Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Tanichka]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

Doctor Who is just fine. I'm not one to tell people not to watch a show if they don't like it, but with all this incessant griping, how about just going somewhere else to stew in your juices? 

Isn’t this the place to stew?  ?

[ganesh]

My point was in the main discussion thread about show episodes, dominating the discussion by griping about identity politics can be done elsewhere so people can actually talk about the show itself. 

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

Doctor Who is just fine. I'm not one to tell people not to watch a show if they don't like it, but with all this incessant griping, how about just going somewhere else to stew in your juices? 

Some of us just stopped watching.  It was a hell of a lot easier.  Me, I didn't want a female Doctor, but could've been okay with it had they cast a better actress.  I seriously dislike Jodie Whitaker as an actress, so last year's Christmas special was it for me, after watching since the early 80s.

But I don't spend my time in the Doctor Who forums griping about it.

[ganesh]

She's doing as good as anyone in the role. 

[Anela]

I haven't been a fan of Doctor Who for years. I thought it was a bit silly (but I watch other shows that people would consider stupid, I know my Dad does). Knowing that they finally chose a woman, has me interested in watching at some point. All this time, from before I was born, the Doctor has transitioned into men of various ages and looks. 

[ganesh]

A "bit silly"? By any objective account, the show is positively ludicrous. That's my point - nitpicking it just misses what the show is about. 

[Anela]

8 hours ago, ganesh said:

A "bit silly"? By any objective account, the show is positively ludicrous. That's my point - nitpicking it just misses what the show is about. 

That's why I don't bother. I've never been to the forum. And yes, "a bit silly". I didn't want to offend people who like it. Nothing wrong with that. It isn't the worst show I've ever seen.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Anela

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

That's why I don't bother. I've never been to the forum. And yes, "a bit silly". I didn't want to offend people who like it. Nothing wrong with that. It isn't the worst show I've ever seen.

 That's where 'to each one's own' comes in very handy! Oh, and that's one reason I've never bothered with any kind of Star Wars cartoons. 

[ganesh]

Yes to each his own, but my point was that the griping is dominating the episode threads over actually taking about the show, so by definition, I'm the UO for wanting to just talk about the show and suggesting that those people who want to gripe should have a separate thread for that. It is irrelevant as to whom here doesn't watch the show or why they don't. It's a UO about the dominating tone of the discussion threads regarding viewers of the show. I didn't think discussing a TV show in the place where one does actually is in fact unpopular. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by ganesh

[ChromaKelly]

3 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Yes to each his own, but my point was that the griping is dominating the episode threads over actually taking about the show, so by definition, I'm the UO for wanting to just talk about the show and suggesting that those people who want to gripe should have a separate thread for that. It is irrelevant as to whom here doesn't watch the show or why they don't. It's a UO about the dominating tone of the discussion threads regarding viewers of the show. I didn't think discussing a TV show in the place where one does actually is in fact unpopular. 

Obsessive nitpicking and griping has driven me away from a few forums of shows I regularly watch. 

[Katy M]

28 minutes ago, ChromaKelly said:

Obsessive nitpicking and griping has driven me away from a few forums of shows I regularly watch. 

A little nitpickign is fun.  Hating everything about a show, not so much. 

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, ganesh said:

She's doing as good as anyone in the role. 

I've heard varying opinions on her performance from friends who still watch, one of whom thinks she's trying way too hard.  But to each, their own.

I get your original issue though.  That's how I felt about the Sleepy Hollow episode forums.  There should be a complaint thread for specific shows if the general complaints start to overwhelm any discussion of specific episodes.

Okay, based on what I've read on the MOM threads, this is unpopular:

I like Adam.  I don't think he takes anything away from the other characters, and I find his interaction with Christy makes her character tolerable.

[Tanichka]

Isn’t this unpopular opinions?  Nitpicking is the whole point!  Doesn’t bother me in the least if people don’t like my favourites.  ?

[proserpina65]

6 minutes ago, Tanichka said:

Isn’t this unpopular opinions?  Nitpicking is the whole point!  Doesn’t bother me in the least if people don’t like my favourites.  ?

ganesh isn't talking about this thread.  She (he?) is talking about the episode threads for Doctor Who, where people are supposed to be posting about the specific episodes, not just talking in general terms.

