I’m a reader, but I do love me a good TV show.

Am I excited when my favorite shows are on? Yeah, you could say that.

“Good” is, of course, subject to interpretation, but for me, the best TV shows are the ones that give me some of what I get from the best books:

Character must-haves:

• Characters who are interesting, smart, and with a purpose.
• Development: The best shows, for me, are the ones that show their characters learning, changing, and progressing over time.
• Consistency: Nothing worse than a show that suddenly has a character acting completely “out-of-character” for the sake of plot. Ugh. Way to alienate your viewers, show.
• Something in their lives besides a love interest. Shows that are only about love triangles are so boring.

Plot must-haves:

• Consistency: You can’t ignore events from season 1 or retcon them just because they’re no longer convenient.
• Mythology: For shows with mythologies — stick to them! I hate when a show suddenly changes the rules just because they need a new twist.
• Stakes: I don’t mean the wooden kind. If we’re supposed to care about the show or its characters, then there has to be something on the line.
• Forward motion: I cannot stand shows where, at the end of the season, all of the characters are more or less at the same place or in the same situation that they were at the start.

Other essentials:

• Clever dialogue. Quirky is good. Smart is good. Quotability is golden.
• Choreography: If there’s action, it should be fun to watch.
• Set design, costumes, props: Visually engaging, please.

I’m much more of a drama fan, although I do watch a few comedies here and there. Still, it’s the on-going dramas that catch me, hold me, and bring me back week after week. As with my book preferences, I enjoy shows that keep my brain engaged, that challenge and surprise me, that have an internal logic, and that build each episode on what’s gone before.

I don’t watch crime shows or police procedurals… but then again, I don’t generally read crime novels or read mysteries. (I make more exceptions in my reading life than in my TV life.)

I tend not to read soapy books, and mostly avoid soapy shows as well. (Eye of the beholder, though — my definitions and  yours may be nothing alike.)

This past week was a heavy TV-viewing week, as a lot of  “my” shows came back after their Olympics hiatus and a few other returned for a new season. I think I had about 8 hours worth of episodes that I *had* to watch last week or risk seeing serious spoilers, and a couple more will be added this coming week. So maybe it’s no wonder that I’m always whining about not having enough time or staying up too late reading every night?

Still, at the end of a busy day of work, family, and getting the kid to do his homework, I like my hour or so of decompression in front of the screen. It soothes me and gives me downtime, gives me a chance to unwind (and eat a bowl of popcorn), and is a good de-stresser before curling up to read.

Sure, if I absolutely had to choose, I’d pick books any time. But why can’t I have both? And while I’m completely justified in telling my kid, who never reads without arm-twisting, “turn off the TV and go read a book!”, nobody around my house can claim that I don’t read enough… even if I am glued to the TV like a total fanatic when my shows are on.

From time to time, you may see me writing about my favorite TV shows… when I’m in the mood for a non-bookish moment or two. So stay tuned… later this week, I’ll tell you about one of my newer favorites and why I love it so much!