3 Signs It’s Time To Stop Watching That Show

Recently I was chatting with a fellow fan of a certain hour-long show which boasts a segment of the fanbase who are incredibly disgruntled. Thousands and thousands of words have been written expressing their displeasure about a certain plot development, extending to constant negativity about the show as a whole. Other fans, like the two of us who are admittedly more easygoing and optimistic, are feeling the strain of the now familiar complaints posted over and over by this other group of fans. Which led to the question: why are they still watching? From an objective point of view, a lot of these people don’t appear to even like the show they’re spending so much time arguing about, so why do they continue? At what point do you throw in the towel on a show that no longer pleases you? The answer is subjective, but here are the three signs for when it’s time for me to stop watching a show.

1. It’s a chore to watch. I have not watched Fringe since about 3/4 of the way through season 1. All of the episodes were on my DVR up until December, but I had no desire to watch them because it felt like work. Despite my hope that I would love the show, it never hooked me, so those episodes wasted away in digital limbo until I finally acknowledged that this just isn’t something I’m interested in. The last couple of seasons of Gilmore Girls were also a chore, as were a couple of seasons of Buffy, but when you’ve already invested five years in a show, it’s difficult to cut the ties.
2. It requires more of a time commitment than you can afford. Yes, Lost, I’m looking at you. I gave up on Lost toward the end of season 3 simply because I did not have the time to spend deciphering and analyzing each episode. I finally decided to wait until the series ends, then rewatch the whole thing on DVD, just to save my sanity.
3. It’s no longer entertaining. That is the fundamental point of television shows, right? To entertain us? I don’t mean every episode has to be laugh out loud funny or give me the warm fuzzies, but if, when the final credits roll, I don’t feel like what I saw was worth the time, then it needs to be cut. Of course every show has an “off” episode now and then, so I’ll give a show with a proven track record, like Chuck, a chance. But if the “off” is more frequent than the “on,” then sayonara Heroes!

What about you? When do you decide to cut a show from your watch list? Or do you stick with it to the bitter end?