Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[cpcathy]

Maybe we win a prize if we guess correctly.

[HoboClayton]

My guess is Garry Shandling, only because I feel the same way. Nothing personal, but, wasn't a fan. Same with Don Rickles, that tweet was very sweet though. 

[Enigma X]

I never got Shandling's, Rickels', or Robin Williams' humor. Although, I adored Williams as a person and thought he could act. The other two not so much.

[ennui]

Nancy Reagan? (I jest.) 

[Katy M]

I hate Two and a Half Men.  I never found it funny at all.

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

I hate Two and a Half Men.  I never found it funny at all.

I HATE it so much. I think Charlie Sheen is repulsive, so that has a bit to do with it.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I could get not get into The OA, I found it ponderous drivel. The protagonist was irritating and creepy, like a cult leader (she genuinely reminds me of one).

[friendperidot]

Quote

So many died last year. Is there a reason why you didn't mention who it was?

Quote

Maybe we win a prize if we guess correctly.

I was just trying to be respectful, from what I do know about Theresa Saldana, she was a wonderful person, she went through a lot of terrible things, but I watch The Commish several times a week on H&I and she was a terrible actress, some of the problems may have been the writing, but a lot were her acting choices. 

And while I was not particularly a big Don Rickles fan, I was sorry to learn of his death today.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I was just trying to be respectful, from what I do know about Theresa Saldana, she was a wonderful person, she went through a lot of terrible things, but I watch The Commish several times a week on H&I and she was a terrible actress, some of the problems may have been the writing, but a lot were her acting choices. 

And while I was not particularly a big Don Rickles fan, I was sorry to learn of his death today.

I don't think stating your opinion about not thinking she was a good actress is being disrespectful, just because she passed away. By not stating who you were talking about didn't leave any room to further the conversation-like maybe there are others who might feel the same.

I feel sometimes people have this need to canonize people when they die-like they had no flaws or imperfections. Which isn't realistic, as far as I'm concerned. 

As for Saldana, I know that her accent irritated me, and that every character she played always seemed as if she were playing the same character, no matter what show she was in, or guest starred in.

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I was just trying to be respectful, from what I do know about Theresa Saldana, she was a wonderful person, she went through a lot of terrible things, but I watch The Commish several times a week on H&I and she was a terrible actress, some of the problems may have been the writing, but a lot were her acting choices. 

I didn't even know she was dead.  The only thing I ever saw her on was The Commish.  I thought she was fine.  But, I'm not particularly critical when it comes to acting.

[Blergh]

15 hours ago, Katy M said:

I hate Two and a Half Men.  I never found it funny at all.

I actually liked it the first year or so when the adult characters seemed to have the potential to grow and the kid behaved like a real kid who was having to adjust to split custody. Perhaps it was a combo of the younger Sheen's exploding ego and Mr. Lorre's preference for just being tasteless but it seemed that after that the two brothers became obnoxious caricatures and the kid became a jaded loser so it  wasn't too long before the whole thing became unwatchable (and that was before all the revelations re the younger Mr. Sheen became public). Even the supporting characters seemed to have lost their way despite the best efforts of their performers to try to counter the stars' implosions.  What was especially sad was that this show had a GREAT deal of potential re comedy and addressing issues of divorce, split custody and a bachelor starting to actually care about someone besides himself but it just BLEW it, IMO.

[ribboninthesky1]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I feel sometimes people have this need to canonize people when they die-like they had no flaws or imperfections. Which isn't realistic, as far as I'm concerned. 

This is why I try to avoid media, especially social, when a celebrity death is announced.  It's getting to the point where there's a freakout if someone's name is trending, regardless of the context. 

[ByTor]

19 hours ago, HoboClayton said:

My guess is Garry Shandling

Garry Shandling died?  I guess my unpopularity is that I didn't know that! That's too bad :(

[Chaos Theory]

5 hours ago, Blergh said:

I actually liked it the first year or so when the adult characters seemed to have the potential to grow and the kid behaved like a real kid who was having to adjust to split custody. Perhaps it was a combo of the younger Sheen's exploding ego and Mr. Lorre's preference for just being tasteless but it seemed that after that the two brothers became obnoxious caricatures and the kid became a jaded loser so it  wasn't too long before the whole thing became unwatchable (and that was before all the revelations re the younger Mr. Sheen became public). Even the supporting characters seemed to have lost their way despite the best efforts of their performers to try to counter the stars' implosions.  What was especially sad was that this show had a GREAT deal of potential re comedy and addressing issues of divorce, split custody and a bachelor starting to actually care about someone besides himself but it just BLEW it, IMO.

