--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like television that grabs you by your…" description: "\"I like television that grabs you by your throat.\" — James Purefoy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg" --- # I like television that grabs you by your throat. ![“I like television that grabs you by your throat.” quote by James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg) > “I like television that grabs you by your throat.” [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses a desire for media that is intensely gripping and emotionally arresting, demanding full attention. **In simple terms:** Craving powerful, immersive TV Key Takeaway Seek content that captivates fully Themes intensity engagement media consumption emotional impact attention Mood excited tense absorbed Type observation preference critique When to use this quote - late-night binge-watching - seeking escapism after a stressful day - exploring new series with friends Key Concepts suspense narrative tension visual storytelling Practical Applications - curating high-impact TV recommendations - designing immersive streaming interfaces Questions to Reflect On - What makes a show feel unavoidable? - How does intensity affect retention? A Different Perspective Some viewers prefer subtle, thought‑provoking content over overtly shocking material ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grabs-449420/) [Grabs Throat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grabs-throat-449419/) [Like Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-television/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Television Grabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-grabs-449418/) [Throat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throat/) ## Related quotes > [“I figure it doesn’t work that way. It finds you, and it grabs you by the throat and you can’t do a damn thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/i-figure-it-doesn-t-work-that-way-it-finds-you-and-it-grabs-you-by/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [I am not a big fan of what I call 'ambient television,' which just washes through you in a very polite way. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-am-not-a-big-fan-of-what-i-call-ambient-television-which-just/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [In the end, you write the book that grabs you by the throat and demands to be written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/in-the-end-you-write-the-book-that-grabs-you-by-the-throat-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes a story grabs hold of you and won't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/sometimes-a-story-grabs-hold-of-you-and-won-t-let-go/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [All I can do is write about whatever grabs me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/all-i-can-do-is-write-about-whatever-grabs-me/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“It's everywhere," he said. "No matter where you go, it grabs you by the collar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-s-everywhere-he-said-no-matter-where-you-go-it-grabs-you-by-the/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Whenever opportunity comes Kohli grabs it with both the hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anushka-sharma/whenever-opportunity-comes-kohli-grabs-it-with-both-the-hands/) [Anushka Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anushka-sharma/) > [When somebody grabs a movement, you're kind of locked into it. It's all par for the course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cale/when-somebody-grabs-a-movement-you-re-kind-of-locked-into-it-it-s-all/) [John Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cale/) > [When something really grabs me, I dive into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiesza/when-something-really-grabs-me-i-dive-into-it/) [Kiesza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiesza/) > [I think ... that things are a little bit up for grabs right now...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podesta/i-think-that-things-are-a-little-bit-up-for-grabs-right-now/) [John Podesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podesta/) > [When he grabs your ass while he's kissing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie/when-he-grabs-your-ass-while-he-s-kissing-you/) [Maggie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie/) > [It's my private life, and it's not up for grabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-my-private-life-and-it-s-not-up-for-grabs/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Life is fundamentally up for grabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/life-is-fundamentally-up-for-grabs/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [I like television. I still believe that television is the most powerful form of communication on Earth - I just hate what is being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-like-television-i-still-believe-that-television-is-the-most/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [That's what happens when they give guys like me a television show: you try and get toys and Garbage Pail Kids!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/that-s-what-happens-when-they-give-guys-like-me-a-television-show-you/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) ## More by James Purefoy > [You need to be disciplined and you need to try to occupy a zone of acting that is always quite scary because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/you-need-to-be-disciplined-and-you-need-to-try-to-occupy-a-zone-of/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [I often think that drama helps people feel less lonely about things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-often-think-that-drama-helps-people-feel-less-lonely-about-things/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [I'd never read a piece of television where it's an hour script and it's perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-d-never-read-a-piece-of-television-where-it-s-an-hour-script-and-it/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [I think the business affairs people at the studios get some kind of perverse satisfaction in finding the worst hotels for actors to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-think-the-business-affairs-people-at-the-studios-get-some-kind-of/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [I am not a big fan of what I call 'ambient television,' which just washes through you in a very polite way. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-am-not-a-big-fan-of-what-i-call-ambient-television-which-just/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [When you sign up for a show in the United States, it's six or seven years, generally speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/when-you-sign-up-for-a-show-in-the-united-states-it-s-six-or-seven/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [When you don't take what you have for granted, you constantly try to re-prove yourself to yourself rather than to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/when-you-don-t-take-what-you-have-for-granted-you-constantly-try-to/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [All cult leaders are very good at supplying people with what they want and are missing in their lives, so they feel loved and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/all-cult-leaders-are-very-good-at-supplying-people-with-what-they/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [When I was growing up, 'Butch and Sundance' was my absolute favorite film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/when-i-was-growing-up-butch-and-sundance-was-my-absolute-favorite-film/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [British actors are pretty good, by and large, at turning on at 'action' and off at 'cut.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/british-actors-are-pretty-good-by-and-large-at-turning-on-at-action/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [You really need to learn how to turn it on for 'action' and off for 'cut.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/you-really-need-to-learn-how-to-turn-it-on-for-action-and-off-for-cut/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [Hospitals are very extreme places - you can be in a maternity room one minute, and by someone's bedside as they're dying the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/hospitals-are-very-extreme-places-you-can-be-in-a-maternity-room-one/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [Joe Carroll had a certain black comedy to him. But I think it's lovely playing a man who, in his heart and soul, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/joe-carroll-had-a-certain-black-comedy-to-him-but-i-think-it-s-lovely/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [I have no problem with television as a genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-have-no-problem-with-television-as-a-genre/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [Actors tend to get better with age. You start cutting away the useless stuff and achieving a point of effortlessness and simplicity, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/actors-tend-to-get-better-with-age-you-start-cutting-away-the-useless/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) [Explore all 83 James Purefoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) ## More Television quotes > [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Some television programs are so much chewing gum for the eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/some-television-programs-are-so-much-chewing-gum-for-the-eyes/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [I'm very proud of some of the stories I've been given thanks to the team at 'Emmerdale,' they've been great over the years so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-fletcher/i-m-very-proud-of-some-of-the-stories-i-ve-been-given-thanks-to-the/) [Kelvin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-fletcher/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [My first match was on television with no buffer, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel like I've learned faster than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-rhodes/my-first-match-was-on-television-with-no-buffer-but-i-wouldn-t-have/) [Brandi Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-rhodes/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [I'm not the sort of person who would want to just lie on the sofa watching TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-m-not-the-sort-of-person-who-would-want-to-just-lie-on-the-sofa/) [Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/) > [Televisions are devices with screens that things appear on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/televisions-are-devices-with-screens-that-things-appear-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) [Browse all 14,322 Television quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like television that grabs you by your throat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Purefoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your-throat/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Television" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your-throat/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/james-purefoy-8188_television_i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your_38769.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I like television that grabs you by your throat.” — James Purefoy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Purefoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I like television that grabs you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your-throat/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-like-television-that-grabs-you-by-your-throat/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```