Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Shannon L.]

I haven't watched talk shows in well over a decade (except for certain clips off and on over the years), but I used to watch a lot of them.  I don't know if this is unpopular or not, but I'm thinking it may be because she's become a very polarizing celebrity:  Some of my favorite funny and moving talk show moments came from Rosie O'Donnell's show.  I truly enjoyed tuning into it whenever I could. 

[ganesh]

The Walking Dead is not good.

[tribeca]

I don't hate any good girl in shows.  I actually prefer them to win.  

  The middle : I love Brick.  He is quirky and weird.  He makes me laugh 

America Got talent :  JMHO Nick was the perfect host and although the new host is okay she is not filling his shoes.   

Billy Bush should not have been fired or blackballed from tv and I don't even care that much about him.  

Downward Dog should have been given more of a chance to find an audience. 

[Constantinople]

On 6/23/2017 at 9:59 PM, 2727 said:

Gosh, the gnashing of teeth because a dog was killed on The Mist. It's a horror movie for crying out loud; adults have already died or been murdered and I reckon kids are next. The dog was introduced in the opening scene and chewed up by a mist monster three minutes in.

Unless I'm invested in a character -- person or animal -- I'm not bothered by them dying. It's not real.

For me the issue is killing the dog seems so cliched it made me question whether watching the rest of the episode was worth it

[Chaos Theory]

I am probably a lot more forgiving watching criminals on a show about criminals.  On shows like that morality needs to be a moving target to enjoy the show.  I seem to no longer enjoy most shows where cops go rogue.  Unless that is the premise from the start.  

Edited June 29, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Katy M]

40 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I seem to no longer enjoy most shows where cops go rogue.  Unless that is the premise from the start.  

I like the good guys to be the good guys.  I don't mind some grey.  Of course we need it, because nobody is perfect.  But, when cops start manufacturing evidence, threaten witnesses, go vigilante, then they are no longer the good guys. 

[Lugal]

9 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I seem to no longer enjoy most shows where cops go rogue.

Given how real world events have been unfolding, there is a much more disturbing dimension to it now.

[kiddo82]

The Pretty Little Liars finale was...not great, Bob.  

An evil twin?  Really?  The first time they went to that well was hackneyed enough but a second time?  Good grief.

And while I agree with most of the criticisms (too much focus on the couples in the first hour, too rushed the last twenty minutes, not enough focus on the four girls, too anti-climatic, the resolution was out of left field) I neither feel like it was the worst two hours in television history nor did it make me feel like I wasted the last seven years of my life.  The negative hyperbole is a bit much and in a few weeks we'll have moved on to the next worst episode in television history.  And probably not a UO but

Allison should've remained dead

. That reveal was when the show really started to lose its mojo.  Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun watching over the years but I didn't have the highest hopes for a satisfying conclusion given their track record anyway.

[slf]

I watched The Big Bang Theory for only a few seasons but I think it would've been more interesting if they'd paired Penny and Sheldon. They had a more interesting dynamic and better chemistry.

[hoosier80]

15 hours ago, slf said:

watched The Big Bang Theory for only a few seasons but I think it would've been more interesting if they'd paired Penny and Sheldon. They had a more interesting dynamic and better chemistry.

I thought this would be more interesting, too.  I envisioned more as a "this is how they ended up" after the show had ended as an epilogue.  Sheldon and Penny ended up together, had some kids and, as a result he was more human, although he was still quirky.

I'm not a fan of the Amy character, but even so, she needs someone who really goes gaga over her, like someone lukewarm like Sheldon.  Penny has had all sorts of admirers, so having someone who's more low key would be a change up for her, too.

[rue721]

I have a life-long love for any story that includes a "freak" imprisoned by the circus. That's got to be a pretty niche interest, but it's abiding and deep in my case.

