What draws you to a TV show?

Puppet

Puppet

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Black Thorn
I've been curious about this for a while.

Recently I've discovered that I watch a show for the characters first, which means that if the story/plot isn't all it could be, I'll still absolutely love it if it has really great, complex and compelling characters.

I know that, for some people, it's the other way around; if the story/plot is weak, then no amount of complexity in characters will help, but if the characters are weak and the story/plot strong, then they are drawn to continue watching.

Which one of these most drives you in your favorite shows? And if neither, then what's the third option? Or is it both those two, combined? And do you have examples?

The one I've been thinking of is within the sitcom realm of TV. I've found that the sitcoms I'm drawn to, while silly and funny in its essence, it also has a lot of character growth, like Friends and How I Met Your Mother, but I've never really been able to sink my teeth into shows like King of Queens or According To Jim, because those shows seem to rely more on the storyline (funny plots) than actual character growth.

Anyway, what do you say?
 
Mostly, if I find the characters interesting. I need to care about them. So I definitely put characters above plot. If I don't care about the characters, then I won't care about the plot/whatever they go through. Usually, after the first season, if I don't feel like I absolutely want to know what's going to happen to them, then I give up on the show. That's what happened with The Vampire Diaries and Mr. Robot.

I also love when shows play with the format and have a lot of meta. It also helps if it doesn't take itself too seriously.
 
Give me the funny and the sad. And the actors have to be really pretty and charming.

Typical WFB shows would be: BtVS, Horace and Pete, Sopranos, Better Call Saul, Girls, The Office, Extras, etc
 
I think it depends a bit on my mood. Right now I'm mostly into comedies, but I'm very particular about them. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a comedy/musical full of great characters, realistic development and interesting insight into mental illness. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a feel good show, but with great representation and very real themes too. I love Arrested Development mostly because it's hilarious and cynical, but also very on point in its social commentary.

I enjoy great characters and shows that are realistic in terms of experiences, emotions or relationships. Angel is a show about demons yet is very timeless and relatable. Mostly, I get invested in shows because I become invested in characters or relationships.

I stay away from historical dramas or "edgy" shows with no substance. I also despise clichés. However, I can tolerate them if a show is very entertaining. There are shows that I watch occasionally if I need to be distracted, even if they are mediocre - like iZombie or Jane the Virgin.
 
I base my watching on the Kinsey scale. If it's a 0 I ain't watching.
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WillowFromBuffy
AtS and the first three and a half seasons of BtVS would score an O :p
I have to care about the characters to care about the story and the fights. I love the stuff that many people find boring. And I absolutely will not find "blank slates" designed for the audience (or reader) to project themselves into at all interesting, and will likely annoy me as I try to figure the person out and can't. Of course many others can because they project themselves into the character (as was intended by the writers) and "fill in the blanks" from that, but I don't do that so I'll see a mostly blank slate rather than a character worth knowing and can't enjoy the fantasy or story at all (and I'll be bored no matter how many explosions, kisses, and dramatic fights and rescues they have).

That's the rule of thumb anyway, with a few notable exceptions. Sometimes a concept can be so intriguing that the story can coast on that for awhile without any real characters of interest. And I was told I'd love the Sopranos, and I can see why, they had some very interesting characters (I recall being especially pulled in by Tony, IIRC, and the duck or ducks in his pool. which I'm sure is too trivial for most), but I got so ticked off by what I was seeing that I gave it a pass, and yet there are other gritty and violent dramas that don't have that effect on me, so there are obviously other factors at work. But interesting characters are definitely the primary concern for me.
 
I don't think any show can survive if it is purely plot or purely character. It has to matter if the person on the screen wins or loses. But wins or loses at what? There has to be something more than relationships in play or no one is doing anything interesting enough for me to care and it devolves into the three M's of bad writing: maudlin, mawkish and melodramatic. My wife still watches The Walton's, a purely character-driven show but she has recently joined with me in watching some of the shows about building custom cars where the deadline is the most formidable character. The only thing on The Walton's that I find interesting is the black-dial Zenith radio that would have cost a quarter of the price of their car at the time.
 
Lively characters and snappy dialogue are what initially draw me to a show. I bore easily and have the attention span of a three year old, so it has to move fast and pique my interest straightaway. I cannot bear slow-moving, drawn-out scenes in a show. They make me itch. 😛

Current shows that I actually like are Good Behavior and The Goldbergs. Thank God for DVRs!!
 
I really need to connect to the characters. I want a good plot, but I definitely value characters over plot.
I have also noticed that most of my favorite shows have a badass bitch in charge otherwise known as a strong female lead. These shows typically have high action and high stakes with complex characters and relationships.
Ones that come to mind as current favorites: BtVS (obviously), Veronica Mars, and Jessica Jones.

@Puppet I totally agree with you about the sitcoms. I need my characters to be relatable and have some growth. I can't get into things like King of Queens either.
I absolutely love Friends. I've seen it more times than I can count. It honestly never gets old.
My second favorite sitcom is That 70's Show and then probably How I Met Your Mother. I find all 3 of these shows to have a lot of similarities.

