter

IT ME!

How explicitly graphic is yellow jackets?

I only watch shows when they are done airing the last season / episode. Few exceptions.. like mindless comedy shows that have no ongoing story arch through the seasons.. like the simpsons.

I always click on serpadesign!