A general TV thread, then?

I think that's what it keeps coming back to, yes. I'm beginning to think any further attempts to compartamentalize shows are either going to be too specific, and thus mostly just further proliferation, or too arbitrary, and that a white-fonted general thread would be more useful (given that spoilage seems to be a big "nay" factor to the idea, though not the only).

I'd think an all-TV thread would be just as unwieldy as apparently Natter is.

What is this thread other than "A thread to discuss the TV I want to discuss with the people I want to discuss it with"?

I was just thinking... saying that explicitly might actually help. I think it's a mistake to try to come up some way to categorize a (to me) disparate group of shows. It's just an overly complicated solution. SF shows are pretty easy to identify, what with the spaceships/robots/aliens/alternate dimensions, so the genre definition works for Boxed Set. That doesn't mean you need a similar categorical basis for other threads. I honestly don't care what the combination of shows is. I just want to be able to tell what I should and shouldn't expect to find in the thread. And however much I'm told that this is an intuitive grouping, it isn't to me.

So: change the slug to say "For discussion of Sopranos, The Tudors, Dexter, The Shield, Nip/Tuck..." and whatever else you want to include. That's certainly clear enough for those of us who want clarity. And then you won't have to explain why X show is included and Y show isn't, or retrofit a definition around a set of shows. It's not a general TV thread, it's a potpourri. And you can even expand it or split it as needed, depending on traffic.

Or do you just like having a fixed list?

This, mainly. It just seems to me that opening the door to 150 or so different interpretations of what shows mirror the feel/vibe of the premium channel series is going to result in widespread confusion and possibly splitting discussion between the thread and Natter in a way that will be even harder to follow than skimming past unrelated topics in Natter already is.

Yup.I am still confused by all categories smaller than all that predictably encompass The Wire, Nip/Tuck and The Tudors.

I'm already confused about where to discuss Jericho - it's post-apocalyptic premise seems to make it Sci-Fi, but it doesn't really feel like a Sci-Fi show and it certainly doesn't feel like a Boxed Set show. Fortunately, I don't have much to say about it so it's not a big deal.

Premium is so easy to understand. I like to think of myself as a frequenter of the Premium threaad and I don't have the slightest impulse to discuss Nip/Tuck or Rescue Me in there. I'm trying to understand why other people do feel the need, but beyond the idea that discussion in Natter is unacceptable I just don't.

I'd think an all-TV thread would be just as unwieldy as apparently Natter is.

I have to say I agree.

Personally, I don't think the individual show threads work as well as the shows-grouped-together threads, but only when there's a logical connection for each grouping. My impulse would be to create threads based on genre rather on the channels that air the shows.

I think Premium is a good exception to that, since those people who get it get it, and those who don't don't, if that makes sense.The following two statements are assumptions: Most people get cable. Relatively few get premium, so that's, to me, a reasonable division.

My impulse would be to create threads based on genre rather on the channels that air the shows.

this kind of make sense. I mean, people who like Homicide, for example, will probably also like The Wire or The Shield, and would enjoy a thread on "Cop Shows". People who like House might also like to discuss ER or Grey's Anatomy on a "Medical Shows" thread. I mean, Boxed Set is kind of like a "SciFi Shows" thread.

since those people who get it get it, and those who don't don't, if that makes sense

I can't speak for anyone else, but I watch Premium shows without subscribing to any Premium channels. I don't know how many people in that thread are actually watching the shows as they air.

I like the idea of expanding Premium to be genre-based rather than channel-based. I can't explain why, it just feels like a natural expansion of the thread's current use. Of the other shows mentioned, I haven't seen them discussed anywhere else in any great depth, so I don't feel like it would drain conversation from Natter the way a General TV thread might.