Small Talk: The Impala

[MysteryGuest]

6 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

Can't you get the digital converter and watch it live, since it's broadcast TV?

I've been looking at different HDTV antenna options, so I think I'll be able to find a solution.  I honestly had forgotten that the CW as considered broadcast TV, so that's good news.

[catrox14]

8 minutes ago, MysteryGuest said:

I've been looking at different HDTV antenna options, so I think I'll be able to find a solution.  I honestly had forgotten that the CW as considered broadcast TV, so that's good news.

Yeah when I was with my mom she didn't have cable and I could watch it via the digital converter box :)

[MysteryGuest]

I won't need the digital converter box, but I did just order an antenna from Amazon.  It's supposed to come on Tuesday, so fingers crossed, it will work and I'll be able to still watch the show this week.  

[Jeddah]

I started watching Supernatural because the CW is the clearest channel my antenna picks up! 

[MysteryGuest]

22 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

I started watching Supernatural because the CW is the clearest channel my antenna picks up! 

Here's hoping I'll be as lucky.  I really don't watch the tv for anything else.  The occasional sporting event, maybe, but that's about it.  

[ahrtee]

2 hours ago, MysteryGuest said:

Well, no more watching SPN live for me.  I just cancelled my cable, so now all I have is internet.  They raised my bill by more than $30.00 this month, which is absurd for the plan I have, so I've officially cut the cord.  As much as I enjoy being able to discuss the episode right after it's aired, it's just not worth paying them the extra money.  Time Warner was bad enough, but since being bought out by Spectrum, there have already been multiple increases with more to come.  It's crazy.

I cancelled my cable a few months ago.  The good news is that I can get the CW fine with OTA antennas (actually, the old "rabbit ears" ones work better for me than the fancier ones, so if one doesn't work, don't give up!)   The bad news:  Comcast's internet service is almost as much as internet plus cable. :(  If they don't get you one way, they get you another... (I also have Sling TV because I just can't get used to being without live TV--and it includes TNT, so I can still watch SPN in the mornings.)  

Edited January 29, 2018 by ahrtee

[MysteryGuest]

11 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

I cancelled my cable a few months ago.  The good news is that I can get the CW fine with OTA antennas (actually, the old "rabbit ears" ones work better for me than the fancier ones, so if one doesn't work, don't give up!)   The bad news:  Comcast's internet service is almost as much as internet plus cable. :(  If they don't get you one way, they get you another... (I also have Sling TV because I just can't get used to being without live TV--and it includes TNT, so I can still watch SPN in the mornings.)  

I was able to get the internet for just $65.00 a month (I say just, but that really is insane when you think about it).  I was paying twice that amount for the internet, a dozen television stations and a landline.  I just couldn't justify it.  I stream everything, so I have Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, each of which have their own subscription fees, obviously.  I'm trying to figure out just how to get the most bang for my buck.  I've looked into the Sling TV, and have considered it, but I don't know that I really need it.

I have a Mac mini that's hooked right up to the television, which acts as the monitor, so I have access to just about everything, except the live television.  The cable person did mention that in a few months they're going to offer the option of picking 12 of your favorite channels as a bundled package.  I have no clue what that would cost, I'll probably at least look into it.  More and more people are dropping cable, so they're going to have to do something, other than just raise their rates for internet access.

[ahrtee]

8 minutes ago, MysteryGuest said:

I was able to get the internet for just $65.00 a month (I say just, but that really is insane when you think about it).  I was paying twice that amount for the internet, a dozen television stations and a landline.  I just couldn't justify it.  I stream everything, so I have Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, each of which have their own subscription fees, obviously.  I'm trying to figure out just how to get the most bang for my buck.  I've looked into the Sling TV, and have considered it, but I don't know that I really need it.

I have a Mac mini that's hooked right up to the television, which acts as the monitor, so I have access to just about everything, except the live television.  The cable person did mention that in a few months they're going to offer the option of picking 12 of your favorite channels as a bundled package.  I have no clue what that would cost, I'll probably at least look into it.  More and more people are dropping cable, so they're going to have to do something, other than just raise their rates for internet access.

Right now I'm paying about $100 a month for high-speed internet (about 150 Mpbs) and a landline.  Unfortunately I'm in a dip and my cell service in the house is iffy at best (it works fine in other parts of town.)  I used to have all that plus a pretty comprehensive cable package for about $150, which was climbing up towards $200 (it was the added taxes and "fees" that killed it for me). 

I like live TV (most times I just want something mindless and don't want to have to wade through menus to decide what to watch) so Sling works fine for me at $25/month.  I looked into DirectTV now (which has almost twice the channels for $35) and may go that route later, or may skip and go to streaming only.  This is my trial period to see what works best for me.

I wish I could believe that more streaming would mean better/cheaper cable, but unfortunately, streaming requires fast internet.  They don't need to lure people back to cable--they've got a built-in market either way. :(  But good luck with your antenna (and your watching!)

