Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Annber03]

9 hours ago, Ubiquit0us said:

I recently read  an article on Just Shoot Me that made me want to revisit the show.

https://25yearslatersite.com/2020/06/11/remembering-the-second-season-of-just-shoot-me/

This makes me want to rewatch the show again, too. Fun read! 

[FormerMod-a1]

My UPO on Just Shoot Me is I hate the "slow Donnie" episodes.  HAAAAATE!

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, Ubiquit0us said:

I don't know if Xena was more feminist than Buffy, but my UO is that Xena and Gabrielle were close friends, not lesbian lovers. Yeah, yeah, "it's all subtext!", but sometimes a cigar really is a cigar.

That was how I viewed it too, but then I was mostly just watching for Hades, Hot God of the Underworld anyway.

11 hours ago, Ubiquit0us said:

On ‎06‎/‎21‎/‎2020 at 6:17 PM, meep.meep said:

But mostly it was the stupid robot dog.  And the adorable moppet.

Although it was progressive - they had two black guys!  Tighe and Boomer.

Ugh, that stupid robot dog and little boy! 

I always remember this line from Mad Magazine's spoof (page 5, first panel):

https://images.app.goo.gl/Sc1fx3dyv5Hiqmmn7

Quote

You're so precious, Barfy! Every week, you say some innocent, endearing thing that makes me long for the ultimate destruction of all life on this ship!

Yeah, Muffy and Boxey could've been shoved out a airlock and that would've improved the show 100%.  And yet, I rewatched every episode when METV ran it, even the really awful ones, because of Dirk Benedict and Herbert Jefferson.

Okay, so here's a real UO: I hate that they made the Doctor a woman on Doctor Who, especially since they cast Jodie Whittaker.  With a different actress, I probably would've come around in time, but I cannot stand her as an actress, so the last Peter Capaldi episode was my last, after watching since the early 80s.

[Bort]

14 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

That was how I viewed it too, but then I was mostly just watching for Hades, Hot God of the Underworld anyway.

Ares for me. Ridiculously hot. 

[festivus]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Okay, so here's a real UO: I hate that they made the Doctor a woman on Doctor Who, especially since they cast Jodie Whittaker.  With a different actress, I probably would've come around in time, but I cannot stand her as an actress, so the last Peter Capaldi episode was my last, after watching since the early 80s.

I really wanted Olivia Colman. Jodie was fine but I had to quit watching because I hate Chris Chibnall. He's a shit writer and I think he sucks as a showrunner.

I still watched though because I'm like yay! diverse companions but here's my UO: They were so boring. Except the old white guy. I don't care about whether they get a new doctor or not but I'm not watching again until there's a new showrunner.

[kathyk24]

8 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

That was how I viewed it too, but then I was mostly just watching for Hades, Hot God of the Underworld anyway.

Yeah, Muffy and Boxey could've been shoved out a airlock and that would've improved the show 100%.  And yet, I rewatched every episode when METV ran it, even the really awful ones, because of Dirk Benedict and Herbert Jefferson.

Okay, so here's a real UO: I hate that they made the Doctor a woman on Doctor Who, especially since they cast Jodie Whittaker.  With a different actress, I probably would've come around in time, but I cannot stand her as an actress, so the last Peter Capaldi episode was my last, after watching since the early 80s.

I think the original Battlestar Galactica  had a kid character because it was on at a family friendly hour. There was pressure on the networks to air shows that everyone could watch before nine o'clock

[Blergh]

One odd footnote of the original Battlestar Galactica was that the child Boxey's mother was played by the then barely known but later famous Jane Seymour- yet she had almost no chemistry for her own onscreen child and the death of her first husband (Boxey's father) was treated with all the anguish of dropping one's last French fry on the floor before eating it.  The dog android Muffy was created because Boxey's original dog died in the same skirmish that had killed his father (who had been trying to protect Boxey himself in the process), yet Jane Seymour's character thought  ALL of Boxey's trauma had had to do with the loss of his dog rather than his father. Of course, Boxey's mother got courted then wed one of Adama's sons within days of her first husband's death before dying in another skirmish a very short time later so Boxey would be brought into the family fold that way! 

