I cannot count the number of times agents, mangers, casting directors, coaches, and even fellow actors have said,
You're not watching enough TV!
OK! I get it! We know we can't watch it all, but where do we start? How do we watch everything? How many shows are even on tv these days with streaming and cable and networks starting separate channels just for their apps? I didn't know either.
(Insert Deadline searches here)
Turns out there is a fuck ton of television.
But to shorten the list, we really need to focus on the here and now (aka the popular and the new series). Why? Because that is what you will be auditioning for in the coming months AND what will be reflected back to us again next pilot season. Do you need to watch all the back episodes? Sadly no...although that would be more fun. You need to be semi-current on the shows so when you audition, you're not playing the tone from the pilot or beginning seasons (which could morph drastically over the years if it's in it's later seasons).
So I decided to make all our lives easier and put everything in a digestible list. I found the full Fall 2017 television listing in a Deadline article.
Yes there is still a shit ton (slightly less than a fuck ton!) of shows listed here. So put on a heavy filter and shorten this list for yourself, i.e.: where are you at in your career? Still gaining credits? Me too! Then go through and highlight shows that have a big list of co-star/guest star ops (probably isn't your year for OITNB....sorry. Ensambles suck for us unknowns). Any who, yes, obviously still be aware of other shows because casting will reference them and their characters and as I said above, they will inform the next round of things made! But you will want to shorten this list...trust me.
Oh and I took some liberties here via:
*Deleted all the shows listed as animated (some I wasn't sure and didn't have time to check so there may still be a few on here)
*Deleted all the news, documentary, comedy, and talk shows (PS- did you know TRL is coming back?? Me either!)
*Left in most of the kids shows, because hey, those count too!
*Made it simple and listed via date so you know what is playing when so you don't freak out over all the things to come just yet!
*Please keep in mind everything is changing constantly so this isn't 100% accurate...more like 98%.
And let me know if you found this helpful and if you'd like more posts like this by:
1- Sharing it with your friends! And 2- Commenting my on IG and telling me why you liked it! It's the fastest way to get my attention {#millennial}