What TV shows do I like, and why?

This page is a stub, created on 2020-05-06 (last updated on 2020-09-09). Its contents are notes on the issues and angles I want to address about this topic.

Here are the currently (or recently) airing shows that I'm watching.

Probably more than any other area of art, with TV, I absolutely can love or enjoy a show that I know is aesthetically bad. There are a lot of shows that I routinely call "trash" or "garbage", and I don't say that to disparage anybody involved in their production or their effort, but only that I recognize that it's bad writing, bad acting, or has some other objective defect. And yet, I may very well enjoy watching them, despite numerous flaws. I have absolutely zero shame or embarrassment around enjoying what I enjoy, and acknowledging that it's bad is not some way of rationalizing, diminishing, or making excuses for my enjoyment. I like what I like, even when it's Gossip Girl, and I won't apologize for it.

A good example of this principle is Star Trek: Voyager. I love love love that show. And also, I agree with almost all criticisms of it, most of which are damning--and right. I think such criticisms are thoughtful and reflect a deep respect for Star Trek and holding anything that bears that name to a high standard. But I can't stop loving the show, simultaneously loving and hating Janeway, wanting to punch Nelix in the mouth, wanting every episode to be about Seven and the Doctor, loving that, despite being on the other side of the galaxy in what amounts to a serious metaphysical emergency, they've still got their wits about them, they respect their protocols, and the ship is in perfect condition at the beginning of each episode.

And then we have Picard...It was fun to watch, but, uh, yikes. (This is dangerously close to being sacrilegious and crossing the line in terms of disrespecting Star Trek.)

I'm also not under any illusions that the Arrowverse shows (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman) are some amazing examples of TV (I mean, they're nothing compared to Netflix's Marvel shows, especially Jessica Jones), but they're still fun to watch.

• my favorites
  • Star Trek
    • in order of preference
      • The Next Generation
      • Deep Space Nine (Maybe this should be at the top...I don't know, honestly.)
      • The Orville
        (Yup; this is Star Trek. Don't believe me? Tell me how its worst episode versus Discovery's best episode compares to TNG.)
      • Voyager
      • Enterprise
      • Discovery / Picard
      • Lower Decks (Good heavens, this is embarrassing.)
• I'm a sucker for
  • time travel
  • parallel universes / alternative histories
  • magical powers
  • scifi (especially with awesome technology)
  • superpowers
  • crossovers
• I tend to like
  • emotional dramas
  • procedural dramas / mystery-/crime-solving
• I passively enjoy
  • comedies/sitcoms
  • cartoons
• I don't get/like
  • horror
  • monster of the week
  • reality TV