What Shows Should Aspiring Writers Watch?

Professors (and agents) often encourage writers to watch as much television as possible.  But what if, like me, you don't have time (and even when you do have time, your kids are hogging your television)?

The truth is, I don't watch a lot of TV.

Actually, that's not true.  I do watch a lot of TV, but I watch what my children (and husband) watch.  (Animal Planet; Top Chef; Deadliest Catch; several terrifying shows about Mt. Everest climbers, most of whom die at some point during the season)  I usually have one show every season that I watch religiously (and by watch religiously, I mean Tivo every week and then watch the entire season in 48 hours.)

If you love watching TV and you have time to do so, good for you.  You can stop reading.  But if you don't have time, here's my advice: Watch at least one episode of each new show.  It's important that you know what's out there; what's selling, etc.  During interviews and general meetings, executives are going to ask you what shows you watch, what shows you like, and what show you would like to write for.  You need to have answers.  But you don't need to know the plot of every episode of every show.  That said, if you're meeting with an executive from a certain production company/studio/network, make sure you're familiar with the shows that production company/studio/network produces.  Be familiar with the concepts of each show and a few specifics from at least one episode.

I'm not discouraging avid TV watching, I'm simply saying, don't feel guilty if you're not watching every episode of every show.  But do be prepared for meetings.

Warren adds:

As a showrunner, I don't like when I meet writers (or for that matter, PAs) who say they don't watch TV. What are you doing in the business then? So while you don't need to be able to talk about every show on the air, it's important that you can speak about at least one or two shows in depth. Bottom line: have a favorite show, and know it inside and out.

DO NOT say to a potential employer, "I don't watch TV."  That is not my advice.  But don't feel guilty if you don't have time to watch EVERY show on television.  I've worked with assistants who watch EVERY THING, and it can be very intimidating.  But it does not mean they are better writers.  And if they are, it's not just because of the hours of television they've logged.