Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Wiendish Fitch]

I never got the appeal of Samurai Jack. I would try to watch, and it always seemed silly at best, boring at worst. I find the titular character dull, and it reinforces the rather tiresome argument that "bad guys are more interesting than good guys, good guys are soooooo boring!"

Mind you, I'm not saying there isn't some truth to that statement, but I've just grown weary of it, and there are plenty of exceptions to that particular rule.

[zxy556575]

I can't stand The Office, UK and US. Big nope. If I wanted to cringe with secondhand embarrassment, I'd go to a family reunion.

[Bruinsfan]

On 2/8/2017 at 8:55 PM, ribboninthesky1 said:

So I'm binge-watching Black Sails - in the middle of season 2 at the moment. I have several UPOs, but the main one so far: the show really doesn't know what to do with its female characters.  Maybe it gets better, but once I realized Michael Bay is one of the executive producers, it all started to make sense.

Well, it's set centuries before the invention of cars, daisy dukes, and slow motion, so I wouldn't have expected him to have any workable ideas for them.

[JudyObscure]

I've searched far and wide for a thread or forum about American Experience, PBS's most excellent documentary series.  Last night it was about "Ruby Ridge,"  something I could talk about for days.

 My, random, unpopular opinion about the whole thing is that it was largely the fault of Vicky Weaver although it's always told as the sad tale of Randy Weaver, who took his family to the mountains to live a quiet life, and his poor little submissive wife got killed.  It was all her idea.  She was the egocentric control freak who thought she knew much more about scripture than her preacher back in Iowa, the one who decided they should move to a mountain top,  the one who told her husband not to meet his court date, the one taught her children to use guns and carry them wherever they went, even after a dispute with neighbor kids.  She's the one who sent her teen son out into the woods to investigate, the one who carried her infant straight into the line of fire.  I think it's just unconscious, chauvinistic thinking that hears, "guns, survivalists, white supremacists, fundamentalist Christians," and thinks it has to be a man's plan with the woman in the background.  Give the lady her due!

[Neurochick]

My UO is, why are there so many shows filmed in Chicago?  Did something happen to prevent shows from filming in NYC?  

Or maybe too many shows are filmed in NYC.

[izabella]

It might be less expensive to film in Chicago.  It's definitely less congested than NYC, so it might also be easier to shut streets down and stuff like that.

[Moose135]

I think it's just the latest trend.  They had a bunch of shows - cops, fire, EMS, etc. - set in NYC, then someone said "Hey, I've got an idea for something completely different, let's do a cop show in Chicago!" and everyone else said "Yeah, that's a great idea, let's do the same!"

[ratgirlagogo]

There are also shows that shoot in NYC that are ostensibly set somewhere else - like The Blacklist which is set in DC and shoots almost entirely in Queens.  I guess to make up for shows like Castle and CSI:NY that were set in NYC and shot in Los Angeles.

I always enjoy watching shows that AREN'T shot in NYC or Los Angeles (or I guess Vancouver in disguise)  as so much else on TV is.  The Hawaiian setting is a large part of what made hits of both versions of Hawaii Five O  and the North Central California setting of The Mentalist was one of the reasons I became fond of the show.

Edited February 20, 2017 by ratgirlagogo

[Raja]

5 hours ago, izabella said:

It might be less expensive to film in Chicago.  It's definitely less congested than NYC, so it might also be easier to shut streets down and stuff like that.

Also about now Chicago is violent crime central of the US and murder is a top TV subject. On congestion, there is also TV congestion with the NYC based shows showing "the true" New York to some extent that any follow up shows will either have to take time to try to meet or just give us cartoon version of New York. Fresh cities get their own chance to show us the "true" city and then that city needs to be large enough for us to suspend disbelief that the one cop or squad handles twice as many murders than happens in the real life name sake cities.

[Enigma X]

6 hours ago, Neurochick said:

My UO is, why are there so many shows filmed in Chicago?  Did something happen to prevent shows from filming in NYC?  

Or maybe too many shows are filmed in NYC.

