While I can understand the sadness that comes when an interest that used to bring you joy no longer does, I don’t think there’s a reason you should feel bad about dropping a show. I scatter partially-watched shows in my wake constantly even as my “to watch” list grows and grows, and I know I will never watch even a quarter of those shows just because of the endless output of newer shows that catch my attention.
I’ve just popped over to MDL and there are 24 shows that I’ve dropped since 2014, and if I honestly assess my “on hold” list, I should probably add at least another dozen to that… which brings me about to your total. That’s also not counting the multitude of shows that never even made the list because I knew I wouldn’t watch them.
That’s not to belittle your issue. I just really don’t want you to feel guilty about deciding dramas no longer are satisfying or bring you joy. It could be just a phase – 2015 was a rough year for me where there were only a couple of dramas I truly enjoyed, and I’m getting the sensation that 2017 will be the same. But as you know from the sentence you quoted, I also willy-nilly drop dramas that I actually enjoy (although that’s more due to my poor time management than anything else).
Live-watching is really a chore for me – I’m much more content to wait and binge a completed show years later, but then sometimes I get caught up in this foolish idea that I need to keep current on dramas just because… I have to… even though honestly in the end no one cares about what I’m watching or not watching.
I will forever maintain that dramas are first and foremost entertainment. They should be enjoyed as a fun hobby and pastime. I know the internet loves to take TV way too seriously, but honestly, they’re just TV shows! They’re made to entertain you and give you joy, and if that’s not working any more, then you should give yourself the freedom to drop as many as you’d like, or not even start watching in the first place. I mean, there are a gazillion dramas on my “to watch” list, but I’m happily satisfied by using my TV time right now (as in, literally right now, that’s playing on the screen as I’m typing this) watching cooking competition shows. Why? Because they make me happy and that’s what I want to watch.
Again, I really, really, really want to impress on you that there is absolutely no reason for you to feel guilty. It’s not like you get a gold star for every drama you watch. There’s no security guard in drama heaven that will deny you entry because you haven’t checked off enough titles in your watch list (but if there is a drama heaven do I get to spend it with Handsome Oppa? Because that’s important theological drama question I need the answer to).
Finally, here’s a stupid attempt to answer a problem you might not actually have: maybe consider getting an external storage device and moving those dramas onto it. That way you’ll have it handy if you want to watch them, but they won’t be taking up space on your computer and you won’t see the files as a constant reminder of what you feel you ought to watch and enjoy.
The Obsessive Dilettante 