Quick reminder of the difference
Episodic – Each episode's its own self-contained adventure, Minimal change & minimal connection between episodes.
Serialized – Show has overarching plot. Most episodes further this plot.
Between the two, which do you prefer & why?
I prefer episodic because I can just jump into it, & not have to worry about what I missed. With serialized shows, I sometimes may not even become aware of their existence until they're already halfway into their second season. And by that point there's no use in trying to get into them. This wouldn't be a problem if their was always an easy way to catch back up. But if it's a T.V. show, that's rarely the case.
T.V. channels tend to have favorite episodes that they repeat the hell out of. For example, I only recently started watching Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, because it's on Netflix. But I remember when it was still airing on Cartoon Network, I saw the underwater episode where Cassidy stays behind, so everyone else could get back to the surface nearly a dozen times.
Why that one? Why is that the episode that played nearly every time the show was on?
And even if I start watching the show from its premier, then I need to be careful not to miss one, because there's no telling when it'll play again.
With episodic shows, I have the freedom to just watch them when I catch them on. If I miss one, no big deal. I can just watch the next one. The one I missed will play again eventually. It's not like I missed anything important.
They might be way more formulaic, but the freedom of not building my schedule around my television habit is nice.