Here's a list of some shows that are either critically acclaimed or have some popularity either in the Nielsen ratings, Pop Culture or Internet-based chatter. I would love to know why some of you may or may not be watching them for whatever reason.

Would love to hear some your perspective.

Strike Back (Cinemax)
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
Revenge (ABC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Castle (ABC)
Happy Endings (ABC)
New Girl (FOX)
Parenthood (NBC)
Modern Family (ABC)
Glee (FOX)
Suburgatory (ABC)
Person of Interest (CBS)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
The Office (NBC)
Fringe (FOX)
Community (NBC)
Grimm (NBC)
Nikita (CW)
Homeland (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Girls (HBO)
Dexter (Showtime)
Episodes (Showtime)
Spartacus (Starz)
Justified (FX)
Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Covert Affairs (USA)
White Collar (USA)
Burn Notice (USA)
Suits (USA)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Veep (HBO)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
American Horror Story (FX)
Hawaii Five-O (CBS)
Louie (FX)
Boss (Starz)
NCIS (CBS)....Can't forget the highest rated show on network TV.
Mad Men (AMC)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)

Here's some reasons you can choose:

a) Don't subscribe to cable
b) Don't subscribe to that channel
c) Don't have the time for it.
d) No Interest
e) Tried it, but didn't like it.
f) Don't watch anything on that channel.
g) Don't like any of the actors.
h) Already watch the show and enjoy it.
i) Watched it for xx years/episodes and got bored by it, so I gave up.
j) Want to watch it, but I have to wait for home video.
k) Want to watch it, but I am so backed up on shows.
l) No Interest in that genre.
m) Never heard of it. Not up to speed on TV shows.
n) DVR conflict in timeslot.

You have give multiple reasons if you wish.

Where's the I hate vampires/zombies/ghosts/etc option?

Option L

I watch 16 of those shows. Why don't I watch more? Because that's already a shitload of TV and we can't all be Djariya.

Same.

d) No Interest

For all of them. I stopped watching TV over 10 years ago and I don't miss it.

h) Parenthood (NBC)
h) Parks and Recreation (NBC)
h) 30 Rock (NBC)
h) The Office (NBC)
h) Community (NBC)

i) Glee (FOX)

e) 2 Broke Girls (CBS)
e) Happy Endings (ABC)
e) New Girl (FOX)
e) Modern Family (ABC)
e) Suburgatory (ABC)
e) Grimm (NBC)

d) for everything else on that list

Don't have cable, have zero tolerance for onscreen network logos (and Twitter hashtags seem to be joining them now), and there are WAY too many commercials on currently, often with the same ones repeated during one show which is cruel and unusual punishment. I've watched a few of these on Netflix with those annoyances removed and have enjoyed them.

H
Strike Back (Cinemax)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
The Office (NBC)
Community (NBC)
Dexter (Showtime)
Homeland (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Justified (FX)
Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Veep (HBO)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Mad Men (AMC)

I
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Castle (ABC)

E
Glee (FOX)
New Girl (FOX)
Parenthood (NBC)
Fringe (FOX)
Spartacus (Starz)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
American Horror Story (FX)
Louie (FX)
White Collar (USA)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)

K
Boss (Starz)
Girls (HBO)

D
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
Revenge (ABC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Happy Endings (ABC)
Suburgatory (ABC)
Person of Interest (CBS)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Grimm (NBC)
Nikita (CW)
Episodes (Showtime)
Covert Affairs (USA)
Burn Notice (USA)
Suits (USA)
Hawaii Five-O (CBS)
NCIS (CBS)

H
Strike Back (Cinemax)
Castle (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
Person of Interest (CBS)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
The Office (NBC)
Fringe (FOX)
Community (NBC)
Homeland (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Dexter (Showtime)
Episodes (Showtime)
Justified (FX)
Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Burn Notice (USA)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Breaking Bad (AMC)

D
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
Revenge (ABC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Happy Endings (ABC)
New Girl (FOX)
Parenthood (NBC)
Glee (FOX)
Suburgatory (ABC)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Grimm (NBC)
Nikita (CW)
Girls (HBO)
Spartacus (Starz)
Covert Affairs (USA)
White Collar (USA)
Suits (USA)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
The Newsroom (HBO)
American Horror Story (FX)
Boss (Starz)
NCIS (CBS)....Can't forget the highest rated show on network TV.
Mad Men (AMC)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)

I
Veep (HBO)
Hawaii Five-O (CBS)
Louie (FX)

I watch every show I can. But that's a lot of stinkin' shows. Though I guess I keep up on Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien. That's two hours a day. Oh, Daily Show and Colbert too. I would never miss:

Breaking Bad
Community
30 Rock
Parks and Recreation
Louie
The Walking Dead

I think those are my "must see" shows. I'm afraid to really get sucked into too many hour-long dramas. I would probably enjoy them and never get away from my TV.
American Horror Story