Just curious and, though I am a proud Chicagoan, I take no offense to your UO, but what does shows being filmed in Chicago have to do with shows not being filmed in NYC that makes it problematic? Are shows being filmed in Chicago and Chicago is doubling for NYC? I am honestly confused. 

[Neurochick]

24 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

Just curious and, though I am a proud Chicagoan, I take no offense to your UO, but what does shows being filmed in Chicago have to do with shows not being filmed in NYC that makes it problematic? Are shows being filmed in Chicago and Chicago is doubling for NYC? I am honestly confused. 

I just asked why there are so many shows being filmed in Chicago these days.  There weren't a lot of shows filmed there a decade ago.  But since you asked, Empire, for instance is filmed in Chicago and it's supposed to be in NYC.  Well, why don't they either set the show in Chicago or film in NYC, that confuses me.  

[dargosmydaddy]

Maybe they're making up for The Good Wife/ The Good Fight, which are set in Chicago but film in New York?

[maraleia]

3 hours ago, Raja said:

Also about now Chicago is violent crime central of the US and murder is a top TV subject. On congestion, there is also TV congestion with the NYC based shows showing "the true" New York to some extent that any follow up shows will either have to take time to try to meet or just give us cartoon version of New York. Fresh cities get their own chance to show us the "true" city and then that city needs to be large enough for us to suspend disbelief that the one cop or squad handles twice as many murders than happens in the real life name sake cities.

Actually we (Chicago) aren't the violent crime central of the US. The media makes it seem that way. Also, Chicago has a robust production apparatus with the largest sound stage in the US outside of LA. There are great tax credits and the city is really easy to shoot in because of a variety of factors that NYC lacks.

[SistaLadybug]

Shit, I still get annoyed at Baltimore being used for DC and Canada being used for Baltimore.

[walnutqueen]

On Monday, February 20, 2017 at 6:35 AM, JudyObscure said:

I've searched far and wide for a thread or forum about American Experience, PBS's most excellent documentary series.  Last night it was about "Ruby Ridge,"  something I could talk about for days.

 My, random, unpopular opinion about the whole thing is that it was largely the fault of Vicky Weaver although it's always told as the sad tale of Randy Weaver, who took his family to the mountains to live a quiet life, and his poor little submissive wife got killed.  It was all her idea.  She was the egocentric control freak who thought she knew much more about scripture than her preacher back in Iowa, the one who decided they should move to a mountain top,  the one who told her husband not to meet his court date, the one taught her children to use guns and carry them wherever they went, even after a dispute with neighbor kids.  She's the one who sent her teen son out into the woods to investigate, the one who carried her infant straight into the line of fire.  I think it's just unconscious, chauvinistic thinking that hears, "guns, survivalists, white supremacists, fundamentalist Christians," and thinks it has to be a man's plan with the woman in the background.  Give the lady her due!

I love American Experience and watch every episode, too, Judy.  

Vicky Weaver is all too often depicted as the poor little wifey who got shot with a babe in her arms, when that is far from the whole story.

As an aside, and only tangentially related, is a series on Viceland called "Hate Thy Neighbour", which gives women their full "due", so to speak.

[JudyObscure]

Thanks, Walnutqueen!  Sounds like just my cup of  antifreeze-spiked tea.

[memememe76]

I like Archie on Riverdale. A lot. And not just because the actor is hot. 

[ribboninthesky1]

About book to TV adaptations: I respect these are two different mediums.  I don't mind TV shows adapted from books.  But if I have to read said book to get a sense of the TV version of a character, then TPTB may not be doing that great of a job translating one from the other. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

UGH. I know I read that it wasn't really historically accurate, but I had nothing better to do, and I'm on a historical kick after just finished watching Medici: Masters of Florence*, and decided to watch Reign.

???????is my reaction. Not a single French or even Scots accent, and the outfits!! Specifically the women-it's supposed to be 1557, yet all the dresses from the Ladies-in-Waiting to Mary herself, look like 20th century prom dresses!!

