Do you hate-watch 'Smash' too?

When NBC's Smash first debuted last season, I was immediately intrigued. I'm a theater geek, and I loved the idea of a TV show that followed the ups and downs of Broadway. Sure, I had concerns that maybe one of the show's big stars, former American Idol runner up Katherine McPhee, might be a bit too wooden and one-dimensional, but I gave it a go.

And it was awful. Still, I kept watching, because my GOD I love Megan Hilty and for some reason, I loved the campiness. I loved the cast (even McPhee) and I wanted Smash to get better. It just got worse, but then something happened: I started loving it again, even though I knew it was terrible. I was, without knowing it, participating in what some are calling the new craze, hate-watching.

Apparently, hate-watching involves intentionally following a particular TV show and reveling in the badness. You know it's pretty awful, and you know you should change the channel and watch something more highbrow. Despite knowing this, you soldier on, Glee-fully laughing and snarking all the way. See what I did there? Sometimes you get angry at the show, and you yell at the television. It's OK to do that, by the way. Totally OK.

I've got news for anyone who believes that hate-watching is a new trend: It isn't. Just as we've always had great television shows, we've had just as many (or more) bad ones. And sometimes, even though a show is terrible, it gets amazing ratings. From my early days of TV watching in the 1980s to now, I've spent years viewing shows that really weren't that great.

From Dallas to Falcon Crest to The Love Boat, I hated my way through them all. I lost myself for a few hours in the badness and loved it. I still watch Smash and I love to hate on Revenge, True Blood and, lately, Nashville. Sometimes I have an attack of the TV watching guilt. When this happens, I've got Netflix to stream Breaking Bad and Mad Men. It helps to balance things out a bit.

Smash gets singled out as the show to hate-watch right now, but it can't be the only one, right? Do you hate-watch Smash? If you love it, I'd love to hear why (Megan Hilty's incredible talent is an admirable defense). If not Smash, do you hate-watch any other TV shows? I'm not talking about guilty pleasure watching, I'm talking straight up I-cannot-believe-I-watch-this-crappy-show-but-wait-don't-you-dare-change-that-channel emotion. Come on, fess up!

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