Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[x1013x]

What I didn't get were all the people saying how they didn't trust Delphine in the sense that they thought she was still on DYAD's side or meant to screw Cosima over. Yes, Delphine had her own agenda, and yes, she deliberately disregarded Cosima's own wishes, but I thought it was pretty obvious that said agenda was to save Cosima at any cost. Her priorities are: 1. Cosima, 2. Cosima, and 3. Cosima. 

I don't get that either, but given Cosima's warning about ruining her career, I guess even Cosima thought Delphine was still doing all this for her own future. Delphine takes all the teeth out of that threat when, on her first day a director, she betrays Rachel/Dyad. Not a smart move if she was worried about her career.

[Mulva]

I so agree about River Song, except for me I started out thoroughly annoyed with her smug juvenile "I know something you don't know" attitude and speech intonations.  When I heard she would return I nearly threw a fit.  I ended up being "ok" with her as she made more appearances, and then I was just plain tired of her by the end.  Like, please stop bringing her back already!

 

I'm more "meh" on Amy Pond, but do agree about Rory.

Did I post this in my sleep?  Yeah, her smug, arrogant, obnoxious, know-it-all attitude grated from the very first and nothing after that improved her.

 

My UOs:

 

I don't think Jensen Ackles is this immense talent.  In fact, I think his acting took a nosedive when he started doing the idiotic 'batman growl' in S4.  And I don't buy that either he or Padalecki were seriously considered for major movie roles.  In that case, they wouldn't be signing up for season after season of a cheesy show on a netlet.

 

I never liked Adam Rove on JOA.  He came across as the typical 'nice guy' who feigns friendship to get into a girl's panties, then becames enraged when it doesn't work.

 

I never cared all that much for Bobby on Supernatural, really disliked him after S5 when he was such a hypcrite about Sam killing Lilith when he wanted Sam to kill Lilith, and was more than ready to see him get bumped off.

[Joe]

It was River Song who made me stop watching DW. After her second appareance, I checked IMDB. She was going to be in nearly all of the upcoming episodes! I couldn't be bothered.

[Lillybee]

I don't think that I have liked a sit-com since MASH, although MASH wasn't a real sit-com.

[Ronin Jackson]

I can't say anything bad about Tatiana Maslany, who is great and worthy of all the hype and praise bestowed upon her, but she is just about the the only thing about Orphan Black that isn't totally generic... I'll actually exclude Jordan Gavaris/Felix from that as well... but aside from those two... literally everything else is hackneyed.

[selkie]

I loved the first four seasons of Fringe, but the fifth season, while not fitting in the horrible category, left me so bored with it I never bothered to watch the finale. The first four season- both the monster of the week episodes and the red v. blue universe arc- were great and unpredictable storytelling. Walter v. Walter was a great rivalry with both Walters trying to do what they thought was best for their worlds. And then there was season five and the Observers, who had been wonderful when they were lightly used and morally ambigious, were utterly clunky when they morphed into heavy villains, the plots went the wat of a Fugutive/John Christopher's Tripods/War of the world pastiche, and the really low budget they had for the last season left them with not enough interesting and gross f/x and too much wandering around in abandoned warehouses.

[MarkHB]

I actually have a positive UO:

 

I genuinely liked Smash.

 

Maybe it's because I came into the show having liked Kat McPhee on Idol and, literally, never having heard of Megan Hilty.  Maybe it's because I live (and have always lived) in the hinterlands and was perfectly fine with the "wholesome Midwestern girl comes to the big city and resoundingly defeats the cynical and immoral New Yorkers" trope.  Maybe it's because I've never been to a Broadway show and am so not a "theater person," and while I was interested in the depiction of "the process" of getting a play onto Broadway it's not like I was personally invested in it one way or another.  Or perhaps it was some combination of the above.  But regardless of the actual reason(s), while I can certainly admit the show wasn't flawless ("I can't accept your proposal, I'm in tech!" being one of the most hilarious examples), I completely and unironically enjoyed it and I miss it.

 

While I'm on the subject, as a computer programmer who shops at Kohl's and wears jeans and sneakers to the office every day, I absolutely did not and do not get the hysteria about Julia's scarves.  Could someone please explain that to a five-year-old?

[TaraS1]

My UOs:

 

Megan/Jessica Pare from Mad Men doesn't bug me in the least.  I've never felt like she was an airtime hog, or that she needed to be taken out and shot for being a mediocre actress with big chompers LOL.  (Peggy, however, needs to die.  I don't give a poop about her "journey.")