Chick Lorre's shows are almost always like that BBT was actually an extremely funny show the first few years but lately all the characters are  obnoxious charctures of what they once were. Even the lesser known Moms was actually a pretty funny show for the first couple years but lately I haven't enjoyed it nearly as much as I used to.

[DisneyBoy]

UO: LOST was dumb.

I could tell right off the bat they were pulling things out of their butts (smoke monster??) and had no solid plan. They were letting the format reel folks in and not especially caring about the long-term goals of the narrative.

I felt a bit badly when friends, four seasons in, were getting annoyed and wondering WTH was actually going on...but part of me was also going "I told you so".

All that religious mumbo jumbo suggested by the finale sure was a great cover for the nothing they had planned, wasn't it?

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Chick Lorre's shows are almost always like that BBT was actually an extremely funny show the first few years but lately all the characters are  obnoxious charctures of what they once were.

Most shows do that--especially comedies.  It's one of my biggest pet peeves.  The dumb get downright stupid, the mean get downright nasty, the overtly sexual become sleazy.  Drives me crazy.

[scarynikki12]

Just once I'd like to watch a cop show and have them NOT be part of the investigation when something awful (assault, rape, death) happens to a loved one.  Chicago PD is the current offender, but they all do this.  I can only assume that seeing Cop X investigate the person who (insert crime here) the loved one is incredibly popular with audiences but it drives me crazy.  The most recent example from PD is Burgess' sister getting raped and Burgess actually telling her Sargent that she can still do the job.  She did later beat the shit out of the rapist, risking the case and would have killed him if she hadn't been pulled off, but none of her colleagues ever said that she shouldn't have been part of the investigation.  To be fair, they've all done the same, so they'd be massive hypocrites but still. 

It would be so nice if, just once, there was a cop show that made a point of handing these investigations to recurring detectives and keeping the other cop far away.  Keeping it to PD, Burgess could have spent the episode focusing on her sister (since it was ultimately in service to the actress' maternity leave), or see Olinsky processing his grief with his ex-wife, or see Voight spend some time in protective custody since he can't be trusted to not go vigilante, or see Lindsay spending time in therapy.  Or anything other than taking part in the investigation of the rapes/murders of their loved ones and compromising the cases for the prosecutors. 

I wish more cop shows would do like Law & Order when Logan punched a guy and got reassigned as punishment.  Only I want it to happen when the actors aren't leaving the show.

[ganesh]

On 4/7/2017 at 2:35 PM, DisneyBoy said:

UO: LOST was dumb.

I could tell right off the bat they were pulling things out of their butts (smoke monster??) and had no solid plan. They were letting the format reel folks in and not especially caring about the long-term goals of the narrative.

But it was about the journey, right? *eyeroll*

Seriously, after the best pilot in TV history, 4 episodes in, anyone who has watched genre TV knew it couldn't possibly hold up. 

There's an article I read on FB Monday where TPTBs talked about how they wanted a volcano sequence but it was too expensive. I commented : wouldn't it be great if they put that much effort into developing a coherent story than just finding cool stuff to do on the island?

[ribboninthesky1]

57 minutes ago, ganesh said:

There's an article I read on FB Monday where TPTBs talked about how they wanted a volcano sequence but it was too expensive. I commented : wouldn't it be great if they put that much effort into developing a coherent story than just finding cool stuff to do on the island?

The bolded is my biggest pet peeve with TV.  I'm not a writer, so I don't know what the answer is for this.  But I feel like simple storytelling can be more compelling than minutiae and overly complex plots in which writers forget the details, especially since I assume writing teams aren't stable throughout the life span of a show.  I pay attention, and I HATE when something important is introduced, and then either dropped or retconned because the writers decided to go in a different direction.  

[ganesh]

Yes agreed. That's why every show needs a Bible imo. 

[navelgazer]

I like Brian Williams.  I'm enjoying it when I can catch the 11th Hour.  My one kvetch is that I miss Nicole "Cackles" Wallace  She used to appear on this show pretty regularly, especially after Nicole put her foot down and said I will not be "Mean Girl'd" by Mika on Morning Joe any more.  

Edited April 12, 2017 by navelgazer

[Llywela]

21 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

The bolded is my biggest pet peeve with TV.  I'm not a writer, so I don't know what the answer is for this.  But I feel like simple storytelling can be more compelling than minutiae and overly complex plots in which writers forget the details, especially since I assume writing teams aren't stable throughout the life span of a show.  I pay attention, and I HATE when something important is introduced, and then either dropped or retconned because the writers decided to go in a different direction.  