[Ubiquit0us]

On 7/16/2020 at 8:35 PM, supposebly said:

There was nothing clever about HIMYM. That frame about the kids became ridiculous after a while.

That's a UO? 😉 

I enjoyed the show and was TV literate enough to know it was a framing concept, but I lost interest before the end and knew the big reveal would never be satisfying.

 

On 8/2/2020 at 4:15 PM, Bastet said:

Oh, lords, the first season of Top Chef is horrible.  Season two is worse.  But I stuck with it for the potential and given the TV landscape at the time.  It took a while to shake off the reality show stench and establish itself as a proper cooking competition, after which it recruited a better and better caliber of chefs and judges to in fairly short order become the gold standard.  Even though the "cheftestants" do live together during filming, the footage from the house is minimal - mostly just little 30-second glimpses at the beginning of each episode to hint at the personal dynamics - as it's about the cooking.

It's one of the very few competition shows I watch other than Jeopardy! (I also watch Beat Bobby Flay and occasionally Chopped

I still find myself getting angry whenever I see someone from the 2nd season of Top Chef. I mean, seeing red angry. I pretty much lost interest after that mess and TPTB's attempts to cover it up.

I watched Beat Bobby Flay once and felt cheated after realizing no one was going to assault him. 😄 

 

On 8/18/2020 at 7:54 AM, BradyBunchFan said:

Two and a Half Men should've ended when either:

• Angus T. Jones got too old
• Charlie Sheen left the show

Agreed. 

[DoctorAtomic]

22 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Ares for me. Ridiculously hot. 

He was just a great character. You know it was going to be hijinks when he showed up. 

[Ubiquit0us]

 

On 8/20/2020 at 4:56 PM, proserpina65 said:

Okay, so here's a real UO: I hate that they made the Doctor a woman on Doctor Who, especially since they cast Jodie Whittaker.  With a different actress, I probably would've come around in time, but I cannot stand her as an actress, so the last Peter Capaldi episode was my last, after watching since the early 80s.

I had pretty much lost interest after Ten, but making a female doctor, along with the "wokeness" lecturing, reeked of pandering and killed any interest in watching that remained. 

[Mabinogia]

12 hours ago, Blergh said:

and the death of her first husband (Boxey's father) was treated with all the anguish of dropping one's last French fry on the floor before eating it. 

Ok, but in their defense, if I dropped my last McDonald's french fry on the floor I would be devastated., distraught, there would be towel wringing, there would be tears, there would be me eating it off the floor because that is about the worst thing that could happen! 

I actually love Jodie as the Doctor. I wasn't sure about her having seen Broadchurch and wanting to shove her character down a well but for me she has great energy as the Doctor and has brought a joy back to the character that has been missing for some time. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I watched series 3 of Broadchurch at the same time as Doctor Who. 

58 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I wasn't sure about her having seen Broadchurch

Yeah. She was trying. 

Doctor Who was jarring to start. 

[Ceindreadh]

On 8/21/2020 at 11:02 AM, Blergh said:

One odd footnote of the original Battlestar Galactica was that the child Boxey's mother was played by the then barely known but later famous Jane Seymour- yet she had almost no chemistry for her own onscreen child and the death of her first husband (Boxey's father) was treated with all the anguish of dropping one's last French fry on the floor before eating it.  The dog android Muffy was created because Boxey's original dog died in the same skirmish that had killed his father (who had been trying to protect Boxey himself in the process), yet Jane Seymour's character thought  ALL of Boxey's trauma had had to do with the loss of his dog rather than his father. Of course, Boxey's mother got courted then wed one of Adama's sons within days of her first husband's death before dying in another skirmish a very short time later so Boxey would be brought into the family fold that way! 