 

True Detective was a schlocky mess that tried way too hard to be deep.  And Matthew McConaughey (who I like) gave such a ridiculously hammy performance that it veered off into parody territory most of the time.  He chewed the scenery like a starving man.  (Also trying too hard?  The show Rectify.  My greatest TV pet peeve is bad Southern accents and that show is full of them.)

 

Kerry Washington is perhaps the worst actress in the history of television.

 

The Big Bang Theory is extremely unfunny and Jim Parsons gives me the creeps.

 

I am over Neil Patrick Harris in a big way.

 

ER got better after Clooney and the original cast left.  The later seasons were by far my favorites, especially thanks to Maura Tierney.  (In related news, Julianna Marguiles is the suck.)

 

I never cared one way or the other about Jack/Kate/Sawyer and only watched Lost for Sun & Jin.

[ganesh]

re: Jessica Pare. I don't think her acting was any better or worse than any of the others on the show. Not everyone can have Roger's witty quips. As far as the big teeth, I actually like them. I think it's great that she doesn't get them fixed. I like actors with big noses too. I thought it was funny they went meta about them on the show. 

[solotrek]

Yeah, I think that's my UO: I always hated Full House.  I don't look back on it now and wonder what I was thinking (which I will admit is the case with Growing Pains; I watched the hell out of that show for many seasons, and wouldn't sit through half an episode now), I refused to watch it at the time unless I was forced to by virtue of being at someone else's house.  I could not stand a single character and found the storylines painfully lame even by family sitcom standards.

 

It's somewhat the same with Family Matters.  There I kind of liked a few of the adults, but Urkel the Stalker presented as a sympathetic character ruined the show for me very early on and there certainly wasn't anything particularly new or even funny worth sticking around for. 

I think you will love this site. Some poor soul rewatched and snark reviewed every single episode of Full House.  It's more hilarious than the show could ever be and really makes you wonder what we were thinking back in the day.

[ByTor]

I really liked Horatio Caine on CSI: Miami.  He was sexy and noirish and I loved it when he did his whisper-growl.

YAY!!! I have a TV soulmate! My love for Horatio knows no bounds :)

[choclatechip45]

I enjoyed Everwood, but I never thought it was one of the best well-written shows ever. The show was too depressing most of the time, I don't think I went through an episode without tearing up.

[ribboninthesky1]

Speaking of, I've never found Chris Pratt remotely attractive. Skinny guys are totally not my type, but I'd take Gregory Smith over him any day of the week. 

[Rick Kitchen]

@ribboninthesky1, have you seen Chris Pratt's pics for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy?

 

http://malecelebbio.com/gallery/2014/02/Chris-Pratt-03.png

[ribboninthesky1]

Yep, and alas, still does nothing for me. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Is liking Louis Litt from Suits unpopular? Because I love that weaselly little bastard. He'd rude, he's unpleasant, he's the wrench in everyone's gears, and he cracks me up. I definitely prefer him to Harvey and Mike.

 

I'll go sit in my corner now.

[GreyBunny]

I tried to watch Supernatural.  It did nothing for me.  

[Ghost]

I enjoyed this thread so much, I had to delurk for it. And then my post turned kind of long and cathartic. I apologise in advance for any parades I rain on, but it was fun to write. :D

 

Buffy: I loved season six. Loved it. It's probably my second favourite.

 

Firefly: It's not surprising considering Whedon's generally poor handling of hooker with a heart of gold storylines and Baccarin's mopiness, but Inara is a horrible person and Mal can do so much better. I was gutted by the show's early cancellation but its one saving grace was never having to watch them hook up.

 

Friday Night Lights: I loved the first three seasons, but in the last two, Coach became an asshole -- the way he treated Tami over her job offer at the end would have been the last straw for me if the series weren't ending anyway, I desperately wanted her to hand him divorce papers and say 'I took the job' -- and none of the new characters ever gained any depth or characteristics worth caring about, especially the stalkerish, childish, irritating Becky. Julie was a pretty good daughter (though a shitty girlfriend), and I didn't blame her for wanting to get out of there.

 

Game of Thrones: I burst out laughing at Michelle Fairley's... erm... performance at the Red Wedding. That attempt at a wail, man oh man. I didn't dislike her in the role but she didn't have the chops for that scene, and was usually outmatched by her counterparts like Lena Headey. Similarly, I enjoy the show as a whole but don't think it's the best thing on television, the books are much better and I used to postpone watching it until after I'd seen The Borgias, which was a better take on period political drama.

