What Your Favorite TV Drama Says About You

Trendy TV dramas could literally not be more over-analyzed (especially on the Internet) or more hyped than they presently are.  So I’ll throw in my contribution to the endless chatter.  I love that due to the proliferation of really quality shows out there, most people feel they must pick an all-time favorite and defend this choice as if it were their hometown, alma mater, or you know a close loved one.

One’s TV preference is now not only a matter of personal taste but to some viewers a very big part of their identity.  But let’s get into the subtext; this may reveal more about you than you think.  Here’s what your TV drama of choice really say about you:

Breaking Bad

All of the sudden this became the ultimate bandwagon show.  Therefore you’re either a.) one of the few die-hard bitter hipsters who must remind people every day how you had been watching since Episode 1 way back in 2008 or b.) a casual TV viewer who fell victim to the hype and decided to see what their cooler friends were getting so excited about circa 2011 or so.  The astronomical increase in ratings for the final season means that some weird people, not to be left out of the fun, were just joining the viewing party in the show’s final few hours.  Breaking Bad deserves every bit of the attention and acclaim, but even so, if you’re still running around like “bitch!” every day since it ended, you definitely feel an overwhelming need to be a part of the crowd.

Downton Abbey

Since this show airs on PBS and it’s a British period piece you probably feel super classy and refined.  First world problems never looked so good.  You basically consider Julian Fellowes the reincarnated Jane Austen, and that wouldn’t be too much of stretch.  However, if you’re marathoning your way through Downton on a Sunday afternoon wondering if you’ll ever find love like Matthew and Mary, there is a 95% chance you’ve just finished up brunch and a 70% chance your head is still pounding from getting super #whitegirlwasted the night before.  The show is unapologetically melodramatic – just like you.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones took the fantasy genre and made it mainstream, because there are attractive naked people in it.  If your favorite show is Game of Thrones you’re definitely indulging your inner nerd.  Either that or you’re already a massive nerd in which case you tumblr the shit out of every episode, have read the books, and cosplay as Khaleesi.  There’s a slim chance you may also have disturbing emotional tendencies, because sometimes one could be tempted to read this show as thinly veiled torture porn.  But only you can truly know if you’re an S&M-loving psychopath or not; that’s not my place to say.

Mad Men

It’s all about that AMC slow burn.  You’re classy as fuck and don’t need to watch people getting their heads blown off left and right.  That’s right, your antihero is always well dressed.  Some might say you value style over substance but you know that the presentation is what counts here.  As hilariously observed on Orange Is the New Black, you may likely be one half of a very stylish yuppie couple and your mutual appreciate of the show is just another thing you love about yourselves together.  And maybe you pine for that golden age when casual alcoholism was treated a bit more casually.

Homeland

Okay so you might be a little crazy, but in the best way possible.  It takes a lot of devotion to keep believing in the Carrie-Brody bad romance despite every rational reason not to.  But they’re so awesome together!  You just know it!  You’re like Carrie.  You know what you have with this show is real.  Homeland is an extremely smart show that is sometimes all over the place but that is really what makes it even cooler in your opinion.  A little inconsistency keeps you on your toes.

The Walking Dead

Most people watch cable drama at least in part to feel smart, but The Walking Dead fans a different breed of viscerally real folks.  This show has garnered record-breaking ratings without any Emmy hype needed.  This is the people’s show, an all-American cable drama, and fittingly so because it’s super badass.  You probably roll your eyes when someone inevitably tells you zombies are stupid.  Um, zombies are cool.  And you know that watching Norman Reedus bash a walking corpse’s skull in every Sunday while downing a few beers is more gratifying than any so-called character development.

Confession: I watch all of the above shows and I’m deeply emotionally invested in each one.  What does that say about me?  A great number of unsettling things but mostly that I spend a lot of time with my couch and my DVR.