Last night, I watched the movie Victor Frankenstein and absolutely adored it, for the most part, because watching Daniel Radcliff play a nameless hunchbacked clown "owned" by the circus who then becomes Frankenstein's assistant Igor was just so wonderful. But I loved the Elephant Man, too. And also that one episode of the show The Crow, about the psychic boy kept prisoner by a carnival, who was eventually rescued and sent to a group home where they served him fish sticks (his favorite food) every week.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was nearly as good, but alas, Quasimodo was only circus-adjacent. Same with the Phantom of the Opera, and same with the prequel novel that was focused only on the life of the Phantom. Same with Richard III, to be honest. Same with that two-parter of Highway to Heaven about a "deformed" (aka, ridiculously handsome but with a large birthmark) man kept pretty much prisoner in his own home by his mother who then falls in love with a blind girl -- I loved that two-parter. I remembered those episodes for DECADES. I saw the first episode before leaving on an eighth grade school trip and begged a friend to tape the second epeisode for me. I am now in my 30s and last week, when I saw that Highway to Heaven was on Netflix, guess what happened IMMEDIATELY? I had to rewatch that same two-parter, of course. And I loved it AGAIN.

Yes, I know this is twisted and weird. But I had to get this twisted and weird love off of my chest.

[SmithW6079]

I hate prequels. I especially hate sci-fi prequels. The special effects technology changes too much; heck, real-life technology changes too much. Case in point -- "Star Trek: Enterprise" (and the new series "Star Trek: Discovery," which feature technology more advanced than the the original series, Yes, I know 50 years have gone by in real life. Would you make a prequel to "Gone with the Wind," with Scarlett driving a car to Atlanta?

[Mulva]

9 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I hate prequels. I especially hate sci-fi prequels. The special effects technology changes too much; heck, real-life technology changes too much. Case in point -- "Star Trek: Enterprise" (and the new series "Star Trek: Discovery," which feature technology more advanced than the the original series, Yes, I know 50 years have gone by in real life. Would you make a prequel to "Gone with the Wind," with Scarlett driving a car to Atlanta?

What?  You mean Scarlett didn't flee Atlanta in a Model T?  

[auntlada]

20 hours ago, Mulva said:

What?  You mean Scarlett didn't flee Atlanta in a Model T?  

No, but her family got to Georgia from Ireland on the Concorde.

[Mulva]

I thought the O'Hara family took the Titanic.

[memememe76]

I am so over these edgy cable shows with their edgy actors and edgy storylines winning Emmys. Go This is Us!!!

[HunterHunted]

On 6/27/2017 at 11:05 AM, tribeca said:

America Got talent :  JMHO Nick was the perfect host and although the new host is okay she is not filling his shoes.   

Billy Bush should not have been fired or blackballed from tv and I don't even care that much about him. 

I have not seen her on America's Got Talent, but Tyra Banks is a terrible host because she's an unrepentant narcissist. I have watched more than a decade of Top Model. I know this to be true.

Billy Bush should have been fired and blacklisted from TV because he's always been terrible. That chance that he was given way back when because of his name and family never should have happened. He's always been an aggressively mediocre host, a terrible interviewer, and a fatuous lickspittle. This Trump thing is just the universe course correcting a career diversion that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

[proserpina65]

Season 3 of Broadchurch is, so far, a vast improvement on Season 2 (which was utter crap), but I really don't need to see any more of Beth, Mark, their family, or the newspaper editor.  They're all shoe-horned into the story very unconvincingly, and add nothing to it.

[orza]

15 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Season 3 of Broadchurch is, so far, a vast improvement on Season 2 (which was utter crap), but I really don't need to see any more of Beth, Mark, their family, or the newspaper editor.  They're all shoe-horned into the story very unconvincingly, and add nothing to it.

I've seen all of season 3 and while I agree it's better than season 2, I've come to the conclusion that Broadchurch should have been one and done.

[kiddo82]

Pamela Adlon was nominated for an Emmy for Better Things.  I never found that show funny.  There were times watching it I wondered if it was a half hour drama.  The show is actually kind of a downer. 

Edited July 15, 2017 by kiddo82

[2727]

17 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Pamela Adlon was nominated for an Emmy for Better Things. I never found that show funny. There were times watching it I wondered if it was a half hour drama. The show is actually kind of a downer. 

Right? Same with Louie the series, which Pamela was also on.

I guess people's lives are just fucking depressing and dour and I'm supposed to identify with that and let escape a wry chuckle of recognition over their awkward and lamentable interactions.

