TV girl

I don't think it's a secret to anyone who reads this blog that I like television. I don't have a show for every day of the week, and I only have a few that are Must See Compelling Obsessive watching; the rest, eh -- if I'm home, I'll watch it, otherwise I'll maybe think about taping it if I'm out. It's the obssessive shows that get me every time -- currently, it's "Grey's Anatomy". Last year, it was "Without a Trace" and before that it was "JAG". Thank God I only have time (and discipline) to obssess about one show a year.

I tend to take shows as they're given to me. I believe that the writers have a master plan, that they've created these characters with some goal in mind for their development, and that every plotline will be resolved. Some of you call me naiive, yes, but this is how I approach television. The show is a gift, and the writers can do with what they will. After all, the scenario and the characters belong to them and not to me; I cannot possibly even think to dictate to the writers what they should or should not do.

It's for that reason I'm often both awed and shocked when I visit fan sites and there are the fans of the show, who love the show, claiming they'll jump ship if their two favorite characters aren't going to be put together. I won't lie and say I'm happy with everything that happens on a show, but there's also the reality that television needs suspense and drama, and that unresolved romantic tension is the best way to keep viewers coming back.

I admit to watching because I like characters, but character only takes you so far. The premise, the acting, the writing, the continuity -- all of those are elements that I consider important in keeping a television show viable. Samantha and Martin may have pulled me into "Without a Trace", but I keep watching even now when they aren't together. Samantha and Martin might have been the catalyst, but they aren't the sole reason I watch.

So I always find it amusing when viewers threaten the writers/producers of a show (or heck, an author, like JK Rowling) with abandonment if the writers/producers don't do what the fan-person wants them to do. Because, y'know, the writer is never trying to please herself.