I could watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer over and over. And over. Beverly Hills, 90210, too.
And a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research explains why. The findings show that the reason we watch our favourite shows or movies over and over goes beyond nostalgia.
We watch reruns over and over (or “re-consume”) because of the guaranteed outcome (what could more satisfying than seeing Buffy kick Faith’s ass? Or Donna drunk at prom?), enhanced viewing from watching that same scene a million times or rediscovery of subtle details (such as did Donna’s boobs always look so odd? And by “odd” I mean messed up!).
(But I get a kick out of the nostaligia, too, like remembering all the styles I copied straight from these shows — from the baby doll dress to the tiny butterfly clips in the hair).
May 30, 2012
I love me some good television. Some of my all-time favourite shows? Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Felicity, Six Feet Under, Damages, Dexter, Oz and Beverly Hills, 90210 (yes, one can love both Oz and the adventures of Brandon, Brenda and Kelly equally). Anyhow, reading this post 17 Things I Learned about Life from Watching Movies and TV from Paxton Holley’s blog Cavalcade of Awesome over breakfast today was a fun way to start off the weekend.
Speaking of Buffy, about two years ago I was having dinner with a girlfriend in NYC at Gemma in the Bowery Hotel (fried zucchini blossoms — yum!) and Sarah Michelle Gellar was having drinks at a table nearby. “I HAVE to go talk to her,” I blurted out to the friend I was dining with. I mean, it’s not every day I am in the presence of the star of, like, only the best TV show ever. But the look of fear on my friend’s face of potentially being with the uncool, starcrazed fan, and the girlfriends flanking Gellar at their banquette (making it difficult to discreetly profess my love for Buffy) kept me from getting up to talk to SMG.
– sigh -
March 6, 2010
