WOLDUM TV

(Possessed Photography/Unsplash)

A habit of the times

If there’s anything I learned from conducting this interview, it’s that our TV habits are personal — more so, in many ways, than the way we consume other kinds of art or stories. How, when, where, and what we watch is part of the fabric of our daily routines, our family time, and even how we make memories. And as the pandemic has kept us at home for the better part of the past two years, this has only become more true.

Thanks to these three friends who agreed to answer my questions.

What is your favorite TV show of all time? Not the one you necessarily think is the “best,” but the one you feel most fondly about?

Marie Fischer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Gabriela Munoz: Definitely The Simpsons Mike Ludwig: High Fidelity… mostly for my love of the motion picture, and also for [my love of] music and music lovers, and the little subculture of record stores. The Hulu show only lasted one season, unfortunately. I also love stand-up comedy, Comedians in Cars and romantic comedies disguised as other things, like Judd Apatow’s series Love. Me: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but probably Gilmore Girls. I had certain episodes recorded on VHS that I watched over and over. Watching Rory woo hottie after hottie was total wish fulfillment when I was in HS with no boyfriend of my own.

In your opinion, what is the BEST TV show of all time? (e.g., the highest quality or most wellmade)

Marie Fischer: Schitt’s Creek.

Gabriela Munoz: The Sopranos. Mike Ludwig: Seinfeld, and [nothing else] is really close. Me: True Detective, Season 1.

How do you watch TV?

Marie Fischer: I usually watch TV on my laptop but occasionally rally in the basement around the big TV. No cable, just literally every streaming service (Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime, Disney+…maybe more). Gabriela Munoz: DVDs in my computer or DVDs in my TV. (Note from Rachel: “I find it hilarious that Gaby – the youngest of the bunch – watches TV in such an outdated medium!”) Mike Ludwig: I watch a [very] little of everything. We have two young boys so there’s not a lot of downtime. If I watch anything, it’s generally live sports because I can bounce in and out of games and golf tournaments between chasing kids around the house. [As for] what services/streaming: it’s embarrassing but pretty much all the services. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, ESPN+ and DirecTV. Maybe Peacock too? Me: I watch shows with my husband every night on the basement TV after our baby goes to bed — currently making our way through Vikings Valhalla, which is OK — and alone on my laptop whenever I can sneak it in during the day. We have YouTube TV for recording things like the Olympics or The Bachelor, and also Prime, Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+.

What is your most memorable TVwatching experience?

Marie Fischer: Probably watching Battlestar Galactica for the first time. I watched it with [friends] Kellen [Kirchberg] and Joe [Dobrow], all for the first time, and it had been SO hyped but absolutely lived up to my expectations. Either that, or the premiere of Smallville. Both very formative for me

Gabriela Munoz: Any of the Olympics! Mike Ludwig: Probably laying on the couch with our boys, Otis and Hank, chilling and cuddling. Me: Waiting each week (with millions of others!) for a new episode during the final season of Game of Thrones, and watching Alone all night long during the newborn phase of parenting — delirious, lonely, and praying my baby would sleep! Like the characters on the show, I too was just trying to survive.

Show you’ve surprisingly never watched:

Marie Fischer: Breaking Bad! Gabriela Munoz: X Files…not a single episode. Mike Ludwig: Never watched a minute of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones or The Wire. Not for me.