Brain Bleed: The Shows We Hate & The Reasons We Hate Them

[amensisterfriend]

Midsomer Murders. I'm a lifelong mystery fan and am especially partial to the more "cozy" whondunits. I'm a bit of an anglophile and tend to love stuff stuff in small towns/villages. So Midsomer Murders should have been an all-time favorite, but somehow nothing about it works for me: the characters, the dialogue, the mysteries themselves. I tried so hard to love it and was so disappointed to discover that I don't! 

Edited January 20, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[roseha]

I won't mention shows I've never had enough interest to watch consistently, but one that ended up really turning me off was Monk.  It was Emmy-bait dramedy to the hilt in my opinion, on the one hand repeatedly mining "comedy" from Monk's extreme neuroses, and on the other bringing up the tragedy of Trudy's death.  I so had it with this having-it-both-ways that I gave up before the finale.

 

Also can't stand Law and Order SVU though I've enjoyed many hours of the original L and O and L and O CI.  SVU is just so over the top that it's like a self parody, at least when I last looked.

[bmasters9]

Moonlighting, like Designing Women, started off good out of the gate from its premiere in March 1985 (the pilot was an ABC Sunday Night Movie on March 3 of that year) to the end of the second season in 1986. I later purchased that third season's worth (1986-87), and for some odd reason, it just bogged down and screeched to a halt before I even got to the middle (never mind that I never desired to see Nos. 4 and 5 [1987-88 and 1988-89]). 

[cynicat]

I think you hit the nail on the head, ParadoxLost, when you said:

I was going to say that I wasn't surprised that SNL was on this list because you kind of need a special kind of chemistry between the age you are when you start watching and the cast and writing at the time to really like SNL

There may be something to watching a show on first run that makes a difference, rather than after everyone raves about it as the second coming of christ.  I remember that very first SNL with Georgen Carlin as host, and it was genius.  That's because there was absolutely nothing else like it on TV.  Nothing even close.  I think there are skits that can't even be shown today.  (still searching for the "Let's Kill Gary Gilmore Christmas Carols").

 

I was a teenager in the 70s and so it was perfect.  Watching for the first time now, I can see how it could be meh. It's been done better since then.

[ABay]

Re: Midsomer Murders: The main reason to watch is Cotswolds porn. For me the problems were 1. Everyone is so unpleasant, 2. I could never warm up to Barnaby or his wife, 3. dimwitted sargeant. I much preferred the second Barnaby and his wife, and could better tolerate the sargeant and unpleasant locals.

Edited January 25, 2015 by ABay

[amensisterfriend]

Wait, ABay, there's a second Barnaby and wife?! Maybe I should skip to those, because I'm with you on the original recipe Barnaby and his spouse leaving me utterly cold. I'm not wild about their daughter, either. Or pretty much any of the suspects, victims or people we meet for any reason in the course of the investigation :) As you noted, they're all so unpleasant, but not even in a way that I find amusing or interesting. 

[ABay]

Yes, Neil Dudgeon replaced John Nettles a couple of seasons ago. There's an episode in season...13? 12?... where he's introduced as Tom Barnaby's cousin John, who is also a cop. At the end of that season, it's revealed that he transferred to Midsomer from Brighton. He and his wife are a vast improvement, imo. I've been watching them backward on Netflix.

[DiamondDoll]

For me it's Arrow. I really wanted to like it since I usually like superhero shows but I had to give up after episode 8 of the first season. The lead actor, while very pretty, is a horrible actor. I haven't seen such monotonous line reading since ME started playing Silas on GH. Most of the time it looks like he's reading off of cue cards. Also Katie Cassidy really can't play a good girl/heroine . Not to mention the ridiculous and cheesy storylines.

[Splash]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of shows that haven't already been mentioned, but have thoughts about some that have.

 

My So-Called Life - I'm the age of the characters and I guess it's supposed to be "my" coming of age drama, but I hated this show when it was on the air.  I couldn't relate to the teen characters and found them all to be whiny, spoiled, insufferable brats.  A couple of years ago, I decided to try it again, just to see if I could understand why everyone in my age group loved it and my opinion didn't change.

