You can still play catch up on DVD/Blu. You can record the last half of this season while you play catch up and once you get up to season 4, pick up the first half on itunes/amazon.

That what I did last year.

I prefer serialized shows by a very wide margin. But I also watch several shows that are mostly procedural but have some serialized plotlines.

Strictly procudural or monster of the week shows need to have great characters are a subject matter that really interestes me. They rarely do, so I watch almost none of those.

Speaking of serialized shows that have been mentioned here a couple times, Babylon 5 is one I always wanted to watch..finally was able to watch most of season one awhile back and thought the effects(which I was prepared for) and acting were horrid. Does the acting at least get any good? There were some cool things going on with the story.

B5 is tremendous after S1. No, the effects don't really get any better.

This answer pretty much sums it for me as well except for the waiting until the end. I can't wait and I'll take my chances if it's a type of show I know I'll enjoy. But as I've gotten older I do skip of a lot of new shows for the very reason that so many get cancelled before any sort of quality develops or before they reach any sort of resolution.

So to answer the question, I'll watch either type with equal enthusiasium it just has to be good.

While I voted yes, it isn't that simple.

Shows like CSI, L&O...etc bore me to death. But take something like, Justified, which isn't strictly serialized, that is OK. Or even something like Fringe...not always mythology, but not always procedural.

I definitely prefer serialized shows because as some have said earlier the characters seem to evolve more. That being said, I think there are a couple of terrific shows (on CBS, for heavens sake) that do a good job of evolving character while still being mostly episodic. I'm referring to The Good Wife and Blue Bloods.

I had high hopes for Alcatraz, but it really just seems to be prisoner of the week.

I thought Networks hated them primarily because they're harder to sell in syndication (stations prefer buying shows they can show in any order).

Yup, plus they have very little repeat value. Greys Anatomy repeats get horrible ratings. I recall FOX tried re-airing the entire season 5 of 24 during the summer after it aired and won Emmys and the ratings sucked and they eventually pulled it.

A BIG heck, no!

I like both kinds of shows, but generally find episodic more entertaining. If you go back to the 60's shows, many were like little mini-movies.

Serialized shows do have the advantage of being able to be more complex and having deeper characterization, but the downside is that writers can get really lazy. You can watch an entire 13-episode "season" and only get one storyline. Compare that to some 60's shows with 30+ episodes per season, and you get a lot more bang for your buck. The problem with them is that shows had to be churned out on a regular basis and employing a whole bunch of writers (many freelance). That need to stick to a tight schedule often led to shallow, formulaic characters, but the best shows were still able to develop characters over time.

Of course, a HUGE downside of serialized shows is when the plot begins to wander or when a show gets canceled with no resolution. That leaves a lot of frustrated loyal fans with a bad taste.

I guess I'd say I prefer serialized for pay/premium shows and episodic for network tv. Besides, the 'serialized shows' are just the modern equivalent of the miniseries, so it's not that revolutionary.

I checked the prices on iTunes and they're somewhat reasonable but still I'm not really into paying for digital media and one thing I've found the last few years, with so much crap being made like reality TV, sooner or later I'll catch what interests me somehow.

I caught up with Stargate Atlantis (past), SGU (past), 'Til Death (now) and Law and Order (now...starting with season one, ep one this fall) via CW23 WNLO out of Buffalo which I pull in via OTA.

Then there's Netflix or streamed on a Canadian network site...or since I don't have a strong interest to watch it like FX's Louie (which I buy the season sets of) I just won't watch it and my life will be about the same one way or the other.

I voted yes, as those are the ones that tend to hold my interest. I have no problem with the other format, but unless that series does something to keep me interested, which typically means a story arc, my interest fades.

Buffy, Angel , and X-Files were all examples of how to do a series right IMO. Have a mythology to establish a base, then have some one-offs every now and then that might attract new viewers. Early eps. of X-Files did this very well.

They're two different questions, so I didn't vote.

Serialized: Yes

Based on a mythology--No

I do prefer fantasy/sci fi/historical serializations, but that's not a requirement if everything else is good.

It's worth watching, but I never liked it as much as a lot of people. To me the acting stayed pretty awful and just wasn't a style I liked.