So Many Shows So Little Time

Sometimes when I’m trying to decide on the next drama I want to watch I feel like I’m drowning in choices.  Which, in essence, I am since there are hundreds of dramas out there to choose from.  I’ve compiled a rather lengthy list of dramas I do want to watch, which is only a pin drop in the ocean of dramas.  As I’ve talked about in a prior post, I want that happy ending, so I often search the net for lists of dramas that have happy endings.  And then I search out each individual title and try to discern from posts and reviews which of them have a confirmed happy ending.  That’s at least where I start.  Though having this list of dramas that all sound good story and premise wise with a confirmed good or at least mostly good ending is just as overwhelming as looking at all the dramas out there which are available to watch.  So I sit there for an hour, sometimes more, and try to figure out what I want to invest my time into.

Honestly I depend a lot on reviews that I find on Dramabeans, Drama Fever, Crunchyroll, and other various sites focused on dramas.  Personally a recap review is less valuable to me than a review that talks about the writer’s likes/dislikes about the series.  I don’t want to know exactly what happened, but I do want to know if the viewer enjoyed the show.  And of course, if there was a happy ending.  I do a lot of searches that are similar to “does Insert Drama Name Here have a happy ending”.  I can usually ascertain quickly from the snippets in the google search results if the show ends happily or not.  Sometimes I get mixed signals, some say it was good and some say it was satisfactory and some say it wasn’t what they had hoped for.  I put those into a second list that I title, “Mostly Happy Ending.”

With so many shows to choose from and a large chunk with a happy ending, how do I pick one fish out of the sea to watch?  It depends on what I just finished watching.  If it was a lighthearted romantic comedy with a very simple feel and youthful story then I’ll probably focus on something a little more mature or with more serious story themes.  For example after I finished Flower Boy Ramen Shop I picked A Gentleman’s Dignity.  Flower Boy Ramen Shop was cutesy and lighthearted so I wanted something a little more mature.  The main actors in A Gentleman’s Dignity are all in their forties and so the themes were much different.  But sometimes I just want more of the same so I’ll go right into another sweet romantic comedy right after finishing one.  Like when I finished You’re Beautiful and started Heartstrings right away.

I’ve tried making lists ranking the shows I do want to watch with the information I know about them and then just sticking to it.  Then my current show ends and I look at the number one choice… and then still spend ages reading reviews looking at suggestions, and researching any number of aspects about any number of shows to finally choose something not even on the list.  If I could only make a plan and stick to it I’d have more time to watch my dramas.  But I just can’t help but look at other shows, read up on a show I’ve never heard of before, contemplate re-watching one of the shows I’ve already watched but loved so much it left a hole in my heart when it was done.  I keep telling myself I’ll just follow my list no matter what.  Maybe this will be the time that I can, maybe after I finish My Princess I’ll be able to go right to I Need Romance.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!