There seems to be a general dislike or disinterest in this forum for self contained, plot of the week, crime of the week, mystery of the week, monster of the week, procedural episodes in this forum.

I know in general there are way too many fucking shows on TV and most of you simply don't have a lot of time to watch most of them.

But, I would really like to know why you just don't like this type of format? Because it's just too predictable and not smart enough TV for you? Do you just have to weave out this type of show because there is too many of them? Or do you simply prefer serialized type shows that are grittier and darker?

Or have you simply grown bored and tired of it and they never add anything new to the format that makes it fresh or interesting enough for you?


I thought The Rookie on ABC and FBI on CBS were some of the best new shows last season and yes they were procedurals. But, I'm guessing a lot here never bothered with them.

I grew up reading comics, I like serialized continuity. I remember how Fringe started out vs how it was at the end of the 1st season and going forward and the show was like night and day to me.

I guess I'd have to say sometimes, as some of my favorite sci-fi shows, Star Trek and the X-Files, were mostly procedural. I much prefer the monster-of-the-week X-Files episodes to the ongoing alien abduction plot, which grew to be way too convoluted and tedious.

I have zero problem with them. I've watched many of them. Currently FBI, The Rookie, in the past, stuff like L&O, Numbers and many others. What I do have a problem with, is taking a source material that is better suited to a shorter season, and serial seasons.

I don't watch shows like that and haven't in years (last one I watched was CSI in the early 2000's). I won't go as far as saying that I never would, but as of now I don't watch them so I have to answer "No"

Always prefer serialized shows. If it's a procedural, I prefer it to have some sort of overall arc as well, i.e. iZombie. Even Elementary tends to have a somewhat loose arc every season. But those are both ending. Blacklist and Blindspot are also examples of a procedural/serialized mix I can enjoy. But just straight up L&O/CSI-type stuff isn't for me. I watched Castle for maybe 3 seasons but got bored with it.

Even with X-Files, I know I'm in the minority, but the conspiracy plot always intrigued me more than the case of the week.

Generally I shy away from them, but I wouldn't completely rule them out

Most of my favorite episodes of Castle and Bones are self-contained, one off episodes.

I don't have a problem with procedural shows as a concept, only the fact that most of them are really bland and boring, doing the same things over and over again, with only a tiny amount of character growth/development and/or consequences, if any at all.
FBI, The Rookie, L&O, Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Bones, Blue Bloods, etc, etc.: Fucking yawn.

Thing is, the majority of procedurals on TV these days STILL have serialization to them, so I don't have a problem with the ones I like...as long as the characters grow over time and things that happen in episodes don't conflict with character traits that have been established in earlier episodes. I'm hard pressed to think of any TV series now that isn't somewhat serialized (other than anthology shows)...even half hour sitcoms seem to have some sort of callbacks to earlier shows/character arcs. Compare that to some of the shows in the 70s and 80s, where there was zero connection to plots from episode to episode.

I tend to enjoy more serialized shows with an overarching story rather than episodic procedurals.

I don't think I'm watching anything not serialized at the moment.

I like them but I like the others as well. So I probably should have voted it sometimes...