It's not that I don't enjoy some of those shows (although not Better Things), it's that I object to them being called comedies.

Edited July 16, 2017 by 2727

[kiddo82]

Yes!  I know mileage is going to vary extensively when it comes to making people laugh, and not everything has to be ha-ha funny, but there's subtle and dry, (like Atlanta, which I think is great, BTW) and then there's just... not funny.  I think Better Things falls into latter category.

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 7/14/2017 at 4:21 PM, orza said:

I've seen all of season 3 and while I agree it's better than season 2, I've come to the conclusion that Broadchurch should have been one and done.

A and Men. Season 2 was such a waste of time.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Wiendish Fitch

[Ohwell]

I cannot stand Pamela Adlon and I never thought she was funny in anything I saw her in. 

[Chaos Theory]

I don't understand how This Is Us even got nominated for any awards.  It's only defining quality is that it must make you cry every episode.  That is just horrible writing.  Must make audience cry how will we do it this episode?  

[Kel Varnsen]

10 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I cannot stand Pamela Adlon and I never thought she was funny in anything I saw her in. 

Even as the voice of Bobby Hill? Is it because that boy just ain't right?

[CaffeinatedAunt79]

On 6/23/2017 at 8:12 AM, Katy M said:

Seinfeld was always hit or miss for me. Some episodes I liked, Some I thought were beyond stupid. 

^This.  My favorite episode is the one where Kramer gets the furnitue from "The Merv Griffin Show" out of the garbage and does the show in his living room, also where Jerry dates the woman with the toy collection and will stop at nothing to play with it.

While I am lurking here, wanted to get this Unpopular Opinion off my chest!  I have no interest in Game of Thrones, never watched it, don't know what it is about or any of the characters.  Maybe it is just me because I know nothing about it but the hype and hysteria for this show seems to be a bit over the top, especially on social media.

[2727]

My problem with This Is Us is that there have been much better family dramas over the years and none of them got anywhere near the recognition and acclaim that this soapy thing has.

[DearEvette]

10 minutes ago, 2727 said:

My problem with This Is Us is that there have been much better family dramas over the years and none of them got anywhere near the recognition and acclaim that this soapy thing has.

That is how I felt about Downton Abbey.

[HunterHunted]

32 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

That is how I felt about Downton Abbey.

Well, Downton Abbey was a well-dressed well-acted soap in its first season. Unfortunately, Julian Fellows isn't as skilled or creative as he needed to be to make the show actually interesting, creative, and engaging. After season 1, Fellows wrote recycled plots with slightly more ludicrous variations season after season.

[tribeca]

Guess my unpopular opinion is I love This is Us.  Was very happy it was nominated for awards especially the actors.  I have loved Sterling in everything.  My hope is the networks make more shows like it.  

[Wiendish Fitch]

Downton Abbey UO: I never thought Edith was the knuckle-dragging troglodyte everyone made her out to be; similarly, while Mary was nice-looking, the idea that she was this Jazz Age Helen of Troy when Sybil (sniff) and Rose were around is utterly ridiculous. I may have been able to buy it more if Mary had a more charismatic and attractive personality, but I found her immensely dour, dull, and unpleasant.

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Well, Downton Abbey was a well-dressed well-acted soap in its first season.

Exactly.  Heck I even like it.  But It was a soap that was dressed up in period costumes, nice sets and British accents.  But at the end of the day the storytelling was pure tv soap.  It was fun to watch but the praise it garnered felt out of proportion to what it was.  Especially whenever tv award time came around and other tv soapy dramas that are arguably as well acted  get derided for being soaps. Also, my other UO about this show s that Michelle Dockery was a veritable block of wood and so her emmy noms always annoyed me as well.  Even though I liked the show I hated that she was the heroine because I was puzzled by all the men falling all over her.

1 hour ago, tribeca said:

Guess my unpopular opinion is I love This is Us.  Was very happy it was nominated for awards especially the actors.  I have loved Sterling in everything.  My hope is the networks make more shows like it.  

