Seems like everybody talks about TV at the office, even people who (unlike me and my co-workers) don’t get paid to do so. A new survey specifies who’s talking about which programs. No surprise, American Idol is the most talked-about show, popular among both men and women, and especially among workers 65 or older (ah, now we know who voted scary tattooed rocker Carly off the show). Besides AI, women like to talk about Dancing With the Stars (pictured), while men like to pretend they can make sense of talk about Lost.
Which shows are popular topics around your office watercooler? And do you think talking about TV helps or hurts your workplace productivity?
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We definitely talk about Lost at work! We actually have a standing meeting on Fridays for a “Lost Lunch.” EW’s Doc Jensen reviews/columns are a big part of the discussion.
We actually tend to talk more about reality shows than actual scripted shows. I’d have to say that are top three would be: So you think you can dance, Hell’s Kitchen / Kitchen Nightmares, Dancing with the Stars.
I don’t find that it hurts our productivity but then again my bosses my say differently!
I love American Idol David A. is gonna win
Definitely Lost. Since I’m in college and work with mostly college-aged people, my typical workday on Friday begins with someone saying “Oh my god, did you see LOST last night?” And then from that point on, a good half hour’s worth of productivity goes down the drain.
I work in an office that’s very open, which lends itself to having conversations throughout the day. With the ladies in my office (our our IT guy) there are always discussions about “Idol.” Everyone has a favorite to win and we don’t always agree (Carly, I miss you!) but we love to talk about it. In fact, a few years ago, my coworkers knew how much I loved Taylor Hicks so when I’d come into work there would be cut-outs of him waiting for me on my desk. He’s still hanging on my board, right next to my other guy, Anderson Cooper.
Other shows we talk about? “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Office,” “Family Guy,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and for a while we were all talking about “Moment of Truth,” and how it was like a trainwreck: we wanted to look away, but just couldn’t.
Admitting that doesn’t really make it sound like any of us are doing work, but I swear we are. We’re multi-tasking!
Mostly American Idol, but some of us are obsessed with The Tudors.
The last time I was keeping up with a weekly TV show to talk about the next day was TWIN PEAKS, eighteen years ago!
I do watch LOST, but on DVD, which means I’m an entire season behind, so I can’t really talk with anyone about it.
We talk about The Office, 30 Rock, Three Sheets and Lost
I work at a law firm, so Boston Legal is very popular. But most of the older crowd talks about Dancing with the Stars while the rest of us talk about The Office. However, the latest obsession with my floor is “John and Kate + Eight” on TLC. So funny!
No one around me watches any crappy reality shows thankfully, so it’s mostly the Office, 30 Rock, Lost and Family Guy.
As we all sit in cubicles here, The Office is big. Everyone chats about that on Fridays. Grey’s once made the watercooler, but no longer. Other than The Office, we mostly chat about Lost and Brothers & Sisters.
Dexter, Cash Cab, Dirty Jobs, and would you believe we still talk about Seinfeld — always worth a laugh.
I currently work with a bunch of wet blankets who can only shriek about that adooooorable David A. on American Idol. (And gossip about The Hills, even though they’re well into their 30s.) I miss the office I worked in last summer, where we had hours of scintillating discussion about the series finale of The Sopranos. (Personally, though, my favorite show is The Office. Both versions — UK and US — are nothing short of brilliant.)
Lost is the biggest one, but after I browbeat a few of the guys here into watching Battlestar Galactica, they are now addicted. I’m sure there’s a few people in my office wondering what the hell we’re talking about Monday morning – Cylons? Baltar’s love cult? Hybrids? What?
Well, I am a woman and the other women I work with and I love to talk about Lost (and do not watch American Idol)! Other shows frequently discussed are Project Runway, the Office, and Gossip Girl.