There is no denying the fact that this past year has been far different than others in recent history. So much has happened, both good and bad. We have had the craziest election, probably ever. The Olympics were this year and the United States got the most medals. The Internet went insane over the death of a gorilla and unfortunately we lost the lives of many extremely talented and beloved celebrities. 2016 was a complete rollercoaster, but going into a new year is scary to think about. In a reality, starting this new year will be like starting (or binging) a new television show.

You start off hearing about it. You’ve experienced others; some extremely great, others so awful that you wish you didn’t, and some were just meh. You might hear that this next one could be the best of your life and your absolute favorite. But other might say that the next series will be terrible. Going into either a new show or a new year, you want to do your research.

Finding out the basic plot, or the general and already set in stone aspects, let’s you know basically what you are about to get yourself into. Is the show a drama? A comedy? Will the year be a good one? A normal one with nothing extraordinarily special about it? Or a great and extremely eventful year? You won’t know for sure until it gets there because everyone reacts to shows, and years, differently.

Then there is the fate of the characters. In a television series, you always want to know what is in store for the characters. Do the characters destined to be together actually get together? Does anyone discover a major plot point that drastically changes the show? In real life, you get to discover if your friend actually gets with that guy she’s been talking about for weeks or how many beautiful dogs you get to see and pet on a daily basis. Character development is a must and each episode (year) pushes you along into the person who the audience wants to root for.

Once you get into the show, or in this case year, it’s easy to get hooked. You may not love the show one hundred percent, but once you get started you just have to know what happens. You get invested and whether you like it or not, you have to finish the series out. With the character development and plot, you’ll be curious to find out what happens but you will only find out after all the waiting you’ll do for each new episode (month).

Each year is a new season that is filled with different plot lines, changing character developments, and strong stories. Starting a new television show and a new year is met with mixed emotions. Being excited or bored or indifferent about it affects your attitude and how you feel about both new TV shows and the new year. So go into 2017 like your absolute favorite show just signed on for another season after leaving you on the biggest cliffhanger, and the new season promises to answer all the questions that the show previously left.