 

Battlestar Galactica (2003) - I'm a huge sci-fi fan and this is one of the few shows I hadn't watched, and since it has so many great reviews online, I decided to give it a try.  I managed to suffer through about 3 episodes before I gave up.  It baffles me that it's classified as a science fiction show and not a straight drama, since the sci-fi aspect seems to be basically non-existent.  As far as I'm concerned, the only list that this show should ever been on is Starbuck for "Worst Character Ever".  I have never had such an instant and overwhelming hatred of a character, before or since.  I might have possibly tried to stick it out a bit longer if the rest of the characters had shoved her out of an airlock.

 

The Wire - Again, everyone I know loves it, so I figured I would as well.  Tried it twice, didn't make it through the first episode, and thought it was boring and hard to follow.  I don't generally need the premise of a show force fed to me, nor do I need an extensive explanation of who all the characters are, but I couldn't follow what was going on and had no idea who anyone was.  I'm sure it's a decent show, but I don't think I have the patience for it.

 

How To Get Away With Murder - After the absolute trainwreck of a s**tshow that Scandal has become, I had no interest at all in anything Shonda Rhimes is even remotely involved with, but one of the promos got me curious.  I think I got through about 2-3 episodes and realized that I hated every single character, didn't care about any part of the plot, and spent most of my time rolling my eyes. 

 

Modern Family - People suggested it, so I watched the first episode.  I didn't think it was funny, but it did remind me of comedies that are in their 5th season or so, when all of the characters have become caricatures of who they used to be (the wacky one, the overly serious one, the bumbling but lovable idiot, etc).

 

Parenthood - I gave it a try since I like most of the adult cast, but stopped watching a couple of episodes in because the kids were annoying.  My dislike of "lovable moppets" isn't really the fault of the show, I guess, since it would be difficult to have a show about parents without kids.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Splash

[Expat]

 

Starbuck for "Worst Character Ever".

Yes!

 

It was hard when the show was on because it seemed like everyone loved her and thought she was the model of what a strong female character was. And I just thought she was an annoying bitch wallowing in self-pity. Hard-drinking, and fist fighting with the guys does not a strong woman make imo. Especially when she was so damn screwy in the head.

 

When I think 'strong, awesome' female character, Lagertha from Vikings is more my speed.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Gumdrops

[Jipijapa]

I tried to watch Battlestar Galactica but honestly, I just couldn't get past the word "frak" as a curse word.  I just can't.  Also, the shakycam.  Also, the old theme song was way cooler.  What can I say, I'm a child of the Seventies.

[mansonlamps]

I already was hate watching How to Get Away With Murder, but the hype leading up to the line...wait for it..."what's your penis doing on a dead girl's phone?" put me over the edge. Wow. They said "penis." On TV. How very titillating and edgy.

[bmasters9]

Recently, I rolled the dice with the first-season (1994-95) release of ER (hit 1994-09 NBC medical series); I so desperately wanted to like this one, and after the pilot, I thought I would. I started to watch the first regular episode last night, and then regret set in as to how much of a gamble and loss this was, as I discovered how graphic and realistic ER really is. It has been said that Barney Miller was realistic to what a police station is like, but that kind of realism is accepted with me, because it's a comedy (and a funny one at that), but ER is something that I will always regret getting that first release of. The only mitigating circumstance is that the release I got was the 7-disc single-sided version and not the original 4-disc double-sided edition. 

[avecsans]

House of Cards. It started out pretty well for me, but I am halfway through season 2 now and I don't know if I will finish it. Frank Underwood has degenerated into such an over the top character. He might as well have a mustache to twirl after every evil deed he commits. I won't spoil anything, but there is no way that he could ever get away with any of the things he has done, let alone all of them.

And it's not just the crimes that bother me. I think the plotting and writing are very ham-fisted in the way that events are manipulated to make it easy for Frank to get his way. I also think Robin Wright is exceedingly dull. I get that she is supposed to be very guarded but the character is just not interesting to me.

The worst part, though, is Frank's constant asides into the camera. It takes me out of the scene every time he does it.

[bmoore4026]

Orphan Black - Too confusing

 

How to get away with murder - Viola Davis does a great job, but I find the characters unlikeable.

 

Battlestar Galactica (Rebootimagining) - Just didn't appeal to me.  I should have my geek license taken away for not liking it.

