I keep harping on Dirt (which I like, but don't hanker to discuss) because I think FX is a flawed bright line. Use the anti-hero description if that's what you really mean. A channel with an unspoken subset understanding is not good metadata.

METADATA!! Let's do a card sort!

So, does "antihero drama" capture why SA thinks that FX shows belong in Premium?

Hm. More or less. Enough for our purposes, anyway. But I would still only extend that to FX shows, with the season constraint.

It only has a shot of giving us information if people buy in, compromise, and realize this is a starting point (wrt things like white font, and the signal-to-noise ratio in such large categories), not the end game, and then use the threads. If everyone stays in Natter/wherever else, it's a waste of our four days, here.

I suppose the thing I'm concerned about, Cindy, is that whatever ideas come out of such broad bucket threads allow for some maneuverability. Like, if we open a cable drama thread and there's three thousand Psych posts and a handful of Monk posts, or even no Monk posts, we still allow a space where we can discuss Monk according to the guidelines we set up. So that if someone *did* want to discuss Monk, there would be a space for it, even if it didn't show up in the initial experiment. Does that make sense? I'm willing to go along with the experiment like that, for the sake of compromise and because I really do see what you're saying, even though it's not how I'd like to go about it. But I'd want to know that we'd be setting up threads that allow for potential discussion that might not occur in the experiment threads, due to overwhelming number and diversity of shows, the people watching at a given time, summer seasons, upcoming fall shows, etc.

Would The Amazing Race come under Unscripted? Because when that airs, Natter looks like a whitewashed fence.

I suppose the thing I'm concerned about, Cindy, is that whatever ideas come out of such broad bucket threads allow for some maneuverability. Like, if we open a cable drama thread and there's three thousand Psych posts and a handful of Monk posts, or even no Monk posts, we still allow a space where we can discuss Monk according to the guidelines we set up. So that if someone *did* want to discuss Monk, there would be a space for it, even if it didn't show up in the initial experiment.

You've got to follow the findings, or what point the experiment? Who's going to ban Monk posting? Post about Monk where it's always been appropriate, if you don't get any findings from this test that give a specific Monkish place.

I'd love to think there's an experiment whose findings dictate places for every show that make every Buffista happy, but the odds seem distant and slim.

In the meanwhile, if there's a need for a Psych thread revealed, let's at it.

I'd hate to think this was being viewed as an experiment to justify, instead of discover.

we can discuss Monk according to the guidelines we set up

I'm calling this out because I don't understand it specifically--do you mean the guidelines we will set up?

(It's funny--I'm totally wondering why we're not discussing having a Drive thread--surely it's not just Tim's past track record of pickup success. It just seems obvious, and not in need of experimentation to demonstrate)

I'm totally wondering why we're not discussing having a Drive thread

I haven't brought it up because I kind of assumed that Minearverse would continue as the default Drive thread, at least for a while.

Right. Did anyone even consider a thread for The Inside ?

I don't think so, but I don't remember for sure.

I kind of assumed that Minearverse would continue as the default Drive thread, at least for a while

I'm sure it will, and I don't see a problem with it. It's just that there's not a show thread idea mentioned yet I see as more obvious than that.

Anyway. Parenthetical.

Well, Drive will be the only show being discussed in the Minearverse thread, and I think everyone here knows Tim does it, so there'll be no problem with people not knowing where to go, being spoiled for other shows while in there, or drowned out by talk of other shows, and people who are staying out because they're behind won't be missing out on any other talk. Show talk, anyway. So it might as well be a dedicated show thread.