Popular shows you've never seen an episode of.

[Little_Nemo]

American Idol
Andromeda
Babylon 5
Battlestar Galactica
Baywatch
The Big Bang Theory
Big Brother
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Californication
Carnivale
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dancing With the Stars
Dexter
Entourage
Eureka
Everybody Loves Raymond
Extras
Flash Forward
Flight of the Conchords
Friday Night Lights
The Ghost Whisperer
Generation Kill
G.I. Joe
Gilmore Girls
Glee
The Good Wife
How I Met Your Mother
JAG
Jersey Shore
King of Queens
Mad Men
Medium
The Office
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
So You Think You Can Dance
Space: Above and Beyond
Sports Night
Thirtysomething
Transformers
The Tudors
24
Two and a Half Men
United States of Tara
V
The Vampire Diaries
The Wire

I really need to watch more TV.

Various reasons for this. I used to work in the evenings so I was mostly at work when shows were being broadcast. I generally haven’t had HBO or Showtime and I sometimes haven’t had cable. I don’t like starting on a show with long story arcs unless I feel I’m going to be able to watch the whole series. And some shows just don’t look like something I’d be interested in.

[astorian]

I’ve never seen an episode of Breaking Bad, or The Wire, or Mad Men, or any of the Housewives of Wherever shows.

[wei_ji]

I took the advice of the Left many years ago (a rare event) to “Shoot Your Television,” so I’ve “missed” all of the shows listed by your contributors here. I think “Dallas” is the one which got the most response by TV users, who were appalled when I told them I hadn’t a clue who “JR” was nor did I care who shot him. Yes, I know this sounds elitist, snooty, if you prefer, but when I listen to someone talking about their favorite “show” it sounds like gossip I used to hear as I was growing up (“Have you heard? Abbie Jane has had another breakdown”).

When you read savvy media references to various TV cultural figures and plot issues, as though these matter or rise to the level of cultural literacy and substance, you see how empty it is. Television is the most destructive and failed of all “modern” technologies. It had potential if handled carefully, but like a painkilling drug it was abused, became addictive, and demeans its victims. Today it’s circuses without even the benefit of bread. Yes, the net is better: at least you have enough variety to decide for yourself what to consume: It’s not like eating at Joe’s Diner every night, where the daily special is a big deal.

Someday, far in the future, where perspective is to be had, someone will write a fine book about the failure of television.

[tdn]

Too many to mention. I have occasionally caught a few minutes of Vampire Diaries. Is it really as bad all the way though as it is in the first few minutes? It seems, among other things, way overscored.

[SciFiSam]

@wei_ji

I took the advice of the Left many years ago (a rare event) to “Shoot Your Television,” so I’ve “missed” all of the shows listed by your contributors here. I think “Dallas” is the one which got the most response by TV users, who were appalled when I told them I hadn’t a clue who “JR” was nor did I care who shot him. Yes, I know this sounds elitist, snooty, if you prefer, but when I listen to someone talking about their favorite “show” it sounds like gossip I used to hear as I was growing up (“Have you heard? Abbie Jane has had another breakdown”).

When you read savvy media references to various TV cultural figures and plot issues, as though these matter or rise to the level of cultural literacy and substance, you see how empty it is. Television is the most destructive and failed of all “modern” technologies. It had potential if handled carefully, but like a painkilling drug it was abused, became addictive, and demeans its victims. Today it’s circuses without even the benefit of bread. Yes, the net is better: at least you have enough variety to decide for yourself what to consume: It’s not like eating at Joe’s Diner every night, where the daily special is a big deal.

Someday, far in the future, where perspective is to be had, someone will write a fine book about the failure of television.

Well done on being more enlightened than everyone else.

@Rhiannon8404

I’ve never watched an episode of The Simpsons.

That is unusual.

I’ve never seen a single episode of most reality shows. I’ve seen two episodes of Britain’s Got Talent, and they were quite enjoyable, but the rest have passed me by. I think of them more as something to watch with friends or family, all commenting on the acts, rather than as a show just to watch, and my friends don’t want to watch them so I don’t watch them either.

I’ve still not got round to watching The Wire or Supernatural, both of which are big among people who like the other shows I like.

[SpartanDC]

@wei_ji

Television is the most destructive and failed of all “modern” technologies. It had potential if handled carefully, but like a painkilling drug it was abused, became addictive, and demeans its victims. Today it’s circuses without even the benefit of bread. Yes, the net is better: at least you have enough variety to decide for yourself what to consume: It’s not like eating at Joe’s Diner every night, where the daily special is a big deal.

Someday, far in the future, where perspective is to be had, someone will write a fine book about the failure of television.

Is this trolling? If so, 10/10. Well done.

[notfrommensa]

Lots. I have seen most of the original episodes of Star Trek, but I have never seen any of the reincarnations. Never seen Dancing with the Stars. Firefly and Dr Who are popular here, never seen them.

[Wheelz]

Law & Order. Any of its incarnations. And I think that accounts for about 2/3 of all scripted television produced in the last two decades.

Also House. I’m sure there are lots of others, but those are probably the two most popular shows that I’ve never even checked out once.

(Unless you count all the Jersey Kardashian Housewife junk, which I don’t.)

[Marley23]

@wei_ji

Television is the most destructive and failed of all “modern” technologies.

Please open a new thread if you want to discuss what’s wrong with television. This discussion is about popular TV shows people haven’t seen.

@SpartanDC

Is this trolling? If so, 10/10. Well done.