Was she actually his mother though?  I seem to remember (although my memory might be based on the novelizations) that Serina wasn't actually Boxey's mother, but that she found him on his own after the Cylon attack and helped get him a spot on the evacuation ships. 

[proserpina65]

On 8/21/2020 at 3:29 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

He was just a great character. You know it was going to be hijinks when he showed up. 

Eh, I didn't mind the character at first, but I got very tired of him very quickly.  Although the episode where he was stuck being a mortal was amusing.

5 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

Was she actually his mother though?  I seem to remember (although my memory might be based on the novelizations) that Serina wasn't actually Boxey's mother, but that she found him on his own after the Cylon attack and helped get him a spot on the evacuation ships. 

I think she was his mother on the show, but not in the novelization.  But yeah, there was no chemistry to that relationship at all.

 

On 8/21/2020 at 6:55 PM, Mabinogia said:

Ok, but in their defense, if I dropped my last McDonald's french fry on the floor I would be devastated., distraught, there would be towel wringing, there would be tears, there would be me eating it off the floor because that is about the worst thing that could happen! 

Me, too.

 

[methodwriter85]

I do not care that US Big Brother isn't played the same way it was five years ago, or feel that Derek L. forever "ruined" the game, or care that producer Alison Grodner rigs the show for her beloved bros, or care that people come on the show to "promote" themselves instead of coming to play like they supposedly did in the good ol' days of the game. I also don't feel gutpunched that Janelle and Kaysar's days are numbered in the game. While I love Janelle, I never really warmed up to Kaysar. I've also made peace with the idea of Nicole Franzel being dragged to the end because you'd be stupid not to do it. Nobody is voting for a previous winner. This is not Survivor, and Nicole Franzel is not Sandra. There, I said it.

Edited August 23, 2020 by methodwriter85

[Blergh]

OK, I looked it up and according to wiki, while Serina WAS Boxey's mother, evidently it claims  the fate of his bio dad was left  a mystery . However, I recall some father sacrificing himself for their family's safety against the Cylon attack! So I guess my Battlestar Galactica 1978 UO here is that my memory seems to have played tricks on me and given that family more of a backstory than it actually had! 

[VCRTracking]

I had no problem with Martin Short's appearance on Arrested Development. People seem to not like him here but other then a few roles I think he's great.

[Stats Queen]

16 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I had no problem with Martin Short's appearance on Arrested Development. People seem to not like him here but other then a few roles I think he's great.

I like Martin Short also.

[Picture It. Sicily]

On 8/25/2020 at 2:35 AM, VCRTracking said:

I had no problem with Martin Short's appearance on Arrested Development. People seem to not like him here but other then a few roles I think he's great.

I love Martin Short, actor and person.

[Crs97]

Is loving Martin Short an UO?  That makes me sad.  When Kathie Lee Gifford kept asking him about his dead wife, he handled himself with such grace.  And I usually think he is funny.

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Is loving Martin Short an UO?  That makes me sad.  When Kathie Lee Gifford kept asking him about his dead wife, he handled himself with such grace.  And I usually think he is funny.

I think loving Martin Short, the human being, isn't unpopular.  He all around seems like a great guy (2020--don't you think of bringing something up that will change my opinion of him!)

But Martin Short's comedic choices can irritate people, though.  I'll admit, he can be hit and miss for me when he's doing his schtick.  Loved him in Inner Space, The Three Amigos, Father of The Bride....etc.  I even love his vile celebrity interviewer character.  I think he's terrific on SNL. 

But there have been things, like his Arrested Development character, that just fall flat for me.  And I think not hating that character is an unpopular opinion and well played by @VCRTracking.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Wiendish Fitch]

I actually like Martin Short a lot, but I feel like he doesn't get enough vehicles that really, really showcase his talents. It feels like the poor guy gets a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.

[VCRTracking]

When Lorne Michaels returned to producing SNL he wanted Martin Short who was in the previous season under Dick Ebersol to stay but Short turned him down. He said in the SNL in the 80s that to be on SNL you had to be younger and more bright eyed. 

