Now What?

That’s the dreaded question after everyone finishes a season or series (that they love).

You are so enraptured, so in-tune with the world and characters that it's been taking up rent in your mind when you're not watching. You get so excited when you sit down to watch. It all leads up to the climax and payoff. Then…

It’s done.

Those final moments, as it ends, bring on a bit of cognitive dissonance. You’re felling the feels of what has transpired on the show itself, but then it hits you, the realization it’s over. Like over over. And with that fact, it leaves a little hole in your heart.

You’ve been so consumed and engrossed by the show that it became part of your everyday world^[1]. These characters spoke to you, understood you, practically were you.

Now you’re left wanting more.

The characters connect with you or take you away from your everyday life. But once it’s done, you are left with a void. It’s a terrible, awful feeling, like withdraw. (It’s such a low feeling that having a show crash the landing is actually a blessing. Cause hate and rage then fills the void-- for most people^[2]).

All of this can apply to either a season or series finale, as the challenge is inherent in the paradigm of shows themselves. They go on for years, while movies are finite and much easier to reconnect through a rewatch, having a much shorter time commitment. (Though movie’s TVification has changed this paradigm a bit).

But there’s too much good TV to not find something you connect with, so you do what you can. That, fortunately, means there are plenty of possible contenders to be your next soul partner. But unfortunately, that leads to the next worst thing after a beloved show ends, the tyranny of choice.