How Many Filler Episodes Have You Had (In A Row?)
A popular idea that has been making its rounds in modern culture and media is Main Character Energy. In the Urban Dictionary, this is described as such:
A person that unintentionally lives, breathes, and acts like the protagonist in a story or series
This light-hearted caption, hashtag, or comment has made its way across all social media platforms and while I have seen it used in both positive and negative connotations, I prefer to receive the idea as positive.
It’s fun, after all, to envision yourself as the main character in your own… TV series, let’s say. You’re the main character in your own life, and what’s cool is that the cast also doubles as the audience. As the main character, you have motives, ambitions, accomplishments, successes, conflicts, downfalls, personal development, growth, heartache, lessons to learn, story arcs, relationships, and all the other elements that make television and storytelling so enticing. Every day is an episode, and every journey through a major experience is a season. You create your character – and you continue to sculpt your character through every success and achievement, through every trial and tribulation. The supporting cast around you offer you opportunities to shift your story, or pivotal moments that allow for cliff-hangers, twists, or satisfying resolve through the seasons of your own life. The cast around you test your character and raise the stakes in your story. The cast around you support and validate you when you’re deserving, and question or challenge you when you begin following a corrupt path. Some of the cast have contracts that end, and with their departure, and with the arrival of new characters, you’re granted the opportunity to take your story in a different direction. You’re provided new lessons to learn, new hurdles to overcome, new friendships to care for… It can be fun to envision your life as a TV series, and your person as the main character of it.
Let's pause that train of thought for just a moment.
What is your all-time favorite television series? The one that you’re excited to dive into a conversation about, the one that you’re seemingly always considering watching for a second, third, or fourth time… Think about what you like about that show. What is it that appeals so intensely to you? How much do you care for the characters in it? What do you value about the story being told?
What is the worst part about that series – or any television series for that matter?
Now, maybe you immediately bounced to a particular scene, or a weak character, or a story arc or a closure that didn’t seem to make sense, or didn’t feel satisfying, though I think it can be unanimously agreed upon that the worst part of any show is the filler episodes. You know, the ones that were just meant to pad the season and meet whatever arbitrary quota is involved in television making, the ones that add no substance or value to the overall story – the ones you could skip over and feel as though you never missed a beat. The unimportant, artificial, boring, lackluster, uncompelling, uninteresting episodes that are scattered through just about every show in television history. They suck! Sometimes, their existence is aggravating, especially within a show you care so deeply for. They’re void of value and feel like a waste of time… All you want is to see the next climax, the next story progression, the journey to success for the characters you root for so passionately, the resolve the season has been leading up to… Instead, you were given a filler episode that gives you nothing but a half-hour or an hour of your life gone. All you can do is hope that the next episode provides you with what you’ve been longing for, with the expectation you had initially set up for the episode you just begrudgingly slugged through. The more filler episodes implanted in a series, the more frustrated the audience becomes. The more filler episodes implanted in a series, the fewer opportunities the main character is granted to struggle, develop, succeed, grow… or any of the other elements that make a series so compelling.
So, let me ask you this:
As the main character of your series,
how many filler episodes have you had (in a row?)
How much of your own time have you wasted? I’m willing to bet it’s not comparable to the half-hour to an hour of a television episode. How long has it been since the last attempt, accomplishment, failure, heartache, or twist in your own story? How long has it been since you actively continued the development of your own character? Are you not frustrated by the lack of substance or the disruptive, meaningless gap wedged into your own storyline? Are you not passionate, demanding, or longing for the need to discover your main character’s next experience? Are you not endlessly curious about where your main character’s ambitions, dreams, relationships, battles, or climbs lead?
How many filler episodes have you had?
What makes your series unique is that your cast doubles as the audience – they’re tuned in too. They’re rooting for you, they’re waiting for the next climax, twist, shift or resolve, and they are dying to see where this season leads. They’re frustrated by your filler episodes because they know what you’re capable of and they’re tormented by not seeing it unfold. They’re endlessly offering you opportunities to further your stories… How long has it been since you’ve taken the bait?