[ahrtee]

26 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

The cable person did mention that in a few months they're going to offer the option of picking 12 of your favorite channels as a bundled package.

Oh, one warning--I doubt that they'll let you pick your own channels.  More likely they'll have "skinny bundles" of their cheapest channels, with either one genre (like sports, movies, family, or "entertainment," or one or two channels from each group. (Sling TV has that as an add on for about $5 each.)   You also usually have to buy their basic cable (which includes all the annoying fees) in order to get the package.  

[auntvi]

1 hour ago, ahrtee said:

The bad news:  Comcast's internet service is almost as much as internet plus cable. :(

That’s what I discovered when I tried getting rid of cable, so I have “basic” cable, which is the local broadcast stations plus Cspan I think (and it’s still expensive). I’m getting ready to go back, because I really miss CNN & MSNBC & TNT. You can’t watch news live online anymore unless you have a cable subscription.

I checked out AT&T for internet, but my bldg isn’t wired for it and I’ve heard from several people in this area that their service is poor. I hate Comcast!!!!

[MysteryGuest]

39 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

Oh, one warning--I doubt that they'll let you pick your own channels.  More likely they'll have "skinny bundles" of their cheapest channels, with either one genre (like sports, movies, family, or "entertainment," or one or two channels from each group. (Sling TV has that as an add on for about $5 each.)   You also usually have to buy their basic cable (which includes all the annoying fees) in order to get the package. 

Trust me, I won't even consider it if it's not exactly what was advertised.  It's the pre-selected bundles that have been the problem for years now.  I don't need 75 channels when I really only watch 4 of them.  But you were never allowed to pay for just what you watched.  I'm sure that if they do go to a cafeteria style option, you'll pay a nice premium for the privilege.

 

10 minutes ago, auntvi said:

I checked out AT&T for internet, but my bldg isn’t wired for it and I’ve heard from several people in this area that their service is poor. I hate Comcast!!!!

I hate cable companies in general.  When any company is allowed to have a monopoly, it's never a good thing.  As the consumer, you have zero leverage.  You can't threaten to go to their competitor, because they don't have one.  It's bullshit, and I'm tired of it.  I remember being so happy when cable first became a thing.  I was willing to pay a fee not to have to see commercials, and to have expanded options.  But as with anything else, these companies got greedy, and now we're paying 8 times the amount we used to pay in the beginning.  

I pay for XM radio for my car, and I'm about ready to ditch that, too.  I have a handful of stations that I listen to on the way to and from work, and I swear they play the same damn songs every day, and the DJ's never stop talking.  They may not have traditional commercials, but they have constant self-promotions for other stations of theirs, so what exactly is the difference?  If I wanted to listen to talking the entire way to work, I can turn on some AM station.  I'm about ready to just unplug and go live in Montana somewhere!

[ahrtee]

20 minutes ago, auntvi said:

That’s what I discovered when I tried getting rid of cable, so I have “basic” cable, which is the local broadcast stations plus Cspan I think (and it’s still expensive). I’m getting ready to go back, because I really miss CNN & MSNBC & TNT. You can’t watch news live online anymore unless you have a cable subscription.

I checked out AT&T for internet, but my bldg isn’t wired for it and I’ve heard from several people in this area that their service is poor. I hate Comcast!!!!

If you can work with an antenna, IMO it's much better (even the picture quality is better on my ancient (30+-year-old, non-digital) TV.  My antenna brings in about 15 channels (not counting the spanish language or religious channels), including ones that show some of my favorite ancient TV shows (westerns,  cop shows, sitcoms and things like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, from about the 1950s through the 1990s)  so I'm pretty happy with it, and tend to watch on air even more than Sling or Hulu (which I also have but rarely watch.)  

I watch CNN and MSNBC online (actually, I prefer to read the stories.)  Sling has CNN (and CBS news live, I think?) as well as TNT, AMC, FX, TBS, Bravo, Life, Food, Sy-Fy, History, BBC America, and a bunch of others.  I know I have CBS news live; I think it's from them but it may be on Roku?

Comcast's "basic" package included about $17 worth of fees for stuff I didn't want/need, including fees for "local channels" (which I can get better via antenna) and sports channels (which I never watch.) 

Centurylink supposedly just wired our neighborhood for fiber optic, but I had a lot of trouble with them before (and have been reading complaints in the NextDoor comments) so I'll stick with Comcast internet for now.  

[catrox14]

This is a fortuitous discussion because I'm about ready to cut the cable myself other than internet

[ahrtee]

12 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

This is a fortuitous discussion because I'm about ready to cut the cable myself other than internet

Mostly it depends on how you prefer to watch.  My sister never watches live tv, so she's happy with just Netflix and Amazon Prime.  I'm happier with live/browsing, so I went with Sling (and may switch to DirectTV Now, or maybe add another bunch of channels to Sling for $5 or $10 more.)  You can usually watch network shows the next day through their apps for free.  (Sling, though it claims to have about 40 channels for $25, doesn't mention anywhere that a number of those aren't live, but on-demand instead, so I got a little annoyed at them.)  

