There is so much shit to watch on the tele these days…. Netflix, Prime, iPlayer, Paramount, Disney (no maybe not Disney, that’s all a bit bobbins) AppleTV, ESPN and that’s before you consider all the crap you can get on one of those dodgy sticks from some ne’er do well down the boozer. Every other day there seems to be some new series to watch. How there can ever be such a thing as an out of work actor these days, I’ll never know.
However, I never pick anything brand new to watch until I’m in the right frame of mind. And the right frame of mind basically means that there’s little danger of me nodding off half-way through. Because that’s the worst thing ever… you get engrossed in the first ten minutes of a new show, then snooze for the next twenty-five and wake up at the end of episode one cliff-hanger that now makes absolutely no sense to you. Which means you have to start all over again from the beginning.
I normally avoid this dilemma by working out if I’m like to nod off and, if so, I will watch a re-run of an old favourite rather than something brand new because, that way, it doesn’t matter if you miss anything. This totally explains why I have watched the entire series of Sopranos, The Wire and The West Wing multiple times each – I have actually watched The West Wing from start to finish five times, now.
And then there are other shows that I can’t start regardless of whether I’m sleepy or not. There are simply too many episodes. I’ve been urged by numerous people to watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld, even The Repair Shop (why?!) but I’ve worked out that I’m more than likely to be dead before I get to the end of them all. So, I haven’t bothered.
That said, there are certain shows that I have definitely made the effort to stay awake through, and give my utmost attention to, but have still failed miserably to get very far for varying reasons.
The Iris Affair – This has been relentlessly advertised on Sky One and I really fancied it, partly because I like Tom Hollander and also because the trailers featured some Irish woman (called Iris) who I also really fancied. After months of watching the same trailer, the first episode duly arrived and, of course, I fell asleep. I tried to re-watch it the following night, but the same thing happened again. The twenty minutes I did actually see didn’t excite me enough to drag me back in and so that was the end of that.
Ozark – I got into this one relatively late but really loved it, so much so that I almost binge-watched the first three seasons within a couple of weeks which is not like me at all. I waited impatiently for season four only to skip it because something else came along to grab my attention – probably something with Billy Bob Thornton in it. It took me about two years to get to watch the first episode of season four and then I lost interest. Mainly because I’d pretty much forgotten what happened in the first three seasons.
Better Call Saul – Breaking Bad, I absolutely loved. So, imagine my delight when they produced a spin-off series featuring one of the key characters, Saul. When it was released, I watched the first episode then, guess what. I didn’t like it. I was bored. I watched one episode and no more.
Stranger Things – I watched this pretty much out of FOMO. Everybody I knew was hooked so I thought I’d better get involved. I stuck out the first three seasons, patiently waiting for it stop being silly. It felt like the Emperor’s New Clothes. What was supposed to be so good about it, I thought it was absolute nonsense?! Eventually, I just stopped. I actually felt really proud and grown-up just walking away from it and not resorting to the peer pressure to carry on. A bit like the fact that I’m never going to have a tattoo.
Brassic – A bit like it was with Iris the Irish woman earlier, I watched Brassic because I found it funny but mainly because of Michelle Keegan. I loved it – well, Michelle – but it’s still rambling on now, six long years later. Some things just outstay their welcome and go on for far too long… thinking about it, this blog has probably gone on too long, to be fair.
See you slumped in the armchair
Griff