Absolutely. A lot of TV writers seem so heavily invested in devising really complex, intricate plots that then get heavily bogged down, but my favourite episodes of any show are always the ones with very simple plots - just drop that plot rock into the water, as it were, and let the story arise from the ripple effect of the characters reacting to it.

Looking back, there was a time when TV was a completely throwaway media - you saw an episode once and that was it. But then came home videos, allowing us to record and re-watch at our leisure, and then in the 90s shows like The X-Files and Buffy introduced the concept of ongoing story arcs, which pretty much coincided with the explosion of the internet, so that people were gathering online to pore over every last detail, making note of continuity and delighting in foreshadowing and the like...and I think some writers got carried away with that. And started taking it to extremes, to the point where they forgot about telling a story that is also easy to follow and makes sense on first viewing.

[Katy M]

22 minutes ago, Llywela said:

Absolutely. A lot of TV writers seem so heavily invested in devising really complex, intricate plots that then get heavily bogged down, but my favourite episodes of any show are always the ones with very simple plots - just drop that plot rock into the water, as it were, and let the story arise from the ripple effect of the characters reacting to it.

Looking back, there was a time when TV was a completely throwaway media - you saw an episode once and that was it. But then came home videos, allowing us to record and re-watch at our leisure, and then in the 90s shows like The X-Files and Buffy introduced the concept of ongoing story arcs, which pretty much coincided with the explosion of the internet, so that people were gathering online to pore over every last detail, making note of continuity and delighting in foreshadowing and the like...and I think some writers got carried away with that. And started taking it to extremes, to the point where they forgot about telling a story that is also easy to follow and makes sense on first viewing.

The ironic part is, that even knowing this, they throw out continuity whenever it suits them.

[Llywela]

1 minute ago, Katy M said:

The ironic part is, that even knowing this, they throw out continuity whenever it suits them.

Uh huh. Sometimes because they're just going with whatever's dramatically convenient in the moment, sometimes because they've plotted themselves into a corner and just hope no one will notice (even though the bulk of their writing is specifically aimed at people who absolutely WILL notice, and have been encouraged to do so!), and sometimes just because the writing is so darn complicated even the writers themselves can't keep track of it!

[zxy556575]

Moved from another thread:

4 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

And I'm usually not a Lithgow fan - I thought he was kind of awful on The Crown ...

I thought I really was alone on that, especially after his award wins. I ended up fast-forwarding through his scenes.

[Katy M]

9 minutes ago, Lord Donia said:

Moved from another thread:

I thought I really was alone on that, especially after his award wins. I ended up fast-forwarding through his scenes.

I assume we're talking about John Lithgow. I thought he was great in Footloose and awful in anything else I've seen him in.  Especially Third Rock from the Sun.  To be fair I probably only saw 3 epis of that, but ugh.

[HoboClayton]

Lithgow was great in Dexter. Very creepy, and believable. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

I don't find Mike on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul all that interesting. It's very lonely, feeling this way.

[Sweet Tee]

You are not alone.  I've never understood why Mike is such a popular character.  He's fine, I guess, but nothing special to me.

[Chas411]

I think Jughead and Betty are OK on Riverdale if not a little boring. My major UO though is that I don't think either Jughead especially is a standout character or actor - they've just gotten the best material out of the gang. I think they're all kind of even in terms of acting.

[selkie]

16 hours ago, Llywela said:

Looking back, there was a time when TV was a completely throwaway media - you saw an episode once and that was it. But then came home videos, allowing us to record and re-watch at our leisure, and then in the 90s shows like The X-Files and Buffy introduced the concept of ongoing story arcs, which pretty much coincided with the explosion of the internet, so that people were gathering online to pore over every last detail, making note of continuity and delighting in foreshadowing and the like...and I think some writers got carried away with that. And started taking it to extremes, to the point where they forgot about telling a story that is also easy to follow and makes sense on first viewing.

Babylon 5 pretty much spoiled me when it came to long term story arcs. J. Michael Straczynski had come up with a story in 110 episodes, knew what he wanted the last scene of the series to be when he wrote the pilot for the first one, had plotline trap doors for every character in case a primary actor left the show early, had a huge universe and aliens bible that was very consistent, and could indeed have what seemed to be a throwaway line in one episode turn into a key plot point 50 episodes later. It didn't always go exactly to plan, especially toward the end when a lot got rushed at the end of season 4 before the somewhat surprise renewal for season 5, but I can't think of another show that managed that level of manic tightness in its plotlines. 

But it takes a special kind of crazy, ego, and grand concept to pull that kind of thing off. 

