How long should you give a series?

um7y1h83ge06nx

Last night the girlfriend and I decided to start watching True Detective.

The reviews and genre attracted me to it.

Now the GF is notorious in my opinion for not giving a show enough of time to grow on her and she only gave this about 30 minutes of the first episode before declaring that she didn't like it. 30 minutes for a slow burner type of show is ridiculous.

She was addicted to Breaking Bad (which I thought started relatively slow) and now Orange is the New Black.

In my mind I reckon I could like True Detective, it seems like a slow burner.

So, how long do you or should you give a new series before deciding whether to keep watching it or not?

maggiepip

It took me 2 to 3 episodes of Breaking Bad to really get into it, but saying that its not that I hated it in the beginning I just wasnt blown away with it. After the slow start it ended up being one of my all time favourites. I know by the first 30 minutes if I really dont like something but if I kinda like it I feel I should give it 2 to 3 episodes. So unless your girlfriend absolutely hates the series tell her to give it a few before deciding. !

stargazer 68

Moshe Pitiful Windbreak wrote: »

Now the GF is notorious in my opinion for not giving a show enough of time to grow on her and she only gave this about 30 minutes of the first episode before declaring that she didn't like it. 30 minutes for a slow burner type of show is ridiculous.

?

Lol is that you hun?? Im the same I have to confess. Although I got through 3 episodes of True Detective before calling it quits much as I lurve Matthew!! I usually give it 2 or 3 episodes now though as I was proved wrong with Fargo and Vikings and Love Hate!

squonk

For or five episodes in my opinion. There are exceptions to that rule though. Sean Saves the World and Dads told me all I needed to know after 1 this year. After a pilot, it can take 2-3 episodes for a show to get bedded down and really get it's premise set up. If they're not hitting the ground running after that then there could be problems.

That being said, there are exceptions there too. This year I all but gave up on The Tomorrow People and Agents of SHIELD. TTP took about 8-10 episodes to really hit it's form and it ended up being a great show. AoS really kicked off mid season. I knew AoS was gong to stay around because of the money behind it and kept it on rotation anyway. TTP I gave up on but used some commuting time to start catching up on no-hope shows. TTP paid off but was sadly cancelled.

catallus

Just tell your gf that time is a flat circle.

Bacchus

3 or 4 episodes generally. If I'm not grabbed by the show in some way or other by then I abandon it.

Recent shows I tried but quit...
Marvel Agents of Shield - ~10 episodes
Hanibal - 4 episodes
Lilyhammer - 2 episodes
Defiance - 4 episodes
Person of Interest - 3 episodes
Heroes - ~35 episodes :pac: What a fall from grace that was!

True Detective had me hooked in the first episode though. My wife and I watched the entire thing over 4 nights

Ken Tucky

I loved True Detective, stay with it. Wonderful acting from the two leads.

I done two series of Dexter and never really liked it that much so i binned it.
But i reckon that was even too much. Should have stopped watching after half of series 1.

It took me about 5-6 episodes of The Wire to really like it. Im so glad i stayed with it as it turned out to be the best show on Earth, and that comes from a Breaking Bad fanatic!!!:D

Skerries

Bacchus wrote: »

Recent shows I tried but quit...
Marvel Agents of Shield - ~10 episodes
Hanibal - 4 episodes
Lilyhammer - 2 episodes
Defiance - 4 episodes
Person of Interest - 3 episodes
Heroes - ~35 episodes :pac: What a fall from grace that was!

you should go back to Hannibal and Person of Interest, seriously!
they really pick up later on into their runs
Lilyhammer is harmless fun so was easy to watch

GottaGetGatt

Give her the road I'd say.

thelad95

It depends really. The first series of Breaking Bad was doing nothing for me until about episode 5.

Sometimes it can take a full series.For anyone looking to start The Office or Parks and Recreation, I would nearly reccommend skipping the first series completely.

username123

It depends, sometimes things start well then flop (Orange is the New Black did that for me, after 5 episodes in I thought it became a snore fest).

Vikings I made it through almost of season 1 then found I still hadn't watched the season finale weeks after I'd watched the second last ep, clearly I just didn't care.

True Detective, took a couple of episodes. I was impressed with the beautiful shots and the aging/making young of the two leads from the start. I generally like Woody Harrelson so reckoned it was worth sticking with. I think it peaked around episode 4 or 5 though.

Breaking Bad I was hooked from the start, I always loved the premise of that.

I've Fargo and Hannibal on the list......

Red Nissan

I don't watch the New Black.

Two years ago I watched the first two episodes of Breaking Bad and I remember I thought it was disgusting. But low and behold, after the conclusion last summer I watched the whole things over a few days and just wanted it to keep going ~ even the annoying bits.

True Detective is a good but nausiating show and could well do with a new voice over, she got far too popular and her sound permeates too many documentaries, some of her voice overs are in fact replaced in other series, not the True Detectives [last I heard].

I don't watch too much broadcast TV anymore, my wife likes what I consider to be utterly stupid so I was my boring documentaries and Breaking Bad type show on my PC.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Sometimes its hard to decide when to quit, shows can lose their way - case in point being Prison Break, season 1 was ok, 2 was dirt, 3 was probably the best one overall and I never finished the fourth.

Fargo was incredible, but the offbeat style might not be to everyones taste.