I'm currently watching MOM, a sitcom about a mother and daughter alcoholic. It's quite funny but still has a lot of realism and stakes for its characters. I'm only in season 1, so we will see.


I'm noticing a trend in my taste in TV lol.
 
Fool for Buffy
Fool for Buffy
My top 3 on sitcoms is identical :)
MarieVampSlayer
MarieVampSlayer
I adore badass chick shows too!
BuffyBot22 said:
I really need to connect to the characters. I want a good plot, but I definitely value characters over plot.
I have also noticed that most of my favorite shows have a badass bitch in charge otherwise known as a strong female lead. These shows typically have high action and high stakes with complex characters and relationships.
Ones that come to mind as current favorites: BtVS (obviously), Veronica Mars, and Jessica Jones.

@Puppet I totally agree with you about the sitcoms. I need my characters to be relatable and have some growth. I can't get into things like King of Queens either.
I absolutely love Friends. I've seen it more times than I can count. It honestly never gets old.
My second favorite sitcom is That 70's Show and then probably How I Met Your Mother. I find all 3 of these shows to have a lot of similarities.

I'm currently watching MOM, a sitcom about a mother and daughter alcoholic. It's quite funny but still has a lot of realism and stakes for its characters. I'm only in season 1, so we will see.


I'm noticing a trend in my taste in TV lol.
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I've been contemplating watching Mom ever since it first came out and I saw promos for it, but I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually 🙂

And yeah, strong female characters are great, but I get just as excited by strong male characters (hence my undying love of Supernatural, which has both in spades). I also need my characters to be complex - which means flawed; no Mary Sues or Gary Stus for this girl! To that end, I agree completely on you with regards to Veronica Mars and Jessica Jones. As someone with a lot of trauma and PTSD to deal with, I was worried going into JJ at first, but the writers and Krysten Ritter just did an incredible job showing the reality of PTSD in a world where reality wasn't actually that real (superpowers and all that).

I don't know, but I think that's why I still haven't made myself watch Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead; I'm aware that both shows have decent character arcs, but both are almost equally (if not more so) focused on showing the audience this amazing world through visual effects. So intent on making their TV show seem like a mini-movie each week, I can't help but fear that they let their character writing fall a bit in the balance. I'm probably wrong, but it still keeps me from giving it a chance and instead I re-watch shows like Buffy and Supernatural, where I know I'll find exactly what I'm looking for and more.
 
HowiMetdaSlayer
HowiMetdaSlayer
think you should give GoT & other new shows a chance
Apart for watching TV, I read a lot, since that is sorta my "job" as a student of literature. Most of the time, I am assigned books to read. When I pick something for myself it is usually something cool and edgy. The problem is that I am not a very cool person. Therefore, after having read something like Naked Lunch, it is nice to cuddle up and watch New Moon Rising to get my emotional fix. I need a bit of humanity in my TV. Nordic Noir doesn't do it for me in any sort of way.
 
I'll give anything Sci Fi or supernatural a go. I'll definitely judge it on its cover before watching. Im not into the school based shows but enjoy the fast pace of the plot and flashy nature of shows aimed at young adults. If they have interesting lore and appealing characters I will stay with it. If its in space - I'll watch it. Pure fantasy.

I think over time, as I've been multitasking while watching - the characters matter more - I will miss bits of the plot but can still get to know the characters over time. And thats how it lends itself to re-watching for me - I want to go back and see how they handled the situations I didnt pay attention to the first time. Im definitely attracted to the stylised fighting and sets/cgi/environments. I am unlikely to go for a court room drama or anything too silly comedy regardless of characters. I like fantasy in the story lines.
 
It's probably characters, I would say both, but as long as I like the characters I'm willing to overlook a lot of things. Like when Charmed was first on TV I loved it, because I liked the characters, plot wise it wasn't necessarily any worse or different by the last seasons, but by then I had gone off the characters so I thought the show was terrible... if I can't care less what happens to the characters, or want them off my screen, then the plot doesn't help much. At least if it's characters that I'm supposed to like.

WillowFromBuffy said:
Nordic Noir doesn't do it for me in any sort of way.
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How dare you forget that life is bleak and terrible and people shouldn't be filmed in flattering lights or angles? *Nordic disapproval sweeping in, in cold, greyish colour tones to remind you to smile less*
 
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WillowFromBuffy
I just have a penchant for bright colours and an aversion to gratuitous murder rape. Crucify me!
Plot. I don't really care if the characters are good, if the plot and story structure is lacking then I can't watch it. I don't watch shows for the characters.
 
Good writing. I want to like the characters, but I can hate them quite happily too, as long as the writing, the dialogue, is sharp. Even if I love a character or a story, if the dialogue is abysmal I will not be able to watch.

I love comedy. If it makes me laugh, there's more chance of me watching. I also like strong female characters, who's stories are front and centre and not just used to prop up male character arcs.
 
I'm like you @Puppet. If the characters are crap or not well written I will never get on board with a new show. The thing I hate the most is OCC moments for the sake of plot!
 
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