The Show That Binds

I always like to think back to those first moments of friendship when something clicks and you just know that  you're going to love spending time with that person. And as I do this, I've noticed a common trend in many of my friendships.

They've started over a TV show.

Yes, that is correct, I make friends with those that enjoy the same shows as me. Here are 3 examples...

Exhibit A:
I kind of knew this girl that went to my church, and I actually rode with her and her boyfriend to said church every week, but I didn't really know her at all. At least, I didn't until the fateful day last summer when I posted a status on Facebook about this crazy BBC show, Robin Hood, that I was now obsessed with watching. I'm pretty sure I had a keyboard smash (asdfjkl;wofjlks) in there because of my inability to express my intense love of the show. Then Jen commented underneath about how she had watched the show when it was actually on the TV (not in DVD form from the library) and how she thought no one else watched it. I immediately texted her about this travesty and BOOM, we were best of friends. We even called each other one Sunday afternoon to watch a TV episode at the same time and comment on it to each other.

But our friendship didn't stop at television. Once we were back in the same time zone, we set up a weekly lunch. I think Jen and I were good soundboards for one another, and I was regularly encouraged by my time with her. And when you throw in a good ice cream run every once in a while, that's some true friendship

Exhibit B:
One of my best friends roomed with these two girls from Buffalo last year, and while they were funny, I really didn't know them all that well. That is, until we realized that we watch several of the same TV shows and that we clearly have the same sense of humor. Our conversations still revolve around our shows sometimes, but now that I spend most all of my time with these two, we may have talked about one or two other small things. Maybe.

Honest truth? I would be lost without my Katies this year. Everyone else has graduated or gotten  married, and these two just naturally filled all the empty spots left in my life. We are currently training* for a half marathon in April, we are excellent at trip planning, and we all live within 50 steps of each other. It's kind of the best.

Exhibit C:
I'm not sure exactly how my friendship with Ashleigh started, but I know that BBC has had a lot to do with our continued camaraderie. She introduced me to BBC Sherlock, bless her soul, and watched all 9 hours with me in one day. We are hardcore about this. I knew we were TV friends the day that I left for college and her mom hugged me and said, "We're going to miss having you over to watch TV with us!"  . . . we did more than watch TV! We also went to Sonic.

I am so proud of Ashleigh these days. She's living in the city, working at a new job, and still sending me links to great tumblr posts. I just visited her this last Christmas, and I can't wait to see her again.

Three examples of tv show friendship. This works for two reasons. One, people who enjoy the same humor, same drama, or same intensity that you do, will almost always get along with you!  Two, tv is a solid talking point and when you find you love the same shows, you get that moment that C.S. Lewis was talking about here . . .

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”  ― C.S. Lewis

There you have it. Friendship from television. It's real.

m(r)