Not enough time. We really only have enough time to watch a total if about 6-7 hours of tv a week

Strike Back (Cinemax) Don't have the channel
Once Upon a Time (ABC) boring and badly written and acted
Revenge (ABC) Never heard of it
The Good Wife (CBS) No one in it I care about
2 Broke Girls (CBS) Can't stand Kat Denning
Castle (ABC) Don't get all the hype over nathan fillion. He was good on 2 guys and a girl, though
Happy Endings (ABC) never heard of it
New Girl (FOX) never heard of it
Parenthood (NBC) never heard of it
Modern Family (ABC) nothing against them as people, but as characters, the gay characters are annoying.
Glee (FOX) Not good like people seem to think it is
Suburgatory (ABC) never heard of it
Person of Interest (CBS) never heard of it
The Vampire Diaries (CW) badly written show riding the coat tails of the current vampire trend
Parks and Recreation (NBC) boring, no good actors
30 Rock (NBC) Tina Fey not funny. Never has been
The Office (NBC) badly written ripoff (sorry, remake. *eyes roll*)
Fringe (FOX) wants to be X-Files but just isn't
Community (NBC) not funny
Grimm (NBC) badly written and acted
Nikita (CW) the 90s version was better. MUCH better
Homeland (Showtime) never heard of it/don't get that channel
Game of Thrones (HBO) don't have that channel and would rather watch something good like Merlin
Girls (HBO) never heard of it/don't have that channel
Dexter (Showtime) don't have that channel
Episodes (Showtime) don't have that channel
Spartacus (Starz) don't have that channel
Justified (FX) never heard of it
Sons of Anarchy (FX) Except Ron Perlman, there's no one in it worth watching
Covert Affairs (USA) Sorry. I just don't buy a woman as a spy/toughie
White Collar (USA) badly acted, cliched spy show
Burn Notice (USA) took way too long to find the main bad guy
Suits (USA) boring
Boardwalk Empire (HBO) don't have that channel/never heard of it
The Newsroom (HBO) never heard of it/don't have that channel
Veep (HBO) never heard of it/don't have that channel
The Walking Dead (AMC) completely messed up the rules of zombies
Breaking Bad (AMC) no one in it worth watching
American Horror Story (FX) never heard of it
Hawaii Five-O (CBS) rather watch the version that's good
Louie (FX) he's good at standup. the show is no good
Boss (Starz) never heard of it/don't get that channel
NCIS (CBS)....watch it all the time, even the reruns
Mad Men (AMC) slow, boring, uninteresting characters
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) absolutely no interest in seeing this nonsense, even though Holly Marie Combs is in it.

I gave every one of those shows a 10-episode "trial" to prove themselves. They all sucked, so I stopped watching.

Fringe and happy Endings?

x3

This is an amazing list. There are so many silly, exaggerated or just plain wrong statements (zombie rules? Who's the governing body that sets these rules?)...it boggles the mind.

Considering how off your tastes are from the rest of reality (Merlin over Game of Thrones? Really? That's your standard? Merlin?) I'd be interested in what you do like. Since you seem to dislike many of the best shows on TV according to both viewers and critics.

d) No Interest
-Boss (Starz)
-Hawaii Five-O (CBS)
-Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
-The Newsroom (HBO)
-Veep (HBO)
-2 Broke Girls (CBS)
-Episodes (Showtime)
-Happy Endings (ABC)
-New Girl (FOX)
-Parenthood (NBC)
-Modern Family (ABC)

e) Tried it, but didn't like it.
-The Walking Dead (AMC)
-Glee (FOX)
-The Good Wife (CBS)

g) Don't like any of the actors.
-Homeland (Showtime) *I do like Mandy Patinkin, but he's likely going to leave the show early so he doesn't count.

h) Already watch the show and enjoy it.
-Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
-NCIS (CBS)
-Game of Thrones (HBO)
-Grimm (NBC)
-Dexter (Showtime)
-Castle (ABC)
-Justified (FX)
-True Blood (HBO)
-The Vampire Diaries (CW)
-American Horror Story (FX)
-Burn Notice (USA)
-The Office (NBC)
-Fringe (FOX)

j) Want to watch it, but I have to wait for home video.
-Girls (HBO)
-Once Upon a Time (ABC)
-Revenge (ABC)

k) Want to watch it, but I am so backed up on shows.
-Mad Men (AMC)
-Community (NBC)
-Breaking Bad (AMC)
-30 Rock (NBC)
-Nikita (CW)
-Spartacus (Starz)
-Sons of Anarchy (FX)
-Covert Affairs (USA)
-White Collar (USA)
-Parks and Recreation (NBC)

m) Never heard of it. Not up to speed on TV shows.
-Louie (FX)
-Suits (USA)
-Suburgatory (ABC)
-Person of Interest (CBS)
-Strike Back (Cinemax) *Hadn't heard of it until the blus came out and DJariya got all excited