How many filler episodes have you had, if every episode is a day? You know that filler episodes are empty, that they offer zero space to further your story. Are you waiting for an episode that you think may be coming down the pipe? How do you expect to get there? You’re responsible for your character, don’t wait for the story to carry you. Stop anticipating elements that need to fall in place to continue your story. You’re the main character – you have ambitions, dreams, battles, accomplishments, desires, failures, heartaches… The elements of your character are what shape your story, everything else is just a result of what you mold, what you create, and what you experience.
Think back to your favorite show. Maybe you’ll realize that even the most mundane, simple, or forgettable tasks performed by your character were interesting, so long as they took place in an episode that aimed to further the story.
How many filler episodes have you had?
What will the next episode be?
It is so much fun to envision your life as a TV series! This article has motivated me to lead a fulfilling life... #pigsflyhere
Meghan
This is such an interesting perspective! I’ve never thought about my life as a television series, but it’s definitely something I’m going to think about. I love that you ask “How long has it been since you actively continued the development of your own character?” This is such a valuable question and offers great reflection. Thank you so much for sharing this, I truly enjoyed reading it!
Danika
Thank you so much for reading! I’m so glad you enjoyed it & I hope to see you around here again! I’m glad i’ve given you some things to think about, I aim to encourage people to ponder.
I really appreciate this!!
Greg Johnson
Main Character Energy! That was a fresh and brilliant blog. I absolutely love it. A motivational system that resonates because it appeals to our sense of play or adventure. Fantastic!
Danika
Oh my goodness, thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!
Charlie-Elizabeth Nadeau
What a fun and interesting perspective! Funnily enough, thinking of my life in terms of a television series makes it easier to see what I would do differently and what characters I want in more than one episode. It’s a great exercise to do to bring reflection. Thank you for sharing!
Danika
Thank you very much! I’m thrilled that you found value in this. It means a lot that my piece inspired you to think. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this feedback, I hope you return here again!
Monika
Oh wow, what an interesting idea. It really does change your perspective… I think this will be stuck in my head for the next few days 🙂 love it!
Danika
Thank you so much! I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed it & that I’ve given your mind something to ponder for a while. I hope you return here again!
Barbara
Great concept! Yes! Sometimes I do view my crazy life as a sitcom too!
Danika
Thank you so much! I think it is so fun to envision your life that way. I hope you have a wonderful audience. ♥︎
Louise
What will the next episode be! Love it! I’ve been watching old re runs of Seinfeld lately… ha ha ha they are great and remind me that time goes by so fast.
Danika
I actually very recently watched some old Seinfeld! I remember watching that show at my grandpa’s house as a kid…
Thank you very much! I hope you come back and visit again soon!
Aubrey
This is such a great way of conveying that period of monotony in life! I’m filing the term “filler episodes” into my jargon immediately. I love your perspective so much. Thanks for sharing!
Danika
Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I’m thrilled that you’re adopting that term! I hope to see you here again soon. 🙂
Kathryn
What a thought provoking post! Thanks for the inspiration on switching up my life persective!
Danika
Wow, thank YOU! I hope the path of thought this leads you through continues to be inspiring.
Stephanie
This was such a interesting read! I remember when I was younger I would often think of my life as a television show, and I would even pretend as if people were watching just for fun! Since then., I haven’t thought about it in this way but maybe now it’s time I do. Thank you for bringing such an interesting perspective! Loved this read.
Danika
That’s so funny – I imagined the same sort of thing as a kid, and that was one of the sparks this piece snowballed from! I’m happy to hear that I reintroduced a part of your childhood to you; sometimes, there is nothing more wonderful. I think maintaining a youthful imagination is one of the secrets to happiness. I hope you do allow yourself to unlock that thought process again, I think you’ll get more out of it than just what I have written!
Thank you so much for this wonderful comment. Reading your reply really made me feel like you carefully heard what I had to say, and I cannot tell you how much that means! I hope this was enough to encourage you to come back, because it’s been so delightful having you here.
Komal Singh
This was an interesting take on the whole “main character energy”. I love the thought process behind it.
Danika
Thank you very much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you visit again soon!
carina
Food for my thoughts. I like this idea. While reading your post I thought why not plan my day ahead like in a series? Obviously, some fillers are necessary, but I think planning some highlights ahead might really make an impact 🙂 Thank you!
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