 

Grey's Anatomy: The 'Japril' ship is far worse for the show than any of the interns. Jackson is still pretty devoid of personality, but even he can do better than April. Listening to a 30-something woman with a medical degree whine about her consensually given virginity for episode after episode made me long for another shooting. My family has discussed making a drinking game out of how many times per episode April manages to make something that has nothing to do with her all about herself, but concluded that it's not worth the alcohol poisoning. Also, I liked Cristina and Owen up until he got baby rabies, and they're still less creepy than Cristina and Burke.

 

Lost: It was abundantly clear from season one that the writers were making it up as they went along, and that all the 'clues' were responses to fan speculation and/or the writers winging it rather than some elaborate plan, but that's probably not an unpopular opinion on the internet. It is in my social circle though, sadly. I'm aware it's probably also not exactly an unpopular opinion that Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly can't act, but I really think that internet darlings Jorge Garcia and Naveen Andrews can't either.

 

Mad Men: Peggy and Stan don't suit each other romantically in the slightest and it would be depressing if they end up together, especially as it would further the 'A guy who hangs on for long enough will eventually win the love of the person who's just not that into him' trope. No. Women really don't have to settle for someone they're just not that into. And there's nothing wrong with Jessica Paré's teeth.

 

Nashville: Similarly, there's never been anything particularly bad about Scarlett's hair. I wouldn't have even noticed it if it weren't for the weird explosion of vitriol about it on the internet. And she dresses like about a third of the twenty-somethings I meet.

 

Once Upon a Time: I have no problems with Regina's redemption arc. I think Rumplestiltskin and Belle have more chemistry than most of the popularly shipped couples on the show (Emma/Hook, Snow/Charming), though that's probably just due to Robert Carlyle having chemistry with everything up to and including inanimate objects. I didn't find Snow and Charming cute or romantic or interesting in season one, though they've improved since.

 

Supernatural: Supernatural is only good when it totally ignores relationship drama of all kinds, familial or romantic, and focuses on the kicking ass and taking names. The main reason for its decline is its excessive pandering to the more, erm, rabid element of the fanbase who just want any hint of their mostly non-existant ships, and the overwrought dialogue shoehorned in as a result is painfully inauthentic to who these characters actually are.

 

Veronica Mars: Was a really sexist show that did far more to promote rape culture than it did to highlight and/or undermine it.

 

The Wire: The 'Fuck.' 'Fuck?' 'Fuck!' scene wasn't clever or funny, it was just gimmicky.

 

Oh, and US networks at large, would you please, please, please stop trying to make Dichen Lachman happen. You'll get more believeable performances out of Keanu Reeves and/or a chunk of drywall. If the woman ever manages a facial expression, the apocalypse may commence.

 

I nearly added my multitude of Sex and the City rants but I think that's probably enough of my UOs for one lifetime. :)

[janie jones]

@ribboninthesky1, have you seen Chris Pratt's pics for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy?

 

http://malecelebbio.com/gallery/2014/02/Chris-Pratt-03.png

I'm not the person to whom this question was directed, but my answer to it is: butterface.

[Bella]

 

I nearly added my multitude of Sex and the City rants but I think that's probably enough of my UOs for one lifetime. :)

 

We have a whole forum for that, - and we're doing a Season One rewatch. Come rant along with us!

 

Sex and the City was my favorite show that I complained about bitterly the next day. I had, and still have, a major love-hate thing going there.

[ByTor]

I really think that internet darlings Jorge Garcia and Naveen Andrews can't either.

I don't think they were bad actors, but my unpopular opinion is that I don't find Naveen Andrews attractive AT ALL!  I pitied the beautiful Shannon for being saddled with him.

Edited June 19, 2014 by ByTor

[ABay]

Lost: It was abundantly clear from season one that the writers were making it up as they went along, and that all the 'clues' were responses to fan speculation and/or the writers winging it rather than some elaborate plan, but that's probably not an unpopular opinion on the internet. It is in my social circle though, sadly.

My opinion is that Lindelof and Cuse had some things figured out from the beginning--like the closing shot of the series would be Jack's eye closing--and a rough sketch of some other ideas--like the Others--but not every single frigging detail because how they could they? Things happen and have to be adjusted for, like actors leaving unexpectedly or having a growth spurt. However, it's also my opinion that they were much, much too sensitive to viewer reactions and made regrettable choices because they over-reacted.

