DRG

Sometimes there'll be a show where I have 6 or 7 episodes sitting on my DVR (not from a marathon). In my head I still think it's a good show and I enjoy it when I DO watch it, yet for whatever reason I just don't ever feel like watching it.

The real test is if I forget to Tivo an episode... will I curse at the Tivo, see that there's a replay in an hour, and whine "But I wanted to watch it nowwwww..."? Will I sigh and seek it out On Demand (or worse, streaming)? Or will I just shrug and say "Screw it"?

fujishig

Yeah, I think for me a lot of times TV is about momentum; there are exceptions, of course, like Game of Thrones where I'll seek out and watch no matter what as soon as I can. But for the most part, I look at something like the Office, and it was something we watched for a long time, and continued despite the dip in quality because I was so familiar with the characters.

When you get a backlog, or the DVR messes up and you miss an episode, or sports gets in the way, and you lose that momentum. Maybe you convince yourself you'll catch up someday, but it becomes harder and harder to do as the backlog grows. Then it gets cancelled, or you hear how horrible it's gotten, and you move on. Whereas if you're watching it regularly you may not.

I don't remember what off the top of my head, but there are several shows I dropped because we missed a recording when we moved into a new place.

starseed1981

Interesting. I dropped Rectify because my provider only offers Sundance in SD. I also had to drop Modern Family because my DVR only lets two recordings happen at once and the only two shows my wife watches are on at the same time (Criminal Minds and SVU).

I also forgot about Rescue Me which I dropped in S4. The dip in quality from S3 to S4 is in my opinion the biggest drop in quality of any show I've seen in probably the last decade or so.

hdnmickey

I wouldn't go that far. People still only have so many hours in a day to watch TV. I have two multi-show DVR's and I still have to decide what I can keep up with or not. Many shows with great reviews never get started because I can't keep up with the ones I watch AND bring in new ones.

And DVR or not, some shows must be kept up with given the multiple ways to have things spoiled without your control. I've literally had major developments spoiled by off the cuff remarks during talk shows on other subjects. It's just unavoidable when a show if real popular and the vast majority still watch things live.

fujishig

Do the vast majority still watch things live (if you take out sports and maybe reality tv)? That's almost incomprehensible to me (though I realize it's probably true).

Easy

I understand this. I have lots of "Criminal Minds" and "Nikita" episodes on DVR and I enjoy them when I watch but I almost never do. I actually bought the Criminal Minds series when Patinkin was on but quit when he left.

I see many more shows I quit on mentioned that I simply forgot about.

X files
All in the Family
Happy Days
many others dropped mostly due to decline in quality...

Seems to me the networks just kept milking some shows they should have let die gracefully. Well, I guess we knew that.

Michael Corvin

None of the above. Cable (and the 10-13 episode seasons) has mostly proven that it's easier to keep the quality up in shortened runs. Even excellent shows that run 20+ episodes have a fair share of clunkers.

I'd imagine there are more than a few of us here that wish we were that lucky. Don't ever let curiosity get you either. Don't give in.

hdnmickey

Based the samples I deal with, yes. And often for the same reason I described. They don't want to be the only ones not talking GoT/TWD on Monday mornings, or Survivor on Thursday mornings or have them spoiled.

And if not totally live, at least the same evening. We often let the show half record tend then pick it up to skip commercials.

And it turns out I left Desperate Housewives off my original list. What a drop off. Don't even know how things wrapped up, and don't care.

hanshotfirst1138

It seemed to be shedding cast members as it went, I got the impression that even if they didn't want it to be the last season, the show was getting long in the tooth and starting to resort to repeating itself and indulging in more soap opera stuff than usual.

That'sAllFolks

Heroes - this is the first show that I dropped because of quality. And I stuck with it A LOT longer than I should've.

Secret Life of the American Teenager -- I used to watch everything I was remotely interest in. I dropped this several times before I FINALLY dropped it. It really is a crappy show.


Now I seem to lose interest a lot sooner and I end up dropping a lot more.
Vampire Diaries
Nikita
Revolution - stupid, stupid, stupid
Louie - I never thought this was a great show, but I just didn't get around to watch it.
Hell on Wheels -- ditto
Justified -- ditto
Wilfred -- ditto
Bates Motel -- ditto
Glee -- the constant bombardment of gay relationships and Sue Sylvester forced me out
The Mentalist - got tired of Jane and the Red John arc was poorly executed
Hawaii 5-0 - not totally out, but I only watched about 1/2 the eps. I agree with some poster about Caan. His bitching and attitude is really tiresome.

I'm sure there are a lot more. Just can't remember them now.

