posted on August 23, 2013 by Lorelei James

Culling the herd—aka, why my DVR will have more room in 2013-14 TV season

turnandburnAs the new television season is about to kick off in the next few weeks, I flipped through my DVR list of preset series recordings and decided it was time to cull the herd.

I’ll admit I don’t watch a lot of live TV—which means I’m usually hopelessly out of the loop about current events when I’m under deadline. The “must see” shows for me are recorded so I can skip over the commercials and watch them at my leisure (or until the DVR warns me that my capacity is at 93% full). I consider DVRing an exercise in time management.  Which really made me wonder why I’ve stuck with some shows that have pretty much jumped the shark in recent seasons.

But because I’ve been watching them forever, I felt a certain loyalty to them hoping they’d get better, hoping they’d return to the shows roots—whatever special something that made me want to watch it in the first place. So it doesn’t have to be a big, unbelievable plot twist or a character I dislike that’ll make me walk away, but usually a combination of things.

I’m not one of those TV people who’d rather watch reruns of shows I’ve loved rather than trying something new. It seems I discover a new show every year, maybe it’s one that’s been on a while and I have to catch up on previous seasons. I still get that sense of excitement when a producer I love attempts a new project, but that’s no guarantee I’ll love it.

I am a firm believer that TV series and book series shouldn’t go on forever. By the time Gunsmoke hit 20 years of its TV run, Marshal Dillon and Miss Kitty were getting up there in years—even they couldn’t muster the onscreen excitement they once had. And I’ve abandoned a few book series I once adored because the thrill was gone. As I’m facing penning the end on a long running western series of my own, the Rough Riders series will end with book 16 in 2014, I’m still torn on whether it’s the right decision. But I’d rather go out on my own terms. And when I think about it, that’s not a surprise since most of my favorite TV shows chose their own ending time too.

loreleijamesWhat about you? Do you think TV series and book series should have a finite end?

Lorelei James~

Check out Lorelei’s website for the latest releases, excerpts and news:

www.loreleijames.com

 

Lorelei James

Lorelei James

Portraiture by Russell LLoyd Jensen/Sage Studios

A bit about me: When I'm not squirreled away behind my laptop writing fun, sexy, contemporary erotic romances set in the modern day Wild West, I can be found reading everything under the sun, practicing yoga until I'm a pretzel, shootin' my .22, watching the Professional Bull Riders tour on Versus, and running a kid's taxi service, all in the guise of avoiding housework and rustlin' up vittles.

Why do I have a particular fondness for all things western? Well, I'm a fourth generation South Dakotan, living in the Black Hills, which is chock-full of interesting characters, including cowboys, Indians, ranchers, and bikers. The geographical diversity of the surrounding area showcases mountains, plains, and badlands. Living in and writing about rural settings gives me a unique perspective, especially since I'm not writing historical westerns. Through my fictional world, I can show the ideals and the cowboy way of life are still very much alive.

I also write a dark, gritty mystery series under another name. Check it out: http://www.loriarmstrong.com

http://www.loreleijames.com

6 thoughts on “Culling the herd—aka, why my DVR will have more room in 2013-14 TV season”

  1. I love series books but I don’t like it when they go on forever. I have stopped reading some because I have just gotten tired of the same characters or the same problems happening with different people. Some authors can pull it off, Catherine Coulter, Kay Hooper, You (Lorelei James) because you don’t center the series around a single individual but a group of people or town. I like it when the author knows when to end a series.

  2. CateS says:

    I love series books for the continuity of characters.. but I think that there’s an end to everything. Small town settings are popular, but as they keep adding characters, the small town becomes kinda big. There have been a couple of historical series that I quit due to the wait between books..

  3. Kim cornwell says:

    I agree sometimes they need to stop a series and yes I have stopped reading some that seem to get boring. I love your series and hate to see them end. My husband still records every darn rerun of gunsmoke and I just read while he watches them! Thanks for such awesome books!

  4. mathlady68 says:

    I am a big believer in a set ending. Even if I am still madly in love with the series I want it to end on the high note. Just please don’t leave me hanging with the big questions unresolved. There are a few series I have given up completely and a few that I read as filler/when I get to it books. I am going to be sad to see the Rough Riders end but I am really looking forward to what you come up with next. I always want to see my favorite authors challenging themselves to do something new and fresh.

  5. Sharlene Wegner says:

    Yes, TV shows do tend to get old if they are on for too many years. And book series, while I love them, can get really out of hand, especially if you didn’t get in on the ground floor & have to read previous books to catch up.

  6. Laura says:

    The should all have an ending. I hate wondering what happened to a character. A good ending of a series can make the whole series better.

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