My Memory Ruins Many a TV Series

This was far too long to put up as a tweet, but it really bugs me.

I watch a lot of TV shows with my wife. Recently, we're starting to get into Weeds, and I couldn't help but notice that I tend to think about the wrong things while watching some of these shows.

When a new character is introduced to the plot, I can't help but wonder if this person will die off soon (action flick), get dumped (comedy), die off soon (drama), or simply survive until the end of the day (24). Instead, normal people likely just sit back and enjoy the story.

I have a knack for recognizing people from movies or other TV shows. "Hey, that's the guy who played the UPS guy in Legally Blonde," I said, as the main character in Weeds encounters her son in a Porsche with his girlfriend's dad. I'm probably very annoying to watch movies/TV with because of that, but you can rest assured that I never go to theaters, so you're safe. ;)

Anyway, if the main character of a series enters a romantic relationship, I can often tell with great certainty whether the relationship will last for a while because of how recognizable the other character is.

If the actor is cameo material (highly famous from another TV show, or worse, movies), you probably won't see the actor for more than a few episodes. I'm left asking myself what kind of elaborate story they've dreamt up to eliminate this character. It's somewhat distracting.

If the actor is recognizable as someone who normally plays filler characters in movies (see above UPS example), or a lead role on a very short-lived TV series or mediocre film, they have much more staying power. The probability is high that this character will come back repeatedly. For instance, I thought it was obvious that Kumar (Kal Penn) was going to stick around on House.

When the character is a complete unknown to me, I tend to get back to being a normal person again and simply enjoy the story. :)

This probably explains why I enjoy shows like CSI and Law & Order a little bit more, because the tendency is to have new actors show up and disappear in every episode.