I've made it known for a few years that I find it hard to watch Mad Men during the summer months (at its native US pace), preferring instead to watch it during winter on BBC4. There are a few other factors involved in my decision, but I do feel that the show just "feels" better as a winter treat. I just wish AMC shared my opinion. My question is: are there any shows that you likewise enjoy watching at particular times of the year? Or believe you would prefer if the networks rescheduled them accordingly?
A lot of times you don't have a choice in this matter, if you follow broadcast TV, but has anyone found themselves enjoying a show more because it "suits" the time of year it's being shown? Do sun-drenched shows like Burn Notice and Dexter naturally work better in the summer, than they do in winter? Or is their visual vibrancy a tonic for January blues? Would the autumnal Sherlock have felt more appropriate as an October release? Spartacus, set in the sweltering heat of Ancient Italy, feels appropriate airing over the summer on Bravo in the UK -- but in the US it was shown during the winter by Starz. Does such seasonal scheduling affect viewers, psychologically, on any meaningful level?
It's not just drama, of course. Are there particular reality shows that suit their season of transmission? Big Brother always airs in summertime (partly so they can do more outdoor tasks and housemates will strip to sunbathe), and over the past decade it's become emblematic of the British TV summer. On the flipside, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is always shown during the winter, acting as the reality TV equivalent of January adverts selling summer vacations -- giving viewers a taste of the Australian rainforest every evening for a few weeks in chilly November. A few shows straddle seasons because they last so long: X Factor starts late-summer and ends mid-winter, but would it be better if it started in mid-winter and ended early-summer? Or would audiences fall away as the weather improved outside, whereas now the ratings tend to get higher because the nights are drawing in.
I think seasons do affect audiences, to an extent, but perhaps not for every show. What do you think? Or on a related note, are there any TV shows that are clearly a seasonal occurrence that you look forward to because of what they represent time-wise (e.g The World's Strongest Man competition always signals the New Year to me).