Edited June 19, 2014 by ABay

[choclatechip45]

 

Speaking of, I've never found Chris Pratt remotely attractive. Skinny guys are totally not my type, but I'd take Gregory Smith over him any day of the week.

Funny that you say that I was watching some Everwood cips and I did not find Chris Pratt that attractive and I used to have a big crush on him when I was a teenager. Also, I originally did not like Ephram, but I found Gregory Smith much more attractive than I did back when the show was still airing.

 

Grey's: I prefer Arizona over Callie. Yes, I know Arizona cheated I don't condone that, but I give always felt like Callie was emotionally cheating on Arizona with Mark. Plus I think Callie has major dependency issues.

[mansonlamps]

The Wire: The 'Fuck.' 'Fuck?' 'Fuck!' scene wasn't clever or funny, it was just gimmicky.

Oh, and US networks at large, would you please, please, please stop trying to make Dichen Lachman happen. You'll get more believeable performances out of Keanu Reeves and/or a chunk of drywall. If the woman ever manages a facial expression, the apocalypse may commence.

YES, THANK YOU for both of these particularly the Wire. That scene was just stupid and I get do sick of hearing how clever and hilarious it was. And not only do I not think Dichen Lachman can't act I don't even find her attractive.

I'll raise you one with an extremely unpopular opinion: I don't think the silent Valentine's day sequence with Niles on Frasier is that witty or clever or "the seven funniest ever minutes on TV" (BARF). In fact I usually fast forward through it.

[ribboninthesky1]

While I've certainly had supporting characters I enjoy, sometimes I believe that they become preferred over the lead because 1) they don't have to carry the show, and 2) a little bit of them goes a long way.  Put the supporting character as the lead, and the love would dissipate.

Edited June 19, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

[ganesh]

 

It was abundantly clear from season one that the writers were making it up as they went along, and that all the 'clues' were responses to fan speculation and/or the writers winging it rather than some elaborate plan, but that's probably not an unpopular opinion on the internet.

I think anyone who has watched genre/niche shows knew right from the start that all of this wouldn't hold up. All of the non-genre veterans I talked to irl were convinced it would all add up and pored over all the details. After the show ended, TPTBs went on record in an EW article and actually said, 'we threw everything against the wall to see what would stick.'

 

But this is a problem with the broadcast shows. They have to be dragged out as long as possible. This show should have had a fixed end date from the start. Not that literally every detail should have been planned, but there should have been some framework put in place that would hold up holistically over the life of the show. It's really not that hard to do.

 

I don't know how unpopular this is, but I hate the "It's the journey" trope for a show, like Lost, where the plot is essentially fubar halfway through the run of the show. Yes, you have to have good characters to make a show interesting, but there has to be some sort of coherent plot.

 

I also hated how at the end of Lost that there time on the island was "the best time of their lives." Really? How utterly depressing. 

[selkie]

My opinion is that Lindelof and Cuse had some things figured out from the beginning--like the closing shot of the series would be Jack's eye closing--and a rough sketch of some other ideas--like the Others--but not every single frigging detail because how they could they? Things happen and have to be adjusted for, like actors leaving unexpectedly or having a growth spurt. However, it's also my opinion that they were much, much too sensitive to viewer reactions and made regrettable choices because they over-reacted.

 

It's possible, but you've got to be utterly OCD and in a place where you've got the creative freedom to get it all mapped out with minimal network interference, character trap doors and all. Babylon 5 largely works in this regard- even with the mess about whether there was oging to be a season five and Claudia Chistian's unplanned departure from the show,  there are still plenty of places where season one was clearly setting up events of seasons 3-5, both the big stuff, like what happened to Babylon 4 and the Vir & Mondo prophecies, and a whole bunch of little things that turned out to foreshadow important things. ("I've been having these cramps" was presented as a joke at first, but turned out to be an important note about just how human Delenn's reproductive system was getting.)

 

But that show took a very specific series of events, and a very specific show creator and runner to take detail to that level, and it's not going to be commonly repeated, even in shows that have fairly tight serial plotlines.

[ganesh]

B5 is the outlier. It's very very rare for a tv show to have that level of plotting. In fact, I think the only example. 

