Lynn M: I don’t watch TV the way I used to, but I do watch TV on DVD, which is a completely different experience. I no longer have the fortitude and patience to endure week-long or, even worse, summer-long gaps between cliffhangers. Too, I can get a good read from early on if the creators are going to tell me a good story or if it’s going to be a constant case of forced conflict that keeps romances from happening, which grow tiresome very quickly. . . I have a very hard time watching TV shows in real time now. I’d rather wait for the DVD set to come out.That said, I’m not a huge fan of books that feature the same character over and over again. Once a couple reaches a happy-for-the-forseeable-future place in their relationship, I’m not as interested to watch them suffer additional conflicts. I do like series books that share a world and where I catch glimpses of characters from previous books, but I like “new” stories every time.

I agree. I like to let shows back-up on the DVR so i can watch them all in a row. I also wait a few weeks and play catch-up on OnDemand. I love TV, but I mostly watch premium channels. There are a few shows that I cling to doggedly. However, my dad – I am in school and still live at home – likes to DVR EVERYTHING and watch at max decible level, so there is a good chance that even if I am not interested in a show I have probably seen it.

As for books, I like series that involve families and a common world. But I too prefer a “new” story every time. Who wants the reality of relationship growing pains to intrude on the HEA fantasy?

Um — maybe because they’re not romance?

We can only watch t.v. via netflix and it’s really changed my viewing — I find that nowadays I only enjoy shows that have arcs. (Excepting sketch comedy.)

Lynn M: I don’t watch TV the way I used to, but I do watch TV on DVD, which is a completely different experience. I no longer have the fortitude and patience to endure week-long or, even worse, summer-long gaps between cliffhangers.

I’m finding this is the case with my TV habits. I have a few series I will stick with (Mad Men, Downton Abbey, Smash, and so on), but the whole 22 episodes, having to sit down at a particular time on a particular day type of stuff makes me antsy.

I am also fed up with the serial nature of TV series. I think the last show that I really loved was Lois and Clark in the early 90s. It lasted four years, and if it had a slight cliffhanger ending, at least they were married and on their way to a HEA. Not being a fan of fan fiction, I never really attempted to find closure in online speculation about “what happened next.” Recently a friend offered to loan me Downton Abbey so that I could find out what the fuss was all about, but I realized that we would never get through it before it had to be returned to the library! And my interest wasn’t really there anyway. I just hate being sucked into any story that might take a HEA and ruin it the next season.

In books I do enjoy continuing series. I love the In Death series and look forward to every new book, but I also know that no matter what else happens, Eve and Roarke will always be together. The Sookie series is a bit chancier; Charlaine Harris is known to have killed off important characters before. I have no interest in Trueblood, however. I don’t do “adults only” TV any more than I read erotic romance.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of books that feature the same character over and over again. Once a couple reaches a happy-for-the-forseeable-future place in their relationship, I’m not as interested to watch them suffer additional conflicts. I do like series books that share a world and where I catch glimpses of characters from previous books, but I like “new” stories every time.

I also realized that shows want to reach at least a five-year (or 100-episode) mark, so they can go into syndication. In order to do this, writers often seem willing to take a series beyond its (to me) viable shelf life, and often in a direction that I find makes no sense.

The only series I’ve ever felt compelled to watch to the bitter (and I mean bitter) end–and of which I own the first five seasons–is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The only modern show I watch is Supernatural on the CW channel. You’d think this show would have nothing in common with my love for Bonanza, but the main thing that drew me to one drew me to the other—strong brotherly bonds with a generous supply of angst. Oh, and hot guys. SN differs from Bonanza, though, in that the entire show (which just ended its 7th season and is expected to have an 8th) has a huge story arc. You really have to start at the very beginning to know what’s going on, and you can’t skip around between episodes. You might eventually figure out most of what’s going on, but you won’t get the full impact if you aren’t aware of the characters’ family history.

I always hated watching soaps for the very reasons some have expressed here, and I avoid serials in books as well. Supernatural is the only story, tv, book, or otherwise, that has managed to hook me so completely that I refuse to miss an episode, despite its 8-year story arc.

I can’t say I like series all that much, either. Or at least, not actively following them. If I come across an already finished series, I’m happy to read it, but I despise having to wait for the next installment. By the time it comes out, I’ll have forgotten half of what happened in the previous book, and that annoys me. (I’m also the type of reader who refuses to read a series unless I can start with book one, and then proceed to read the series in order, however loosely connected the books might be.)