Saturday Social Post

[colls]

Hello, television viewers! I thought we could use another social post since the last one was so successful. Feel free to talk about any TV you want, below is a texty to use if you want.

Name
What TV have you been watching?
How do you watch?*
What summer show are you looking forward to?

<B>Name </b> <B>What TV have you been watching? </b> <B>How do you watch?* </b> <B>What summer show are you looking forward to? </b>

*A topic that's come up more than once recently is how we manage our TV media consumption. We still have the traditional broadcast television with their traditional 'fall' season premieres, winter hiatus and spring finales. But that's only a fraction of what's available now. We have cable networks with shows that have shorter seasons and fall into the 'winter' or 'summer' categories, and within cable networks there's a hierarchy of the premium channels like Showtime and HBO compared to the basic channels like SyFy and USA Network. Then there are streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, which will sometimes drop an entire season at once. And if that's not enough, I'm sure there's more that I've forgotten.

Then comes the question of when you have access to the show vs. when the show was released. For example, a show that is currently airing on a cable channel will become available on a subscription service like Netflix several months later. If you're in a different country, that release is even more delayed. Do you wait? If you're behind other viewers/fans, how does it change your fannish interaction?

FYI - My comments/experience above is based on USA, please share yours as I don't know a lot about what's common in other countries other than via osmosis from places like this. The region release schedule varies and confuses the heck out of me.

Some summer show resources:
Summer TV Premier Calendar
Popsugar's Guide to Summer's Hottest New and Returning Shows

Comments

[colls]

Name colls
What TV have you been watching? re-watching The Expanse and Sense8 season 2
How do you watch?* I don't have cable, so my primary method is Netflix and to a lesser extent Amazon Prime. If there's a show I am VERY into, I will purchase episodes via Amazon or iTunes (usually amazon so I can watch on my actual TV).
I do dislike being behind other fans as I'm a bit of a spoilerphobe and don't often engage with episode reactions people may post as I haven't seen the episodes yet. So, I feel left out of conversations (not that there are many these days?) and tend to limit my fannish interactions because of it.
What summer show are you looking forward to? Killjoys and Dark Matter. I'm just so thrilled there's shows set in space now, we had a lack of them for a while and I LOVE SPACE SHOWS!

[ceares]

Name ceares
What TV have you been watching? Sense8 though not season 2 yet, honestly, lots of Shaw Brothers movies and other stuff on El Rey, reruns of "old people television" ie Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder
How do you watch?* traditional tv, Netflix or Tivo'd seasons
What summer show are you looking forward to? Midnight, Texas and Will.

Anymore, I pretty much see something interesting and either tivo and watch the whole thing in a couple of sittings or hope it comes on Netflix as some point. Like Colls said, there's not a ton of discussion these days or at least if it's out there, I haven't found it, so other than the con I go to, I have way less fannish engagement with shows than I used to.

[dancing_serpent]

Name Phaeton

What TV have you been watching?
still on my NCIS:LA re-watch, have progressed to season five now

How do you watch?*
I prefer watching from DVD on my tv. My computer screen is too small for my preferences, and my couch is much more comfortable than sitting in front of my desk top pc. I still have an old tv that's not connected to my pc or the internet, and next month when cable switches from analogue to digital I'm probably losing almost all stations I still have available.

Because of my DVD watching habits I'm alway behind on everything. I don't mind spoilers, but I noticed that I often disagree with other people's interpretation of a character or something that happened on a show, which makes reading reaction posts difficult for me. Because I'm never sure if that's going to be the case, and it colours my enjoyment, or even makes me wary of watching.

Also, when I'm reading fanfic for a certain show, I like to be caught up with current events, otherwise I will constantly wonder if a character or event is part of canon, or if that's something the author has come up with.

What summer show are you looking forward to?
I'm trying not to think about it. I have so many unwatched stuff lying around, I don't want to arrive at the point where it's starting to stress me out. *g*

[dancing_serpent]

When I finally get to buying a new tv, I'm going to get Netflix or Amazon Prime, too. I'm kinda looking forward to that, even if the buying-a-new-tv thing is still far away into the future. *g*

Serial Watcher intro

[phantomas]

Name Phantomas

What TV have you been watching?

A LOT. For Reasons. In no particular order, at the moment:

I'm finishing Luke Cage (Have watched Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Daredevil 1 and 2) so I'm ready for The Defenders, and hoping for The Punisher to come out soon.
I'm up to date with The 100 season 4, just waiting on the last two episodes of the season to be aired.
Excited for the eps of Agents of Shield .
Watched the first season of the Expanse, planning on starting season 2asap.
Watched first episode of American Gods and Handmaid's Tale. Having read both books, I'm curious to see how the adaptations fares. I may abandon AG for a while and catch up with HMT first, though.
Watching Vikings series 4, up to ep3 right now. Travis Fimmel's interpretation of Ragnar is amazing, a true acting tour-the-force. A long, long way from his Tarzan the series work.

