Vince Russo's The Brand

For those that may be unaware, I have a huge obsession with television.  It would probably be classified as an addiction by some experts.  Certain things in entertainment are “beautiful” to some people such as a no-scope sniper rifle kill in Call of Duty, a low fastball upper-deck home run to right field by a left-handed hitter in baseball, or a deep Ricky Steamboat-esque arm-drag in pro wrestling.  For me, it is the mastery of serialized storytelling in television.

(Serialized is the type of show where you are behind if you miss an episode, i.e. The Walking Dead & Game of Thrones.  The storylines and narratives thread throughout multiple episodes, seasons or the entire series, compared to “procedural” television which is a case-of-the-week type show i.e. CSI & Law & Order.)

The ability to craft characters and compelling stories intertwined with different arcs and weekly cliffhangers is a talent I will always be jealous of and strive to have (my favorite example is Lost).

Serialized programs aren’t my only source of content, though.  I’ll get hooked by an occasional comedy or procedural.  I try a lot of new programs every television season, always adding to my current slate of programming.  The problem is, I don’t have time to keep up with all of these shows I enjoy.

This is what I currently have on my DVR that I haven’t yet watched:

Bates Motel (1 ep.)
Angie Tribeca (1 ep.)
Better Call Saul (5 eps.)
Blindspot (2 eps.)
Gotham (1 ep.)
Comic Book Men (2 eps.)
Quantico (2 eps.)
Family Guy (2 eps.)
Sleepy Hollow (3 eps.)
Baskets (1 ep.)
How to Get Away with Murder (5 eps.)
American Idol ( 1 ep.)
The Blacklist (7 eps.)
The Flash (6 eps.)
The Big Bang Theory (1 ep)

That’s roughly 37.5 hours of programming (counting commercials) that I am behind on.  But those aren’t the only shows I watch!  I’m currently caught up on The People v. O.J. Simpson, Raw, Lucha Underground, The Goldbergs, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  New seasons will be starting soon for The Americans, Orphan Black, Wayward Pines, Game of Thrones and Dark Matter.

If you asked me if I’ve seen a current episode of a show and I say “no,” now you’ll know why.  I watch way too much television.  Or at least I try to.

Follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffLane22