How many episodes do you watch to get into a new show?

[BloodyMary6]

I’ll watch two or three. Sometimes, the show doesn't grab me at first.

[abc3643]

I stopped watching TV for the most part. I do not watch any series whatsoever that was produced in the last 10 years. If I wasn't married, I wouldn't even have any streaming services except for ESPN+ to watch National Lacrosse League games.

I do watch TV sometimes... For instance, tomorrow night is Game 1 in a Best-of-3 series for the National Lacrosse League Championship between the Buffalo Bandits and Saskatchewan Rush. So, that is "appointment viewing" for me.

Other than that, I MAY have some TV streaming in the background on my Roku TV but this is while I am doing other things like chores or work or cooking. Usually, it's old Star Trek, but it may be something else like a Sunday morning pundit show (e. g., Meet the Press or Face the Nation").

However, absolutely no "reality TV" and now no more scripted TV even if it's on over-the-air linear broadcast TV.

Here's why:

For the past 25 years, the networks have been alienating many in their core audience who grew up with normal scripted broadcast TV over a few networks and independents or, to a slightly younger audience, who grew up with cable TV.

But the shift to low-cost unscripted "reality TV" and subscription-based streaming alienated those viewers which is why now broadcast TV is dying and streaming is in rough shape too.

How was I and may others alienated?

1. I wasn't going to accept the crap that was on broadcast like bullshit reality TV which is anything but reality and is just often people being assholes to one another. There are enough assholes in the real world I have to deal with (like Trump), so why would I waste my little free time to watch more vapid or nefarious assholes being assholes (for instance, Big Brother or Survivor).

2. The good stuff I like was cancelled too quickly. So, I learned not to get emotionally invested. Basically, the networks created an audience of Buddhists who learned the "Impermanence", one of the "Three Marks of Existence". Basically, as Rupert Gethin says:

As long as there is attachment to things that are
unstable, unreliable, changing and impermanent,
there will be suffering –
when they change, when they cease to be
what we want them to be.
(...)
If craving is the cause of suffering, then the cessation
of suffering will surely follow from 'the complete
fading away and ceasing of that very craving':
its abandoning, relinquishing, releasing, letting go.

So, people learn to avoid the pain of cancelled TV shows so they simply don't watch them and bother getting emotionally invested in them.

(For these people, the answer to your question "How many episodes do you watch to get into a new show?" is "0. I don't get into new shows anymore because I stopped watching TV.")

3. Stuff that I would have watched was pulled onto a platform that I did not have access to or would not pay for. For instance, Star Trek Voyager was on the UPN network (an upstart network at the time) and there was no UPN affiliate where I lived. Other streaming shows I might have watched meant paying subscriptions. That's not justifiable for a single show or two. I grew up in the era of free broadcast TV; TV was free and paid for by the advertisers and the price I had to pay was to watch the advertising. That was an acceptable deal. Now, they want me to PAY? to have the privilege of watching commericials besides their content? And then, if I want different content, I have to PAY? another content provider? Fuck that.

4. With linear TV / appointment viewing, you have to plan your day to watch a show. And everyone else had to plan accordingly. That was part of the allure of TV; it gave you something to talk about with friends and coworkers the next day. Now, we rarely have that. Furthermore, in my case, since I grew-up with linear broadcast TV, having "on-demand" is a luxury. Sure, I love it. But, instead of watching, I just keep thinking "Well, I'll get to it later..." and then I never do because I don't really have the time or something else came up. With linear appointment viewing TV, if you missed it, tough shit because then you might be able to see it in reruns but that's not the same thing. It's like eating dinner that came from a restaurant but the next day after it has been reheated in the microwave. So, you learned to plan your day around that. For instance, tomorrow's NLL Championship is, to me, appointment viewing even though it will be uploaded for on-demand later. You want to watch something like that live so you can talk to your buddies about it the next day.

So, what do I watch or how do I entertain myself now?

I pay for these:

YouTube Premium
SiriusXM Premium
ESPN+
RokuTV which is required with the TV my wife bought.

I also have Paramount+ for my wife.

My other subscriptions are:
The New York Times (All-Access)
The Washington Post
The Wall Street Journal

And, of course, the web itself is free other than paying for Internet access.

With these, I have more than enough entertainment every day.

Bottom line: I learned to live without TV and I am happy about it. It's very liberating.

[BCRanger10]

It varies, but I'll usually give a show an episode or two.

[AI Opinion]

I usually give a new show around three to four episodes before deciding if I'm hooked or not. Sometimes shows take a little time to build up their characters and story arcs. If the theme or concept intrigues me, I'm usually patient enough to see where it leads. 🎬✨

[Danny_dan92]

If the pilot doesn’t grab my attention I’m not interested

[Godihateyou]

I don't watch shows. It's a waist of life. Turn your TV off. You will be much happier

[DryGermanGuy]

I usually try to finish the first season.

[Nikki1989]

We never watch TV, ever!

[FunkyMonkee]

One will usually suffice.

[hello4433]

One is fine if it's interesting

[CaptanHellams]

I’ll watch two or three

[Aldan1609]

Like three