[ganesh]

I just don't get the Leftovers and never have. I think it's just full of itself. I think it's a little like TWD in that they shouldn't actually explain the show premise, but at least TWD is trying to tell a story. It's a boring one but there is one. I think Leftovers is just "Hey let's have him sing karaoke now! Why? It ll be so weird! Lol. They'll be making up all sorts of theories!"

[Chaos Theory]

Maybe it's my age or the fact that I got rid of my DVR (complicated story) but I tend to gravitate to certain kinds of stories and away from others.  I don't particularly care for shows like Rectify or the Leftovers.   They are far too introspective for me.  

I try to think if I would have enjoyed TWD and GoT in my younger days and I am honestly not sure.  I had HBO at one point and liked the first season of GoT but then never got around to watching the rest in any real order and with spoilers being what they are I don't really see the point.  I am not spoilerphobic in the least I have watched and enjoyed shows knowing how they would end but GoT is just so big and looming I don't really have any real urge to do it.  

TWD I tried a couple of times and I didn't hate it and it held my interest fine but not really enough to care.  

[Danny Franks]

15 hours ago, Chas411 said:

I think Jughead and Betty are OK on Riverdale if not a little boring. My major UO though is that I don't think either Jughead especially is a standout character or actor - they've just gotten the best material out of the gang. I think they're all kind of even in terms of acting.

The kid is not a good actor. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills when I read people gushing over him, and talking as though he's a breakout star. He's just a pretty face who used to be a cute kid. They're ten a penny in Hollywood.

I think the girl playing Betty is a better actor, but she's not exactly going to win awards either. She's got a cute, expressive face that helps sell some of the absurdity of that show. But she's really just the latest in the CW's long line of young, attractive, limited TV stars.

[kiddo82]

I'm tired of the term "soap opera" being used as a derogatory term for a prime time series.  It's lazy.  I get the spirit of the criticism, that while all fictional works demand some suspension of disbelief you still want them to abide by the laws that govern our reality, but at the same time, aren't all dramas soap operas?  I know some shows can go really off the rails in terms of storytelling but they all fit the mold.  Some are just better at hiding it than others or, better yet, some get slapped with the "prestige" label and never have to worry about it.  Game of Thrones is a soap opera with battle axes.  The Walking Dead is a soap opera with zombies.  The Affair, which I love by the way, is a frickin' soap opera no qualifier needed.  And you know what?  I can roll my eyes with the best of them when a plot line is just too outrageous or melodramatic to take seriously but the heightened emotion is also why I watch TV in the first place.

Edited April 14, 2017 by kiddo82

[ratgirlagogo]

1 hour ago, kiddo82 said:

 Game of Thrones is a soap opera with battle axes.  The Walking Dead is a soap opera with zombies. 

Yes, but they are both soap operas with a large male audience, which is why they both get so much press.  Men don't watch scripted programming as a rule, just as they don't read fiction.  So scripted programs that have a big male viewership are catnip to advertisers. Eyeroll.

 

I find both GOT and TWD unwatchable although I adore another form of soap opera with a large male audience - professional wrestling.  Go figure.

Edited April 14, 2017 by ratgirlagogo

[kiddo82]

1 hour ago, ratgirlagogo said:

I find both GOT and TWD unwatchable although I adore another form of soap opera with a large male audience - professional wrestling.  Go figure.

Oh man!  How could I leave out pro wrestling as it's my go to argument on this topic?  And there's nothing wrong with enjoying it but let's call a spade a spade.  We all do what we gotta do to keep ourselves entertained and distract ourselves from life sometimes but one person's method of choice is not inherently better than another person's.  That's also not to say we can't be critical or have a discourse but the person who only watches Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad is no more sophisticated than the one who prefers Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.

Edited April 14, 2017 by kiddo82

[zxy556575]

I'm not saying that "soap opera" isn't an overused term or that the concept isn't unfairly denigrated, but I don't think all dramas are soaps -- for example, crime procedurals, Bull, Designated Survivor, The Americans, Breaking Bad, The Crown, The West Wing, etc. Shows that are generally characterized as soapy tend to be more melodramatic and focused on interpersonal relationships rather than plot, IMO.

But the phrase means different things to different people so YMMV.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Lord Donia

[proserpina65]

On ‎04‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 4:46 PM, Katy M said:

I hate Two and a Half Men.  I never found it funny at all.

There was one thing in one episode which I found funny: the bit where Alan's girlfriend is in a CSI-like tv show, and it uses the Who's "Squeezebox" as the theme song.    It was only funny to me because a friend who is a huge Who fan and I have a running joke about CSI: Peoria, and its theme song, "Boris the Spider".  Other than that, this show was just gross and offensive to me.

