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.
Fiction Favorites 
I can’t watch when my sister starts looking for something to watch. There are so may channels and she whizzes through them like a pro. I just get dizzy!
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We pre-record or stream 100% of what we watch. Eliminates the guess work
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So does my sister, but I can’t watch the process of choosing them all…
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It can be frightening
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Thanks for the very useful advice, John! I hope you enjoyed a nice weekend, und the new week starts well. Best wishes, Michael – Now i have to look for your yesterday’s posting, the menu, and what’s happend at your site.
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Thank you for the well wishes, Michael. Always appreciated. 😁
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My husband is #7. Drives me crazy.
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There is a lot of that in this world. Thanks for sharing.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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So many options these days. My go-to is becoming to turn it off completely.
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That really works well. 😂
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This is why I do streaming now. Easier to find things or rewatch an older show.
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I agree. What we can’t stream we pre-record.
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# 3 is sooooo true!!
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Yes it is. Thanks, GP.
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Good advice, John, with some real truth.
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Thanks, Tim
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Great suggestions for someone who has a tv, which I don’t, but also somewhat relevant to trying to decide which book to read next.
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That is a good alternative for these ten, Linda. Thanks.
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Hubby is #7. I wouldn’t mind getting rid of our cable service, but he can’t give up surfing.
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Understandable. We gave up cable for YouTube TV. Still lots of channels.
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Great list, John. #4 should be handed out when you get a marriage license. Along with selections from several other Top-10 lists. You should create a compilation for guys.
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A guys top ten things not to do in life. I love it.
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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 😆
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Good point about the fridge. Thanks, Laura. 😊
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Run into most of these. Right now we are on an endless loop of Winnie the Pooh with my grandson. But we lost the TV remote yesterday, so no problem.
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I hate when the remote comes up missing. 🙄
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Ended up getting a new one, then my daughter found it within 2 minutes of looking!
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Ah. Now two.
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Yup, now we have a backup. Ear scritches to the ladies.
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Thank you, Noelle. They love those ear scritches.
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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?
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No Tiny tried to watch a TV show and got carried away. The TV ended up in the back yard.
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hahah! No surprise there! 😆
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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. 🙂
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Thanks, Jan. We are very careful about out TV watching. Only prerecorded or streaming shows. We do enjoy an hour at night.
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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.
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I have the same issue with movies. Most are terrible.
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This made me laugh. Every single one is true and I’m sure I’ve been through them and realised my mistakes!
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Ha ha ha. Absolvo Te, Esther.
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Great list, John. I don’t watch much television, but what I do watch, Larry has usually pre-recorded. 🌞
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We do the same. Nothing but prerecorded or streaming shows for us.
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Stellar advice! 📺 Made me think of TV Guide. 😆
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Is that thing published anymore?
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Just checked – looks like as online content. At this point I need a guide on how to turn my tv on. 😂
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Ha ha ha.Smart TVs are not the easiest anymore
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haha Yes, books are easier to manage. 😌
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So true
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It is complicated. It was easier back in the day, when I was a kid in Sweden. There was only one channel. The show was decided for you. You just had to hope it wasn’t a knitting class.
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Ha ha ha. I could see a kid watching that since there is nothing else on. Thanks, Thomas.
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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.
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We did too. We have YouTube TV now and Paramount plus for streaming.
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We quit cable about ten years ago and got rid of our TV altogether a year ago, and we don’t miss it.
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Good for you. We still have shows we can’t live without.
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Yet another excellent top ten things list offering. It reminded me of why I’m single and happily so. LOL
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Ha ha ha. I’m glad the list gave you a reminder. Thanks for sharing, Monika.
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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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It is a problem for sure. We went to YouTube TV and Paramount plus. Save about $80 a month.
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TV that last hour before falling asleep–that used to be wonderful. Now, it’s become annoying–for all the reasons you mention!
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Yeah, I agree. We went to Streaming an pre-recorded to get away from the mayhem
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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!
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We do the same as you. We don’t have cable.
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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!
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We went to YouTube and Paramount plus
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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?
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YouTube is more for network shows and sports. It is like cable but so much cheaper. Paramount plus is for the special shows like Yellowstone
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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.
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Your fire stick should work
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I will test it for sure 🙂
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Of course.
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It’s easy, if the Bills aren’t on, then I don’t watch. ‘Go, Bills!’
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That does make it easy. Good plan, Steve.
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It is 2024 and we are still watching them! That’s amazing!🤔
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Yes it is amazing
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I agree with you in not reading reviews, not ever. I don’t really care what the critics say. And I won’t trust the guide.
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I have seen too many good movies that critics hated. 😁
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Happens all the time, huh?
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I know right?
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How did we end up with over 800 channels and the choices are no better than when we only had 3?
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Makes you wonder for sure. 😁
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Yup!
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Sure, John. A “friend” was the inspiration for this one.
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He keeps his TV on 24/7 and has worn buttons on the remote.
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