 

However, especially in this age of rewatches and live tweeting and constant conversation, a show *must* have a bible. Even if it's episodic, there has to be a level on continuity.

 

Breaking Bad didn't have B5 levels of planning, but TPTBs knew where they wanted to go and structured each season accordingly. Lost could have done something similar. The Mentalist most definitely should have. TPTBs fucked that show up royally and vomited up garbage.

 

It's also easier to do this on cable because it seems like there is more creative control, lesser network interference, and lower demands on ratings. 

 

Since Lost, there were a flurry of "Next Lost" shows on broadcast networks (Journeyman, Flashforward, V, etc.,) that fell flat mostly because on the broadcast nets, those types of shows just aren't sustainable in that environment. So we get a bunch of shows with good potential, then they got axed.

 

Looking currently, we have summer shows now too. So, a show like Falling Skies, not great, but good, sometimes fun, cheesy, has a place to thrive. Put that kind of show on ABC instead of TNT and it's DOA in S1.

[Kanako]

Glee UO: If I had to choose between Kurt Hummel and Dave Karofsky, I'd choose the latter.  Any day. 

Breaking Bad UO: The sexiest male character on that show?  Hank Schrader, hands down. 

Downton Abbey UO: The prettiest Crawley sister?  Edith.  Most interesting, too, IMO.

Boardwalk Empire UO: I miss crazy Lucy.  I actually liked her with Van Alden.

House of Cards UO: Actor most deserving of an Emmy on that show was Corey Stoll, closely followed by Michael Kelly.

The Killing UO: The reason why the show lost a large number of viewers after the first season, IMO, is NOT because it did not reveal who'd killed Rosie Larsen.  It is because the show made us watch Michelle Forbes ham it up again -- and again -- for another season.  Ugh.  I cringe to even think about it.

[DittyDotDot]

Since Lost, there were a flurry of "Next Lost" shows on broadcast networks (Journeyman, Flashforward, V, etc.,) that fell flat mostly because on the broadcast nets, those types of shows just aren't sustainable in that environment. So we get a bunch of shows with good potential, then they got axed.

 

I think a lot of it has to do with how most network shows are 20-24 episodes per season and cable shows tend to be 13 or less episodes per season. This allows for tighter plotting and less meandering till we get to the end. I thought Lost planned for five seasons, but those seasons were probably far too long and meandered a bit more than it would have if they had only 13 episodes to work with each season. I'd say my UO opinion of Lost is that I found it held together fairly well and liked where they ended it. This probably has more to do with the fact that I binge watched the entire series over the course of five months though rather than it dragging on five years. So, I understand why most people were unsatisfied with it.

[ganesh]

 

I think a lot of it has to do with how most network shows are 20-24 episodes per season and cable shows tend to be 13 or less episodes per season.

That's what I meant by sustainable. You look at the last three seasons of Lost and they were only 16 episodes I believe. 

 

I do think there was considerable network interference for those other shows though because the networks have to jam in their tropes. Flashforward didn't have to be a cop show. V should have embraced it's camp but again, cop show. 

[ByTor]

Breaking Bad UO: The sexiest male character on that show?  Hank Schrader, hands down. 

Couldn't agree more. I binge watched the show & started having filthy dreams about Hank :)

[Constantinople]

The Killing UO: The reason why the show lost a large number of viewers after the first season, IMO, is NOT because it did not reveal who'd killed Rosie Larsen.  It is because the show made us watch Michelle Forbes ham it up again -- and again -- for another season.  Ugh.  I cringe to even think about it.

I agree that failing to reveal Rosie's killer at the end of Season 1 wasn't the problem. It drives me a little batty when I read that in articles -- Vanity Fair, most recently -- because I think that's a lazy excuse that lets the showrunner off the hook for putting together a terrible show.

That being said, I think the problems with Season One of The Killing went far beyond any one actor or actress.

In a nutshell, one episode after another of Red Herring of the Week became extremely tiresome.

Perhaps even worse, time and again characters behaved implausibly -- so implausibly that it shattered one's suspension of disbelief -- to serve up one red herring after another, along with a few stray clues. I know some critics had long lists of everything they found unbelievable or stupid. I did too. At one point, it was somewhere in the 40-50 range. And I mean unbelievable beyond the usual geographic errors, which I don't really care about: X is next to Y in the show but not real life, or vice-versa; it only takes Z minutes to travel somewhere, etc.

