Attachment in the 21st Century

I hate becoming emotionally invested in a show. You never know when you'll turn your TV on one day and -- POOF! -- no more favorite show.

All that time spent becoming emotionally involved in the characters -- wasted. All those hours following a plot, with all those twists and turns -- wasted. Hours invested in a show, when you could have been doing something else: reading, writing a soon-to-be bestseller, creating art, walking, finding true love, or even just watching a different show -- wasted.

And what do you have to show for it? Maybe your own theories on what could have happened next. Your hopes and dreams for the characters. Your "perfect" ending never realized.

Or maybe, just maybe, all you have is regret. Regret that you put so much effort into something that was doomed from the start. Regret that so much time can never be recovered.

Let's face the facts, folks. We all know that the average show has a very short shelf life now. Gone are the days of shows that began when we were youngsters and ran on long enough for our children to enjoy new episodes with us (okay, The Simpsons is one exception, but that show's a rare breed). Most shows are lucky to run more than a season or two nowadays, and executives are so quick to cut a show as soon as interest starts to wane.

The precarious relationships we make with our shows has not improved with all the advances in technology, either. Through satellite, cable, and even the internet we can watch shows thousands of miles from where they originated, and you have the potential to continue to follow your show no matter how far away you move. You can even enhance your relationship with your show through "exclusive" content online that isn't available on TV.

You still run the same risk that your favorite show will be canceled way too soon, but at least you can enjoy it to the fullest extent possible while it lasts.

That's all well and good, but what if you aren't blessed with the latest technology? What if all you have is a lousy set of rabbit ears? Reception comes and goes depending on the time of day and weather patterns. Your show might be available to everyone except you because of those damn, ancient rabbit ears! Static again, instead of that favorite show! Squiggly lines or interference from other stations instead of those beloved characters!

Then there's the wait. Did you miss something important? Will you even recognize your show if/when you see it again? Will the network executives demand that a key character be written out because they aren't popular enough, or cancel your show in favor of a newer, shallower one?

It's a risky world out there, folks. I've been burned too many times by awesome shows gone bad or ended before their time. True, I've had the good sense to walk away once the writing was on the wall, but by that time I'd usually endured more than my fair share of flat jokes, empty story lines, and cookie-cutter scripts.

Occasionally a show will give me every indication that this is the show for me; the one I've been waiting for all this time, and it's so good that there's no way it could ever be canceled. The writing is too good, too snappy, and the characters are so fresh, honest, and original that interest will never fade. Then, after a week on vacation or getting caught up in mounds of homework too many weeks in a row, I switch on my TV and am completely surprised by what I see: the show I remember is no longer there. The characters are so different, or the storyline is so perverted from its original form that -- if it is even the same show (since occasionally it's simply not on air anymore) -- it is completely unrecognizable now. *sigh* Screwed again by an overly materialistic society and media, both so obsessed with vanity and youth that at the first sign of trouble they bail on a perfectly good show.

Don't they understand that even an awesome show will have its lulls? Don't they know that (as with many other things in life) a show's popularity will have peaks and valleys? Sometimes what begins as a comedy will take a dramatic turn, but you just have to roll with the changes and have faith that the audience will continue to love and appreciate the show for all its good qualities.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I can't idly watch a show here and there. If I'm going to devote any time to a show, I want it to be the real thing. Something with substance. Something that can last. Something that will be around long enough to introduce my children to one day. I can't keep doing these one-night stands and casual relationships with shows that won't stick around; it just isn't in me.

What's worse is that every once in awhile, I find a great show but I'm afraid to commit. Every time I try to watch I keep asking myself if this is really worth it. I've become so full of doubt and distrust that in the end, no matter how good that show is, I just can't enjoy it. All those other shows in the past have ruined me and try as I might, I just can't shake those bad feelings.

I'm tired of holding back. I want to find a show that I can open up to and truly enjoy. I want a show that's original. One that excites me. One that's going to be around tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. I want a show full of wit. One that's smart and sassy, and maybe even a bit racy. Okay, one that's more than a bit racy; hell, I want a show that pushes all the boundaries. One that makes me laugh. One that teaches me new things. One that opens my mind to things I never thought of before. I want a show that makes me look forward to turning on my TV, instead of making me cringe as I wonder whether it'll even be on next week, or if I should get out before I become too emotionally involved.

In short, I want a show that I can fall in love with and know that it will always be there for me.