Accusations of trolling aren’t allowed in this forum. Don’t do this again.

[Little_Nemo]

@wei_ji

I took the advice of the Left many years ago (a rare event) to “Shoot Your Television,” so I’ve “missed” all of the shows listed by your contributors here. I think “Dallas” is the one which got the most response by TV users, who were appalled when I told them I hadn’t a clue who “JR” was nor did I care who shot him. Yes, I know this sounds elitist, snooty, if you prefer, but when I listen to someone talking about their favorite “show” it sounds like gossip I used to hear as I was growing up (“Have you heard? Abbie Jane has had another breakdown”).

When you read savvy media references to various TV cultural figures and plot issues, as though these matter or rise to the level of cultural literacy and substance, you see how empty it is. Television is the most destructive and failed of all “modern” technologies. It had potential if handled carefully, but like a painkilling drug it was abused, became addictive, and demeans its victims. Today it’s circuses without even the benefit of bread. Yes, the net is better: at least you have enough variety to decide for yourself what to consume: It’s not like eating at Joe’s Diner every night, where the daily special is a big deal.

Someday, far in the future, where perspective is to be had, someone will write a fine book about the failure of television.

I disagree. Rejecting all television is foolish. Would you reject Citizen Kane because Freddie Got Fingered is a bad movie? Would you reject A Day in the Life because Friday is a bad song? Would you reject War and Peace because The Da Vinci Code is a bad novel? There’s plenty of good television and there’s a lot of great television. Being proud of never watching television is like being proud of never reading a book.

[Premislaus]

@wei_ji

I took the advice of the Left many years ago (a rare event) to “Shoot Your Television,” so I’ve “missed” all of the shows listed by your contributors here. I think “Dallas” is the one which got the most response by TV users, who were appalled when I told them I hadn’t a clue who “JR” was nor did I care who shot him. Yes, I know this sounds elitist, snooty, if you prefer, but when I listen to someone talking about their favorite “show” it sounds like gossip I used to hear as I was growing up (“Have you heard? Abbie Jane has had another breakdown”).

When you read savvy media references to various TV cultural figures and plot issues, as though these matter or rise to the level of cultural literacy and substance, you see how empty it is. Television is the most destructive and failed of all “modern” technologies. It had potential if handled carefully, but like a painkilling drug it was abused, became addictive, and demeans its victims. Today it’s circuses without even the benefit of bread. Yes, the net is better: at least you have enough variety to decide for yourself what to consume: It’s not like eating at Joe’s Diner every night, where the daily special is a big deal.

Someday, far in the future, where perspective is to be had, someone will write a fine book about the failure of television.

How do you know the state of television if you don’t watch it?

[_mostly_Harmless]

I’ve never seen: Friends, Survivor, Lost, or Battlestar Galactica. The last of which I shall be rectifying in the near future.

[Morgenstern]

CSI, not even once.

Another I’ll add to the list is the soon to debut, Hillbilly Hand Fishing.

[Shark_Sandwich]

I mention these in fear of possibly having to turn in my SDMB Club Card. I’ve never seen an entire episode of: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, South Park, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dr. Who (any version), or…Arrested Development.

In my defense, I’m planning on getting season 1 of AD on DVD.

[panache45]

American Idol
Andromeda
Babylon 5
Baywatch
Big Brother
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Californication
Carnivale
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dancing With the Stars
Dexter
Entourage
Extras
Flash Forward
Flight of the Conchords
Friday Night Lights
The Ghost Whisperer
Generation Kill
G.I. Joe
Gilmore Girls
The Good Wife
Jersey Shore
Mad Men
Medium
The Office
Six Feet Under
So You Think You Can Dance
Space: Above and Beyond
Sports Night
Thirtysomething
Transformers
The Tudors
24
United States of Tara
V
The Vampire Diaries
The Wire

Yes, I copied Little Nemo’s list, then eliminated the ones I’ve seen.

[BMalion]

In over 20 years all I’ve seen are Babylon 5, Dr. Who, Rome, Deadwood, Sherlock and the cartoon Justice League Unlimited.

I’ve only seen those because my pal loaned me the DVDs.

[jabiru]

It’d be an easier task to list the popular shows I have watched. I’m left out of all the television discussions at work because I have no idea what they’re on about.

[typoink]

Almost anything “reality” – I’ve seen bits of some of the “talent” shows (especially Project Runway, which my wife watched), a few episodes of The Osbournes and American Chopper, and have probably seen some of the others on in the background, but that’s pretty much it.

As much as I’ve seen, I find reality shows to be a TV equivalent of being yelled at. Just really unpleasant.

Most major three-camera sitcoms that started after 2000 or so are also new to me. I never liked the format, and as soon as the single-camera comedies took hold, I never looked back.

[GuanoLad]

A lot of popular TV never got played in my part of the world, so either they’re only available on DVD, or aren’t available at all and just missed out.

There are many that I have only seen one episode of but I won’t include them on the list. And of course there are a lot of shows that are considered “okay” that I’ve never seen. I also have certain genres I stay away from just because they have never appealed to me.

But of the seriously mega-popular shows that everybody raves about, I have never seen even five minutes of:

Sopranos
The Wire
Arrested Development
The Shield
Mad Men
The Office (UK or US)
Dexter

[An_Gadai]

@GuanoLad

Sopranos
The Wire
Arrested Development
The Shield
Mad Men
The Office (UK or US)
Dexter

Get DVDs of the first five anyway and you will have many an hours solid entertainment.