What's the point of this? Sometimes I want to start watching a show that my friends are into, but I don't feel like I have the time to completely catch up before I join the party. Asking which episodes you should watch often gets you the answer, "Just watch them all!" Other times, I want to get my friend into a new show, and I have to decide which episodes to show them to give them the best chance of getting hooked. Pilot episodes are designed to hook new viewers, but shows evolve over time and often hit their stride after months or years on air. Pilots can end up seeming comparatively clunky and unlike the rest of the show. I've watched a lot of entire series runs of shows, and this is my attempt to help solve both problems. Use the Key Episodes I've identified to test new shows or entice new fans.
How do you choose Key Episodes? Key Episodes are the ones I would show to you if you had a limited time to cram before taking an essay test on the show. These are the episodes which most neatly encapsulate what the show is truly about. Depending on the show, this could be an episode in which important plot or characterization advances happen, or more of a typical, firing-on-all-cylinders episode which just totally gets it right. Usually, Key Episodes focus on whatever it is that is, essentially, at the heart of the show, be it a particular character's development, a relationship, a moral question, etc.
Don't you like these shows? Why only recommend watching three or so episodes? I love them all--after all, I've seen all the episodes! I don't recommend watching Key Episodes as a replacement for watching the rest so much as a starter kit. If you (or your friend) like it after the first episode or three, it's usually a good idea to go back and watch all the rest of the episodes in order.
Is the pilot always a Key Episode? How about the finale? No, but often they are. Necessarily, pilots and finales have to address the central question of the show.
Are Key Episodes the same as the best episodes? No, but often there is a lot of overlap. Key Episodes are often among the best episodes. Frequently, one of a show's most enjoyable episodes may not be particularly Key; in that case, I'll mention it among the Bonus Episodes.
How many Key Episodes do you name for each show? As few as I possibly can. The idea is to sum up the show as well as possible in as few episodes as possible. Three is a common number. Pilot, great episode in the middle, finale is the basic formula. Longer-running shows or shows which have obvious "plot" vs. non-plot episodes might have more. More key episodes doesn't mean the show is better; often, it means the opposite, since in a show with a lot of great episodes, I'll pick fewer key episodes out of pure brain overload.
What are Bonus Episodes? A list of second-tier highlight episodes. These are more subjective because they are mostly just the episodes I like. Provided in case you want to see more than the bare minimum of a show, but still don't want to watch every episode. (It's recommended to mix in the Key and Bonus episodes in their correct chronological order if you plan to watch all of them, because Key Episodes by their very nature often break major plot points.)
How many Bonus Episodes do you name for each show? As many as I want. No limits here.
Do you do Key Episodes for current shows or just ones that have ended? I'm happy to do "key episodes so far" for current shows. Conceptually it makes the most sense to wait for a show to be over before I do an entry on it, because Key Episode may occur in the future, but this information is arguably more useful for current shows, in case you want to catch up with the show as of now.
What shows will you do/not do in the future? I've seen a ton of TV, so I have a long list of shows to write up. I do take requests, if there's something you're interested in seeing but not THAT interested.
The following are shows where I think entries would be really useful, but I haven't seen enough of them to make judgments on Key Episodes. I wish someone else would do it for me. Any takers?
Bones
Breaking Bad
Dr. Who
Eureka
Fringe
Highlander
In Plain Sight
Person of Interest
Psych
South Park
Star Trek (the original series)
Stargate SG-1
Supernatural
Torchwood
Warehouse 13
White Collar
X-Files
