[QUOTE=Ronald C. Semone]
I have several “rational” criteria I use in deciding NOT to wach a TV series. I won’t, for example, watch any show which tries to glorify or humanize the Mafia.
[/QUOTE]
I’m not certain that’s irrational, although perhaps an odd value jodgement. Anywa, as far as it goes, most Mafioso were businessmen, not leg-braking thugs and assassins for hire. And by “most,” I mean “virtually all.”
I can’t watch one of the CSI shows because a friend of mine dated one of the big stars ages ago and he was such a huge prick I can’t even look at him.
[QUOTE=An Arky]
Another one is that I won’t watch shows where people are mean to each other for no apparent reason (like Lost).
[/QUOTE]
Me too. Hated Seinfeld with a passion and still do. Same goes for* Everybody Loves Raymond*. Blech to both. I can’t hack violence/gore so avoid the shows that specialize in it. ER was too bloody for me. CSI is gross but I watch it from across the room and my computer specs don’t allow the gory details to be visible. I’m tired of the CSIs though - especially Miami. I, however, continue to be a perennial fan of the L&Os.
I really dislike Survivor and was avoiding that kind of ‘reality’ until I heard Amazing Race was doing an ep on the racers visiting Russia. Watched it and got totally hooked. Same for the dance shows - but I’m a dancer so that’s kind of a given.
I guess it’s not irrational per se, but I’ve tried to not get hooked on too many hour-long dramas. For that reason, I’ve never watched 24 or the West Wing even though I’d probably like them. I did get sucked into Grey’s Anatomy and Studio 60
Oh here’s maybe irrational: I loved loved loved Aaron Brown’s show on CNN so when they ditched him in favour of Anderson Cooper, I refused to watch Cooper’s show. I catch part of it once in a while but I’m still mad at him and still miss Aaron Brown.
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman]
I never watched Six Feet Under when it originally aired because I didn’t have showtime.
[/QUOTE]
Pssst! It was on HBO. 
I refuse to watch any show based on the paranormal or any of that crap.
I also don’t like uplifting endings where everyone lives happily ever after. I need things a little darker…
I go to sleep every night around 1:00-2:30am.
I have no interest in keeping up with “Lost” anymore because it’s new 10:00pm slot is “too late.”
I used to watch Babylon 5, religiously, regardless of when that thing was on (early-90s syndication).
I fell asleep during the intro to the second-to-last episode, the one where the station fought Earth. Woke up to watch the closing credits.
Never saw that episode again, and never cared to watch episodic TV after that. Any exceptions to the rule is because my wife cares about 1 show or another (Buffy, Lost).
[QUOTE=Caridwen]
I can’t watch one of the CSI shows because a friend of mine dated one of the big stars ages ago and he was such a huge prick I can’t even look at him.
[/QUOTE]
Oooo - which one, which one?!?!?!
Personally, I can’t watch Brothers & Sisters because I cannot stand to look at Calista Flockheart, who I understand is the star. God - it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up just thinking about it.
I don’t like Hospital shows as a group:
[ol]
[li]By their nature–with patients coming in and out–most of the drama falls out of the sky, hence the circumstances for the action seem contrived. No TV convention illustrates this better than when a patient is wheeled into the ER while some running paramedic breathlessly shouts the relevant facts: “Male, 25, GSW to lower abdomen, BP normal…” I personally prefer the exposition to be a little less blatant.[/li][li]There seem to be only two types of medical character: “Braggart Surgeon” and “Compassionate Doctor”. There are only a few ways these two can end up in conflict (with each other or with some “difficult” case), so again the only variation comes from mining the AMA archives for bizzare medical cases. That, or graft in some other, unrelated type of show (“Gray’s Anatomy” is a soap opera set in a hospital; guess that adds “promiscuous/lovelorn intern” to the character set).[/li][li]Many times the show’s dilemma is resolved by appealing to some weird or arcane medical fact, the deus ex machina of modern television (this criticism applies to other genres as well–how many times did Data save the day on Star Trek: TNG by figuring out how to “invert the tetryon field”?–but it still seems like a common staple on hospital shows).[/li][/ol]
Didn’t say it was rational, but I just get bored watching these type of shows.
[QUOTE=Southpaw]
I’ve never watched “Cold Case” because I couldn’t stand the lead actress’s hair style.