Also--I had a lot of trouble coordinating all the different remotes (TV for on/off and switching between inputs, digital converter box  for changing antenna channels since my TV is so old, Roku for selecting streaming service and programs and my DVD player/recorder (which doesn't seem to want to record any streaming channels, just the on air ones).  I finally bought an "all in one" remote, but keep pushing the wrong buttons (or forgetting to switch between inputs).  A smart TV would make all that much easier!

Edited January 29, 2018 by ahrtee

[FlickChick]

I think all the Smart TVs come with pre-loaded apps.  And mine doesn't allow anything else to be added because of residual rights, etc. So they might not be the answer either. Example - I wanted to watch SN on the CW on my big screen (it was preempted), but couldn't because that wasn't one of the apps it would accept. It has Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Pandora and some others I don't use, but it didn't have something I wanted.

On another note, where is Mick Lady? Anyone have any info?

[catrox14]

50 minutes ago, FlickChick said:

On another note, where is Mick Lady? Anyone have any info?

I haven't heard anything

50 minutes ago, FlickChick said:

I think all the Smart TVs come with pre-loaded apps.  And mine doesn't allow anything else to be added because of residual rights, etc. So they might not be the answer either. Example - I wanted to watch SN on the CW on my big screen (it was preempted), but couldn't because that wasn't one of the apps it would accept. It has Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Pandora and some others I don't use, but it didn't have something I wanted.

On another note, where is Mick Lady? Anyone have any info?

Could you use Chromecast from your phone or tablet and play it on your TV. That's what I do with the CW app.

Edited January 30, 2018 by catrox14

[MysteryGuest]

There are plenty of options out there for cord cutters, but you just need to make sure you don't over-subscribe to the individual options. I'm looking at all of that now to see if I can cut back somewhere.  I have Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and HBO, so that's about $50.00 worth of subscription fees, all totaled.  I do watch them all, and they each have different content, but if my goal is to save money, then it's not really working.  I've just replaced one cost with another.  

I haven't seen Mick Lady around in a while.  I hope that all is well with her and her husband.

[ahrtee]

17 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

Could you use Chromecast from your phone or tablet and play it on your TV. That's what I do with the CW app.

I use a Roku stick with my prehistoric (non-smart) TV, and my sister uses an Amazon Fire stick instead of her Smart TV connection.  I think some apps also allow mirroring from your phone.  Not sure if any of those are the same :)

[catrox14]

6 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

I use a Roku stick with my prehistoric (non-smart) TV, and my sister uses an Amazon Fire stick instead of her Smart TV connection.  I think some apps also allow mirroring from your phone.  Not sure if any of those are the same :)

Chromecast is a specific dongle from Google that's like 35 bucks when I bought it. And most phones have a mirroring option but the quality it kind of poor. That's why I have to do with Amazon Video. Or at least before I cancelled Prime.

[ahrtee]

1 minute ago, catrox14 said:

Chromecast is a specific dongle from Google that's like 35 bucks when I bought it. And most phones have a mirroring option but the quality it kind of poor. That's why I have to do with Amazon Video. Or at least before I cancelled Prime.

That's what I thought.  My Roku cost about the same (though I had to buy a (more expensive) specific model that still had RCA connectors for my old TV.)  It came pre-loaded with most of the biggies (Hulu, Netflix, Sling, etc.) and I added the CW and a few others (including a bunch of free sites from the Roku store that vary in quality.) :)   I think Sling has a current offer of a free Roku stick if you prepay for two months in advance ($20/month for their cheapest.)  

[Pondlass1]

For the second time in a week I watched a scene in a TV show where a bottle of pills is thrown down the bathroom sink.  This is might provide a nice dramatic effect, but scenes like this should be banned because people then think it's ok.  Our surface rivers and ponds are polluted enough.  Take old out of date medications to your local pharmacist to be disposed of properly.  

Also America's Funniest Videos needs to stop with the videos of animals being abused.   A cat put on an office chair and spun around and then everyone laughing insanely as the poor thing tries to walk.... IT'S NOT FUNNY, IT'S CRUEL!!

Getting off soap box now.  

[auntvi]

Is anyone planning to go to the Supernatural Paleyfest on 3-20? If I can find a relatively cheap airfare, I'm so tempted. But then a voice in my head says ,"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND? YOU'RE TOO OLD TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS!"

[gonzosgirrl]

31 minutes ago, auntvi said:

Is anyone planning to go to the Supernatural Paleyfest on 3-20? If I can find a relatively cheap airfare, I'm so tempted. But then a voice in my head says ,"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND? YOU'RE TOO OLD TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS!"

This is one I would definitely go to if I had the opportunity. Unless/until they release official video I don't think we'll get anything but 'field reports'. If I could see it in person, I'd be there in a heartbeat! Are there guaranteed seats for this or is it a line-up-days-in-advance thing?

