Tricks to Watching Television Series online

I’ve written about this topic before.

I’ve mentioned the basic difference between ‘story arc’ and ‘episodic’ programs, which is a very key point.

I’ve also described some of the programmes I have watched online.

Firstly, there are many free sites.  Many.  Do your searches, find your free sites.  These are sites you don’t need to register to use.  The free sites may have a few annoying ad pop ups before your show begins, but after that, it’s uninterrupted enjoyment.

Secondly, choose wisely.  Don’t waste time with shows that are ‘highly rated’ but can’t hold your interest, save if they are ‘iconic’ and you need to know what the show is about.

Thirdly, avoid final episode mourning.

Most American programmes are episodic.  You don’t need to see Season 1 Episode 1 to watch Season 4 episode 19, because beyond the characters there is very little carry forward.

Most English programmes are novels put to film.  One simply must watch each episode in order as each is a ‘chapter’.

Many American programmes can have 22 or more episodes in a season.  Most English broadcasts often have no more than 8 episodes per season.

What is best is to find a long running series you may have never seen or seen only rare episodes.   This long series, especially if it is more episodic than story arc can be used to ‘fill in’  when you are watching a limited series.

Many English series, for example, put a novel to film.  It has a beginning, a middle and an end.  It might be 8 episodes or 16, but once it reaches the end, that is it.

Most American series have no set ‘end by’ date.  They go on and on as long as their are viewers.  They might be created to tell a particular story and end when that story is finished, but having so many viewers, the story may be ‘stuffed’.

Breaking Bad, for example, should have had about 40% less episodes than it did, but as it was so well received it went into extra seasons so that there had to be some stuffing in the middle to push the end farther away.

When dealing with a fairly short; i.e. 1 or 2 seasons of a very good show, it is important to break up the viewing with longer episodic programs which will alleviate the ‘mourning’ when a very good programme ends.

As you will find, once you have control of the broadcasts you tend to watch more than one episode a day.  You might watch two or three back to back.  This will, of course, bring the show to a quicker end.

By inserting a few episodes here and there of other programs you can drag out the viewing an extra week or so.  When it ends you will miss it, but with other programmes interceding, not as much.

Some shows are on going, for example, they have run ten seasons and are going into their eleventh.

It is wise to slow down the viewing of a show like this so that when you reach the 11th season in your watching it has already completed.   Nothing is worse then having to wait a week to see the next episode on line, for that is what happens on television in real life.

The best idea is, for example, if a show had run ten seasons and has begun its eleventh in September, start watching it and slow down your viewing so that you can stay two season behind.   If it ends after the eleventh season, well, gorge, but as I said, it defeats the purpose of watching online when you have to wait a week for the next episode.