I just can't deal with that. And so I stopped watching after three episodes. My love for Megan Fellows wasn't enough.

Sure, the movies Elizabeth I, Elizabeth: The Golden Age were also historically inaccurate, but I felt I was in and seeing life set in the 16th Century at least. This show is just a poor rendition of watching a school play trying to portray the 16th Century and FAILING. 

Sigh. 

*Also historically inaccurate, but the scenery alone made up for it. Plus the pretty. Though I continue to ???at Dustin Hoffman's Giovanni speaking in an American Accent! Granted everyone should have an Italian accent, but typically, in Hollywood style, or maybe British? they all speak with an English Accent. Guess Hoffman just didn't give any fucks????

Edited March 3, 2017 by GHScorpiosRule

[Danny Franks]

On 25/02/2017 at 2:11 PM, memememe76 said:

I like Archie on Riverdale. A lot. And not just because the actor is hot. 

And I think the kid playing Jughead is a really bad actor. It seems to be an unpopular view, and leaves me a little confused as to what actually constitutes good acting, now. Because I'm sure it's not reciting all your lines in a fairly flat, sneering tone, apparently intended to convey sarcastic wit. But hey, horses for courses.

[HunterHunted]

On Friday, March 03, 2017 at 3:05 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

UGH. I know I read that it wasn't really historically accurate, but I had nothing better to do, and I'm on a historical kick after just finished watching Medici: Masters of Florence*, and decided to watch Reign.

???????is my reaction. Not a single French or even Scots accent, and the outfits!! Specifically the women-it's supposed to be 1557, yet all the dresses from the Ladies-in-Waiting to Mary herself, look like 20th century prom dresses!!

I just can't deal with that. And so I stopped watching after three episodes. My love for Megan Fellows wasn't enough.

Sure, the movies Elizabeth I, Elizabeth: The Golden Age were also historically inaccurate, but I felt I was in and seeing life set in the 16th Century at least. This show is just a poor rendition of watching a school play trying to portray the 16th Century and FAILING. 

Sigh. 

*Also historically inaccurate, but the scenery alone made up for it. Plus the pretty. Though I continue to ???at Dustin Hoffman's Giovanni speaking in an American Accent! Granted everyone should have an Italian accent, but typically, in Hollywood style, or maybe British? they all speak with an English Accent. Guess Hoffman just didn't give any fucks????

Reign is such an interesting beast. It is completely inaccurate. By the time it finds its footing, it manages to do some interesting things. It becomes an exploration of women and how they seize and wield power.

The costumes are purposely done the way they are because the show is on the CW. The producers felt like completely accurate costumes would be off-putting to teens and  young women. The costume designer was directed to keep the costumes contemporary, but in a way that evoked period clothing.

https://www.google.com/amp/observer.com/2015/12/reigns-costume-designer-on-dressing-teens-in-vintage-and-valentino/amp/

http://tyrannyofstyle.com/historic-hybrid-costume-design-reign

The show mixes in a fair amount of McQueen and Marchesa. I'm also convinced that the current headband trend is because of Reign. They've been using gold jeweled headbands to evoke crowns.

[palmaire]

Maybe the most unpopular opinion ever, but I'm not interested in animals -- usually dogs -- on TV shows. The adoration of Toto on Emerald City, for example, or the fetishism of Swatch on Project Runway and Dickens on Grantchester. I think 80% of the people who watched Person of Interest would rather the show had just been about Bear

The constant dog talk is tiring: Where was X? Why didn't we see X? I want more X? Wah! Boo! I only watch because of X!

[NutMeg]

On 3/4/2017 at 5:05 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

UGH. I know I read that it wasn't really historically accurate, but I had nothing better to do, and I'm on a historical kick after just finished watching Medici: Masters of Florence*, and decided to watch Reign.

???????is my reaction. Not a single French or even Scots accent, and the outfits!! Specifically the women-it's supposed to be 1557, yet all the dresses from the Ladies-in-Waiting to Mary herself, look like 20th century prom dresses!!

I just can't deal with that. And so I stopped watching after three episodes. My love for Megan Fellows wasn't enough.