[Jeddah]

42 minutes ago, auntvi said:

Is anyone planning to go to the Supernatural Paleyfest on 3-20? If I can find a relatively cheap airfare, I'm so tempted. But then a voice in my head says ,"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND? YOU'RE TOO OLD TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS!"

Just ignore that voice! We’re all young at heart, right?

[auntvi]

Reserved seats are $40. It looks like Orchestra seats are sold out, but Parterre & Mezzanine are still available. Or you can pay $240 for row C or D to Supernatural, Big Bang Theory, and Riverdale :P

[Diane]

20 hours ago, FlickChick said:

I think all the Smart TVs come with pre-loaded apps.  And mine doesn't allow anything else to be added because of residual rights, etc. So they might not be the answer either. Example - I wanted to watch SN on the CW on my big screen (it was preempted), but couldn't because that wasn't one of the apps it would accept. It has Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Pandora and some others I don't use, but it didn't have something I wanted.

On another note, where is Mick Lady? Anyone have any info?

I private messaged her and haven't heard back.  If I hear from her I will let you know. 

[gonzosgirrl]

Just now, auntvi said:

Reserved seats are $40. It looks like Orchestra seats are sold out, but Parterre & Mezzanine are still available. Or you can pay $240 for row C or D to Supernatural, Big Bang Theory, and Riverdale :P

Do it! Doit!Doit!Doit!Doit!Doit!Doit!  Look at it like taking one for the team if it helps justify it. :)

[gonzosgirrl]

Can someone help me out here? This is a genuine question and has nothing to do with this forum or show. Why do people hate watch a show? I mean when they genuinely have nothing good to say about it? I can *almost* understand it with a show like SPN, or Grey's, that's been around for a long time and people have watched from the beginning and 'just can't quit you'. Lord knows I bitch about SPN, but I still love Dean and find something in most episodes to enjoy. I'm talking about a show that's been around a season and half, that makes no bones about what it is about, and yet people watch, don't like anything about it, and mock/hate on it for what it is. I just don't get it. Life is too short to spend on things you don't enjoy. Unless the mocking and hating somehow makes them feel better than... something? I don't know.

[Wayward Son]

7 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Can someone help me out here? This is a genuine question and has nothing to do with this forum or show. Why do people hate watch a show? I mean when they genuinely have nothing good to say about it? I can *almost* understand it with a show like SPN, or Grey's, that's been around for a long time and people have watched from the beginning and 'just can't quit you'. Lord knows I bitch about SPN, but I still love Dean and find something in most episodes to enjoy. I'm talking about a show that's been around a season and half, that makes no bones about what it is about, and yet people watch, don't like anything about it, and mock/hate on it for what it is. I just don't get it. Life is too short to spend on things you don't enjoy. Unless the mocking and hating somehow makes them feel better than... something? I don't know.

I think in some cases people find it hard to let go especially if the show is one they used to like before their current issues began. Personally, I used to find it difficult to give up a show once I started, but like you said life is too short for that and I’ve gotten much better at letting things I dislike go. 

 

As a follow up question to yours... how long do you give a show you once enjoyed to recover from bad writing before giving up on it? These days I’d say I’ll give a relatively new show (2-3 seasons) half a season before I’m done and an older season 1-1.5 seasons. Basically it it’s 5+ seasons it’s has earned the right to an off season, so bar something truly offensive I’ll stick it out. However, if the next season shows no signs of improvement then I’ll drop it. 

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, Wayward Son said:

I think in some cases people find it hard to let go especially if the show is one they used to like before their current issues began. Personally, I used to find it difficult to give up a show once I started, but like you said life is too short for that and I’ve gotten much better at letting things I dislike go. 

I get this, but when a show is barely in to its second season and there's nothing you like about, why subject yourself to it? You can't be so attached as to be loathe to stop watching.There are hundreds of choices these days. And even then, to take the time to seek out an audience to share just how much you dislike it? To mock it to the extent where those who *do* enjoy it feel insulted by association. It boggles my mind. I mentioned Grey's Anatomy. There are a couple later seasons where I just about stopped, but I have been watching since S1E1 and will be watching to the end. SPN - well we know how I feel about Dabb and Co., but I still love Dean and a lot of the Winchester story, and again - 13 seasons of reasons to stay.

Your question... It depends. I quit Castle in the penultimate season because I just couldn't abide what I felt was manipulation of the fans any longer. Some shows just run out of story, or change so drastically that I can't enjoy them any more. Scrubs is a good example of that.

Edited January 31, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[FlickChick]

9 minutes ago, Wayward Son said:

As a follow up question to yours... how long do you give a show you once enjoyed to recover from bad writing before giving up on it? These days I’d say I’ll give a relatively new show (2-3 seasons) half a season before I’m done and an older season 1-1.5 seasons. Basically it it’s 5+ seasons it’s has earned the right to an off season, so bar something truly offensive I’ll stick it out. However, if the next season shows no signs of improvement then I’ll drop it. 

