Part 1: Why I won’t watch...

First of all, thank you for responding to my online poll about television shows you love and shows you don’t. After reviewing your answers and completely disregarding them, I’ve compiled a list of shows I watch and won’t watch.

Part 1: Why I won’t watch…

Stranger Things

I scare easily. I am a scaredy cat. I can’t stand watching shows where the music builds, people are making bad choices and not looking behind them (seriously! Always look behind you!). I don’t think it’s worth my time to have my face covered with a blanket most of the time in anticipation of the scary part coming. I blame my older brother for this fear. He used to chase me up the stairs pounding on each stair and scaring the $%#* out of me. He also used to hide under covers and jump out at me. Typical big brother things. I’m pretty sure he single-handedly made me a jumpy scared person with an irrational fear of going up stairs (aside from that he was a pretty great big brother).

I do love that it is set in the eighties, I can get on board with that. The one episode I did watch, the child actors were all great. I truly wish them a long and prosperous career. And I love the cool “Stranger Things” graphic tees they sell at Target. Can I wear one when I refuse to watch the show? Anyway, I know what you are going to say because I’ve heard it before...Neko, it’s not that scary! Just watch a few more episodes...it gets better, I promise! Nope. I have nightmares. Can’t do it. Hard pass people, life is too short.

Game of Thrones

I hate getting dirty. When I garden (that makes it sound like I garden a lot...I don’t) I have to wear gloves because I hate the idea of dirt under my fingernails. Oh, and I’m terrified of worms so if my actual skin ever grazed a worm I would instantly drop and fetal position until someone finds me and cuddles me for a minimum of 30 minutes. Anyway, I hate getting dirty and almost as much as I hate being dirty, I hate seeing other people dirty. Game of Thrones is full of dirty people. It’s super gross to watch. I can almost smell them from my living room. That’s my first issue.

My second issue is that this show has deeply wounded me not once, but twice. The first time I watched “Game of Thrones” (and by watched I mean I walked through the living room and glanced at the tv) two people were engaging in inappropriate behavior in a tower. They were discovered by a little boy who was in the window of the tower (why was a little boy in a window of a tower?!?) Then the dude pushed the boy out of the window. HE PUSHED A LITTLE BOY OUT OF A WINDOW!! What the?! And the second time I walked through the living room while they hubby was watching it, there was a very inappropriate scene involving a brother “selling” a sister to a super scary Goliath looking dude. Sister was distraught. I was distraught. In case you don’t know this about me, I internalize things. I’m super empathetic which is a blessing and a curse. Poor, poor sister. Poor, poor little boy who was pushed out of the tower by a dirty man. My husband tried to convince me that this could be “our show” and that the scenes I walked in on were not typical of the show as a whole. Which is a lie. And he knew it. So I threw him a “I hope you know you are a worse person for watching this” line and “Game of Thrones” was dead to me. Hard pass people, life is too short.

This Is Us

Oh, “This Is Us”. The new “Parenthood” (which I didn’t watch either). It is everywhere. The cover of magazines, on my Facebook feed, in conversations, clips shown in sermons at my church. First, I did actually watch the first episode. It was good. But for me, it felt like a mini movie and at the end, I was satisfied. It felt like the circle was closed in that one episode so it was done for me. I felt good about that.

Second, remember that empathetic thing? Yeah, that’s a problem with a show like that. Even though they are characters in a show with a made up storyline, it would cut me to the core. I’ve watched three or more separate clips of the show at my church and 95% of the women in church were crying. Including me! And again, I don't even watch the show or know the characters and I'm still grabbing for a tissue...over a 3-minute clip of a television show! People post on Facebook that “‘This Is Us’ got me again, I can’t stop crying!” Really people? Really? Is that what you need in your life? To feel emotion over a fake story so much that it brings you to legit tears? (I hope you can’t tell that I’m scream typing…) I’m sure it’s a good show, but I really don’t want to feel that emotion and cry. Give me a comedy where I laugh/cry any day of the week. But my heart can’t handle internalizing the emotions from a fake storyline. However, if you are watching it just for the Justin Hartley eye candy, I give you a free pass for watching. But for me, hard pass people, life is too short.

So there you have it! My top three shows I refuse to watch (that apparently you all love!).  I welcome any feedback just keep in mind, it’s personal preference people!!  And I STILL WON’T WATCH “THIS IS US”!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up whenever I get a chance to write it...