Here's another UO: Lorne Michael's method of running SNL works. Yes 95 percent of the average episode is at best meh, but you forget the bad sketches while that one great sketch you remember years later. Also even though a lot of people don't go on to great success outside the show there's an impressive amount of ones who do, writers and performers, who also retain their unique individual voice, from Michael O'Donnaghue to John Mulaney.

Edited August 26, 2020 by VCRTracking

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't remember Short on AD. 

 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I don't remember Short on AD. 

 

He played Uncle Jack and he was in one episode.  Here's a brief clip.

[funandfitpt]

UO I liked Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men. Didn’t really like Alan, but liked Walden. 

[SmithW6079]

On 8/20/2020 at 2:54 PM, aquarian1 said:

My UPO on Just Shoot Me is I hate the "slow Donnie" episodes.  HAAAAATE!

To be fair, there's only one "slow Donnie" episode, which I think is hilarious because he's such a sleaze who finally cracks because Jack drives him crazy. I sometimes say "Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot piiiiiie," but no one gets the reference. The other episodes where he appears he's just a con man.

I didn't know there were other "Just Shoot Me" fans. I have the first three seasons on DVD, but I've been binging the show on Hulu. The first three or four seasons are the best. I used to be sorry that Maya and Elliott didn't end up together, but in rewatching, I think they worked better as friends. The show was also better when Allie remained just the dingbat on the other end of the phone, not when she appeared in person later on.

[VCRTracking]

As a Star Wars fan I love the episodes of Just Shoot Me where Mark Hamill and George Lucas guest star.

UO: I like the Friends story arc of Joey being in love with Rachel. Let me be clear I do NOT think they should ever be a couple and them actually being together briefly was weird and wrong but I like Matt Leblanc's performance during that story. People complain about Joey being too dumb in the later seasons but he's not whenever he does those scenes. I like the conflict he has over loyalty of friendship to Ross and his growing feelings for Rachel. It's much more sympathetic to me now than Ross' pining in season 1. 

Edited August 28, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Zella]

2 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

To be fair, there's only one "slow Donnie" episode, which I think is hilarious because he's such a sleaze who finally cracks because Jack drives him crazy. I sometimes say "Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot piiiiiie," but no one gets the reference. The other episodes where he appears he's just a con man.

I didn't know there were other "Just Shoot Me" fans. I have the first three seasons on DVD, but I've been binging the show on Hulu. The first three or four seasons are the best. I used to be sorry that Maya and Elliott didn't end up together, but in rewatching, I think they worked better as friends. The show was also better when Allie remained just the dingbat on the other end of the phone, not when she appeared in person later on.

Yeah I didn't find the idea of Slow Donnie inherently that funny on its own, but watching Jack inadvertently break him in a way that Maya never could, no matter how hard she tried, will always be hilarious to me. 

I really liked Maya and Elliott as friends and they are one of the only TV couples I've ever rooted for them to get together. And then once they did, I was like, "Never mind, this doesn't work as well at all." 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Zella

[VCRTracking]

The first time when theyre alone Donnie drops the slow act and Maya's reaction made me laugh and much.

Another thing I liked about the Joey in love with Rachel thing was by that point had fans had become complacent regarding Ross/Rachel. They knew nothing was going to keep them from being endgame, not British girls, not Bruce Willis, nothing. She was having his baby for chissakes! So Joey suddenly having feelings had them shook. 

[Blergh]

18 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

 

Another thing I liked about the Joey in love with Rachel thing was by that point had fans had become complacent regarding Ross/Rachel. They knew nothing was going to keep them from being endgame, not British girls, not Bruce Willis, nothing. She was having his baby for chissakes! So Joey suddenly having feelings had them shook. 

And NONE of them were worth even a percentage of all that fan angst, IMUO!

Ironically, Mr. Willis wound up playing the closest character that one could say was vaguely likable among all the above mentioned!

[VCRTracking]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

And NONE of them were worth even a percentage of all that fan angst, IMUO!