While it could be amusing in an unintentional way, who really needs a season of that, let alone the prospect of a second?  At least with CSI Miami, each episode usually had its own self-contained plot so you could take the stupidity in discrete chunks.

To top it off, by the end of the Season One I didn't care who killed Rosie because I didn't care about her. By then I wasn't sad that she wasn't alive. I was sad that everyone else on the show wasn't dead.

I can be a bit of a masochist. I put up with over half a season of The Dome last summer. But I have my limits.  I still never have watched Season Two or any other season of The Killing since then.

 

 

CSI Miami UO:  I enjoy CSI Miami, as a sitcom.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Constantinople

[spaceytraci1208]

Breaking Bad UO: The sexiest male character on that show?  Hank Schrader, hands down.

 

Couldn't agree more. I binge watched the show & started having filthy dreams about Hank :)

 

I started to see Hank in...that way (lol) after the shoot-out with the psycho twins in season 3. Bad-ass is always a little sexy

[Kanako]

 

ByTor, on 20 Jun 2014 - 11:51 AM, said:

 

Quote

Breaking Bad UO: The sexiest male character on that show?  Hank Schrader, hands down.

Couldn't agree more. I binge watched the show & started having filthy dreams about Hank :)

 

I started to see Hank in...that way (lol) after the shoot-out with the psycho twins in season 3. Bad-ass is always a little sexy

 Yay, more Hank lovers!  And, oh, don't forget his perfectly-shaped bald head!

[ABay]

David Cross is unfunny and kind of douchey.

[ganesh]

I think Orphan Black is definitely sci-fi B movie, but I don't think it's cheesy. I understand the criticism. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's getting tons of coverage because TM is so awesome, but what's really good is that it's actually pretty mainstream *and* a scifi show. For me, that's worth supporting despite the legit flaws. If this show is successful, then that opens the door for more scifi content. 

[galax-arena]

I like Orphan Black, but it's not really a good show. The only thing about it that makes it stand out is Tatiana Maslany's incredible performance,

Yeah, Tatiana's performance alone makes the show worth it for me, but if it weren't for her, as starved as I am for some female-centric shows, I'm not sure I'd be tuning in. 

[bref]

I liked Cop Rock.

[ybrik]

Dawson was my favorite character on Dawson's Creek. I  hated his ending in the finale.

 

I actually like the stories at the Wall as much as King Landing on GOT. Another UO for GOT is that I agree that I don't think the changes from the book are so horrible and Martin's work isn't being destroyed.

 

I think that Eccleston's Doctor was the best of the new generation Doctor's.

[DittyDotDot]

I think that Eccleston's Doctor was the best of the new generation Doctor's.

 

Hey, I resemble that unpopular opinion. Wait, are you me in an elaborate disguise?

[ganesh]

Eccleston is the best overall actor out of the three imo. I don't think the restart of the nuWho would have worked if they kicked it off with DT as Nine. They needed CE to be able to really pull off that early doctor guilt. I'm bummed he didn't want to participate in the 50th because I think his very important contribution to the success of the show cannot be understated.

[ToxicUnicorn]

So much tolerance on this thread!  It's a beautiful thing.

 

I am absolutely sick to death (hee) of TV shows that center around death, especially involving kids.  I refuse to watch True Detective, Dexter, Hannibal, Walking Dead, The Following, CSI, etc.

I could not agree more.  I hate the "serial killers are cool" fad.  I tried Hannibal, and admit it has stunning visuals, but it was too disturbing to keep watching and I don't find Mads all that compelling (although he does make the role his own).  I didn't make it past episode 2 of Dexter.  The fact that there is yet another serial killer show starting makes me want to cry.

 

I've got a list of other UOs that I considered posting under another alias, but feel that would sort of violate the terms of this thread.  So, I'm going to go ahead and unload and vainly hope there are no lurkers here.

 

1.  I can't get into Firefly.  I've watched the pilot about 4 times, trying to like it, but I get repelled every time.  (Same with Mad Men.)  I didn't find Mal charming and his accent was god-awful.  I couldn't stand the perky girl.  The prostitute was not interesting.  I sort of liked the grumpy guy because, overall, that group was far too cheerful, clean, not desperate, and cohesive to be a group on the run.  As seemingly the only person who realized the gravity of the situation they were in, I would be grumpy too. And Nathan Fillion was/is just ok.