[Tanichka]

15 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

ganesh isn't talking about this thread.  She (he?) is talking about the episode threads for Doctor Who, where people are supposed to be posting about the specific episodes, not just talking in general terms.

Oh ..... oops.  Excuse me!  Guilty of lack of reading comprehension!  

[proserpina65]

11 minutes ago, Tanichka said:

Oh ..... oops.  Excuse me!  Guilty of lack of reading comprehension!  

No problem.  Happens to all of us sometimes.

[Llywela]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

Yes to each his own, but my point was that the griping is dominating the episode threads over actually taking about the show, so by definition, I'm the UO for wanting to just talk about the show and suggesting that those people who want to gripe should have a separate thread for that. It is irrelevant as to whom here doesn't watch the show or why they don't. It's a UO about the dominating tone of the discussion threads regarding viewers of the show. I didn't think discussing a TV show in the place where one does actually is in fact unpopular. 

Interesting, because I've been in those episode threads every week so far this season, and the bulk of the discussion has been about the episode content and general flow of the season, rather than the kind of nitpicky griping you're describing here. There was a bit of sidetracking on a relatively minor issue this week, but on the whole...people have been giving their opinions on the episodes and the state of the show in general, which is what the threads are for. There has been a lot less 'incessant griping', as you've put it, this season than in previous years - other shows I've been watching this year have seen far more of that kind of thing in their sub-forums than Doctor Who is at present.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Okay, based on what I've read on the MOM threads, this is unpopular:

I like Adam.  I don't think he takes anything away from the other characters, and I find his interaction with Christy makes her character tolerable.

Same here, and that surprises me, because I usually find romantic relationships the worst part of a show, and find most boyfriend characters annoying distractions I can't wait to see go.  But Adam doesn't detract from the group; he plays well with Bonnie and Christy, so I don't mind having him around at home, and I loved him with Marjorie (in one of Victor's track suits) last week, so I don't even mind him occasionally being with the group.

[Anela]

49 minutes ago, Tanichka said:

Isn’t this unpopular opinions?  Nitpicking is the whole point!  Doesn’t bother me in the least if people don’t like my favourites.  ?

I still am not keen on offending. You can't totally avoid it, but I don't like to do it. 

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

 That's where 'to each one's own' comes in very handy! Oh, and that's one reason I've never bothered with any kind of Star Wars cartoons. 

I didn't know there were any cartoons. I've seen a few of the movies, but don't know everyone in them. They were an escape on New Year's Eve, when I didn't want to be at home, after losing my mother. I did love the first movie, when I was a kid.

The talk of griping overtaking forums: I've thought about that before, and thought about not talking at all, if I didn't like something. I join in on TWD forum, but there are people who still love the show. 

[Miss Dee]

I love the Arrowverse shows, but you're right that Legends is the only one who does what it sets out to do consistently well. (I'm guessing that's an UO judging from the ratings, although its online fanbase is passionately in love with it for the most part.)

I think Black Lightning is probably better than Legends in quality, though, even though I don't like it quite as much. It is serious with funny moments, has great characterization and semi-sensible plotting, and tackles the reality of being black in a white world in a very real way despite the superhero trappings. I think anyone who liked Luke Cage for the latter would enjoy BL.

[Drogo]

This forum is for unpopular opinions about TV shows, not a place to talk trash about fans/other posters on PTV. Let's watch that. 

[festivus]

5 hours ago, Miss Dee said:

I think Black Lightning is probably better than Legends in quality, though, even though I don't like it quite as much. It is serious with funny moments, has great characterization and semi-sensible plotting, and tackles the reality of being black in a white world in a very real way despite the superhero trappings. I think anyone who liked Luke Cage for the latter would enjoy BL.

I might try it then. It just bothers me that CW's superhero shows start out pretty good and then they kinda go to hell. Exception is LoT which just gets better. Bad things happen on that show but it doesn't turn into a whiny angst-fest. The show can be silly and it knows it and embraces it.

[Wiendish Fitch]

10 minutes ago, festivus said:

I might try it then. It just bothers me that CW's superhero shows start out pretty good and then they kinda go to hell. Exception is LoT which just gets better. Bad things happen on that show but it doesn't turn into a whiny angst-fest. The show can be silly and it knows it and embraces it.