Sure, the movies Elizabeth I, Elizabeth: The Golden Age were also historically inaccurate, but I felt I was in and seeing life set in the 16th Century at least. This show is just a poor rendition of watching a school play trying to portray the 16th Century and FAILING. 

Sigh. 

*Also historically inaccurate, but the scenery alone made up for it. Plus the pretty. Though I continue to ???at Dustin Hoffman's Giovanni speaking in an American Accent! Granted everyone should have an Italian accent, but typically, in Hollywood style, or maybe British? they all speak with an English Accent. Guess Hoffman just didn't give any fucks????

If you want to keep the historical kick with accurate outfits, try Borgia or The Borgias, two different shows each with different pros and cons.

I cannot help it, I've tremendously enjoyed the craziness of Reign. I know enough about French and Italian history to know it is ways off but once  accepted that the ride was fun. And here and there the show hits a true historical spot, and I wheeeeeeee :)

The Medici history is fascinating. Last time I was in Florence I bought three books which are very good, one about the Medici banking business, one about a broad history of the family and one more specifically about Catherine de Medici. I'll be happy to give you references if you're interested. (The books are written in English, not sure if the authors are British or American.)

[GHScorpiosRule]

12 hours ago, NutMeg said:

If you want to keep the historical kick with accurate outfits, try Borgia or The Borgias, two different shows each with different pros and cons.

I cannot help it, I've tremendously enjoyed the craziness of Reign. I know enough about French and Italian history to know it is ways off but once  accepted that the ride was fun. And here and there the show hits a true historical spot, and I wheeeeeeee :)

The Medici history is fascinating. Last time I was in Florence I bought three books which are very good, one about the Medici banking business, one about a broad history of the family and one more specifically about Catherine de Medici. I'll be happy to give you references if you're interested. (The books are written in English, not sure if the authors are British or American.)

Oh I watched The Borgias with Jeremy Irons and loved it! (Inaccuracy and all! Because Jeremy Irons! And Francois Arnaud!YUM!!!) The costumes were so gorgeous and I really loved the opening credits! I am still bummed we never got a follow up movie for resolution!?

Ugh. The history lover in me (I know, I sound like a hypocrite/oxymoron considering none of the shows and movies I love are historically accurate) just can't with the mixing in modern outfits because "teens won't watch otherwise" nonsense. Maybe I'm the exception, but when I was a teenager, I loved all things history and loved when movies would depict how things were costume and clothing wise. I recently had to forget everything I knew of the Arthur legend when I watched BBC's Merlin (demonizing most of the knights of the Roundtable for whatever inexplicable reason), and it was painful.

I'm glad others enjoy Reign, but I won't be one of them. This is the Unpopular Thread, after all!?

Where can I watch the other Borgia show?

Would love to read about the Medicis!!! Please feel free to pm me the details!?

Edited March 6, 2017 by GHScorpiosRule

[ABay]

Seconding the enthusiasm for the Jeremy Irons' Borgias! At first the historical inaccuracy really bothered me as a recovering history major, but I  eventually got past it and reveled in the silliness, prettiness, and scenery chewing. Totally cracked but so much fun.

The other Borgia project is on Netflix. Both used to be but recently it looked like only the non-Irons one was there. I give them credit for casting actors who actually look something like the real people (Irons could not look less like Rodrigo Borgia) but I didn't even make it through a full episode. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 minutes ago, ABay said:

 

The other Borgia project is on Netflix. Both used to be but recently it looked like only the non-Irons one was there. I give them credit for casting actors who actually look something like the real people (Irons could not look less like Rodrigo Borgia) but I didn't even make it through a full episode. 

Hah! But do any of the actors who play such historical characters ever look like them? ? The worst offender was Jonathan Rhys Meyer, who refused to even wear a fat suit in The Tudors, for when Henry VIII got bloated due to his gluttony and syphilis.?? Of course, I stopped after the second season. Or maybe it was part way through the third? So I don't know. Just what I read.