 

2.  The Amazing Race lost its appeal very early on.  I think the host could have been replaced by a cardboard cutout at any time.  How it wins all the awards and SYTYCD gets no love is beyond me.  I would like the travel documentary aspect if it weren't being navigated repeatedly by stupid people.  Just choose one couple with an average level of charisma and common sense, give them obstacles, follow them all over the world, and I would consider watching to see how long they lasted.

 

3.  I, too, would prefer to watch Dave Karofsky over Kurt on Glee as an interesting gay character.  Thumbs up to the poster upthread who posted that.  I hate the Kurt character, not because he is gay, but because he is precious.  I also loved the introduction of Blaine and the Warblers, who made Kurt watchable for me for at least a season.  And I don't hate Mr. Shue.  

 

4.  I happily will concede that Tim Gunn has good manners, is well-spoken, and knows what he is talking about, but I do not worship at his feet.  I also sort of like Nina Garcia.  Michael Kors certainly is orange, though.  I may have UOs, but I am not blind.

 

5.  I have no earthly idea why the Kardashians or The Jersey Shore or the Real Housewives franchise exists, or why reality shows that follow peoples' "lives" are a thing.  Reality shows that profile a workplace or a makeover, like LA Ink or Cake Boss or What Not to Wear, I can enjoy because of the interest in watching some kind of productive process or transformation.  But voyeurism of manufactured drama by so-called personalities?  Not appealing, in general.  (In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I watched the first episode of Paula Abdul's show.  But my justification there is that, at least she was a known personality to me and ... it was sort of like tuning into the first 15 minutes of a show about crop circles.)

 

6.  I have a lot of opinions about SYTYCD that would have been serious UOs at TwoP.  The biggest: I don't agree with the entire next sentence.  "Danny Tidwell is the bestest dancer ever, aside from Alex Freaking Wong."  Yup, I said it.  About winners: I think Benji's win over Travis was perfectly well deserved in S2.  And I don't think Jasmine or Aaron were robbed in S10, or that ageism necessarily played a factor.  About group numbers:  "The Moment I Said It" was only meh for me.  About hip hop: I didn't lose my shit over Twitch and Alex's hip hop in S7.  It was good, it was entertaining, but it didn't floor me as completely unexpected.  I also didn't particularly like Misty Blue with Sasha and Twitch in S8.  (Not to give the wrong impression because I really do like Twitch.)  About judges:  I think Debbie Allen is mostly incoherent and think she is as awful a guest judge as almost every other.  I also don't get the overwhelming love for Jesse Tyler Ferguson.  About Cat:  Yes, she's great, but I don't particularly need to see more of her.  About choreographers: I mostly enjoy whatever NappyTabs does, whether it is real hip hop or not.  About Nigel:  Yes, he can be annoying, but on the whole, I give him a lot of credit for having the vision to put SYTYCD on the air and I think he truly has succeeded in exposing a lot of people to a lot of different styles of dance and deserves to take some pride in it.  I also give him credit for tinkering with the show to keep it fresh, even though I don't agree with all of the changes.  And I think his judging remarks are mostly honest and are not really a result of him trying to manipulate the voters through reverse psychology.  Overall, I think he has been a force for good and I don't hate him.

 

Whew, that was a lot.  And, if I'm going to go on record as not hating Nigel, I might as well go all the way and say I don't hate Jeff Probst, either.  This may mean I am brain dead, but I still know what I like.

 

7.  A trio of tame UO Amy postings, by comparison, yet I really feel these.

a.  I really do not like the character of Amy on The Big Bang.  I do not understand why Miriam B. wins awards for her.  She is a mediocre character, at best.

b.  I am annoyed by Amy Poehler's reaction faces and do not think much of her comic timing or acting.  In my opinion, she is vastly, vastly overrated.  Same for Maya Rudolph.  (And I absolutely hated Molly Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher skits on SNL.)  It's not that I have a thing against comediennes.  I loved Grace Under Fire and I definitely want to go to there.

c.  I thought Amy Gardner and Josh Lyman had chemistry and I liked her character.  (!)  I also am quite squarely fiscally conservative and thought Ainsley Hayes was annoying, didn't mind the parodies of any of the Republicans, and genuinely liked most, if not all, the Democratic characters and stories on The West Wing.  (On a Sorkin note, I think Newsroom was far, far worse than Studio 60, at least in the short times that I managed to watch both of them.)