My issue with the Arrowverse is that the heroes so damned useless. Barry Allen/Flash is the worst example; he never saves the day on his own, never comes up with any ideas on how to save the day, and is in fact an appalling screw-up. Cisco and Caitlyn are the real heroes, not Barry and his mommy issues!

And poor Supergirl gets lamer and weaker with each passing season (she has heat vision and cold breath, but that's apparently nothing compared to Mon-El's mad cape skills). For such an alleged super-powered badass, she sure gets her cute little rear handed to her a good deal of the time (or falls into a coma).

Let me be clear: I'm not saying superheroes always have to save the day, but that doesn't mean they should never save the day. I think Batman: The Animated Series is the gold standard for superhero* shows. Batman saved the day, oh, 98% of the time, and when he failed, it was due to human error rather than sheer stupidity, and he only occasionally needed to be rescued. He also didn't need a dozen people holding his hand and telling him what to do every step of the way. 

 

*I'm using the term generically here, since Batman doesn't have superpowers. 

[Blergh]

Thanks for bringing up Batman, Wiendish! 

 

 Is it an UO to not only miss the classic (and yes campy) 60's show of that name but miss the days when superheroes actually had senses of humor about themselves and the shows depicting them were FUN?

[Wiendish Fitch]

17 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Thanks for bringing up Batman, Wiendish! 

 

 Is it an UO to not only miss the classic (and yes campy) 60's show of that name but miss the days when superheroes actually had senses of humor about themselves and the shows depicting them were FUN?

As someone who is sick to her eyeteeth of "dark and gritty", I certainly won't dispute you. 

Let's give Adam West's Batman his due: at least he cared about others, unlike the Batman as envisioned by, say, Zack Snyder (why does this man have a job?).

[Blergh]

Yeah, and despite the fact that on TV, both sets Batman and Robin's parents were dead and they had Robin's widowed Aunt Harriet living with them in Wayne Manor, none of them ever dwelled upon their dead relatives but just made the most of the loopy family they'd made for themselves (even though they kept Aunt Harriet in the dark re their secret ID's). I guess though it's an UO to prefer watching folks make the most of the lives they have now as opposed to folks forever angsting over their losses. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

 I guess though it's an UO to prefer watching folks make the most of the lives they have now as opposed to folks forever angsting over their losses. 

If I never see another white male TV character pissing, moaning, and navel-gazing over his idiotic man-pain, it'll be too soon. God, I miss non-whiny fictional characters.

Moving along, I don't think the original cast of SNL, great as most of them were, was the end-all and be-all of SNL casts. I think there were plenty over the years that were not only just as good, but better. 

Edited November 9, 2018 by Wiendish Fitch

[ganesh]

32 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

If I never see another white male TV character pissing, moaning, and navel-gazing over his idiotic man-pain, it'll be too soon.

This was known as dainty manpain on Penny Dreadful. 

[Miss Dee]

Hey, if y'all are sick of dark and gritty superhero TV shows: ya gotta watch Legends. I never leave an episode without tears streaming down my face from cry-laughing. It is a big blue shining light in a dark and gritty and so often hopeless world.

(Um, except for the first season. We don't talk about the first season.)

[MissAlmond]

On Law and Order, I preferred Ben Stone over Jack McCoy and didn't really like Claire Kincaid but loved Jamie Ross.  

Edited November 11, 2018 by MissAlmond

[tribeca]

JMHO people from all walks of life can have problems.   It can be interesting stories in how they deal with them.  

[bmasters9]

It has been said popularly that Karl Malden's Mike Stone character was like a father figure to Michael Douglas' Steve Keller character on The Streets of San Francisco.

Well, lately, I have seen those two lead characters on that 1972-77 ABC police/detective series as being more like brothers (Stone, with his 20+ years on the San Francisco Police Department, being the big brother to little brother Keller), one brother passing on his wisdom and experience down to the other (and I think that also counted with Richard Hatch's Dan Robbins character in the last season). Also, I think little brothers Keller and Robbins had some wisdom at times that they passed along to big brother Stone.

Edited November 16, 2018 by bmasters9

[lucindabelle]

I'm guessing this is NOT an unpopular opinion, but I am sick of shows being leeched of color to let us know it's Serious. Looking at you, Man in the High Castle. And most Le Carre adaptations.