I like it too.  I think it can err on the side of schmaltzy when taken as a whole.  But I think if you ignore the hype and marketing, the individual episodes are really great.  And the acting is superb.  Tickled that Denis O'Hare & Bryan Tyree Henry got guest actor noms. They were both stand outs in their episodes.  It is nice to have a good hourlong family drama that isn't trying to be edgy or nihilistic.  I think tv has tried to skew that way too much lately because it I think critical reception of shows tend to favor edginess. 

 

33 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Downton Abbey UO: I never thought Edith was the knuckle-dragging troglodyte everyone made her out to be; similarly, while Mary was nice-looking, the idea that she was this Jazz Age Helen of Troy when Sybil (sniff) and Rose were around is utterly ridiculous. I may have been able to buy it more if Mary had a more charismatic and attractive personality, but I found her immensely dour, dull, and unpleasant.

See above, but I roll my eyes so hard at the lionization of Mary.  Honestly the way Michelle Dockery played her she just seemed to have resting bitchface even when she was smiling.  The actress who played Sybil is just flat out gorgeous -- hands down.  Now if she'd been cast as Mary I could buy the Helen of Troy bit.  She was also a lot more animated as an actress.  Rose comes in a close second.  And I think Edith was easily as pretty as they tried to make Mary out to be.

Edited July 16, 2017 by DearEvette

[kassygreene]

I always thought Edith was at her best when she was away from Downton.  The early meetings with Michael Gregson for example, where she was confident, exquisitely dressed, and ruefully self-deprecating.

She also in the end got the best social status, so I guess Fellowes (the snob) did like her after all.

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Downton Abbey UO: I never thought Edith was the knuckle-dragging troglodyte everyone made her out to be; similarly, while Mary was nice-looking, the idea that she was this Jazz Age Helen of Troy when Sybil (sniff) and Rose were around is utterly ridiculous. I may have been able to buy it more if Mary had a more charismatic and attractive personality, but I found her immensely dour, dull, and unpleasant.

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

Exactly.  Heck I even like it.  But It was a soap that was dressed up in period costumes, nice sets and British accents.  But at the end of the day the storytelling was pure tv soap.  It was fun to watch but the praise it garnered felt out of proportion to what it was.  Especially whenever tv award time came around and other tv soapy dramas that are arguably as well acted  get derided for being soaps. Also, my other UO about this show s that Michelle Dockery was a veritable block of wood and so her emmy noms always annoyed me as well.  Even though I liked the show I hated that she was the heroine because I was puzzled by all the men falling all over her.

 

I liked and then loathed the character of Livinia Swire because I thought she was going to be a mirror for Mary to examine her smug snobbery and coldness. Unfortunately, Livinia was only a detour on the road to Mary and Matthew. Livinia was also written like a fairytale princess and more nobly than a dead Disney cartoon parent. Of course she would use her dying breath to give her blessing to Mary and Matthew and save the Crowleys/Grantham house from financial ruin. It was only in the final season that Fellowes decided to have other characters treat Mary like the awful human being that she was. It's so clear that Fellowes thought that being condescending like Mary was completely acceptable.

[memememe76]

What other recent network family dramas have been overlooked? I am assuming shows like Parenthood and Brothers and Sisters. Except for the first season B&S, fans were extremely critical of those shows. Especially Parenthood. Not sure where the sudden acclaim is coming from. 

Even if This is Us just wants viewers to sob, which I disagree, I don't see the problem. Some shows just want viewers to laugh. Or be scared. Or be adrenalized. Or turned on. I don't see why the crying scenario is cause for such derision. 

Well, I do know. Crying is seen as weak, feminine. Gawd forbid viewers act like women.

I don't cry after every episode, but when I do, I don't feel ashamed for being so poorly manipulated. 

[kiddo82]

I don't watch This Is Us but I'm happy to see a broadcast network drama muscle itself in against the streaming and pay cable dramas.*

*Funny how not too long ago it was the other way around.

Edited July 18, 2017 by kiddo82

[Lugal]

On 7/16/2017 at 10:13 AM, 2727 said:

My problem with This Is Us is that there have been much better family dramas over the years and none of them got anywhere near the recognition and acclaim that this soapy thing has.