 

8.  And, from left field, I think Teletubbies is the creepiest show ever made.

Edited June 23, 2014 by ToxicUnicorn

[Anna Yolei]

Speaking of Karosky, I didn't entirely hate his suicide attempt SL. I hated that it became about St. Gay of Lima and his pain and the story really should not have been in the same episode as the Finchel botched wedding and Quinn getting hit by a car, but I agree that he's interesting because he's not bashed over our heads as being the bestest person evar.

Not sure how unpopular this is either, but I enjoyed the last season of Archer...but even if it was a complete miss, I would still respect the writers for attempting something new, which not a lot of shows do.

[Sweet Tee]

I hate Donna Noble.  Hate her.  Being obnoxiously loud does not make you funny.  I get people were glad to finally get a companion not romantically interested in the Doctor but did it have to be this chick who shouted all the time and could barely tie her own shoes.?  I will say though that I thought Catherine Tate had some very strong acting moments that impressed me.  But that's as far as I'll go.  I was spitefully glad at the way her story ended.

 

On a related note, Martha Jones is by far my favorite companion and why she doesn't get more love is beyond me.  Yes, she loved the Doctor but that was something her character grew from.  She was smart, brave, pragmatic and she saved the Doctor's ass just as much (probably more) as he saved hers.  Plus, when she saved the world, she did all through her own strength with no help from magic powers or the Doctor.  Rose and Donna had to be temporarily granted special powers when they saved the world.  She recognized when the situation was no longer beneficial for her and left him with her head held high.  I could honestly gush about this woman for days.  I adore her so, so much.   I love that she took control of her own life and left of her own free will and used what she learned to help mankind.  I really think that by RTD not being as enamoured with her as he was with Rose and Donna (JMO) he helped her character.  Because I got to see how special she was instead of everyone and their brother just saying how special she was.

 

And Rose is just fine with me.  I get why people love her and I get why people hate her.  I'd probably hate her but I find Billie Piper very charming in the role.  So, she's just kind of middle of the road for me.  The same with Gwen Cooper from Torchwood.  The criticisms aimed at her are mostly valid and I totally get them but I think Eve Myles goes a long way into making her character likeable.  I probably wouldn't like her in the hands of a different actress.

 

I liked the later episodes of Buffy better than the high school years, which mostly bored me.  That's probably because I started watching in season 5 so that was the cast and the tone I was used to. 

[amaranta]

I am absolutely sick to death (hee) of TV shows that center around death, especially involving kids.  I refuse to watch True Detective, Dexter, Hannibal, Walking Dead, The Following, CSI, etc.

 

 

I could not agree more.  I hate the "serial killers are cool" fad.  I tried Hannibal, and admit it has stunning visuals, but it was too disturbing to keep watching and I don't find Mads all that compelling (although he does make the role his own).  I didn't make it past episode 2 of Dexter.  The fact that there is yet another serial killer show starting makes me want to cry.

 

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!  Though I think you are a brave soul for even trying Hannibal.  I know myself well enough not to even go there.

 

I watched the current season of Mad Men on AMC online and during some episodes the commercials for The Walking Dead were not only frequent but never ending (no ad should run more than 90 sec.)  Since they couldn't be skipped I got up and left the room every 10 minutes.

 

And those damn CSIs.  I've been referring to CBS as The Death Network for years.

[Portia]

 

I've been referring to CBS as The Death Network for years.

Love it! I refer to I. D. as The Murder Channel.

[ganesh]

It's the same thing in movies now. "Dark and gritty" somehow = 'real' and 'dramatic.' It's a cheap writing hack. Although I would point out that True Detective really wasn't about the murder at all. It was a framing device. And there was a scene involving a murder that was actually comedic. 

 

It's the same thing as when they write "drama" for women and always throw in sexual assault. Because there's absolutely no drama in a woman's life than the threat of rape. Or she fucks some guy that she shouldn't.

[ToxicUnicorn]

It's the same thing as when they write "drama" for women and always throw in sexual assault. Because there's absolutely no drama in a woman's life than the threat of rape. Or she fucks some guy that she shouldn't.

Or she is cheated on.  I have never watched The Good Wife because the very premise pisses me off for reasons I still don't fully understand.  Also, I'm not a fan of Julianna Margulies.  So there.  

 

I might make this thread my homepage.  :)

[bosawks]

By the time Cheers was canceled I loathed everybody but Frasier and Lilith.

For the series finale I wanted Sam to fall off the wagon, the bar to burn down and everyone to end up broke, unemployed and alone. Preferably with a wicked case of hepatitis.