Maybe my friends were weird, but in France, we just did not spend much time discussing TV. But here, everyone seems to watch a lot of it.
Entertainment is the business of L.A., where everyone you meet is writing a screenplay, so I don't know how much of this is American in general, and how much is exclusive to L.A. Conversations here tend to revolve around television shows, even more than movies. I know many of them by name and reputation-- they're ubiquitous. "Behave or I might go Jack Bauer on you!" said a boy I know recently.
I never turn on the TV so I have little to contribute in this area. It makes me feel as if I am from another planet, visiting a land of addicts to some strange potion.
My brother did a post-doc fellowship at UCLA years ago, and said exactly the same thing about LA. San Francisco either has fewer tv watchers, or I don't know them, though the Sopranos has a following here...
Posted by: Jadie | 19 April 2007 at 23:52
I feel the same way here in Canada. Hubby and I don't own a TV and haven't watched it for 5 years (since we are together).
We don't miss it, but I do feel alien at work when everybody in the office is talking about a show they watched the day before!
Posted by: Lady Iphigenia | 29 April 2007 at 03:20
I finally, after almost 4 years of not watching TV, cancelled my cable. I had only been keeping it connected for when my parents and sister visit.
My mother, on her two-month visit, was absolutely horrified. She kept offering to re-hook me, but I refused. I pointed out that I still have 250 DVDs (where did they all come from??? I only received a DVD player for my birthday 3 years ago). I even have some TV shows on DVD, without the commercials! Nope, not as good as TV.
When I first stopped watching TV, I had just started a new job. My new boss seemed to really like me and always wanted to chitchat. She would go on and on about Survivor and her other reality TV shows. One day she finally asked me what shows I watched. After I told her I don't watch TV, she never spoke to me again. I was laid off two months before my contract was to end.
Posted by: Maktaaq | 05 July 2007 at 20:10