[/QUOTE]
I can get behind that.
I never watched Crossing Jordan because of the promos showing the actress’s hair blowing back off her face and she wasn’t even moving. Was it windy in the studio?
I won’t watch shows where all the characters are young and/or gorgeous.
I won’t watch something good if I didn’t get in at the beginning. I hate catching up. Sorta like what Jodi said upthread.
Lessee,
I won’t watch Lost because it begins with a plane crash, which skeeves me out.
I won’t watch any new Star Trek shows that don’t have Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock, because I only consider that to be authentic Star Trek.
I won’t watch House, or Bones because they aren’t comedies (and the Prince Regent must be funny for me to be willing to watch him).
I won’t watch football, because I don’t care.
I won’t watch baseball again until they do away with the DH and regular season interleague play, and bring Sandy Koufax back to the mound (my dad told me he retired because his arm was tired – he’s had forty years to rest it, how much more rest can one arm even use?).
I never watched BtVS because I enjoyed the movie so much as a farce, that I can’t see being serious about it.
And I won’t watch news on television because I became convinced some twenty years ago that television news was primarily concerned with “getting to be on television”.
I’m pretty much left with Kim Possible and Courage, the Cowardly Dog, I guess.
Oh, and Battlestar Galactica is out because humans are supposed to be pre-cursors to ancient Egyptians such that they tend to legitimize crakpots like Erich von Däniken. And Cylons are supposed to look boxy and shiny. And a universe without daggets (organic or artificial) is a universe I’m not interested in observing.
[QUOTE=zamboniracer]
Wow, that’s interesting. What parts has he been able to get?
[/QUOTE]
He had a substantial role a few years ago, in a movie no one saw. He also got cast in a Fox show that ran about four episodes.
Now that he’s starting to age out of the roles he was originally aiming for, he’s doing local theater. Last time I saw him was in The Cherry Orchard.
[QUOTE=5que]
Pssst! It was on HBO.
[/QUOTE]
Well I didn’t have either Showtime OR HBO, so I couldn’t see it. 
I normally love anything in the spy/secret agent genre, but I have not one iota of interest in 24 because Keifer Sutherland repulses me on a visceral level.
I’m also one who tends to eschew things that are super-popular simply because they’re popular. Can’t really put my finger on why, other than to say that a “herd mentality” kinda creeps me out.
Ronald C. Semone, I applaud your refusal to watch The Sopranos and shows that similarly glorify crime – I’ve long felt the same way. I have a problem with TV shows and movies that make crime seem fun and criminals beautiful and “cool,” like The Italian Job or Ocean’s Eleven.
I will not watch any show with a plotline involving people accused of something they didn’t do.
I refuse to watch a talk or comedy show if I know it will involve going out in the street and asking people stupid questions.
I refuse to watch Ugly Betty because I find the title offensive.
I don’t watch ABC. I had sort of a reason for it back in 2003 or 2004 or whenever it was that I gave it up, but now I just don’t watch ABC for no particular reason. It drives my mother bonkers. No, I’ve never seen “Lost.” No, I’ve never seen “Desperate Housewives.” No, I don’t care.
I also don’t watch shows that glorify criminals, but I consider that rational. It’s a rational decision to avoid forms of entertainment that are likely to upset me.
On the other hand, not watching ABC is completely irrational. Sometimes I tell people that I’m giving up television one network at a time, in alphabetical order. But that’s not the reason, because there is no reason.
[QUOTE=Southpaw]
I’ve never watched “Cold Case” because I couldn’t stand the lead actress’s hair style.
[/QUOTE]
My girlfriends says the exact same thing!
[QUOTE=Rilchiam]
Not a criteria, but a specific instance. I used to know a guy who auditioned for Buffy. He got pretty far along in the selection process (I think he was going to be Xander, but I no longer remember that much), but was ultimately cut..
[/QUOTE]
Small world - I know a guy who was invited to audition as Giles. He lost out on the part because his agent didn’t tell him in time and he missed the audition. He fired the agent.
[QUOTE=Southpaw]
I’ve never watched “Cold Case” because I couldn’t stand the lead actress’s hair style.
[/QUOTE]
She went from weird hair style to a new weird hair style. I hate her hair more now than I did then, and I really really hated it then.
Still watch the show, though!