Gap Filling Here Please

When we watch television we are not solely enjoying a show because we think it’s funny or because it’s dramatic, rather we watch it because somehow we can relate to the show either through various experiences, scenarios and characters that the show portrays. Television shows grab our undivided attention when they are on because the show makes sure to grab its audience’s attention in the very beginning. If shows didn’t do this right off the bat they wouldn’t have any ratings, hence leading to no shows. I am no stranger to watching television and although some of the shows I watch are pretty embarrassing, like Pretty Little Liars or Real Housewives, I watch other shows that have a bit more context to them. For instance, Mad Men, Californication, Girls, and How I Met Your Mother. In order to better understand these shows we put our own context into play so that we can make sense of what is happening. I think a great example of gap filling would be the television show Pretty Little Liars. At the end of every episode they show a scene that is going to be relevant in the next episode. Although this might seem like a cliff hanger, I consider it gap filling because the audience has some idea and knowledge of what is going to happen in the next show. A cliffhanger leaves you with no clues and no information until you watch the next episode. This gap filling gives the audience the chance to interpret the show through previous knowledge. When I watch this show and there is a scene where something bad is going to happen I get intense and almost want to yell at the TV as if the characters are going to hear me. This is part of gap filling because we create this world where we are a part of this show and we feel complete. If you go the end of the episode you can watch the ending scene where it gives you a clue of what the next episode is going to be like. Here is the link.

http://abcfamily.go.com/watch/pretty-little-liars/SH5547476/VD55265846/misery-loves-company