I have given up on shows that sit on my DVR for a long time because I've really lost interest in their characters/storylines. Then I know it's time. Another indicator for me is when I start fast-forwarding through a lot of the episodes. Even with a show I've watched 5-7 years, I'll give it up after just 3 or 4 of either of those situations. But Supernatural, I do bitch and moan, but I'm here to the end. Absolutely!

[catrox14]

35 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Can someone help me out here? This is a genuine question and has nothing to do with this forum or show. Why do people hate watch a show? I mean when they genuinely have nothing good to say about it? I can *almost* understand it with a show like SPN, or Grey's, that's been around for a long time and people have watched from the beginning and 'just can't quit you'. Lord knows I bitch about SPN, but I still love Dean and find something in most episodes to enjoy. I'm talking about a show that's been around a season and half, that makes no bones about what it is about, and yet people watch, don't like anything about it, and mock/hate on it for what it is. I just don't get it. Life is too short to spend on things you don't enjoy. Unless the mocking and hating somehow makes them feel better than... something? I don't know.

I have only ever mock watched one show and that's because it's so bad that I just love making fun of it as apparently do a few other folks. I don't hate it. I don't hate watch. If I legitimately dislike a show I won't bother. But the one I mock watch was never good IMO, had like two redeeming qualities. It's like a trainwreck that I'm waiting to see how it crashes.

27 minutes ago, Wayward Son said:

I think in some cases people find it hard to let go especially if the show is one they used to like before their current issues began. Personally, I used to find it difficult to give up a show once I started, but like you said life is too short for that and I’ve gotten much better at letting things I dislike go. 

 

As a follow up question to yours... how long do you give a show you once enjoyed to recover from bad writing before giving up on it? These days I’d say I’ll give a relatively new show (2-3 seasons) half a season before I’m done and an older season 1-1.5 seasons. Basically it it’s 5+ seasons it’s has earned the right to an off season, so bar something truly offensive I’ll stick it out. However, if the next season shows no signs of improvement then I’ll drop it. 

I have a short leash on new shows. If they don't get me in the first season, I usually don't come back. If they have characters that I like I'll linger longer despite plotting. If I'm super invested like I am with SPN or like I was with LOST, I stay to the bitter end.

[Commando Cody]

I'm the same way. If there was a show I couldn't wait to watch, I would start watching it after 30 minutes of the show recorded on my DVR.  I know if a show, I initially liked, starts going unwatched - or only watched if I have watched everything else, it's time to let it go. 

I invested 8 years in Charmed. I stayed with it till the bitter, bitter end. I have made my own "last episode" and I don't need to watch anymore after that. 

I tried to watch Seals or whatever the new David Boreanaz show is. I think it only took three episodes to let that one go. I still watch repeats of Bones on TNT. Kind of like Supernatural, Bones has some good arcs and some bad ones. I got really tired of the serial killers. 

I think I liked most of the last episode of Lethal Weapon, but the season in general is not going well. That's one of the programs that has started to sit on my DVR. 

I still watch Lucifer when it's on, but I'm not as happy with it as I used to be. 

Maybe people hate what shows now because they loved it once and are just angry that it turned to a big bag of suck. 

[Wayward Son]

29 minutes ago, FlickChick said:

I have given up on shows that sit on my DVR for a long time because I've really lost interest in their characters/storylines. Then I know it's time. Another indicator for me is when I start fast-forwarding through a lot of the episodes. Even with a show I've watched 5-7 years, I'll give it up after just 3 or 4 of either of those situations. But Supernatural, I do bitch and moan, but I'm here to the end. Absolutely!

This I can relate to and pretty much how my longest break from Supernatural went. For me I’d say indifference is something I’m more likely to watch a show over than plots I hate. I HATED season 8 and had several rage quit moments throughout the season in particular after Torn and Frayed and The Great Escapist. However, despite my protests of “i hate this show im done...” there I was watching the next week anyway.

 

However, When Season 9 displayed more of the same I grew tired and decided I needed a break so I didn’t watch Bad Boys immediately. It wasn’t a dislike of the previous episode. I actually quite like Heaven Can’t Wait. However, due to my dislike of S8’s portrayal of Dean and my aversion to his actions in 9x01,  a Dean centric episode was simply not something I felt interested in. What was originally intended as a few week break ended up being a 2.5 year break. I had quit all together and it was only hearing raving reviews about season eleven, from several trusted friends,  that I decided to give the show another shot the summer before season 12. Some days I find myself regretting returning and others I am glad I did. It depends on that weeks episode I guess ;)

 

* This post isn’t about Dean bashing, but sharing a story of my thought process when I came the closest ever to quitting Supernatural. For anyone interested when I finally did watch it I actually found Bad Boys to be an enjoyable and well written episode. It just wasn’t one I was ready for at the time due to general fatigue with the show.  