 

Adventure Time, Legend of Korra, Avatar the Last Airbender - Again, not my thing.  The look good though.

 

SpongeBob Squarepants - Didn't even chuckle.

 

Lost - See Battlestar Galactica (Rebootimagining)

 

That's all I can think of, so far.

[ikmccall]

Game of Thrones. I usually love costume dramas, especially when they involve swords and/or dragons. I adore Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage as actors. But I've tried to watch this show three separate times and I just can't get into it.

[selkie]

My problem with House of Cards is the same one I had with the later seasons of The Sopranos- if you're going to have someone you could consider as going beyond anti-hero to villain as protagonist, then the villain needs to have a foe that's either his equal or someone he knows he can never beat. I don't want him to win every time, even if he has to work at it. The protagonist villain wins every time is too depressingly like real life to me, and I don't want to sit through that.

 

Early Sopranos did work for me because no matter what other victories Tony had in his life, he was never going to win against Livia, and the show seemed 'balanced' enough for me to stick with it.

[Rick Kitchen]

I watched the first episode of How to Get Away With Murder, but when they revealed half of the cast involved in covering up a murder, I was out.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I really tried to like Nashville.  Couldn't make it through the first season.  

 

I think I'm no longer interested in night time soaps.  If good singing can't get me, I doubt anything will.

[Rick Kitchen]

ToxicUnicorn, have you tried "Empire"?  I adore it.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I saw a little of the premiere, Rick Kitchen.  It looked like Dallas (who shot JR Ewing) with an all-black cast, so I figured I had seen it before.

 

If it is significantly different, maybe I'll give it a try.  :)

[DittyDotDot]

I felt very similar about Empire, ToxicUnicorn. The singing was fine and all, but the drama...eh, just not my thing, I guess.

[proserpina65]

Orphan Black - Too confusing

 

I watched the first episode because the concept sounded intriguing.  Pretty much thought 'eh'.  Then when I realized I wouldn't be home for the second episode, I knew I wasn't going to bother taping it; I was that underwhelmed.

[Princess Sparkle]

Game of Thrones. I usually love costume dramas, especially when they involve swords and/or dragons. I adore Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage as actors. But I've tried to watch this show three separate times and I just can't get into it.

Me too!  Game of Thrones should have all the key pieces of something I should like, but I just cannot get into it.  The only thing I enjoyed in the episodes I watched was that kid getting shoved out of the window.  Not because a kid almost died, but because it was so hilariously nonchalant.  But everything else just DRAGGED to me, and I couldn't tell half the characters apart; especially the men.  I knew when I got to the third episode and was calling them "Sean Bean", "hot incest brother" and "one of the brown haired sons" and that I was ok with that,  that maybe the show just wasn't for me.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[Lovecat]

New Girl.  I watched about 3 episodes, and each one seemed to last an hour and a half, so I peaced out.  I spent half of the time itching to smack Jess/Zooey Deschanel across her twee little face.

[Texasmom1970]

New Girl.  I watched about 3 episodes, and each one seemed to last an hour and a half, so I peaced out.  I spent half of the time itching to smack Jess/Zooey Deschanel across her twee little face.

I so feel exactly the same! This show could have the best writing and supporting cast but my personal disdain for Zooey keeps me from even attempting to view!

[Jipijapa]

Orphan Black is an example of a show I ought to love, but just can't really get into.  For one thing, you have to reeeaaaaaaallly love Tatiana Maslany.  I mean, she's okay, but I would start to get tired of even my favorite actors if they played most of the roles on a show.  Second, I'm glad I wasn't around for the male/transgender Tatiana clone, because when I was watching the first episodes, I thought, "I really don't want to stick around for the male Tatiana clone."

[amensisterfriend]

Pretty much any Sorkin show. They all sound great on paper, and I'm generally a huge fan of rapid, witty dialogue, but I just can't sit through an episode of any of his programs, even the widely acclaimed West Wing. There's just something so pretentious, heavy handed and self-congratulatory about his style to me. I've really, really tried! 

[RedFire2000]

Modern Family - I've watch at least 10 episodes of this show and don't understand the hype or buzz about it. I find it boring, unfunny, and just all around dull. And I don't like the mockumentary/shaking camera style. It's super distracting.

