HOW TO CONVINCE SOMEONE TO WATCH YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS
Remember when you had to write a persuasive essay in school? Include all the possible points your opposition might have and counter them. I watch a lot of movies and a handful of TV series, especially on Netflix. But sometimes I don’t want to watch alone. So I use my powers of persuasion to tempt Phil or the kids to watch with me. Also, sometimes watching what people across the country are watching makes me feel more connected to them.
EVERYONE’S DOING IT
My mother, for example, who lives in Florida convinced me that I had to watch VELVET when she told me, “It’s all anyone is talking about.” What? Have I missed something? It’s all anyone is talking about? Who is anyone exactly, and how am I so clueless? “You have to watch it,” she said. “Everyone here is dying over it.” Okay, “here” is “Florida,” so the whole dying thing probably isn’t to do with TV. Still, I added Velvet to my watchlist. Then, I turned to Phil and said, “We have to watch Velvet. It’s all anyone’s talking about.” We both liked it, and I was so thankful my mother had turned me to it. “Oh,” she said, “it was good? I still haven’t watched it yet.” Yes, really.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF NOSTALGIA
When I asked my kids how they might induce me to watch one of their favorite shows, Abby said, “That’s easy. We just tell you it’s like a show you watched when you were a kid.” Huh? Like what? “Gilmore girls, The Worst Witch, One Day at a Time, Fuller House… I’m so good. You buy it every time.”
THEIR FAVORITE ACTOR IS IN IT
If someone wanted to convince me to watch the Marvel Superhero series THE DEFENDERS, they’d need to say something like this, “Sigourney Weaver has the sickest wardrobe. You’re gonna die with envy.”
I’ve been watching a lot of Shirley MacLaine lately. I can’t say why exactly, only that I somehow really identify with the characters she plays. She’s not always well-liked. In fact, she’s most often feared. Best summed up this way: “Strong-willed characters who fluctuate between endearing and abrasive.” I feel like that’s me. I should have a tee-shirt made. “Endearing but abrasive.” There’s something I love about the roles she takes on: the character is always unapologetically herself. No matter what anyone thinks of her, she steps right up and invites them to judge her all they’d like. She ain’t changin’. Of course her character arc forces her to change in some small way, but never in the way we expect.
Total side note: Did you know that Shirley MacLaine’s brother is Warren Beatty?
I recently enjoyed her in THE LAST WORD with Amanda Seyfried (she hires someone to write her obituary while she’s still alive–she doesn’t like what people have to say about the life she’s lived) and in WILD OATS with Jessica Lange and Demi Moore (when insurance accidentally pays her millions upon her husband’s death, she goes on an adventure of a lifetime). Admittedly, Wild Oats isn’t the greatest movie in the world–not even close, but I still enjoy just watching her.
NAME-DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT
The other show I breeze-binged my way through in just one night: Friends From College, a comedy following the lives of a group of college friends in their 40s. I love the cast, sure, but I really love the quirky personalities of the characters. I don’t laugh aloud often, but with this series, I do! Plus, it was renewed for a second season, so I’m excited to know that there are more episodes. This is how I persuaded Phil to watch: I name dropped some guest stars.
- Kate McKinnon as an eccentric YA author.
- Seth Rogen as Paul “Party Dog” Dobkin, who went to Harvard with the rest of the gang and was Ethan’s rival/frenemy during their college days.
- Chris Elliott as the Mentalist.
How do you convince the people you love to watch what you want? Phil tried to convince me to watch NARCOS by simply saying, “It’s so good. You have to.” Also, there’s a brand new season just out. I tried, and it’s just not for me. That’s why, in the end, I’m fine with going at it solo. There are 31 flavors for a reason.
As a Netflix #StreamTeam member…
In exchange for sharing 1 post each month about Netflix programming, I receive a subscription to Netflix. Though I often share more often because I overshare like it’s a sport. Opinions, though, are all mine.