 

The real world is full of color.

If you want to do black and white, do black and white, not this weird pseudo color thing.

[proserpina65]

On ‎11‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 4:06 PM, MissAlmond said:

On Law and Order, I preferred Ben Stone over Jack McCoy and didn't really like Claire Kincaid but loved Jamie Ross.  

I didn't like Claire or Jamie, but I loved Ben Stone.

[jhlipton]

On 11/9/2018 at 11:15 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I don't think the original cast of SNL, great as most of them were, was the end-all and be-all of SNL casts. I think there were plenty over the years that were not only just as good, but better. 

I think the Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Phil Hartman years were miles ahead of the original.  

On 11/9/2018 at 5:59 PM, Miss Dee said:

Hey, if y'all are sick of dark and gritty superhero TV shows: ya gotta watch Legends. I never leave an episode without tears streaming down my face from cry-laughing. It is a big blue shining light in a dark and gritty and so often hopeless world.

Hail Beebo!

[callie lee 29]

On 11/11/2018 at 4:06 PM, MissAlmond said:

On Law and Order, I preferred Ben Stone over Jack McCoy and didn't really like Claire Kincaid but loved Jamie Ross.  

I like Stone so much better than McCoy, in fact the early years were the best, and some of the hardest to find of the L&O world. It's astonishing to look at SVU no and the Stone/Robinette days of the mothership and think their in the same universe. I likes Claire okay, especially with Stone, but I don't think she holds up compared to the AADA's that came after her. Jamie always seemed like what Claire tried to be but kept missing the mark. I also couldn't stand her baggy-ass suits, but I think I already griped about that. I probably hold the distinctly unpopular opinions that probably my favorite DA was Branch an I liked Rey Curtis.

[CoderLady]

7 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

I'm guessing this is NOT an unpopular opinion, but I am sick of shows being leeched of color to let us know it's Serious. Looking at you, Man in the High Castle. And most Le Carre adaptations.

 

The real world is full of color.

If you want to do black and white, do black and white, not this weird pseudo color thing.

I'm with you 100%. I am sick of that damn blue-gray filter used for every outdoor scene on "gritty" dramas no matter what the weather actually is which makes everything look like there's an impending blizzard. Ugh.

[theredhead77]

15 hours ago, CoderLady said:

I'm with you 100%. I am sick of that damn blue-gray filter used for every outdoor scene on "gritty" dramas no matter what the weather actually is which makes everything look like there's an impending blizzard. Ugh.

On a similar front I don't care if the weather in an episode is exactly perfect for the time of year the episode takes place Sure, something jarring like people wearing shorts and flip flops during an episode that is supposed to take place in January in New York would throw me off (unless the story line is "freak summer hits NYC in January) but otherwise I don't care that there 'should be' snow on the ground, or no leaves on the trees, etc...

[Katy M]

41 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

On a similar front I don't care if the weather in an episode is exactly perfect for the time of year the episode takes place Sure, something jarring like people wearing shorts and flip flops during an episode that is supposed to take place in January in New York would throw me off (unless the story line is "freak summer hits NYC in January) but otherwise I don't care that there 'should be' snow on the ground, or no leaves on the trees, etc...

The only time I care is if it's a Christmas movie or episode.  Actually, realistically, there are lots of times IRL where there is no snow at Christmas, but not on my TV!!!!:)

[izabella]

I don't care if medical or law shows get everything right or not.  I'm watching a tv show, not a documentary or training film.

I also don't care if Toronto is passing for NY, or if they get street names wrong, or someone's accent isn't perfect.  It's great if it is perfect, but it takes nothing away from the story for me if it isn't.

Edited November 14, 2018 by izabella

[2727]

4 hours ago, izabella said:

I'm watching a tv show, not a documentary or training film.

There is nothing too minor (hairstyle, lunchbox, video game, sibling behavior, seat belts, etc.) that online posters cannot turn into a didactic, multi-page anecdotal debate of how that thing differed in their lives. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by 2727

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

On a similar front I don't care if the weather in an episode is exactly perfect for the time of year the episode takes place Sure, something jarring like people wearing shorts and flip flops during an episode that is supposed to take place in January in New York would throw me off (unless the story line is "freak summer hits NYC in January) but otherwise I don't care that there 'should be' snow on the ground, or no leaves on the trees, etc...