5 minutes ago, Commando Cody said:

I invested 8 years in Charmed. I stayed with it till the bitter, bitter end. I have made my own "last episode" and I don't need to watch anymore after that. 

Hi, fellow charmed fan here -waves- 

 

As a matter of interest, what episode do you now watch as your “final episode”? 

Edited January 31, 2018 by Wayward Son

[gonzosgirrl]

7 minutes ago, Wayward Son said:

* This post isn’t about Dean bashing, but sharing a story of my thought process when I came the closest ever to quitting Supernatural. For anyone interested when I finally did watch it I actually found Bad Boys to be an enjoyable and well written episode. It just wasn’t one I was ready for at the time due to general fatigue with the show.

I even get this, despite my disagreement with it. But I don't think that if you had stayed 'quit' you would continue to watch just to come and mock the show on a forum full of people who do enjoy it, would you? Sadly, I think that TWoP both encouraged and nurtured this mentality, and it lives on.

Edited January 31, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[Wayward Son]

1 minute ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I even get this, despite my disagreement with it. But I don't think that if you had stayed 'quit' you would continue to watch just to come and mock the show on a forum full of people who do enjoy it, would you? Sadly, I think that TWoP both encouraged and nurtured this mentality, and it lives on.

Oh no I definitely would not have done that. I kept up with the show via reading, but not posting on, forums for the rest of s9 as I originally intended to take a break rather than quit watching. When I realised I had no interest in catching up on what I’d missed I ended up having nothing else to do with the show or the fandom (outside of a few offline friends who watch the show) until I picked up watching again the summer before season 12 :) . I agree life is too short for wasting large amounts of time on a show you hate. 

[MysteryGuest]

37 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I get this, but when a show is barely in to its second season and there's nothing you like about, why subject yourself to it? You can't be so attached as to be loathe to stop watching.There are hundreds of choices these days. And even then, to take the time to seek out an audience to share just how much you dislike it? I boggles my mind. To mock it to the extent where those who *do* enjoy it feel insulted by association.

Sadly, I think some people just take perverse pleasure in being negative.  Whether it's posting on a website for a show or commenting on someone's Instagram account, some people only go there to be negative.  I often wonder what these people are like in person.  Are they this miserable to people they interact with on a day to day basis, or is this nastiness saved for when they think they're anonymous?  But like you said, what's the point?

[DittyDotDot]

3 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Can someone help me out here? This is a genuine question and has nothing to do with this forum or show. Why do people hate watch a show? I mean when they genuinely have nothing good to say about it? I can *almost* understand it with a show like SPN, or Grey's, that's been around for a long time and people have watched from the beginning and 'just can't quit you'. Lord knows I bitch about SPN, but I still love Dean and find something in most episodes to enjoy. I'm talking about a show that's been around a season and half, that makes no bones about what it is about, and yet people watch, don't like anything about it, and mock/hate on it for what it is. I just don't get it. Life is too short to spend on things you don't enjoy. Unless the mocking and hating somehow makes them feel better than... something? I don't know.

TBH, I think it's just that people don't like to feel left out. Even if they hate something, they have to be watching what everyone else is watching so they can feel like they're part of the crowd. And, you can't just watch it silently, everyone needs to know you watched it and you don't like it. 

I'll take my curmudgeonly ass off to bed now...sorry!

[Jeddah]

I don’t know that the term hate-watching means someone hates everything about a show. I’ve described myself as hate-watching shows that I didn’t completely hate. I just didn’t like those shows in the same way as the good shows I watch, so hate-watching seemed like the term to use.

I mentioned a few days ago that the CW is the clearest channel my antenna picks up. So I have watched some truly terrible CW shows through the years. I got enjoyment out of watching those shows, even the ones I “hated.” For example, One Tree Hill sucked. It was terrible, and yet I watched it to the bitter end. Here in NC, that show still comes up in conversation and it’s nice to be able to say “Rememeber when Dan killed a guy to get his heart, but then a Golden Retriever ate the heart that was supposed to be used for the transplant?” It’s a great conversation starter! I still have affection for that batshit crazy show. I am glad I kept watching, even if 90% of the time I was “hate-watching” just to make fun of it.

[Pondlass1]

The State of the Union Address is mesmerizing.  Wonder if Misha is watching?

[Jeddah]

13 minutes ago, Pondlass1 said:

The State of the Union Address is mesmerizing.  Wonder if Misha is watching?

That fits in perfectly with the hate-watching conversation! If Misha is watching the State of the Union, then he's definitely hate-watching it.

[catrox14]

40 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

TBH, I think it's just that people don't like to feel left out. Even if they hate something, they have to be watching what everyone else is watching so they can feel like they're part of the crowd. And, you can't just watch it silently, everyone needs to know you watched it and you don't like it. 

I'll take my curmudgeonly ass off to bed now...sorry!