I am behind with Arrow (up to S4), The Flash (beginning of S3) and haven't yet started Legends of Tomorrow.

Up to date with Big Bang Theory and Brooklyn 99.
Watched one random episode of the Killjoys and enjoyed it, but don't think I can fit it in yet.

I need to catch up with S11 and S12 of Supernatural. I love the show, watched it since the very beginning when every season was potentially at risk of renewal. Love the boys. At some point, got tired of some issues and moved away, but it is still one of my main fandoms (alongside The Professionals).

Up to date with The Walking Dead, still enjoying it even with all its faults (and they are many ;)
Up to date with Game of Thrones.
Want to watch the last season of Bates Motel, which is a great series and really well made and acted all around (imo).

Just finished watching the new series of Still Game, brilliant and funny Scottish TV series about two pensioners. Highly recommended for true, black sarcasm and Scottish mores, but the accent is quite strong, so be prepared.

There may be more, sorry, but yes, I am a Serial Watcher! (It's clear where my life is going, ops. I did study Film and Television for a Master degree, and I'm a writer, so me=narrative junkie).



How do you watch?*

I'm UK-based. Amazon Prime, Netflix, and, erm, other ways. I do like doing some weekend binge watching, especially once series/seasons are finished. I gave up on not being spoiled years ago - unless you completely avoid the net, there is really no way (that I could see, at least). I don't mind though, it's not necessarily WHAT happens but HOW it happens.


What summer show are you looking forward to?

Because of the above, no one show in particular? I don't really follow TV anymore, I 'consume' accordingly to what is available when I want to watch. I'll keep watching what I am watching at the moment, catching up with things, trying new ones.

Very excited to be here :) Sorry for the long intro!

[phantomas]

"so many unwatched stuff lying around"

I feel you :)

[phantomas]

I haven't found the discussion either. There is some on Tumblr, but the nature of the beast is confusing :)

[phantomas]

I love shows set in space too :)

Been too long since there were any. I mean, I watched the original Space:1999 religiously, and I'm looking forward to reruns of U.F.O. Battlestar Galactica (the original and the new one) were both good but I never managed more than superficial watching, whereas Space:Above and Beyond didn't last long enough. Sigh.

They are more expensive to film, sadly :)

Re: Serial Watcher intro

[phantomas]

I forgot I enjoyed immensely both Stranger Things (hopefully Season 2 will be as good) and the deliciously creepy Channel Zero: Candle Cove, I highly recommend it.

Oh, and Legion, Legion was interestingly filmed :)

And True Detective (season one!) was amazing and I am in love with it all. Didn't get past ep1 of Season2.

ETA: Also watched and loved Gotham (up to date, so waiting for new season, such a gorgeous production), Hannibal (lots of thoughts on this one!) and The Following.

[yourlibrarian]

What TV have you been watching? Barreling through S2 of Sense 8, probably will finish it today. Up to date on Agents of SHIELD, The Catch, and Quantico. 1 episode behind on Supernatural.

How do you watch?* Cable and Netflix, both streaming and discs. We've never subscribed to premium channels so I can generally only see those shows once the DVDs are out. Also handy for the many movies not available through streaming (at least on Netflix). We rely on the DVR for everything so what often happens is that Netflix streaming barely gets used during fall and spring but gets used regularly over the summer when there is less new programming available.

So basically the priority becomes (1) Watching the DVD right away to keep the turnover quick (2) Watching frequent programming like the Daily Show and Colbert ASAP both due to timeliness and reducing DVR storage (3) Watching other stuff based on the likelihood of either being spoiled (4) someone waiting to talk about the results (5) or level of interest in seeing it NOW.

We've done a free month of Amazon Prime but found the offerings rather limited. I think we used all the time watching Whitechapel and Alpha House. Really liked S1 of the latter, never got to see S2. Also never got to see all of Whitechapel because neither Amazon nor Netflix had the whole run.

What summer show are you looking forward to? Just checked out that calendar link, handy! However it seemed like some sort of deja vu -- is that for this year? I've got to say I'm surprised to see some titles on there as returning shows. I watched S1 of Wayward Pines and wasn't impressed. Ditto with American Gothic (and boy does it not hold up to memories of the original CBS American Gothic which was a completely different premise and way better). And I thought Beauty and the Beast had been cancelled long ago?

[yourlibrarian]

What was your opinion of Sense 8 S2?

Re: Serial Watcher intro

[yourlibrarian]

Ha, that's a lot alright! Unfortunately most of the areas where I overlap I'm not that enthusiastic about. Watched The Following but couldn't stomach the manpain issues in S1. I've always found Gotham disappointing though there's always been something really remarkable about it, often acting performances. So I'm current on that but was honestly surprised it got renewed. Ditto with Vikings. I liked S1 and S2 but liked it less as it went on. I'm mostly just curious where the storyline's going at this point and tend to fast forward through it.

