Top Ten things not to do when trying to decide what to watch on TV

~ John W. Howell

 

Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash

 

This post ran on October 6th, 2014. Since we all need to decide what to watch on TV, it still might be helpful.

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Top Ten things not to do when trying to decide what to watch on TV

This list was inspired by a recent visit to a friend’s house and observing how the friend decided which shows to watch.

10 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch, do not take a suggestion from anyone ages fourteen to eighteen. If you do, at best, you will be lost in the translation. At worst, you will see and hear things that will keep you up at night.

9 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch, do not use the newspaper reviews as a guide to good programming. If you do, at best, you will be asleep earlier than usual. At worst, you might wonder if you should discontinue your cable service.

8 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch, don’t ask someone else what they want. If you do, at best, you will get an icy stare when you ignore the suggestion. At worst, you may end up watching this and other shows in the privacy of the garage.

7 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch, do not scroll through the guide, hoping something good will jump at you. If you do, at best, you will have to review one hundred and sixty channels that are basically the same. At worst, those in the room may call an audible, and you will lose your remote privileges for heaven knows how long.

6 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch, do not call a friend for a suggestion. If you do, at best, the friend will want a report on the show. At worst, you will hate the show, and you can lie to your friend or turn a friend into an enemy.

5 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch and your in-laws are there, simply hand over the remote. If you don’t, at best, they’ll miss their favorite show and hate you forever. At worst, they might like your selection and decide to return on the nights that it is on since they can’t remember which channel to tune.

4 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch and your significant other wants to do something else, turn the set off. If you don’t, at best, you will be watching the show alone. At worst, you might be watching the show, which will be your only company for the long, cold winter.

3 If you are trying to decide which TV show to watch, do not rely on the network hype about the “best new show of the season.” If you do, you do, at best, you might waste a half hour. At worst, you might waste a whole night, depending on how many network hypes you follow.

2 If you are trying to decide which show to watch on TV, do not think the DVR will help. If you do, at best, you may end up with a bunch of shows and no disk space. At worst, you may have recorded all the clinkers of the season and, while reviewing them, miss the best.

1 If you are trying to decide which show to watch on TV, do not use any kind of gambling prop to help with the decision. If you do, at best, the odds of getting something you want to watch are the same as the odds against you. At worst, your prop will be no more favorable to you in selecting an excellent show to watch than it has been in delivering sure-thing winners.

84 thoughts on “Top Ten things not to do when trying to decide what to watch on TV”

  11. That drives me nuts. Just scrolling through the guide, hoping something will pop up that I suddenly want to watch. Same thing when looking for something to eat in the fridge 😆

    Liked by 1 person

  13. We are not TV watchers–except for the 30-minute news each night–but I usually ask husband, “Anything good on tonight?” “No.” End of discussion.

    Tiny doesn’t watch TV, either?

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Ha! Ha! This post rings all my bells. I don’t often watch TV, but when I decide I need mindless entertainment, I scroll through hundreds of movies trying to find something, then usually turn it off and grab a book. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Rings a bell 🙂 I am nearly completely off TV, except the occasional live sport. I do look occasionally for mindless entertainment and scarf through movie lists. Mostly, by the time I find something the feeling has passed. Sometimes, I start the movie. I think the longest I have lasted is 30 minutes.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. I nodded my head at many of these — especially #7. Oh man, the time that my family wasted while scrolling through infinite channels with the same House Hunting Storage Aliens Housewives Wilderness Survival shows was maddening. We cut cable and just watch streaming platforms. Picking a show is much easier.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. We often laugh at all the channels we have and still can’t find anything we want to watch on some occasions.

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  24. There are benefits to living alone… TV is for shows that are pre-programmed and for streaming at my discretion.

    I have so few cable channels that scrolling will take less than a half a minute!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I have just the basic, bare bones. I have to look into see if I even need to keep it, if I can get my stuff elsewhere. Sometimes they are connected. Something to ponder!

        Liked by 1 person

        2. Thanks to my kids, I have Prime and Disney+. I share with them Netflix. My Paramount+ is going to run out in January and I’ll decide then. I have a Canadian one called Crave which has similar stuff as your HBO Max. It’s a lot but sharing the expense makes it doable. You see lots of stuff on YouTube?

          Like

        4. Oh that’s cool. I have a few networks (Canadian) on my fire stick and I am not sure if they will work if I get rid of the cable. I should try unplugging it and seeing if I can get them.

          Liked by 1 person

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