Well, I can tell you that for me it's not because I want to be part of something. It's because I am immensely entertained by this terrible show and I'm entertained by making fun of it. I would do it whether anyone else was around to join me in my mockery. :P

[rue721]

On 1/28/2018 at 7:56 PM, MysteryGuest said:

I was able to get the internet for just $65.00 a month (I say just, but that really is insane when you think about it).  I was paying twice that amount for the internet, a dozen television stations and a landline.  I just couldn't justify it.  I stream everything, so I have Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, each of which have their own subscription fees, obviously.  I'm trying to figure out just how to get the most bang for my buck.  I've looked into the Sling TV, and have considered it, but I don't know that I really need it.

I'm in the same boat, and pay maybe $100~/mo for cable and TV subscriptions. Given the price per hour of enjoyment, it's probably not even THAT indulgent. But it does feel overly indulgent anyway. I've been wondering about moving to Sling in particular, too.

But honestly, if I weren't spending that $100~/mo on TV, it'd probably just be going to something even stupider, like booze. So maybe it's fine.

On 1/29/2018 at 7:29 PM, ahrtee said:

I use a Roku stick with my prehistoric (non-smart) TV, and my sister uses an Amazon Fire stick instead of her Smart TV connection.  I think some apps also allow mirroring from your phone.  Not sure if any of those are the same :)

If you have an AppleTV and an iPhone (and probably also if you don't?) you can mirror tons of stuff, including YouTube. Whatever you can get on your phone, you can mirror onto the TV. The app to do it is built into the phone.

It's pretty convenient if you want to watch something that's difficult to find -- but it runs through your phone battery like crazy (and probably your data) and you can't really use your phone while you're mirroring something from it. It's very rare that I do it nowadays.

4 hours ago, Wayward Son said:

how long do you give a show you once enjoyed to recover from bad writing before giving up on it? These days I’d say I’ll give a relatively new show (2-3 seasons) half a season before I’m done and an older season 1-1.5 seasons.

Honestly, it depends on if anybody else I know watches it. If someone else I know watches a show, I'll probably watch it (at least sporadically) forever. My mom watches a couple Real Housewives franchises, and she likes to bond over it -- so I'll probably never be entirely free of RHONJ or RHONY.

3 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

I think I liked most of the last episode of Lethal Weapon, but the season in general is not going well. That's one of the programs that has started to sit on my DVR. 

I still watch Lucifer when it's on, but I'm not as happy with it as I used to be. 

Maybe people hate what shows now because they loved it once and are just angry that it turned to a big bag of suck. 

I agree about Lethal Weapon, but it scratches an itch -- and at this point, I'm somehow caught up while still being kind of dubious about this season. I also love the guy who plays Riggs (from when he was Teddy on Rectify), so I enjoy even pretty bad episodes just because I enjoy watching him do his thing. But they're going really hard on this "shitty dad" thing this season and eh. Who do they think wants to see that? And I don't really know where they're going to try and take it after this season anyway. There's only so many "Riggs had a terrible father" flashbacks that we need to see, y'know?

I guess that's my version of hate-watching?

On the other hand, I just got too bored with Lucifer and honestly haven't been able to sit through an episode for about a year now. That's more common for what happens when I stop liking a show as much -- just lose interest and forget about it.

ETA:  I've also hate-quit a couple shows...but because they took a turn that's too dark for me or something like that, rather than that they actually got "bad." Bates Motel is one of those. LOVED it, but I couldn't watch after a major event near the end of its run (that watchers can probably guess). Watched the episode that ended with the event, liked it -- and never watched another episode again.

36 minutes ago, Pondlass1 said:

The State of the Union Address is mesmerizing.  Wonder if Misha is watching?

Oh I'm sure! :)

Edited January 31, 2018 by rue721

[catrox14]

36 minutes ago, Pondlass1 said:

The State of the Union Address is mesmerizing.  Wonder if Misha is watching?

He is. He's going to be on a podcast talking about voting later, but I don't want to get talk more about it since politics is verboten around here. Sorry, I don't want us to get in trouble.

[AwesomO4000]

I wish I could hate watch sometimes, but I just can't seem to do it. And that's because I have two kinds of shows: shows I casually watch and shows that I know I shouldn't do it, but I get too invested in. When I lose interest in a casual viewing show, I just shrug and stop watching, but when things start going sideways for me on those shows I get invested in, I get angry when I watch.

A good example of that last category is the reason I started watching this show: Gilmore Girls. My Nana's maiden name was Gilmore, so we used to watch together and it was a quirky little fun show. Sadly I was a Dean girl (Jared Padaleki's character), so I was a bit sad when he was dumped for Jesse, but there were still a bunch of other characters on the show I enjoyed, so I kept watching and decided to give the new show a chance, too, since it was on after Gilmore Girls. Weirdly the new show - this one - got better and sucked me in, while Gilmore Girls continued going south for me, and I started hating almost every character on it. By the time I gave up in disgust, there were 3 characters left that I liked two of which weren't main characters (Paris and her boyfriend Doyle, played by Danny Strong (Jonathan from Buffy) and Luke.) They trashed Dean's character on the show, so I didn't even have untainted memories of that. I've still never seen the last season or so... or the series finale.