[ribboninthesky1]

8 hours ago, palmaire said:

Maybe the most unpopular opinion ever, but I'm not interested in animals -- usually dogs -- on TV shows. The adoration of Toto on Emerald City, for example, or the fetishism of Swatch on Project Runway and Dickens on Grantchester. I think 80% of the people who watched Person of Interest would rather the show had just been about Bear

The constant dog talk is tiring: Where was X? Why didn't we see X? I want more X? Wah! Boo! I only watch because of X!

The bolded - ha! I don't care about pets, either.  

[orza]

Yes, if the show I'm watching is not Lassie or Mr. Ed or some other show featuring an animal in a starring role, I don't care. I'll also extend that to humans in very minor occasionally recurring roles whose purpose is to add a bit of color or comic relief to the proceedings or flesh out a main character's backstory. I don't care about Ms. Hudson and Clyde on Elementary or Agent Christopher's wife on Timeless or Lizzie and Tom's dogs on The Blacklist. They show up, serve their purpose and then are gone. I'm good with that.

[Jaded]

My UO is in regards to the show Rosewood. Since the 2nd season started they've decide to film the show with a yellow cast throughout every episode and it's been driving me even crazier as I keep watching. I've googled before and have seen some others feel the same. If that show does end up being renewed I hope they go back to more normal coloring. CSI: Miami used a yellow cast sometimes but it never ate the show alive.

[kiddo82]

3 hours ago, orza said:

Yes, if the show I'm watching is not Lassie or Mr. Ed or some other show featuring an animal in a starring role, I don't care. I'll also extend that to humans in very minor occasionally recurring roles whose purpose is to add a bit of color or comic relief to the proceedings or flesh out a main character's backstory. I don't care about Ms. Hudson and Clyde on Elementary or Agent Christopher's wife on Timeless or Lizzie and Tom's dogs on The Blacklist. They show up, serve their purpose and then are gone. I'm good with that.

This is the very reason I don't mind that someone's kid has been "upstairs napping" or "at a sleepover" for the better part of three consecutive episodes.  I enjoy poking fun at how in the real world these people would be pretty neglectful parents too but if the storyline isn't about the kid or some parenting related issue then I don't care if the kid is there or not.  It's just TV being TV.

[Kel Varnsen]

19 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

This is the very reason I don't mind that someone's kid has been "upstairs napping" or "at a sleepover" for the better part of three consecutive episodes.  I enjoy poking fun at how in the real world these people would be pretty neglectful parents too but if the storyline isn't about the kid or some parenting related issue then I don't care if the kid is there or not.  It's just TV being TV.

That doesn't bother me either. As far as kids go, babies sleep alot, toddlers nap regularly, and kids past 4 or so don't really need constant supervision.So if you are spending 20 or 40 minutes a week with a bunch of characters, not seeing their kids during that time isn't a huge deal for me.

[ABay]

My problem with animals in movies is that if an animal is even remotely in harm's way, I spend the entire time worried something will happen to the animal. I had to watch Gran Torino for a project and fast forwarded to the end to check on the dog before I could watch the movie. On TV shows, I worry about who's going to take care of murder victims' pets. I wasn't allowed to watch Lassie as a child because I got too upset if Lassie was hurt or in danger...so just about every episode. OTOH, I knew Bear would be OK because you can kill off all the humans you want but you touch a hair on Bear or Vincent and the wrath of God will not compare to the wrath of fans. Torches and pitchforks. 

[bilgistic]

14 minutes ago, ABay said:

On TV shows, I worry about who's going to take care of murder victims' pets.

You aren't the only one! The Night Of put me through the wringer because I was worrying about the murdered woman's cat.

[Shannon L.]

I like seeing the "regular" pets/animals, but if I don't see them, it's no big deal.  As for kids, my UO, is that I don't care if a show introduces one.  I'm perfectly willing to give child actors a chance to prove themselves and give them a little leeway for things like bad writing and still being new to the craft.  Some are not good and  I will cringe when they come on (Michelle on Full House), some have their moments (Lily on Modern Family) and some are pretty good (so far, Molly on Sleepy Hollow).  I'm not going to immediately start groaning about the addition of a child and start hating on a show because they made the decision to add that character. 