I enjoyed the show enough, but I personally think it's getting all the acclaim because it's not a police procedural, which is seemingly all that's on the air these days.  If there were other family dramas on the networks, it may not have gotten the notice.

[Jaded]

I don't know how unpopular this is. I can't remember if a recent convo about Rob Lowe was in this thread or not. I hope his stupid new reality show with his kids on A&E crashes and burns.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Jaded

[Chaos Theory]

10 hours ago, Lugal said:

I enjoyed the show enough, but I personally think it's getting all the acclaim because it's not a police procedural, which is seemingly all that's on the air these days.  If there were other family dramas on the networks, it may not have gotten the notice.

It's not bad and I did enjoy the first few episodes.  The actors on it can actually act.  The problem I have is that every episode...every episode is a big emotional circle jerk.  After the fourth episode I got annoyed and dropped the show.  

[Giselle]

I hate super heros. I hate their shows and movies even more.

The only one I can tolerate is Deadpool. Him I like because of the sarcasm that's it.

[topanga]

On 7/16/2017 at 9:48 PM, memememe76 said:

 

What other recent network family dramas have been overlooked? I am assuming shows like Parenthood and Brothers and Sisters. Except for the first season B&S, fans were extremely critical of those shows. Especially Parenthood. Not sure where the sudden acclaim is coming from. 

 

I don't think the shows are all that similar. Maybe This Is Us has some similarities to Parenthood, but I didn't like either Parenthood or B & S. Characters on the last two shows could be very smug and self-righteous. 

This Is Us can be overly sentimental at times, but I don't care.  I like the complexity of the characters and their personal struggles. And I enjoy the diversity of the main cast. 

[Blergh]

Since it's been some days since it became public, it's not 'news' anymore. Nonetheless, I feel I need to comment about Mr. Whitmire's firing from his longtime role as Kermit the Frog.

 

 Yes, I know he was mentored by the late Mr. Henson himself and I praise him for wanting to safeguard's Kermit's legacy.

 

 However; the cold reality is that the late Jim Henson literally created Kermit from cloth himself and as the owner, author, executive producer, etc., the late Mr. Henson had had FULL control over what Kermit's fate was to be until the day he died. After Mr. Henson died, Mr. Whitmire was hired to take over (and, IMO, did an admirable job)  but he NEVER had the complete, unfettered control or even autonomy Kermit's creator had had and with more and more outside interests gaining control over The Muppets in general, he would have less and less control over Kermit's actions. I suppose Mr. Whitmire just wasn't able to learn to accept those grim facts much less that as time progresses whoever voices Kermit will themselves be reduced to being a virtual puppet themselves by the owners. I feel very sorry for Mr. Whitmire but, perhaps its selfish of me to want to perpetuate one of my childhood icon's lifespans to eternity but I DO hope Kermit goes on even after Mr. Whitmire's departure. I only hope that Mr. Whitmire's successors are aware of their eventual puppethood and don't become too bitter.

[slf]

Daryl on The Walking Dead is the core member the show could stand to kill. He hasn't had any major growth as a character since season three (I stopped watching when they killed Glenn so maybe they've finally done something with Daryl but I doubt it). He underwent a major aesthetic and personality makeover during season two which was weird but I accepted it because it was interesting and tv is never worse for having fewer mouthy racists. But I feel like 40% of the character's appeal is the aesthetic (boots, vest with wings, crossbow, motorcycle, hipster haircut back when he was still getting one, etc) and 40% of it is Reedus' posturing. The other 20% is when Daryl does something badass (or stupid but 'cool' like the rocket launcher thing). Also, given that shows like TWD like to pat themselves on the back for being edgy enough to kill ANYONE I think killing off Daryl would actually be shocking. White male characters who are major fan favorites almost never die unless it's like the last season (or very last episode).

[ganesh]

I like Daryl, but I take your point. I think without the ZA he would have been just some 'down home boy' and would have been whatever had life gone on. I like that he's become something more than that because of the ZA. However, the show really was cowardice in not really putting forth very clearly how Daryl is directly responsible for Glenn's death. It's entirely on him. If he was going to die, he should have then, instead of Glenn. At this point though, the show is basically a farce, and all of the "badass" characters, men or women, are the ones that are going to survive. Anyone that stays off alpha, will die. It's ridiculous in a way because TPTBs have created a universe to ask what it really means to be human, but have answered the question with the same answer for 7 years now. There's no grounding in reality anymore. 

