Madeline Gearheart | April 17, 2018
5 Signs You Should Delete That Show from Your DVR
Spring clean your DVR like the rest of your home. We bet you it is just as full and cluttered as your closet. While there are many good shows on TV—you can only save so many hours of TV on your DVR.
Here is the criteria you need to prune your DVR recorder to make catching up on all your shows easier and more enjoyable.
If It Is A Dud
We all have a side of us that acts as a metaphorical media trash panda. You know what I’m talking about—that lizard brain part of us that will gleefully devour gaudy reality TV, campy films, or cheesy low-budget shows with shoddy production values.
But there’s gleeful trash that no matter its lack of critical acclaim you will always have space for on your DVR, and then there is “meh” television and film that doesn’t even provide the guiltiest of pleasure. While clearing out your DVR line-up cut any show or movie with less than ⅗ stars or that got a less than 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes—unless it’s one of your trashy favorites.
Current duds to avoid: Season 11 of X-Files, the Star Trek reboot, American Horror Story after season 4, Pretty Little Liars, The 100 after season 2, Season 7 of Game of Thrones.
If You Lost the Plot
We’ve all done it: recorded a show that looked good in a preview or poster or had people talking at work. But if you can’t remember what that show is about or can’t tell what is it is about from its title, delete it. Really. If you can’t remember the plot, you weren’t that interested to begin with.
If You Have Good Intentions
You know the shows I’m talking about—the ones that everyone raves about at lunch, the shows that are constantly in the headlines. You feel the need to watch these shows just to stay in the know—whether or not you you are really interested in the show seems irrelevant.
Watching TV shouldn’t feel like homework. If you feel obligated to watch a show because it’s a supposed classic or a new critical favorite—you will probably be happier if you just delete it from your DVR. We both know you’re not watching 5 seasons of The Wire.
If It Has Been a Minute or Year
Just like tossing clothes that you haven’t worn in over a year, if a show has sat on your DVR for more than a year, toss it. Maybe you feel obligated to keep the show because you started it and you remember liking it, but there’s gotta be a reason you stopped watching it.
If you haven’t picked the show up in over a year, chances are it’s not as good as you remember. Delete it.
If It Doesn’t Bring You Joy
Your time and attention are finite. If whatever you’re watching doesn’t engage you, or even stresses you out, get rid of it. Just like any other accessory or activity, if the TV you’re watching does not make you happy, it’s time to move on to something that does.
Make choosing your next show easier and clean out that DVR. You’ll thank us later.
