What role does TV play in my life? Stress release, company, information, entertainment, etc?
I use TV as a mental health entertainment/stress release buffer. I like to have several engrossing, fun stories flitting around in my head to think about. It’s like my own version of chewing gum so I won’t grind my teeth or smoke kind of thing. If I have several good stories tumbling around in my head, I think about them, instead of obsessively worrying or being overly critical of myself. I use book reading and story writing the same way. It makes for a really cheerful life.
What limits do I put on my TV watching?
I try to limit myself to approximately 10 hours a week. Research shows watching more than 10 hours a week of TV adversely affects a child’s academic achievement. I’m not a child anyone—at least chronologically—and I don’t go to school anymore, but it seems reasonable to conclude that watching more than 10 hours of TV a week might affect my growth as a person too.
Since the research shows there’s no difference between kids who watch no TV and kids who watch 10 hours of TV a week, I aim for 10 hours because watching TV is enjoyable and gives me mental food thoughts to chew on.
What kinds of shows do I prefer?
Mostly I like shows that are well written, have intriguing characters, and make me both laugh and think. Here’s my list:
The Leads (Shows I Watch Regularly and Rather Obsessively)
1. Supernatural– (CW) season 4
2. The Big Bang Theory & How I Met Your Mother– (CBS) season 2 & season 4
3. Pushing Daisies– (ABC) season 2
4. Friday Night Lights– (Direct TV) season 3
5. Fringe– (Fox) season 1
6. Mad Men– (AMC) season 2
7. Skins (BBCA) season 1 & 2
8. Daily Show (Monday & Tuesday) (Comedy Central)
9. Daily Show (Wednesday & Thursday) (Comedy Central)
10. Gossip Girl (w/ the daughterling or I probably wouldn’t watch for just myself)
11. The X-Files (season 1 on DVD in French w/ English subtitles to practice my French)
(Without the commercials this list adds up to about 10 hours)
The Understudies (recorded and stored on Tivo for instant fill-in when my leads have a repeat)
1. The Office [only ½ hour] (There are a lot of Daily Show repeats, so I get to watch this pretty often.)
2. Heroes
3. Bones
4. Gavin & Stacey [only ½ hour]
5. True Blood
6. Chuck
What do I do when I watch TV?
Just watch, though sometimes I eat my lunch while I watch a show, and sometimes I end up writing down favorite quotes from the show. I’m really picky about what shows I watch. Basically a show has to be so engrossing that I want to only watch it. If I find myself wanting to surf the web, clean, or fold laundry while I watch a show, that’s a sign I’m probably going to stop watching soon.
And You? What are your TV watching habits?
Rowena Eureka 
i don’t have a TV.
i don’t have internet at home.
i get internet at school, but i don’t really watch tv on it.
Wow. I guess most of your time is spent on your school work and job. What do you do for fun and stress release?
for fun and stress, i see live entertainment. last night i saw laurie anderson’s performance at the mandeville theatre. it was amazing.
That does sound fun. I love Laurie Anderson.
Found this post and couldn’t resist…since you asked about TV watching habits albeit seven years ago…here we go (keeping in mind my world first and foremost usually is watching sports – hence the name)…Scorpion, Blindspot, The Muppets, The Flash, iZombie, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Supernatural, Modern Family, Survivor, The Big Bang Theory, Sleepy Hollow, The Blacklist, How To Get Away With Murder, Elementary, Haven, The Amazing Race, Royal Pains (summer). If watching too much TV is a killer I’m certainly a dead man. What are you watching these days – have you done a more recent post on your current viewing habits? (By the way…Wife and I loved Pushing Daisies and The Office…have seen most of Bones but kind of fell out of rotation somehow…!)
Ooh! Good list! I don’t think I have done a recent TV post. I still have my same TV rules of 10 hours or less a week and it has to be a show I like enough that I just watch it and do nothing else.
My current slate of shows are: iZombie, Jane the Virgin, Supergirl, Grimm, Nashville, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Black-ish, and Casual.
At one time, I used to watch Supernatural, Arrow, Big Bang, Sleepy Hollow, How to Get Away with Murder, Modern Family, Royal Pains, and Flash, and enjoyed each of them for a while. I’m incredibly picky, though, and tend to drop a show for any number of reasons: it got boring, it got too convoluted, everyone’s died at least once and I just don’t care anymore, the main character became unlikable, the plot got repetitive, the writing got lazy, the show was just too maniac for me despite the characters being charming (Oh, hello Sleepy Hollow), etc.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the show on my current list most endangered of being cut right now, but I don’t have anything better to replace it with, for now, so I’m sticking with it.
I have to admit the wife likes S.H.I.E.L.D. more than I. I was ready to give up on it early on when it didn’t seem to even be tied to the Marvel universe. I am now fed up with how Jenna and Fitz’s relationship has been presented and when Skye morphed into Daisy…don’t get me started on that! We are both near the end on Sleepy Hollow…you nailed that one perfectly. I think when Fox renewed them they said…”look, we’ll give you a crossover episode with Bones but we hate everything you’ve done of late so just start over and make sure it has no ties to any prior episodes.” Yup, Sleepy Hollow is on the endangered list!
I think my main problem with S.H.I.E.L.D. is that Melinda May is the only character I really care about. I’m not crazy about Fitz and Jemma as a romantic couple either—and I’m several episodes behind so I still don’t know if that has happened or not—but I actually liked them more once they both had personal issues to deal with. I also wished I cared more about Skye/Daisy because I like the actor who plays her, but for some reason I’m not connecting with her plots lately either.