Ironically, Mr. Willis wound up playing the closest character that one could say was vaguely likable among all the above mentioned!

I like the young assistant. I forgot his name but he was in the movie "Miracle". I wondered why Dermot Mulroney was so short lived? His character was on for just a few episodes and that plot never went anywhere.

[Katy M]

5 hours ago, Blergh said:

And NONE of them were worth even a percentage of all that fan angst, IMUO!

Ironically, Mr. Willis wound up playing the closest character that one could say was vaguely likable among all the above mentioned!

I didn't really think Paul was all that likeable.  I don't mind that he didn't want his 19-21 year old daughter dating Ross, but he came off kind of strong.  And that whole ridiculous crying episode really turned me off.

I did like Emily.  The groom says the wrong name at the wedding and somehow the bride becomes the bad guy in the whole thing.  OK, show.

[kiddo82]

Mona was my favorite love interest on Friends.  She seemed so sweet and normal.  Good for her for running away though.

[Katy M]

18 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Mona was my favorite love interest on Friends.  She seemed so sweet and normal.  Good for her for running away though.

I agree with Ross on Mona.  I judge her for not breaking up with him sooner.

[sistermagpie]

5 hours ago, Katy M said:

I did like Emily.  The groom says the wrong name at the wedding and somehow the bride becomes the bad guy in the whole thing.  OK, show.

As with Mona, her real mistake was just not walking away from her sooner. Like in that moment. She would have saved herself so much trouble instead of throwing good effort after bad. I seem to recall she barely missed Ross nearly going away on the honeymoon with Rachel instead of her? Would have been better for Emily if they'd gone since she'd just have dumped him then. (I will say that I love the scene where Rachel's father shows up to yell at Ross for the pregnancy while Mona is there, though. David Schwimmer's really good there.)

[Katy M]

49 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

(I will say that I love the scene where Rachel's father shows up to yell at Ross for the pregnancy while Mona is there, though. David Schwimmer's really good there.)

And that's when Mona should have dumped him.

[Crs97]

I liked Pete until he decided to be an ultimate fighter.

[kiddo82]

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

(I will say that I love the scene where Rachel's father shows up to yell at Ross for the pregnancy while Mona is there, though. David Schwimmer's really good there.)

That's one of my favorite Schwimmer scenes.  And then Joey leaves the message on the machine about the hooker Ross is just saying "No! No!" to everyone.

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I liked Pete until he decided to be an ultimate fighter.

It did give us that great appearance by James Hong as his trainer who used to be a hired assassi- I mean house painter!

My least favorite love interest was Michael Rappaort as the cop Phoebe dated. 

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I liked Pete until he decided to be an ultimate fighter.

It did give us that great appearance by James Hong as his trainer who used to be an assassi- I mean house painter!

My least favorite love interest was Michael Rappaport as the cop Phoebe dated. 

Edited August 30, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Katy M]

13 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

My least favorite love interest was Michael Rappaport as the cop Phoebe dated. 

I kind of liked him but he was ill-suited to Phoebe.  My least favorite, I think, was Kathy.

[VCRTracking]

5 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I kind of liked him but he was ill-suited to Phoebe.  My least favorite, I think, was Kathy.

Good thing she ended up with David!

[Stats Queen]

21 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

My least favorite love interest was Michael Rappaort as the cop Phoebe dated. 

Me too, not sure why but it really didn’t work.

[kiddo82]

21 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

My least favorite love interest was Michael Rappaort as the cop Phoebe dated. 

Completely unrelated to that plot but his first episode also gave us PIV-OT so I at least have a good association with his time on the show.  Even if he had nothing to do with it.

[Daisy]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:11 PM, Ubiquit0us said:

 

I had pretty much lost interest after Ten, but making a female doctor, along with the "wokeness" lecturing, reeked of pandering and killed any interest in watching that remained. 