I've only watched Jessica Jones and quite liked it at the beginning but got very impatient with it by the end and thought the finale was weak. My story with SPN is similar in that I dropped it entirely for 2 seasons, came back last season and am still watching this one but am finding it mostly disappointing and am pretty indifferent at this point.

I did like both Stranger Things and Legion. I'm also still enjoying B99. Still Game sounds like something I should check out sometime.

[hellkitty]

Name HK
What TV have you been watching? Lately? A genre I call Netflix British Crime Serials. Caught up on Shetland and just finished season 5 of Death in Paradise (about which I have many strong feelings re: Poole vs Goodman).

I'm a season behind on Marvel and DC TV--I love Legends of Tomorrow. I hear Flash got a little less fun than I think Flash should be, I grudgingly follow Arrow, waiting for it to eventually get good, and Supergirl is...well, since KatCo is Kat free? Eh, my enthusiasm needs a tune up. I didn't care for Mon-El (that was his name, right? The obnoxious douchebro they kept trying to get to ship her with?). I want to catch up on the crazy WTF fest that is Gotham, too.

Caught up entirely on Walking Dead--man, I wish the first half of the season was at all as well paced and written as that second half! And caught up on HUMANS though I'm not sure I like how they've tweaked the premise.

How do you watch?* Netflix. I'm a shameless binger this year, since my schedule is so erratic I simply...can't be around for shows that air at scheduled times.

What summer show are you looking forward to? I want the DC/Marvel TV shows to come to Netflix! And more British crime dramas. And Preacher, really. I feel lame. I probably need to comb this site for recs for stuff to get excited about!

[ceares]

*sigh* I do miss the heydey of LJ and fan sites like Television Without Pity, when it was easy to find discussions about everything about a show or episode from symbolism to product placement.

[colls]

The thing I like best about them is they're portable, so I can watch on my tablet with earbuds or somewhere else when not at home.

Good luck on the TV buying when it comes around!

[colls]

I'm so glad space came back in fashion! And yes, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact they cost more to make.

[colls]

Oh.
My.
God.

I love everyone in this cluster.


The recasting of Capheus has thrown me off just a bit, but I'm warming up to him. The pacing of the episodes continues to be amazing and the way they use montages and music is very emotional.

[colls]

How far into Sense* are you? How are you liking it?

[colls]

I have a lot of unwatched stuff lying around, too. I think a lot of us do.

I'm glad you're still enjoying your re-watch.


Oh, and I've often had that mismatched reaction with other fans. Like sometimes I wonder if we were watching the same show! Enjoy what you enjoy, I find those that have differing opinions than me are still enjoyable to talk with if we both stay positive and dwell on the things we do like.

Re: Serial Watcher intro

[colls]

Hello!

I have hopes to watch The Handmaid's Tale. That book was very powerful for me when I first read it many years ago and the movie that was done didn't really do it justice, IMO.

And I'm at the same spot as you with SPN. I've watched/loved it for ages, but for some reason haven't caught up with seasons 11/12.

[colls]

Barreling through S2 of Sense 8, probably will finish it today.
Me too!!!

I'm probably not coherent about it at the moment, but am really liking the storylines. I'm especially partial to Sun's at the moment, but so many threads are so good.

ETA: And I think it's for this year?? Wayward Pines and Beauty and the Beast aren't canceled shows as far as I can tell (but just did a cursory google check, I don't watch either)

[yourlibrarian]

It isn't just Capheus either, is it? Wasn't Kala's husband also recast? I had no idea about it so it was jarring and I was wondering if I was just misremembering because it's been a while since S1.

I was not that enthused about S1 which I actually forwarded through a lot of. It had a great premise but was very slow moving for me, which is saying something given it's not that long a series. However, I've been enjoying S2 much more. With the overall plot, characters, and cluster established I feel the individual storylines are more meaningful, as are the overlaps in their experiences (such as when Sun and Riley talk about how they've swapped places since their last talk in that spot). Plus I like the development of the conspiracy plot which is also making more sense and moving along.

[yourlibrarian]

Death in Paradise is in my queue but I've been saving it for summer when I'll have more time. What do you recommend about it?

I've lost interest in all the DC shows but got much more interested in SHIELD in the last few months. I was interested in what you said about Humans, what did/didn't you like about it? (I'm caught up on it)

[ruuger]

Name Ruuger

What TV have you been watching? Doctor Who. I've been casually watching it since Eccleston, but suddenly this season I've found myself actually loving the show and caring what happens in it.

How do you watch?* Seems like these days I mostly just rewatch my old favourite shows on DVD :D I'm watching Doctor Who 'live' on TV because it's airing in my country only a day behind UK. That's fairly unusual for me since usually shows are at least a season behind, which is why I don't often watch current shows. I'm so used to being behind that I don't even manage to keep up with Netflix :D

What summer show are you looking forward to? Sense8. Which is already out but I probably won't be able to see it until summer.

[dancing_serpent]

I transferred lots of episodes to my smartphone, but decided very fast that I don't like watching on such small screens. A tablet is too small, as well. I'd really rather not watch then.