OMG, with my partner it has to be good in, like, 10 minutes.
For me, it depends. I was pretty meh about Doctor Who for pretty large chunks, but I mainlined 6 seasons last summer in large part because of fandom. I wanted to watch -- and understand -- vids. I wanted to read fic and meta. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I still enjoy DW fannish creations more than the show itself most of the time.
I'm sure that if I started watching Buffy at this point, I'd blaze through S1 under the promise that it improves. But I wasn't involved in fandom when I started it -- it was what got me into fandom -- so I didn't have that motivation. Lacking that, I probably give up on a show after 3 or 4 episodes, unless I've heard great things from people I trust.
I'm pretty insistent on watching shows all the way through in order as well. But many people aren't as spoiler-phobic as me, or generally as invested in their television shows. :D
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For me, it depends. I was pretty meh about Doctor Who for pretty large chunks, but I mainlined 6 seasons last summer in large part because of fandom. I wanted to watch -- and understand -- vids. I wanted to read fic and meta. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I still enjoy DW fannish creations more than the show itself most of the time.
I'm sure that if I started watching Buffy at this point, I'd blaze through S1 under the promise that it improves. But I wasn't involved in fandom when I started it -- it was what got me into fandom -- so I didn't have that motivation. Lacking that, I probably give up on a show after 3 or 4 episodes, unless I've heard great things from people I trust.
I'm pretty insistent on watching shows all the way through in order as well. But many people aren't as spoiler-phobic as me, or generally as invested in their television shows. :D