Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, meant that you either watched a TV show on the day and time it was aired. If you missed it and were lucky, you were able to rewatch it over the summer as a rerun.
Now, between DVRs, On Demand and streaming and downloads, you’re very much in charge to watch what you want, when you want to watch it.
But are there shows where you anxiously await for that next episode and “just have” to watch it during it’s original air time / release date?
99% of what I watch is Asian shows that I download or stream, sometimes the “same day” (adjusting for the time difference between Hawaii and Asia) and very rarely live on YouTube. The only show that I anxiously await for is the Korean “Urban variety show” Running Man, which I have to download or stream and watch every Sunday afternoon, or my weekend doesn’t feel complete. I’ve been following the show since 2015 and it’s been on continuously for since 2011. Everything else, I’ll watch when the mood strikes me.
There are a few American shows I wait for weekly, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU and Shark Tank. But it’s only Shark Tank that I’ll sometimes watch when it’s aired on Friday night.
Sometimes, there’s a Food Network limited run series, like The Great Food Truck Race that catches my interest and I’ll wait for and watch it “live” on Sundays, but that’s mostly because I’m trying to mentally prepare for the Monday morning blues.
Various sports, and Saturday morning cartoons certainly, but otherwise two shows that were “appointment TV” for me were “Monty Python” and “Kolchak, The Night Stalker”. Years later there was also “The X-Files”, which we could have taped, but also which we usually managed to see without taping.
If there’s some sort of competition show (British Bake Off or Sewing Bee), I try to keep up so I don’t get spoiled, but I don’t necessarily watch it live.
We watched Ted Lasso and Foundation within 24 hours of the episode release, but didn’t watch them as they were released. Also because the new episodes were released at 6 am local time.
I try to watch the new Marvel and Star Wars shows as close to release time as possible. In my time zone that’s the late afternoon, so it’s not as impractical as the US times of after midnight.
The only other show I watch live is a local Australian comedy panel show called Have You Been Paying Attention?
I watch a lot of live sport and with that live panel shows where the pundits discuss and give their opinions. I enjoy watching ESPN FC for example even though the panel are full of kneejerk opinions that change with the wind because it is quite entertaining. Also if there is a documentary premiering at a certain time that catches my eye in a promo then I’ll tune in to the broadcast if I can. It’s mainly about time and convenience. There are shows I watch where if I can watch it live I probably will and if I can’t then as you say there are options to catch up.
The closest that I do is record the show, but start watching about 20 minutes after it starts. Then fast-forward over the commercials and finish about five minutes after the live show ends.
Amazon Prime releases their shows once a week and if it’s a show I like (like The Boys or Invincible), I will impatiently await it to drop on Friday (or whenever). I consider this annoying, not delightful.
“Saturday Night Live” is the only network show we watch as it is broadcast on NBC. The only other network show we watch is “The Blacklist,” and we watch that on Peacock a day or two after broadcast. Perhaps we are missing out on some good shows, but nothing on ABC/CBS/Fox (or NBC, with the exception of those two) holds much interest for us these days.
We do watch the PBS News Hour, but we watch the stream on YouTube, as you can start watching that whenever you want to start it, even while the show is in progress.
Same for me. Every Sunday night back in the late 90s (I gave up on the later seasons in the 2000s). I even had a traditional meal that I had while watching, a Domino’s pepperoni pizza.
I try to watch Svengoolie live, going so far as to set a timer.
The last time I anxiously awaited a show to air was the premier of the Twin Peaks continuation. While watching, I really missed the pause it and run to the bathroom feature of modern TV viewing.
That’s what we do. Possible exception is something like John Oliver that doesn’t have commercials. We don’t “wait for it,” but if we’re ready to watch it when it comes on, we might watch it live.
I’ve never been a sports fan and realized recently that one of the things I don’t like about sports is watching it live and not knowing when it will end.
In the early 2000’s, there was a weekly Japanese drama that I’d tape, but would drop everything and rush home to watch it live. I realized how silly this was and that ended my need to watch anything as it aired, especially if I was already taping it. There was a second season, but after a few episodes it lost its appeal.
The last one for me was The Amazing Race. Up until the pandemic, I made a point to watch it “live” every week. Because it’s an actual race, I feel like the tension of watching it as it airs, including the commercial breaks, added to my enjoyment. (I often found myself taking a deep breath at the commercial, because I’d been holding my breath while watching.) Unfortunately I’m no longer able to watch as it airs, but even when I watch it on DVR, I forget to skip the commercials because I’m used to watching it that way.
I do still watch all major golf tournaments live on Saturday and Sunday.
NFL games and reality competition shows, though when I say ‘watch live’ I mean start a half hour late and skip commercials.
So right now the live shows I watch are Naked and Afraid, Alone, and when I remember, American Ninja Warrior. Also Survivor and The Challenge* on MTV, but they’re not airing right now.
*Just finally resubscribed to Paramount+ today, pretty stoked for Challenge All Stars.
I watched a show, Sixth Sense that I usually download and watch on Sunday, last night. Got up this morning sure it was Monday and went to work, even emailing my manager that I was running late! Was wondering why no one else was at work, but figured they must be in a big meeting. Nope! Took me 1/2 to realize it was Sunday!