Edited March 12, 2017 by Shannon L.

[HunterHunted]

11 hours ago, NutMeg said:

If you want to keep the historical kick with accurate outfits, try Borgia or The Borgias, two different shows each with different pros and cons.

I cannot help it, I've tremendously enjoyed the craziness of Reign. I know enough about French and Italian history to know it is ways off but once  accepted that the ride was fun. And here and there the show hits a true historical spot, and I wheeeeeeee :)

The Medici history is fascinating. Last time I was in Florence I bought three books which are very good, one about the Medici banking business, one about a broad history of the family and one more specifically about Catherine de Medici. I'll be happy to give you references if you're interested. (The books are written in English, not sure if the authors are British or American.)

I feel like there is some weird hybrid version of Borgia and The Borgias that is perfect. I had the hardest time getting used to John Doman's accent. But I thought he was physically and in his performance, the superior interpretation of Rodrigo. There was something that I found very weak about Jeremy Irons' version. I loved François Arnaud as Cesare, but I much prefered the Juan in Borgia.

I knew I loved Reign when Henry banged that noblewoman to her death because she fell out the window as they were having sex and then Henry and Catherine spend the rest of the episode hiding her body and trying to come up with a believable excuse for her death. The show was not accurate in any way, but completely bonkers and entertaining if it managed to hook you. If it didn't, I get it.

The Medici family is so interesting.

I only care about animals on tv if there are story reasons for them to be there. Dany's dragons, Backup on Veronica Mars, and the handful of times Bear or Toto were necessary. Overall, mostly don't care. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

I still think the greatest TV pets are Buck from Married... with Children and Eddie from Frasier. Other than that, could not care less.

[UYI]

Mimsie the cat from the MTM logo beats them all for me. And she was a logo! 

[Isle Of Why]

Band of Brothers has the second highest user rating on IMDB (9.5) with almost 252K reviews, so it's at least popular with people who vote on IMDB. I don't typically like war stories so there's that, and maybe my expectations about compelling TV drama have changed in the last 15 years, but I found it to be utterly plodding and mundane.

I don't know if the cast had been instructed to act the way they thought people in the 40s talked and acted, but it was all very stilted and fake sounding to me. I fast-forwarded through most of the battle scenes but kept watching to see if anything would draw me in, but nope.

[andromeda331]

On ‎3‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 5:51 AM, Isle Of Why said:

Band of Brothers has the second highest user rating on IMDB (9.5) with almost 252K reviews, so it's at least popular with people who vote on IMDB. I don't typically like war stories so there's that, and maybe my expectations about compelling TV drama have changed in the last 15 years, but I found it to be utterly plodding and mundane.

I don't know if the cast had been instructed to act the way they thought people in the 40s talked and acted, but it was all very stilted and fake sounding to me. I fast-forwarded through most of the battle scenes but kept watching to see if anything would draw me in, but nope.

I think my favorite part was when they were told FDR died and they had zero reaction. Like being told an old president just died and not characters reacting to their current president who had been president elected four times, who had been president most of their lives. Love him or hate him they should have had reaction.  My mom laughed joking that her parents telling her about the shock and crying around the country and in the army must have been a lie. 

[ABay]

WTF? I'm blaming the snow for weirdness. I was trying to edit something.

Edited March 14, 2017 by ABay

[Raja]

On 3/12/2017 at 5:15 PM, andromeda331 said:

I think my favorite part was when they were told FDR died and they had zero reaction. Like being told an old president just died and not characters reacting to their current president who had been president elected four times, who had been president most of their lives. Love him or hate him they should have had reaction.  My mom laughed joking that her parents telling her about the shock and crying around the country and in the army must have been a lie. 

Perhaps but never having heard the FDR story my thought is that combat infantrymen like the band Of Brothers who had been committed to combat and where getting ready for the last push against the Germans where in a different emotional place because of all the death they had seen than civilians and the bulk of the Army who served behind the lines

[Anela]

I stopped receiving notifications for this thread, last November. I knew something was missing from my visits here.

