Charting the Unknown

While I am still thinking about housekeeping issues, let me run this by interested parties. A few days ago, it was suggested via Formspring that I check out the series Andromeda. the idea was not that it should be a series to review, but just a general question of whether I liked it. I have not seen enough episodes to judge the quality in its entirety, but what I have seen was not enough to hook me. Nevertheless, I requested any fans who cared to make a sales pitch to do so.

Among the sales pitches was a request that I eventually review a series I have never seen before. Not Ansromeda specifically, but something unfamiliar with the rationale it might be fun to watch me discover a series from the very beginning rather than reviewing something with which I am already familiar.

Truth be told, I have already considered the proposition. Farscape and Stargate SG-1 are the most likely suspects. My trepidation with reviewing any series I have little to no foreknowledge of is in dealing with dedicated fans. Those guys know these shows backwards and forwards. I am not eager to dive into a show, likely misjudging character arcs or future story developments, in front of such fans. For one, I am not interested in trolls upset I am unfamiliar with their sacred cow. Two, I think my reviews would be missing a big picture. Having a general idea of how the entire series played out all its elements before I write the first word of the first review feels like the reviews are progressing towards the big picture.

The question to toss out there is how much value do you place on my familiarity with the whole of a series? I do not think, for instance, I have unjustly fawned over a series I really liked or raked a bad series over the coals. Because I do not want to watch it again. I gave no quarter to bad episodes of The Wild Wild West and The X-Files when they deserved none, and give credit where credit is due to VOY when it hits all the marks, so my preconceived notions of a series are not a big deal. But as I explained above, I think possessing a knowledge of where the series is going puts episode reviews in perspective. So, am I putting too much emphasis on my concerns about reviewing to which I am unfamiliar? Would reviewing a show I have not seen before be just as entertaining?