[Shannon L.]

Watching a show that has heavy handed political matters in an opposite direction than my real ones has very little affect on my enjoyment of the show itself.  If I couldn't deal with it, I'd have never made it through the first season of 24 and then I'd have missed out what became one of my top 10 favorite dramas.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 4/12/2017 at 3:51 PM, Sweet Tee said:

You are not alone.  I've never understood why Mike is such a popular character.  He's fine, I guess, but nothing special to me.

I never understood why it seemed like the internet broke when The Cousins appeared on Better Call Saul.

[Ohwell]

8 hours ago, MaryPatShelby said:

I never understood why it seemed like the internet broke when The Cousins appeared on Better Call Saul.

Well, personally, I said out loud, "oh shit!"  
 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Ohwell

[Shannon L.]

I've been watching reruns of ER and twice now they've had kids come in with nasty burns.  Both times, the kids just sat there like nothing and only said "ow" when the doctor touched it.  Only on tv.  I've gone to urgent care with some nasty burns and as an adult who is pretty good at handling pain, I had moments where I was clenching my teeth or taking deep shaking breaths because the pain was so bad (at times it would throb). 

[ribboninthesky1]

On 4/14/2017 at 0:16 AM, kiddo82 said:

We all do what we gotta do to keep ourselves entertained and distract ourselves from life sometimes but one person's method of choice is not inherently better than another person's.

This is why I've never cared about who watches reality TV, or how much of it they watch.  

Given his recent Netflix comeback, I was reminded that I was never a fan of Dave Chappelle.  I watched some of his show well after it ended, and there was only one popular sketch that stood out to me as hilarious. I remember laughing awkwardly with friends and co-workers who were in tears over his show. Always felt like I was missing something, because I didn't think he was that funny.  

[topanga]

3 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

This is why I've never cared about who watches reality TV, or how much of it they watch.  

Given his recent Netflix comeback, I was reminded that I was never a fan of Dave Chappelle.  I watched some of his show well after it ended, and there was only one popular sketch that stood out to me as hilarious. I remember laughing awkwardly with friends and co-workers who were in tears over his show. Always felt like I was missing something, because I didn't think he was that funny.  

While I thought some sketches from the show were hilarious (e.g., the black KKK member and the Charlie Murphy True Hollywood stories), I never thought it was the genius show that it was hyped to be. 

[Enigma X]

For me, when Dave Chapelle was funny, he was damn funny. When he wasn't, he was uncomfortably unfunny. This goes for his show skits too. 

Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood stories were always hilarious to me.

[Shannon L.]

Quote

've been watching reruns of ER and twice now they've had kids come in with nasty burns.  Both times, the kids just sat there like nothing and only said "ow" when the doctor touched it.  Only on tv.  I've gone to urgent care with some nasty burns and as an adult who is pretty good at handling pain, I had moments where I was clenching my teeth or taking deep shaking breaths because the pain was so bad (at times it would throb). 

Heh. I just now realized that I posted this in the wrong thread *blush*

[islandgal140]

Better Call Saul is just okay as a show, but I do enjoy the appearance of BB characters. I don't hate Chuck. 

Bates Motel is severely underrated and one of the better shows on tv right now. 

Season 2 of Outlander was practically unwatchable for me and I feel like Jamie and Claire's chemistry wasn't what it was S1.

I dislike talk shows in all their iterations from Maury to Oprah. 

Kiernan Shipka is not a good actress. Her performance on The Feud cemented that for me.  I gave her the benefit of the doubt given her age when she was playing Sally on Mad Men but no more.

I've always loathed Charlie Sheen. Even before he revealed himself to be a crazy, abusive whoremonger. 

[ribboninthesky1]

Catching up on S2 Shades of Blue: 

Ray Liotta does a good job, but I do not think he's the best actor evah.  Maybe because I never saw Goodfellas, but I just don't see his performance as particularly distinctive from Jennifer Lopez or the supporting cast. I also don't feel the least bit sympathetic towards his character. 

I don't hate Cristina.  

[ByTor]

On 4/14/2017 at 1:39 PM, proserpina65 said:

It was only funny to me because a friend who is a huge Who fan and I have a running joke about CSI: Peoria, and its theme song, "Boris the Spider".

Could you please make this happen??? :)

On 4/15/2017 at 11:51 AM, MaryPatShelby said:

I never understood why it seemed like the internet broke when The Cousins appeared on Better Call Saul.

The showrunners were going for scary & menacing, but I just found them and their silence annoying!

On 4/19/2017 at 2:50 PM, islandgal140 said:

I don't hate Chuck.

I don't either.