The Walking Dead is about to join Gilmore Girls which sucks, because some of that show is filmed in the town that I live in, so it's fun to see the locations and say "oh, I know where that is!" They even filmed stuff on the roof of the building I work in. But Negan is pissing me off while Carl's a gonner, so watching it now will just make me angry that these characters I hate are still here when he isn't... Just aaaaagh! So yeah, it's gonna be no more Walking Dead for me. I can't imagine hate watching it, because it would just make my blood boil.

7 hours ago, catrox14 said:

It's because I am immensely entertained by this terrible show and I'm entertained by making fun of it. I would do it whether anyone else was around to join me in my mockery. :P

Oh I must know what this is. Is it a broadcast network show? I don't do Netflix or Hulu or such and have no premium channels, so I only watch broadcast shows. maybe I can join you on this site in the mocking if it's my kind of bad?

My current trainwreck show is "Happy!" That show is so f$%^ed up - I just have to see where it's going to go. I'm watching on On Demand (many episodes happened during the holidays when I couldn't watch it) and am about halfway through the episodes... It'll be a couple more tonight. And I'm not kidding about the f$%^ed up. It's really, really f$%^ed up.

7 hours ago, rue721 said:

I'm in the same boat, and pay maybe $100~/mo for cable and TV subscriptions.

I know. Cable sucks. We pay over $100 now and we don't even have any premium channels. They charge us like $5 for each TV just for stupid little converter boxes (because the signal is scrambled) and my mom is a pain and has to have two TVs - even though she's only here half the year... which we could bring the boxes back and forth except that it's at least an hour and a half round trip or more to get to the nearest equipment location (they left our town after Comcast took over) Man I miss Cox cable. The didn't have as many channels, but they cost sooo much less and you could actually get equipment in this town instead of 45 minutes or more away being the nearest location.

Weirdly in contrast, our internet is fairly inexpensive. We get decent internet, a landline phone, and my hubby's unlimited smart phone, all for about $107 a month - the internet part is like $30 - $35 total. And it supports our smart TV so we can watch videos and such on the TV (I think the smart TV was only like $100 more than the regular TV... I'm glad we got it).

Edited January 31, 2018 by AwesomO4000

[catrox14]

3 minutes ago, AwesomO4000 said:

Oh I must know what this is. Is it a broadcast network show? I don't do Netflix or Hulu or such and have no premium channels, so I only watch broadcast shows. maybe I can join you on this site in the mocking if it's my kind of bad?

It's Fear the Walking Dead

ETA: The live chat threads are hilarious.

Edited January 31, 2018 by catrox14

[AwesomO4000]

Ohhh - I watched some of the first season of that... I probably should have stuck with it, but sadly I missed a few episodes and got too lost and confused (I don't know what that says about my intelligence... probably not much ; ) ). Maybe I'll have to pick it up again. I've heard that the main family is full of idiots and loathsome characters. I bet it's awesome fun. Maybe after I stop watching the real Walking Dead, I'll switch to that one!

[catrox14]

3 minutes ago, AwesomO4000 said:

Ohhh - I watched some of the first season of that... I probably should have stuck with it, but sadly I missed a few episodes and got too lost and confused (I don't know what that says about my intelligence... probably not much ; ) ). Maybe I'll have to pick it up again. I've heard that the main family is full of idiots and loathsome characters. I bet it's awesome fun. Maybe after I stop watching the real Walking Dead, I'll switch to that one!

The first season had some potential with one decent character who was enigmatic and potentially villainous. I don't watch every episode but when I do catch it, I am so amused that it remains terrible LOL IMO.

casting spoilers for TWD and FTWD about a crossover character.

Spoiler

The bastards are sending Morgan to FTWD to try and save it. I am so pissed about this. I feel like I'm being held hostage to watch it if I want to see more of Morgan

Edited January 31, 2018 by catrox14

[AwesomO4000]

I remember a plot from the first season where the daughter talked to someone she didn't know from the escape boat radio and thinking *sarcasm "Oh this isn't going to end badly at allll." Hee. Cue said person she was talking to coming to get them. Basic survival 101 - don't over-share with strangers in apocalypse situations.

[catrox14]

Just now, AwesomO4000 said:

I remember a plot from the first season where the daughter talked to someone she didn't know from the escape boat radio and thinking *sarcasm "Oh this isn't going to end badly at allll." Hee. Cue said person she was talking to coming to get them. Basic survival 101 - don't over-share with strangers in apocalypse situations.

The person from the boat the quasi villainous character who I enjoyed. But that family was the stupidest family ever. I really just want them all to die, TBH. LOL