[Rick Kitchen]

New Girl.  I watched about 3 episodes, and each one seemed to last an hour and a half, so I peaced out.  I spent half of the time itching to smack Jess/Zooey Deschanel across her twee little face.

 

I have that feeling and have never watched anything she's been in except for the cotton commercials and one episode of "Bones".

[amensisterfriend]

I have that feeling and have never watched anything she's been in except for the cotton commercials and one episode of "Bones".

 

Ha! So true :) 

 

 

 

Modern Family - I've watch at least 10 episodes of this show and don't understand the hype or buzz about it. I find it boring, unfunny, and just all around dull. And I don't like the mockumentary/shaking camera style. It's super distracting.

 

So with many other shows mentioned here, I can easily see why they're acclaimed even if I don't personally enjoy them. Modern Family's acclaim is a genuine mystery to me, though. It's pretty much a combination of most of what I could ever dislike about a sitcom. The characters are unlikable for me, but not in a compelling or entertaining way. The humor falls horribly flat IMO. The heart that makes me watch certain other sitcoms even when I don't find them funny seems either conspicuously absent or awkwardly tacked on. So many people who share my TV taste adore this show, but the more I've tried to watch it, the less I get its massive appeal!  

Edited February 5, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[DittyDotDot]

Rick Kitchen, on 04 Feb 2015 - 10:41 PM, said:

I have that feeling and have never watched anything she's been in except for the cotton commercials and one episode of "Bones".

 

I remember Zooey Deschanel from the Tin Man mini-series year back. As I recall, I thought she was good in the part. Never watched New Girl, though, just doesn't look like something I'd be into.

Edited February 5, 2015 by DittyDotDot

[mansonlamps]

I have that feeling and have never watched anything she's been in except for the cotton commercials and one episode of "Bones".

Isn't it her sister Emily that's in Bones?

[jah1986]

Isn't it her sister Emily that's in Bones?

Yes, Emily is Bones but Zooey was on one episode as a long lost cousin or whatever. It wasn't great.

[annzeepark914]

I don't "get" all the competitive cooking shows. They seem to have taken over Food Network (except for Guy Fieri's monotonous DD&D marathons).   Why does everything have to be a competition today, filled with angst, injuries, time-running-out anxieties, condescending judges, etc.,?

 

I didn't know Midsomer Murders switched lead actors.  Initially I liked John Nettles (guess I was watching re-runs and didn't know it) but after a while, his squinty smug expression got on my last nerve (that, plus all the truly off the wall oddball characters committing murders in those beautiful little towns).  His dimwitted sgt. didn't help matters any either.

 

Doc Martin...cannot get past the main character's OTT homely face (and the actor doesn't help matters any since he's always pouting).

 

And one more for the road:  Mr. Selfridge.  Initially, I loved the concept and thought it would be interesting but here's another face (altho' handsome) I can't get past--Jeremy Piven's almost constant smile complete w/ twinkling eyes. 

 

Edited February 5, 2015 by annzeepark914

[rue721]

I liked Zooey Deschanel in Elf! Her character wasn't so cutesy and she had a fantastic singing voice (I think she does look better as a brunette, though). New Girl is OK, although I dropped off watching it sometime in the first season or so, but once I heard her atrocious singing in those cotton commercials, I gave up on her generally. Why did she sound so bad in those? The singing was such a nasal-y screech, and I know she doesn't have a bad voice.

[mansonlamps]

I don't "get" all the competitive cooking shows. They seem to have taken over Food Network (except for Guy Fieri's monotonous DD&D marathons).   Why does everything have to be a competition today, filled with angst, injuries, time-running-out anxieties, condescending judges, etc.,?

Thank you for being the single other person who hates the competitive cooking shows as much as I do. I especially hate the condescending (and not particularly respected or impressive) judges. Although I honestly do sort of like Guy's DD&D, so I guess they can't please everyone.

[Guest]

I don't "get" all the competitive cooking shows. They seem to have taken over Food Network (except for Guy Fieri's monotonous DD&D marathons).   Why does everything have to be a competition today, filled with angst, injuries, time-running-out anxieties, condescending judges, etc.,?