The same. Ten was my doctor (and at the time - i was watching both New Who and Old Who, so i pretty much was enjoying every doctor) and then Matt Smith (as great as he was in season five) and the combination of River Song/Amy/CLARA just really drove me to not enjoy it as much, Peter Capaldi i've heard was really good and so i tried watching some of HIS episodes. But i hated Missy, I hated what missy ended up being, then they basically pushed the idea of the Doctor being a woman (and honestly, i think if it were just natural - like. okay you're watching 9 regenerate and then "Pop!" instead of David Tennant it's Olivia Coleman or whomever, and they didn't make it into this thing - then maybe it would have been more enjoyable. But they made into this THING and it didn't feel organic or natural, and the writing doesn't really reach me so ya know. peace out. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

I feel bad for not liking the current season of Doctor Who, because I love Jodie Whitaker and her performance as the 13th Doctor isn't bad, but I find that this Doctor is such an uninteresting nonentity compared to previous incarnations. I mean, really, who is she? I hated Twelve (which is a shame, because I like Peter Capaldi)... but at least that's because he had a personality! Mind you, it was a horrid personality, but still a personality!

I also realize the Doctor has had more than one companion at a time in the past... but even a casual DW viewer such as myself can tell there is a reason the Doctor typically only has one companion at a time: three is a friggin' crowd! It's too many! This isn't Star Trek, it was never meant to be an ensemble show!

And that's another thing, why is the show so dreary now? What I liked about the Eccleston and Tennant years was that there were definite stakes, and they sometimes explored grim plotlines, but it was still a fun, escapist show. The current season is so bleak and humorless, and has one of the ugliest color pallets on TV.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for the return of K-9...

Edited September 5, 2020 by Wiendish Fitch

[DoctorAtomic]

To be fair, Doctor Who was meant to be an ensemble show from One. I'll concede that their are legit criticisms to make of this particular ensemble. I do feel at times that Yas is just there. 

[Popples]

1 hour ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I feel bad for not liking the current season of Doctor Who, because I love Jodie Whitaker and her performance as the 13th Doctor isn't bad, but I find that this Doctor is such an uninteresting nonentity compared to previous incarnations. I mean, really, who is she? I hated Twelve (which is a shame, because I like Peter Capaldi)... but at least that's because he had a personality! Mind you, it was a horrid personality, but still a personality!

I also realize the Doctor has had more than one companion at a time in the past... but even a casual DW viewer such as myself can tell there is a reason the Doctor typically only has one companion at a time: three is a friggin' crowd! It's too many! This isn't Star Trek, it was never meant to be an ensemble show!

And that's another thing, why is the show so dreary now? What I liked about the Eccleston and Tennant years was that there were definite stakes, and they sometimes explored grim plotlines, but it was still a fun, escapist show. The current season is so bleak and humorless, and has one of the ugliest color pallets on TV.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for the return of K-9...

I pretty much agree with all of this, except I did like Peter Caplaldi's Doctor, more with Bill rather than Clara. Where are the fun and light-hearted episodes to balance out the heavy ones?

Also, even though a little bit of John Barrowman goes a long way with me, his appearance on last season was so meaningless. I kept waiting for him to show up in the finale. What was even the point of him?

I had high hopes for Chris Chibnall as the show-runner because the first season of Broadchurch is absolutely fantastic, but he can't seem to grasp the tone for Doctor Who.

[Wiendish Fitch]

41 minutes ago, Popples said:

I had high hopes for Chris Chibnall as the show-runner because the first season of Broadchurch is absolutely fantastic, but he can't seem to grasp the tone for Doctor Who.

Huh, that explains a lot of why the current season is damned gloomy.

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

To be fair, Doctor Who was meant to be an ensemble show from One. I'll concede that their are legit criticisms to make of this particular ensemble. I do feel at times that Yas is just there. 

Fair enough. Again, I'm merely a casual DW viewer. I maintain the Doctor doesn't need three companions. One is a companion, three is an entourage. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I meant One, as in the first Doctor. The Doctor/single companion was only a feature of the new incarnation.