@Kyeh@tweezak On the Sundays I watch Formula 1 I am glad Science Channel usually has a marathon of How It’s Made. Although some Sundays I don’t get much else done because of that.
@PooltoyWolf I’ll half-watch Forensic Files whenever I want the TV equivalent of comfort food. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode at least twice, but that doesn’t matter, although there are a handful that I’ve just seen too many times and can’t stand to watch again.
I did this when I went back to grad school about 15 years ago. While I was working on homework, I would usually put on CSI. Not because I liked it (it was… okay), but because you could readily look up at any point in the show and have a pretty good idea of what was going on.
I guess that’s the unintended benefit of formulaic TV?
Baseball is usually worth half-watching to me (look up at it when something actually happens, i.e., the announcers quit making small talk), unless it’s the current Texas Rangers, wherein it’s usually not worth watching at all if you are (were?) a fan.
Case in point: A couple weeks ago, another show I was watching ended, so I channel-surfed and I found a Ranger game in late innings. They were behind several runs. The other team had the bases loaded with two players out. Their batter hit a high-bouncer just over first base. I’m thinking, Easy out, end the inning. Nope. The Ranger first baseman, playing deep, knocked it down, but then miss-handled it (played hot-potato with it). (Error one.) Then with his back to home plate, he flipped the ball without looking to the pitcher covering first base. Except he wasn’t. (Error two.) Batter safe, two runs scored, inning continued. Groan, then yawn, turn off TV.
With all the feeding and pumping and washing bottles going on with a newborn there’s a lot of mindless tv playing happening. Ad-free Discover plus has been great. We’ve binged all of property brothers, most of house hunters, a good chunk of pioneer women and currently working our way through how it’s made.
That doesn’t even include the things I actually want to sit down and actively watch like Six degrees of separation and Good Eats.
@narfcake yea when I click on LPL it’s usually something I’ve seen before and they are so quick it doesn’t take long for YouTube’s algorithm to move me to something else and I let it roll if I’m in that mood. Usually it goes to the history documentaries
almost all of the above. i have been known to put on a baseball game in the summer for the nostalgic asmr on rare occasions. and if i’m going to sleep, star trek. (tng, voyager, or ds9.) but usually if something is on in the background it is house MD, a crime show (or “murder sodes” as we call them), a harry potter movie, an oceans movie, or something on twitch - usually “turtles and chill”, a channel that is simply a live feed of one man’s aquariums & the background music is instrumental. (jazz, piano, etc. but sometimes they do book club, i think wednesday night?)
I turn on YouTube on my Roku Tv and start one MST3K movie. It will play them forever and even if I’m not really paying attention, I’ll regularly hear something that will make me laugh out loud.
There are currently three different channels running endless marathons of original recipe Law and Order, and my husband and I have been watching that most evenings after work. Most of the time we don’t pay attention to it, but every so often we’ll get drawn in. It’s entertainment.
Trashy soap opera dramas. Watched a ton of soaps growing up thanks to mom so shows like Nashville, Dynasty, Devious Maids don’t offer that many surprises and everyone will say what’s going on 15 times in an episode so you really don’t have to pay that much attention.
Procedurals like Law and Order, Elementary, Burn Notice are good too because the main plot line is always done by the end of the episode.
Nearly everything, tbh. My attention is such that it’s really hard for me to pay it fully to something on tv. I usually have to also be playing a game on my iPad or iPhone or something.
A lot of not overly cinematic network-type shows work pretty well if you listen and don’t see everything. Been watching Star Trek that way, House, Brooklyn 99… you miss some stuff, but not too much.
Reruns of something I have seen before
How It’s Made.
@yakkoTDI I love that show - but I usually end up sitting down and really watching it.
@Kyeh @yakkoTDI Exactly. I get really sucked in by that stuff.
@Kyeh @tweezak On the Sundays I watch Formula 1 I am glad Science Channel usually has a marathon of How It’s Made. Although some Sundays I don’t get much else done because of that.
@tweezak @yakkoTDI Oh well, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, right?
Supernatural is my background watch go-to. You know how it’s going to go:
1 brother: Imma do the thing!
2 brother: If you do the thing, don’t you come back here!
1 brother: does the thing
drama ensues
Repeat for 15 years.
@brainmist
Forensic Files is often playing in the background while I do my late-night work. Occasionally a good episode comes on, and I stop to watch.
@PooltoyWolf I’ll half-watch Forensic Files whenever I want the TV equivalent of comfort food. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode at least twice, but that doesn’t matter, although there are a handful that I’ve just seen too many times and can’t stand to watch again.
@ahacksaw Pretty much me! LOL
HGTV
Right now: The Good Place
Previously (when it was on Netflix) : The Office
Basically, something I’ve already watched before and isn’t something that requires a lot of attention.