 

I find the whole idea of food competitions weird.  Its the only type of competition show I can think of where the viewer cant gauge the talent.  We can't taste anything

[kassygreene]

The only good cooking competition show in my opinion was the original Iron Chef, as dubbed in to English.  I don't know how seriously it was taken in Japan, but the dubbed version over here is kind of joyful for me.

 

The (first?) Master Chef version of Top Chef was pretty good - 24 master chefs, only one of whom was a diva, and once he washed out the rest of them just had a great time cooking against and for each other.

[paulvdb]

I remember Zooey Deschanel from the Tin Man mini-series year back. As I recall, I thought she was good in the part. Never watched New Girl, though, just doesn't look like something I'd be into.

I also watched Tin Man. It's been a while so I don't remember much about it, but in my memory she was a bit wooden in that role. I could at least sit through that whole miniseries and enjoy the other characters. I just couldn't stand her cutesy character in New Girl, so I had to stop watching that after five minutes. I don't think I've seen her in anything else, at least nothing where she had a big enough role to make me stop watching.

[Snow Apple]

Zooey Deschanel was also fine in the movie Yes Man (where Jim Carrey's character decides to say "yes" to any request). So I agree it's her cutesy character in New Girl that people can't stand, but sadly for her, that's how people see her in real life now..

[ByTor]

So with many other shows mentioned here, I can easily see why they're acclaimed even if I don't personally enjoy them.

That is exactly how I feel about The Sopranos.  I think the show is well written, I think the acting is excellent, but I just don't like the show.  All the more odd considering that I could watch The Godfather, Casino, and Goodfellas on an endless loop.

 

I tried to like Scandal but couldn't get past two episodes.  I almost gave up on Breaking Bad after two episodes, but it ended up being my all time favorite show, so I tried a third with Scandal, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. 

[Taylorh2]

WETV:   "Love Thy Sister". About sisters  Ruby, Ellen and Ione  who live in S.C

 

They get on my nerves. lol

[blueray]

Doctor Who: I really tried and I wanted to like it. I get why people do, but the biggest thing for me was that there weren't enough characters. The are really only two characters who serve any purpose and they would be the doctor and the companion (Rose for what I saw). And the companion's get replaced and mean nothing to the doctor.

 

Buffy: I liked the earlier seasons of Buffy but by the time it got around to the college years the show got to "teen angst" for me.

[Sister Havana]

Glee: I love musicals. I was in choir in high school. Should be a slam dunk for me, right? Wrong. I just found it annoying.

 

Sex and the City: I love Candace Bushnell's book that this was based on. I tried watching the show but couldn't get into it at all. I am guessing part of it is because I pictured Carrie so differently when I read the book - pretty much the exact opposite of Sarah Jessica Parker. Not to mention that of the other main characters, only Samantha's character was true to the book. I couldn't get past that. I might have liked the show much better had I not read the book first!

[ToxicUnicorn]

Sex and the City

 

Ug.  Hated that show.  It was so aggressive.  And I don't mean that as a synonym for being about assertive women.  I mean the characters and the show itself was constantly unsubtle, loud, fast-paced, cartoony ... and stupid.  The only character I liked at all (in the little I saw of it) was the male sidekick (who at least was not loud).

 

For whatever reason, that reminds me of Miami Vice, which I also didn't get.

[amensisterfriend]

Oh, god, I HATED Sex and the City with a fiery passion. I think I forgot to mention it before now because I was repressing the memories of my friends forcing me to watch a few episodes :) Same goes for Ally McBeal. (For some reason I always associate those two together!) 

[bmasters9]

Another: Friends. I wish I could better explain why I didn't like it. It just didn't work for me. 

I know why it didn't go for me-- that title track that it had ("I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts).

Edited February 7, 2015 by bmasters9

[Jaded]

For me at least one show I tried to like recently was Girls. I can't stand Lena Dunham though and the more that comes out about her just cements that fact. She's so obnoxious when she appears on talk shows and etc too.

[Guest]

Another: Friends. I wish I could better explain why I didn't like it. It just didn't work for me. 

 

Friends was nearly unwatchable to me in the first season.  It was too formulaic.  Did they need to run to the window to see ugly naked man every episode?  I found it became much better once they spread the running jokes through the season instead of needing to fit a new variation of every single one of them in every single episode.