Why do you watch your favourite shows? The story, the scenery or the eye candy?

We were having a discussion at work the other day about shows that we watch and people seemed surprised that I watch Downton Abbey as there is not as much murder, science or weirdness as in my usual fare.

And it got me thinking, why do we watch certain shows and films and shun other popular offerings.

I do not watch any of the so-called reality shows, reality is a camera on me sitting on the sofa, eating biscuits, scratching myself and burping; living in a jungle being paid a lot of money to attempt pre-approved tasks is, in my opinion, really not reality.  And now that 'celebrity' reality shows are populated by people whose only claim to fame is having been on another reality show isn't it time to end them?

I watch Downton Abbey because it is nice and easy going and I don't have to think about it too much.  And Mr Bates is pretty much a bonus (nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that he is a little bit dangerous of course).

I watch all of the Law & Order series, although Criminal Intent has dropped off my radar a bit since it all started becoming about Goren and his psychiatrist.  I like the murders and the investigations.  No eye candy here, just good coppering.

NCIS I love, again murders and science.  We do have eye candy here in the shape of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and I would love to be, and look like, Abby Sciuto.

CSI I watch, although Miami became a caricature of itself with H beginning and ending episodes in particular poses.  I fear we may be coming to the end of NY too, it seemed to have 'jumped the shark' recently when Mac Taylor doled out a Gibbs (NCIS) style head slap.  Eye candy here is in the form of Adam.

I watch The Big Bang Theory and Two Broke Girls just for the humour, they do make me laugh, which, I have to admit, is not easy.

I can watch episodes of River Monsters over and over again.  I think this partly because of the hours I used to spend fishing with Dad and Grandad when I was little (we never caught anything more than a few ounces but when you are only about 7 or 8 a fish that size can feel massive) but also because I do quite like the presenter, Jeremy Wade.

Body Of Proof is about a Medical Examiner and therefore will automatically feature at least one murdered person.  No eye candy here, but Ethan and Curtis are funny.

Criminal Minds is another show I watch for the content; murder, kidnappings, FBI agents, what's not to love? And if I can't be Abby Sciuto (NCIS) I want to be Penelope Garcia.

New Tricks I enjoy because occasionally I remember how old I am and Dennis Waterman has an appeal to women of a certain age, probably more due to The Sweeney than anything else.

And not just Dennis Waterman, Terry Collier (James Bolam), again women of a certain age.

There are productions, mostly films, that I watch because of someone in them.  After seeing Oliver Platt in The Three Musketeers I started collecting copies of every film he had been in, I also watched The West Wing and The Big C, neither of which I properly got into.

Brendan Fraser is another actor whose films I always watch, less for his acting I have to admit.

What do you watch, and why?