What Does Fleabag, Line Of Duty And Killing Eve Have In Common?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So let's answer the question first before we crack on shall we? What does Fleabag, Line Of Duty and Killing Eve have in common?

I haven't seen them.

And so the next question is why?

After all I can't say a group of TV dramas are rubbish because I haven't seen them (there are actually many more I could have added to this list). Indeed I don't recall even seeing the trailers.

The fact I do shift work is no longer a reason. Given catch-up services, DVDs and the fact we've been able to record shows for decades.

When I was much younger and watched much more TV I'd probably give new series a two episode rule. If it didn't engage me in the second part that was it. As I grew older that rule went down to one. And now I'm just not bothered.

Indeed the above shows are examples of where they come to me again when they're extremely successful and popular. Splashed all around the media. Fleabag this or Line Of Duty that. Then I instinctively react against them. The idea that I feel pressurised to watch something makes me want to go all Thoreau and follow a different drummer to the one I feel I'm being forced into.

I watch Welsh language programmes on S4C, sport and as regular readers will know films to follow the mad exercise of going through the Radio Times Film Catalogue of 2013. But even that doesn't answer why I'm not watching much of anything else as they are mainly recorded. I've always watched sport and Welsh language programming (since I moved here in 1997) but I watched new TV drama and comedy series as well from whatever the channel. Not now.

And before I go on there are exceptions. Wife and I saw A Very English Murder starring Hugh Grant because we remembered the Jeremy Thorpe case as children. I'm also going to watch the new Russell T Davies futuristic drama Years and Years because if the trailer is anything to go by it seems to be portraying the Britain we are moving into. But as I say they are rare nowadays.

So we come back to the question as to why I'm not regularly watching series on TV anymore and I'm including the likes of Netflix and catch-up services in that. The honest answer is I don't know. Except what appears to be happening, years after they've been originally broadcast, is that there are a few number of shows that come to me and sneak up unawares. Castle was one of them as indeed when I was in Essex exile when my mother was unwell Bones. That was a show that ran for twelve years but I found myself watching it a year after it had finished as it seemed to be on when I returned from hospital where she was for a while and well, I was hooked.

I'm also viewing the Johnny Lee Miller Elementary. I'm on Season three...but I understand there are seven.

So perhaps in this multichannel, multimedia world this is how I'm going to be watching a lot of TV series from now on.

Through pot luck.

Until the next time.