I can't remember my unpopular opinion, that I wanted to post a few hours ago.

[Blergh]

On 3/12/2017 at 7:15 PM, andromeda331 said:

I think my favorite part was when they were told FDR died and they had zero reaction. Like being told an old president just died and not characters reacting to their current president who had been president elected four times, who had been president most of their lives. Love him or hate him they should have had reaction.  My mom laughed joking that her parents telling her about the shock and crying around the country and in the army must have been a lie. 

 Agree! Moreover, being that FDR was the Commander-in-Chief and they were in the final stages of war (and the former Vice-President Truman was a completely unknown entity to virtually everyone outside Missouri), they at least should have been a bit anxious as to whether they could change horses in midstream while they were on the verge of nearly reaching the other shore. Oh, yeah, my parents both were quite stunned at the news and I agree that the show's not as good as the hype.

[Ambrosefolly]

Seeing Milo Ventimiglia in an old episode of Law and Order SVU (and making someone who lied about a rape sympathetic), I have decided out of all the characters I have seen him play, Jess from Gilmore Girls is my least favorite.

[Dee]

Unpopular Opinion: Home Improvement's Tim & Jill Taylor are one of my all time favorite sitcom couples

[proserpina65]

I prefer April to Jackson on Grey's Anatomy.  I'm not a big fan of the character, but she's better than he is.

[Blergh]

20 hours ago, Dee said:

Unpopular Opinion: Home Improvement's Tim & Jill Taylor are one of my all time favorite sitcom couples

I'd qualify that by saying that they were one of mine in the first part of the series. However; by the time the show ended,( with Tim devolving from a reasonably intelligent if sometimes befuddled husband &father to being a brainless cartoon and Jill devolving from a shrewd, understanding wife encouraging her husband and sons to improve themselves to being someone waiting for one of them to slip up so she'd have the excuse to dump on them), I wound up wishing they'd ended the show a few years earlier.

[Chaos Theory]

On 2/20/2017 at 5:53 PM, Neurochick said:

I just asked why there are so many shows being filmed in Chicago these days.  There weren't a lot of shows filmed there a decade ago.  But since you asked, Empire, for instance is filmed in Chicago and it's supposed to be in NYC.  Well, why don't they either set the show in Chicago or film in NYC, that confuses me.  

Money mostly.  It's just cheaper to produce shows in some states then others. And a show like Empire probably needs to be focused where it would be logical for a guy to build a music empire which is New York.  Nashville wanted to move locations outside of Nashville for money reasons but the residents of the town actually liked having the show kept there so they were willing to pay all the tax breaks and other stuff the show needed to keep it there.  A show like Empire is probably expensive to mantain so whatever city gives it the best tax breaks for the buck does come into consideration and if a Statue of Liberty shot is needed a guy with a camera is sent in for a b roll.  

[Neurochick]

9 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

A show like Empire is probably expensive to mantain so whatever city gives it the best tax breaks for the buck does come into consideration and if a Statue of Liberty shot is needed a guy with a camera is sent in for a b roll.  

I believe NYC give a lot of tax breaks; Bloomberg started it and DeBlassio continued it.  

I say just set the show in Chicago, I mean Motown was in Detroit.  

[Ambrosefolly]

On 2/20/2017 at 10:59 AM, Neurochick said:

My UO is, why are there so many shows filmed in Chicago?  Did something happen to prevent shows from filming in NYC?  

Or maybe too many shows are filmed in NYC.

Too many shows are filmed in NYC. The well is drying up as far as procedural are concerned. The entire Law and Order franchise probably has 1,000 + episodes that take place and deal with NYC, and that is just 5 shows, 3 of them that lasted 10 years of which 2 of them lasted 20. It is a nice change of place to have a shows take place in Miami, Las Vegas or Baltimore. I get NYC is useful because it is a large, multi cultural city, but it isn't the only one in the United States.