Nody

Honestly? One episode if it's not really really praised stuff because I don't have time to waste on shows I don't like (esp. if they got a pilot episode that's suppose to hook you). If it is highly praised (Orange is the new black let's say) I'll usually go two to three episodes but may push up to five to six if I really want to try to like it (and if I'm not hooked by then I'll call it a day, Psych for example).

Stone Deaf 4evr

Red Nissan wrote: »

I don't watch the New Black.

Two years ago I watched the first two episodes of Breaking Bad and I remember I thought it was disgusting. But low and behold, after the conclusion last summer I watched the whole things over a few days and just wanted it to keep going ~ even the annoying bits.

True Detective is a good but nausiating show and could well do with a new voice over, she got far too popular and her sound permeates too many documentaries, some of her voice overs are in fact replaced in other series, not the True Detectives [last I heard].

I don't watch too much broadcast TV anymore, my wife likes what I consider to be utterly stupid so I was my boring documentaries and Breaking Bad type show on my PC.

what voiceover?

D-FENS

This is the opening scene of Breaking Bad

A man (Bryan Cranston) wearing nothing but underwear and a gas mask drives a Bounder RV recklessly down a desolate road in the New Mexico desert. Another, younger man (Aaron Paul) with a gas mask covering a severely beaten up face, unconscious, occupies the passenger seat. As the vehicle swerves down the dirt road, two bodies slide across the RV floor until the vehicle veers into a ditch. The hyperventilating driver climbs out with a video camera, wallet, and gun. Identifying himself as Walter Hartwell White, he records a cryptic, handheld farewell to his wife, son, and unborn child while sirens echo in the distance. Walt steps onto the roadway, gun in hand
And by the end of the episode, we know Walt has cancer, is cooking meth with an old student of his and has (possibly) killed two drug dealers..

How fast moving do people want their TV shows?
Quick fire money rounds? Double evictions?

GottaGetGatt

I watched the first six episodes of Breaking Bad and then just stopped watching it.Went back to it after 6 or 7 months and was hooked.Watched the first episode of the Wire about two months ago and haven't went back to it.Have only caught the odd few episodes of the sopranos over the years when it was on Net 2 all them years ago. just can't commit to going back and watching all those seasons.

The_Honeybadger

I was going to give up on Mad Men after series 1 as it didn't really do much for me, stuck with it and was hooked a couple of episodes into season 2. One of my all time favourites.

I also found breaking bad very slow to get going but again I would recommend it to anybody after seeing the whole series through.

Red Nissan

D-FENS wrote: »

How fast moving do people want their TV shows? Quick fire money rounds? Double evictions?

Good description there, perfect.

I was left feeling I missed something, that I had come into the middle of an episode and found the characters too complex. The next episode was like a completely different show, I got half way through and stopped watching.

My watching experience was online via Netflix.

Skerries

Halt and Catch Fire is my new favourite show
It's like Mad Men but set in the 80's with computers

D-FENS

Red Nissan wrote: »

Good description there, perfect.

Thanks but it's from Wiki

smilerf

Anyone who has given up on Hannibal i really advise you to give it another go.
The second series was great and the season finale was imo the best finale i have seen

ixoy

I'll rarely start new shows without a few episodes airing and then look online to get a consensus as to how it's progressing before I even start. That way I know whether it's worth my time.

Occasionally, despite a weak few episodes, I'll see a show has potential and, with a handful of good episodes, I'll give it longer. Good example was 'Fringe' which had a weak start but really got very strong in its second season. My OH gave up but eventually went back and really enjoyed it.

Some of the ones listed below are good examples of shows that got a lot better if you stick with them: 'Person of Interest' became far less procedural as it went on and much more involved.
I can understand people dropping 'Agents of SHIELD' but it did a 180 halfway through the second season and is now worth watching.

On the other hand if a show is highly acclaimed but, after a good few episodes, I still don't see the appeal at all I'll drop it. Recent examples would be 'Ray Donavan' as well as 'The Walking Dead' (which I really wanted to like but thought was borderline-soap opera after its first season and apparently the second wasn't much better).

FunLover18

It depends. There's usually a few things I judge a show, the first of which is characters. I only watched one episode of Entourage, the characters are just such absolute dicks and I really didn't want to spend any more time with them. Then there's the writing, I lasted into the second season of Revolution but it never felt like they were going anywhere with it, and were just rehashing the same plot devices over and over. Then there's just personal taste, I watched the first few episodes of Banshee and it was very good but I realised I was just watching it for the sake of it and I wasn't actually enjoying it.

Average I would say 2/3 episodes for an hour long show, 3/4 for a half hour. But if I don't like the characters I'm out straight away.

whomitconcerns

i persevered through Under the dome last year...this season one episode in and I am bored out of my tree and dont care.

Hated revolutioin for first 2/3 episodes...found it vaguely interesting then and right to end of season 2 watched it now want to see where it goes (its cancelled so thats it)

On the flipside Flash Forward, American Gothic....loved them and cancelled well before due!

Someones at the door........

sok2005

Loved American Gothic and Carnivale too. I wonder if Netflix would ever pick them up and continue the stories.

Regarding time given to a new series, I usually go with the rule of thumb if i'm not interested in any character by episode 5 i'm out.