Tom's Rant:
Why did I watch the tenth season of Smallville? Why am I still watching Big Bang Theory, even though I don't enjoy it? What compels me to watch shows long after they've jumped the shark like Weeds and Californication?
The answer is viewer loyalty.
Loyalty is very important to me. I've had the same best friend for more than ten years, despite us not going to the same school for eight of those years. I've had the same computer for four years, even though it has suffered multiple virus infections, and has been barely functional for at least half of that time. I've stuck with Nintendo despite the fact that nearly every game that I actually want to play seems to be released for the Playstation instead. I know I would be a faithful husband, because I've suffered for my loyalty, and the same thing applies to my TV watching.
The first four seasons of How I Met Your Mother were awesome. I loved the show, and didn't even really think of it as a sitcom. Then in Season Five it started to go downhill. It felt more and more like every other sitcom. The writers seemed to be afraid to move the characters along, and instead seemed comfortable resorting to the same old batch of jokes. The character of Robin seemed to jump the shark entirely, as she was no longer believable in any way, and instead was shown in one pathetic episode to be starring in commercials for adult diapers. I was no longer enjoying the show. I was no longer laughing. But I didn't stop watching; I couldn't stop watching, and I never will. I'm in it to the end, no matter how pathetic that end is. Why? Part of it might be my vain hope that it'll get better, and to be fair the sixth and seventh season of How I Met Your Mother have been better than the fifth, but that's not the real reason. The real reason is that the first few seasons of How I Met Your Mother stole my heart, and that even when the show is in a bit of a funk I still love it deep down. I still remember the classic episodes; and I still care about what happens to these characters.That's what viewer loyalty is all about; caring about the characters of a TV show so much that you have to watch and find out what happens to them, even when the show stops being good. Even when the show is metaphorically old and sick, and on its deathbed, I still care too much to leave it. I'm not a Newt Gingrich type of TV watcher, I'm a Mitt Romney type, loyal and faithful to the end. (Mitt if you cheat on your wife, I'm going to be like ten times more upset about it than I would have been before writing this.)
I realize that most people don't watch TV this way. Most people are casual viewers, and that's fine. It's probably more pleasant watching TV that way. If a show stops being enjoyable, you can just stop watching. That's good for you, and I wish you the best; but at the same time I truly believe you're missing out. The casual viewer might be able to bail on the less enjoyable parts of a TV series, but they are missing out on the powerful way a TV series can affect a loyal viewer like me. The lows might suck, and for a loyal viewer we can't simply bail on the low points of a series; but at the same time we forge these powerful connections with the characters and the story, so that when the show is good we get to experience the full joy of the show being good. Each surprise twist knocks us on our ass, each moment of tragedy leaves us tearing up, and each happy ending leaves us with a smile on our face and the content feeling that the world is a better place than we previously thought. To the loyal viewer, a TV series is not just a form of entertainment; it's a work of art that make us feel and provoke thoughts we've never considered before.
So that's why I keep watching these shows even when they turn bad. I'm a loyal viewer, and even though that means I'm stuck watching some shows that haven't been good in a while, I wouldn't trade the way I watch TV, and the way it can affect me for anything. I'm a loyal viewer through and through.
Sean's Take: I like this idea actually, you watch shows like I watch sports teams. Casual viewing is what we need to stomp out, really.
Still though, how are you supposed to stomp out mediocrity when you blindly support a show? Trust me, I get where you're coming from here, but if a show is downright bad then why watch it? If it isn't making you feel a certain way, then what's the point? Now, good casting and character development does exactly what you're talking about: it makes the viewer invested to huge degree. And How I Met Your Mother does a really nice job with that; season 6 was pretty awful but I'm still watching because we've got an enormous story arc to figure out. That approach is also what makes a show like Skins successful: even on it's bad days you're learning a ton of interesting stuff about a character. If you miss an episode, you've missed everything.
I think what you should do though is this: if you like a show, find a way to support it with money. If you're just watching a show because you're loyal, you should pirate it. Best of both worlds
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