Assignment 5 - Rachel Burns

February 15, 2014. The day I got Netflix. The day that changed my life forever.

When I was a small child, TV was my life. I remember in the lunch line in fourth grade, my best friend at the time, Zaria, and I, were discussing the final episodes of Hannah Montana and whether she would pick Jake or Jesse (Jesse all the way, just saying). I remember having my best friend Connor come over for a sleepover in 1st grade so we could watch the premiere of High School Musical 2 on Disney Channel. And the day I got Netflix, I immediately started watching Pretty Little Liars and watched all the 4 seasons (as many there were at the time) in about a month and a half.

Today, my life is consumed with waiting for when How to Get Away With Murder and This Is Us is coming back on TV, crying because Teen Wolf ended a week ago, and finishing up The Get Down on Netflix so that I can start a new show. TV is still a big part of my life. But I believe that as I've gotten older, the reason I watch a show is for the message, the good feeling I get after watching an episode, something I can think about the next day and smile over.

Unfortunately, that's not what a lot of people want to see. A great example of this was the show Red Band Society which aired for only 13 episodes, one season, in 2014. The show centered around teenagers who lived together in the pediatric ward of a hospital. The show had some dramatic moments here and there, but the stories of the kids and the genuine feeling you got after watching it made you want to watch more. But not enough people liked that, and the show was cancelled after only 13 episodes. People watch TV for the drama; the chance to look at someone or something and say, "I'm glad I'm not in that situation" or "I wish that was me, I want a relationship like Chuck and Blair!" But, the events in TV shows will never happen to us so watching them happen to other people is the next best thing.