Talking Point: Is a strong preference for a genre actually a handicap?

There are many different genres in the world of entertainment. I'm sure you have your favourites. I know I do. Horror, drama, comedy, thriller, action, porn, whatever it may be. That's only natural. But there are some people who only watch certain things almost exclusively, and rarely try something different. No, not just the porn. For example: there are people who only watch sci-fi and would rarely even think to watch a "normal" drama. While I can understand that, to a degree, is self-enforced limitation actually detrimental? Doesn't broadening your horizons help deepen and enrich your existing preferences?

I don't actively hate any genre, although I tend to shy away from a few (musicals, westerns), but there are still exceptions that I enjoy. But I'm willing to give everything a go, if something's recommended to me, or sounds interesting. I don't much care for gritty crime drama on TV, but I've seen two seasons of The Wire. I think that's healthy -- to push your boundaries and taste other things, perhaps developing a pallet for something new.

I guess age has something to do with it, too; the older you get, the more you've seen, so you tire of the same old formulas and formats (that only appear fresh to the younger generations), so you find yourself seeking out something different. 15 years ago I'd never have watched Mad Men in my mid-teens, but now it's one of my favourite shows.

Anyway, I guess I'm just worried that too many people bask in a comfort zone and miss out on great stuff. They perhaps even convince themselves that something niche and widely disliked is still actually good just because it's part of the genre they love.

Is anyone here willing to admit they only watch certain types of shows? And if so, why? Don't you feel you're missing out on good shows you might learn to appreciate and enjoy? Surely that appreciation could filter down into how you view your favourite genre -- perhaps making you realize how poor the acting is or how uncreative the scripts are in your fave genre show, compared to everything else that's around. Or is it okay to know what you like, devour it continuously, and rarely go beyond that?