Orbi-Wan Techno

Lately, Falling Skies. Watched the first episode of this season, have not seen another.

Original Desmond

It had dawned on me just how many shows i have bailed on not far from them finishing having already invested quite a bit of time in the show

For me i think it was a case i was watching a lot of these shows out of obligation but really didnt enjoy enjoy watching them and given time constraints .....

Put it this way, i have a "Pending end of season" folder in my HTPC where i put stuff in to watch at a later date and often don't get around to watching

Ok so criteria

a) Long running show, let's say 4 seasons or more

b) You must have invested watching at least 55% of the show's total duration

Here are some of mine

FRINGE - watched all but the last season

NUMBERS - watched all but the last season and a half

NIKITA - a few episodes into Season 3

SUPERNATURAL - got to season 8 ep 5

LEVERAGE - watched all but last season

TORCHWOOD - watched all but last season

CHUCK - watched all but last season and a bit

SHAMELESS UK - watched all but last 2 seasons

LIE TO ME - watched all but last season and 2/3 of season before that

DeputyDave

I'm the same with Fringe. Just never bothered watching the last season. The only other one would be Supernatural. My daughter (18) and I decided to watch the complete series on Netflix. We got about half way through season 7 and... well I not sure what happened. I think both of us realized we weren't enjoying it any more. I would pay more attention to my tablet and her to her phone. We just gave it up.

Crocker Jarmen

King of the Hill, but that's only because they stopped putting the DVDs out. Such a great show, I'd love to see the remaining seasons.

DJariya

Supernatural isn't done yet. It's on season 10 with no sign of ending.

I think Desmond is asking about series that finished airing, which you didn't finish for whatever reason as opposed to long running series you bailed on.

Back to Desmond's original post

He said 4 seasons or more? Lie to Me only lasted 3 seasons, 2 of which only got 13 episodes each. Season 2, which Shawn Ryan produced, got 22 episodes.

danfindlay

Burn Notice - Too much gun play and explosions which would have every fed in the world recalled and in Miami to find the asshole terrorist who keeps blowing shit up all over the place. Weston just had nothing subtle in the last episodes I watched. He came off as autistic and angry all the time. Plus I felt like I was looking at a set of those Russian wooden dolls - no this is the main bad guy - no this is- no this is- no this is- and on and on.

24 - I just about stopped When Kim was being stalked by the cougar but I made it several more seasons. There is only so much you can watch one man suffer before you realize you are watching the network equivalent of torture porn. Too bleak too non-sensical, too little of anything going right for Jack ever. I'd have told America to F off and retired to the Caribbean to bang hot chicks and do the Jimmy Buffet thing 6 seasons ago.

NCIS - I know it isn't done yet, but damn this show is so over done, it's like the turkey from Christmas Vacation. You can have the neck Cousin Eddie.

Babylon 5 - couldn't do season 5. Seemed so unnecessary.

Supernatural - You take away the very last shot of season 5 and leave Dean happy with that lady and the boy who I still think is his son and it would have been a perfect finale.

Hokeyboy

I guess my best example would be The X-Files. I started with season one, episode one, and was hooked immediately. The show was consistently great up until around Season 5 and with the craptacular first movie it sunk into a convoluted, pointless drawn-out, let's-make-this-shit-up-as-we-go-along pointlessness. I dropped the show I think around season 7, and never looked back. Ecch.

tommyp007

Californication. Watched every episode until the last season. By then it was so repetitive I never saw a single episode of the final season.

writer106

I get what you mean there. I used to like NCIS, CSI and Law&Order shows years ago, but over time procedural shows like those became those turkeys like you said. Law&Order SVU has gone way too long.

dan30oly

Saturday Night Live.

mike7162

Still haven't watched the last season of the X Files even though I own it.

I bailed out of Bones a few years back

JasonF

I dropped ER some time in the penultimate season.

I stopped watching Two and a Half Men when Charlie Sheen left, though I keep meaning to watch the Kutcher episodes.

Abob Teff

I started to say "none" but I suppose I'll have to say X-Files. Made it to the movie, didn't care after that.

Add The Office (American) also ... Binge watched the first five or so seasons on DVD, got burned out, and never went back.

I can't think of any others. There have been very few shows I watch as they air. Usually I binge watch them after they are over (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus, Sopranos, Breaking Bad, .. Never watched any of them as they aired.)

JasonF

I don't think it meets the qualifications for this thread, since I think it's only about 40% through the series, but I bailed on Lost when Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were being held captive by the Others and never went back to it. I keep meaning to.

Groucho

I stopped watching the X-Files when Duchovney left.