I’ve mentioned a few times in various posts that I don’t watch a lot of television. In fact, I find myself watching less and less of it each year. Oh, there have been a few series that I’ve enjoyed and looked forward to, like The Wheel of Time series and Ted Lasso. But what’s funny is that I have to almost force myself to watch TV these days. It’s as though my brain is fighting me on it for some reason.

And I think I finally figured out why.

A little over a year ago, I watched season 1 of a new Netflix series entitled “Julie and the Phantoms.” I loved this series so much and thought it was tremendous fun. So the other day, I was searching online to see when the next season was coming out, only to disappointingly discover that it was canceled. That’s when it hit me — this was the reason I’m pulling away from TV series. It’s not that I’m bitter that networks cancel shows (though I am). It’s that my brain is full of unfinished stories.

I thought about all of my favorite shows that have been canceled and how all of these unfinished stories are still rattling around in my brain, waiting for their denouement.

I’ve mentioned a time or two that I’m a completionist, so being unable to finish a story — to not have it nicely wrap up — really bugs me. As a result, I’ve been extremely hesitant to start any new series — especially on Netflix, which is notorious for canceling shows after only a season or two. Instead, I’ve noticed that I much prefer to sit down with a good book where I know that if I soldier on, the story will conclude.

Same goes for movies — they (most of the time) tend to have a conclusion, leading to a feeling of satisfaction at the end. This is why I have more of a tendency to watch a film than get involved in a series. I’m guaranteed the movie will properly conclude. I’m not guaranteed that with a television series.

This revelation amused me, and I didn’t realize just how much those unfinished stories irritated me. It seems like such a waste of time to watch and invest myself in only part of a story — a story that abruptly ends without a conclusion. I guess that’s why it’s rare that I DNF (do not finish) books. Even if it’s a crappy story, I still like to see how it all turns out.

I recalled the other day when I went through my Netflix queue and deleted a bunch of shows I hadn’t started and no longer had any desire to watch. Now I know why.

So does this mean I will never watch another series? Not really. If a series is over and was concluded by the network, I might check it out. Or if there’s a series that I’m already involved in, such as Wheel of Time, then I have no choice but to continue on with it.

But as for any new shows — unless it is something that I really, really, really want to watch — the answer is probably no.

Especially if your name is Netflix.