News. It doesn’t change THAT much in 24 hours 99% of the time. But if does you’ll notice it and be avant-garde of your group. The boring one.
I never intentionally “half-watch” something.
I did this when I went back to grad school about 15 years ago. While I was working on homework, I would usually put on CSI. Not because I liked it (it was… okay), but because you could readily look up at any point in the show and have a pretty good idea of what was going on.
I guess that’s the unintended benefit of formulaic TV?
/giphy csi
Porn…no one watches it from start to finish
@somf69 Kind of like a Meh-ra-thon that way.
@somf69 I’m usually busy doing something else when it’s on.
@somf69 @tweezak Yeah, like driving.
Something I’ve already seen, preferably dialogue-heavy. The Simpsons and Star Trek: The Next Generation are reliable go-tos.
Gravity Falls or Phineas & Ferb.
Something I’ve seen before that I enjoy.
A DVD that I’ve seen a dozen times.
I turn on GRIT and watch whatever western is playing
I try to half-watch CSPAN, but it turns into zzzzz…
Friends or Scrubs
Baseball is usually worth half-watching to me (look up at it when something actually happens, i.e., the announcers quit making small talk), unless it’s the current Texas Rangers, wherein it’s usually not worth watching at all if you are (were?) a fan.
Case in point: A couple weeks ago, another show I was watching ended, so I channel-surfed and I found a Ranger game in late innings. They were behind several runs. The other team had the bases loaded with two players out. Their batter hit a high-bouncer just over first base. I’m thinking, Easy out, end the inning. Nope. The Ranger first baseman, playing deep, knocked it down, but then miss-handled it (played hot-potato with it). (Error one.) Then with his back to home plate, he flipped the ball without looking to the pitcher covering first base. Except he wasn’t. (Error two.) Batter safe, two runs scored, inning continued. Groan, then yawn, turn off TV.
@phendrick I tried to read your post but it started with baseball and I just immediately fell asleep.
@phendrick @unksol
With all the feeding and pumping and washing bottles going on with a newborn there’s a lot of mindless tv playing happening. Ad-free Discover plus has been great. We’ve binged all of property brothers, most of house hunters, a good chunk of pioneer women and currently working our way through how it’s made.
That doesn’t even include the things I actually want to sit down and actively watch like Six degrees of separation and Good Eats.
I usually end up on YouTube these days. Sortedfood/forgotten weapons/history documentaries. Some lock picking lawyer. Late night/last week tonight
I
@unksol LPL videos are often too short to be just “background”.
For me, channels like Retail Archeology or Bright Star Film seem to fit the role.
https://m.youtube.com/c/RetailArchaeology/videos
https://m.youtube.com/c/BrightSunGaming/videos
If I need a creative ideas (or what not to do), I may put Garage 54 on:
https://m.youtube.com/c/Garage54ENG/videos
@narfcake yea when I click on LPL it’s usually something I’ve seen before and they are so quick it doesn’t take long for YouTube’s algorithm to move me to something else and I let it roll if I’m in that mood. Usually it goes to the history documentaries
Commercials
Biden
Seinfeld
How It’s Made. Fabulous for napping.
almost all of the above. i have been known to put on a baseball game in the summer for the nostalgic asmr on rare occasions. and if i’m going to sleep, star trek. (tng, voyager, or ds9.) but usually if something is on in the background it is house MD, a crime show (or “murder sodes” as we call them), a harry potter movie, an oceans movie, or something on twitch - usually “turtles and chill”, a channel that is simply a live feed of one man’s aquariums & the background music is instrumental. (jazz, piano, etc. but sometimes they do book club, i think wednesday night?)
I turn on YouTube on my Roku Tv and start one MST3K movie. It will play them forever and even if I’m not really paying attention, I’ll regularly hear something that will make me laugh out loud.
Currently, the Olympics are great for this.
Random shit on YouTube autoplay.
/youtube random shit
There are currently three different channels running endless marathons of original recipe Law and Order, and my husband and I have been watching that most evenings after work. Most of the time we don’t pay attention to it, but every so often we’ll get drawn in. It’s entertainment.
Trashy soap opera dramas. Watched a ton of soaps growing up thanks to mom so shows like Nashville, Dynasty, Devious Maids don’t offer that many surprises and everyone will say what’s going on 15 times in an episode so you really don’t have to pay that much attention.
Procedurals like Law and Order, Elementary, Burn Notice are good too because the main plot line is always done by the end of the episode.
MSNBC
Nearly everything, tbh. My attention is such that it’s really hard for me to pay it fully to something on tv. I usually have to also be playing a game on my iPad or iPhone or something.
A lot of not overly cinematic network-type shows work pretty well if you listen and don’t see everything. Been watching Star Trek that way, House, Brooklyn 99… you miss some stuff, but not too much.
Court shows and game shows.
Or whatever is on.
The A Team