What of anything I said is exaggerated or wrong ? And yes, zombie rules. Just like vampire movies, there are certain rules that zombie movies (for the most part) follow. Shoot them in the head, is one rule. Getting bit or scratched by a zombie, is another. But Walking Dead just threw 100 years of cinema history out the window. And Game Of Thrones is just like every other fantasy series that I've seen. I don't mind storylines or story types being used again and again, but the result should be entertaining and at least a little bit original. When I look at clips of Game Of Thrones, I don't think "cool. something new and original." I just think "this is just like Lord Of The Rings." To me, it's just a mash of Beastmaster and Lord Of The Rings without any of the good parts.

What do I like ? Well....
Batman The Animated Series
Superman The Animated Series
Merlin
Doctor Who
Lord Of The Rings
A Team
classic Disney animation
Animaniacs
Back To The Future
Black Books
Blazing Saddles
Blue Collar Comedy
John Hughes movies
Carrie
Child's Play
Corner Gas
and the first 2 Terminator movies, just to name a few things I like.

Never heard of it:
Strike Back (Cinemax)
Revenge (ABC)
Suburgatory (ABC)
Person of Interest (CBS)
Girls (HBO)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
Boss (Starz)
Episodes (Showtime)
Veep (HBO)

I watch it:
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
Justified (FX)
Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Covert Affairs (USA)
Louie (FX)
Community (NBC)
Burn Notice (USA)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)

No interest:
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Castle (ABC)
Happy Endings (ABC)
Glee (FOX)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
White Collar (USA)
Suits (USA)
NCIS (CBS)
American Horror Story (FX)
Hawaii Five-O (CBS)

Didn't have time to get into it when it debuted:
New Girl (FOX)
Parenthood (NBC)
Grimm (NBC)
Nikita (CW)
The Walking Dead (AMC)

Watched it, got tired of it:
The Office (NBC)

Tried it, couldn't get into it:
Mad Men (AMC)
Fringe (FOX)

Don't subscribe to the channel:
Homeland (Showtime)
Dexter (Showtime)
Spartacus (Starz)

Didn't subscribe to the channel when it started, haven't gone back yet:
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

x4

Strike Back (Cinemax) c, m
Once Upon a Time (ABC) e
Revenge (ABC) k
The Good Wife (CBS) k
2 Broke Girls (CBS) d
Castle (ABC) d
Happy Endings (ABC) h
New Girl (FOX) d
Parenthood (NBC) e
Modern Family (ABC) h
Glee (FOX) e, g, l
Suburgatory (ABC) d
Person of Interest (CBS) c
The Vampire Diaries (CW) d, l
Parks and Recreation (NBC) k
30 Rock (NBC) h
The Office (NBC) (I only need to see a few episodes a year to get my fix)
Fringe (FOX) seems interesting, but I will doubt I will ever get to it
Community (NBC) (this is really hit and miss, I don't understand all the love it gets)
Grimm (NBC) c
Nikita (CW) m
Homeland (Showtime) (I saw the first few episodes on a plane, and will eventually see the rest) k
Game of Thrones (HBO) h
Girls (HBO) (have a few eps, but not interesting enough for me to need to see it)
Dexter (Showtime) c, k
Episodes (Showtime) m
Spartacus (Starz) d
Justified (FX) d
Sons of Anarchy (FX) c, k
Covert Affairs (USA) m
White Collar (USA) m
Burn Notice (USA) (used to watch it, then fell behind and never caught up. I think I got through the first season or two)
Suits (USA) m
Boardwalk Empire (HBO) k
The Newsroom (HBO) k (probably highest on my to-watch priority)
Veep (HBO) k (in my top-ten to try out)
The Walking Dead (AMC) c, k (already read the books)
Breaking Bad (AMC) c, k
American Horror Story (FX) k
Hawaii Five-O (CBS) e
Louie (FX) (liked the episodes I saw but it's not must-see for me) k
Boss (Starz) m
NCIS (CBS) e, l
Mad Men (AMC) (I need to watch S2 through S5 before the next season begins)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) m

This list is missing, in my opinion:

Archer (k)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (k)
The League

The issue for me overall is time. I just never find myself in a situation where I have a few hours to kill a day.

Let's say Spottedfeather's views are vastly different on many topics.

Spottedfeather: so if don't have hbo, then how do you know that game of thrones is not as good as Merlin? It's reviews/critical acclaim has been through the roof.


Edit: oh you've seen clips. It looks like beast master? I think most of us have seen beastmaster, care to share what clips you would compare it to?