I thoroughly enjoyed one scene in General Hospital that took place outdoors.  GH films in Los Angeles, but the show is set in upstate New York.  They actually brought in snow to decorate their outdoors winter scene.

[ParadoxLost]

On 11/9/2018 at 11:51 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

My issue with the Arrowverse is that the heroes so damned useless. Barry Allen/Flash is the worst example; he never saves the day on his own, never comes up with any ideas on how to save the day, and is in fact an appalling screw-up. Cisco and Caitlyn are the real heroes, not Barry and his mommy issues!

And poor Supergirl gets lamer and weaker with each passing season (she has heat vision and cold breath, but that's apparently nothing compared to Mon-El's mad cape skills). For such an alleged super-powered badass, she sure gets her cute little rear handed to her a good deal of the time (or falls into a coma).

Its not just Arrowverse. Buffy was like this too but probably not the first.  Shows start with loners with power.  Then they build a friend group.  Then the become a crime fighting team.  Then everyone gets a power but one token 'normal'.  At this point you no longer know why the lead with powers is necessary.

On 11/13/2018 at 2:32 PM, lucindabelle said:

I'm guessing this is NOT an unpopular opinion, but I am sick of shows being leeched of color to let us know it's Serious. Looking at you, Man in the High Castle.

Man in High Castle is so irritating in this way.  After I stopped trying to figure out whether my TV was busted I spent half the season trying to figure out the logic in how they were doing that leeching of color.  It doesn't seem to indicate seriousness. It seems to be character related.  The presence of certain characters in predominately Nazi scenes seems to bring some color.  I assume that means they are potentially important.

[Gemsteel]

I don't care that Brian Williams got caught telling a war story about his time being shelled. I'm sorry, I just don't. 

I hated Sailor Moon Crystal, but part of me feels that if Toei had simply done a sequel series, Crystal wouldn't have been as maligned and more importantly around and relevant. There's more than enough time between Sailor Moon/Stars and coming on Neo Tokyo/Neo Queen Serenity for such stories to exist. I hate how writers in Japan tend to gloss over young adult characters in favor of character being strictly teens or adults. 

[HunterHunted]

25 minutes ago, Gemsteel said:

I don't care that Brian Williams got caught telling a war story about his time being shelled. I'm sorry, I just don't. 

I don't think most people had a problem with Brian Williams recounting his experiences. People had an issue with him LYING about his experiences and trying to act like he's this unassailable bastion of truth when there was much evidence that none of what he said had ever happened. The single best thing about Williams' lies is that they were so limited in scope as opposed to those of another famous fabulist, Chris Kyle. Kyle's lies actually defamed Jesse Ventura and further stoked partisan division and racism. So yeah, in a certain sense Brian Williams' lies were fairly innocuous. However, Williams' lies helped to further erode public trust in journalists, which has led us to our current predicament.

[proserpina65]

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 3:41 PM, izabella said:

I don't care if medical or law shows get everything right or not.  I'm watching a tv show, not a documentary or training film.

I also don't care if Toronto is passing for NY, or if they get street names wrong, or someone's accent isn't perfect.  It's great if it is perfect, but it takes nothing away from the story for me if it isn't.

I don't mind so much if they get some small details wrong, but the big stuff?  Oh yeah, that's gonna get criticized until the cows come home.

[tribeca]

I always find some criticism funny.  Like the show forever where he would die and keep coming back to life.  He would come back to his next life naked.    People would rant about where did his clothes go?   

My UO.  Some little things wrong if it moves the plot along are ok.  

[proserpina65]

3 hours ago, tribeca said:

I always find some criticism funny.  Like the show forever where he would die and keep coming back to life.  He would come back to his next life naked.    People would rant about where did his clothes go?   

My UO.  Some little things wrong if it moves the plot along are ok.  

I really miss that show.

[Jaded]

I still miss Forever too.

[topanga]

7 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I really miss that show.

 

6 hours ago, Jaded said:

I still miss Forever too.

*sigh* I hate that unique and interesting shows like Forever or Pitch often don’t have a chance to find their footing and build an audience. *sigh* again.