[ABay]

Every now and then, usually in times of stress, I fall madly, passionately, deeply in love with a TV character. And here are my unpopular opinions:

1. Fantasy is vastly superior to reality. Always. 

2. I love the character, not the actor. I will track down everything the actor has been in and view those performances through the lens of my current beloved, expanding the repertoire of expressions, outfits, situations, etc. However, I don't want to know *anything* about the actor. Reality sucks and I don't want it rubbing itself all over my fantasy.

3. Although I will bore one or two friends who are familiar with the character with my giddiness, I really don't want to engage with other fans. That's my toy. Mine mine mine mine mine. 

Edited August 10, 2017 by ABay

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, ABay said:

However, I don't want to know *anything* about the actor. Reality sucks and I don't it rubbing itself all over my fantasy.

I totally agree.  Unless an actor is a murderer or a rapist (In which case, I'll want to boycott), I don't really need to know anyting about actors and I don't care.  If I hear they're "jerks" to people they work with, well, that's a personal problem that the people they work with need to deal with.

[Anela]

This thread is leaving me wanting to watch both Parenthood, and Brothers and Sisters, again. I started out 2014 with Parenthood - my first Netflix binge-watch - and ended the year with a perfectly timed binge of B&S. 

[HunterHunted]

On 7/16/2017 at 8:48 AM, CaffeinatedAunt79 said:

While I am lurking here, wanted to get this Unpopular Opinion off my chest!  I have no interest in Game of Thrones, never watched it, don't know what it is about or any of the characters.  Maybe it is just me because I know nothing about it but the hype and hysteria for this show seems to be a bit over the top, especially on social media.

Game of Thrones is inspired by the historical English War of the Roses. The Starks are a stand in for the Yorks. The Lannisters are meant to represent the Lancasters. The Plantagenets are roughly the Targaryens. It's about a power vacuum in this fictional world that causes various noble houses to vie for the crown.

The show is part historical epic crossed with soapy political thriller crossed with pointlessly twisty Lost like fantasy. I make the comparison to Lost because GoT has also inspired a ton of theorizing and speculation by the fans about who will end up on the throne and fulfill various prophecies. I watch the show and like it, but it's far from perfect.

I found the first season sort of a slog to get through because it was scene after scene of white dudes with dark hair and beard and I couldn't tell them apart. It's got problems with sex and gender. Some of them are built into the books and the show because the series does document the progression of female empowerment in the GoT world. The show runners have not been adept at adapting those elements on the show. The show has 9 more episodes left. Part of the reason that the hype and hysteria are over the top is that the series is ending and the more fantastical elements have moved to the forefront. Part of the reason the show continues to win awards is because the cast is huge. It usually has at least one episode a season that features a massive battle with tons of extras. It has large FX costs and it usually films in multiple countries and continents. It's not the best show on TV, but it's one of the hardest to produce.

[kiddo82]

Not sure where else to put this.  And I have a feeling this won't be that unpopular but Disney wants to create its own streaming service.

 

I hope it crashes and burns.

 

I get it and it makes perfect business sense if you're Disney.  Why license your content when you can cut out the middle man and keep it all for yourself?  And it's not like there's such an extensive glut of Disney content on the current streaming platforms anyway.  But if Disney does it then Universal, Fox, Warner Bros, Sony et al will follow.  And it's all about the exclusive content these days.  CBS is already dipping its toe in the water.  I agree with the article that we don't need to go back to the days of three networks but at the same time who needs 18 different subscription services?  And, like the article says, what if Disney fractures the fracture?  A separate service each for Marvel, for Star Wars, for animation, for Pixar, etc? I myself have three subscriptions and it's probably (definitely) two too many.  (In my defense with the amount I buy from Amazon, the prime account pays for itself so that one shouldn't really count.)

Edited August 11, 2017 by kiddo82