Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Anduin]

53 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

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

There've been plenty of times where the Doctor has only one companion. Pertwee, Baker, Baker, and McCoy had long stretches where it was just the two of them.

[DoctorAtomic]

Yes, but the fact that it's an ensemble now isn't new. To say 'it was never meant to be an ensemble' is not accurate.

We all have different tastes as to whether one companion is more enjoyable than an ensemble, which is fine. 

 

[Enigma X]

I like the three companions better than the current Doctor. The writing is off with Whitaker's Doctor. Although I enjoyed Bill, I felt like the writing was off with Capaldi's Doctor too. So, I have not truly enjoyed Doctor Who since Smith left but Tennant is my favorite Doctor.

[Anduin]

Award shows and awards in general. Yes, there needs to be a way to sort the wheat from the chaff. The good from the bad and the waste of time. But other than that, why the need for such competition? Why not just create things for people to enjoy? Why the need to say, yes, this is the funniest comedy show or most thrilling action show of the year? Why state so firmly which of these half-dozen actors is actually better than the others? It all feels pointless. Just enjoy and celebrate what's on offer.

[Mabinogia]

12 minutes ago, Anduin said:

Why the need to say, yes, this is the funniest comedy show or most thrilling action show of the year? Why state so firmly which of these half-dozen actors is actually better than the others? It all feels pointless. Just enjoy and celebrate what's on offer.

Given that I usually vehemently disagree with a good portion of the winners of said awards, I, too, don't see the point of stating you're the best. That is completely relative and subjective. Many of the shows I consider "the best" most people either haven't seen or haven't even heard of. lol

[Avabelle]

I only just started watching the show so no idea if this is a UO or not but I think Tracey Morgan is the worst part of 30 Rock. He is not funny at all. 

[DearEvette]

4 minutes ago, Avabelle said:

I only just started watching the show so no idea if this is a UO or not but I think Tracey Morgan is the worst part of 30 Rock. He is not funny at all. 

I never, ever saw the appeal of Tracy Morgan.  Until I watched The Last O.G.  Both he and Tiffany Haddish really tone down their comedy and play rather straight.  It is a really well written show. 

[Mabinogia]

5 minutes ago, Avabelle said:

I only just started watching the show so no idea if this is a UO or not but I think Tracey Morgan is the worst part of 30 Rock. He is not funny at all. 

He was my least favorite part. 

[MargeGunderson]

28 minutes ago, Avabelle said:

I only just started watching the show so no idea if this is a UO or not but I think Tracey Morgan is the worst part of 30 Rock. He is not funny at all. 

I think he gets funnier as the show goes on. He has some good one liners that seem to come out of nowhere. 

[Cherpumple]

4 hours ago, Avabelle said:

I only just started watching the show so no idea if this is a UO or not but I think Tracey Morgan is the worst part of 30 Rock. He is not funny at all. 

I liked him more as the seasons went on. He started out as a fairly cliched one-note character, but I ended up really enjoying his relationships with the other characters (especially his wife (Angie), Jenna, Kenneth, and DotCom) and seeing him navigate through various level of fame and success. But he is a very big personality, so I can see why people don't like him.

[kiddo82]

The recent popularity of Cobra Kai has brought on the resurgence of this UO for me:  I think there is a finesse to nostalgia/homage TV that is often overlooked.  If you're constantly drawing attention to it (Cobra Kai, the Goldbergs) it just feels like doing too much.  At best, it feels as if you're explaining why your jokes are funny.  At worst, it's a crutch to make up for lack of substance.  "You liked the 80's, right?  Isn't it funny when we mention the hair, the clothes, and the music?  ISN'T IT!?"  Fresh Off the Boat was slightly better at this with the mid/late 90's, but still hit or miss.  Some references on that show felt organic, but just as many, if not more, felt shoehorned in.  Community was more often a hit because they did more genre and trope bending.  The bottle episode, the conspiracy episode (one of my faves), the zombie episode, the Ken Burns Civil War documentary episode, etc.  It just feels like they trusted their audience more.   And while I freely admit that a lot of the jokes probably went over my head, I also have to say it's worth it because the payoff for the ones I did get was so good.  Even the on the nose stuff, at least in the beginning, didn't feel like pandering.  I've always said this but I think Bob's Burgers is the best with their homage episodes because they don't telegraph it.  You either get that it's Dead Poets Society/Stand and Deliver or the Goonies, or whatever else, or you don't.  (Okay fine, so the episode is literally called Bob and Deliver, but my point still stands.  The show never explicitly point outs to what that is in reference.  No one ever says "Hey!  It's just like that teacher from that movie.")  That's what makes it so much more fun for me.  The My Name is Earl Rudy episode is probably my all time favorite example of this because it isn't until half way through when it clicks and you're like "I see what you're doing there!  Well played, show!"

Edited September 17, 2020 by kiddo82

[DoctorAtomic]

12 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I think there is a finesse to nostalgia/homage TV that is often overlooked.

For sure. That's because the nostalgia is the singular premise for the show, and not the framing for what the show is. That's the whole problem with most 'reboots'. 

You look at something like the Deuce, which was set in the 70s-80s, but it was a framing device for a particular part of New York and society's evolution through that era. 

[VCRTracking]

What shows about the 80s don't get is we weren't just into what was then the latest and new movies or TV shows. We liked shows that had aired in the previous ten to thirty years that were rerun constantly and old movies because that's what was shown on local stations and early cable.

Edited September 18, 2020 by VCRTracking

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

For sure. That's because the nostalgia is the singular premise for the show, and not the framing for what the show is. That's the whole problem with most 'reboots'. 

You look at something like the Deuce, which was set in the 70s-80s, but it was a framing device for a particular part of New York and society's evolution through that era. 

And it makes the specific references when they do happen sometimes funnier. One of my favorite moments on The Americans, set in 1981, was a character responding to someone saying someone had just "disappeared" by saying "Disappeared? Is she Doug Henning?" On a show "about" the 80s it would just be all that all the time, not just an unexpected reminder of a hippie magician in the middle of a scene at the FBI.

[DoctorAtomic]

WE ALL DID KARATE!!!

[Mabinogia]

8 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

What shows about the 80s don't get is we weren't just into what was then the latest and new movies or TV shows. We liked shows that been had aired in the previous ten to thirty years that were rerun constantly and old movies because that's what was shown on local stations and early cable.

Yeah, I was an 80s teen and I lived on Nick at Nite, which played ooooold reruns, black and white stuff like Burns and Allen, The Patty Duke Show, Dobie Gillis. There was a lot of 50s nostalgia in the 80s. I also watched a lot of 70s reruns and tons of MASH. I think MASH and Little House on the Prairie were on every single night for most of my childhood and teens... and actually I think they still run constantly today. haha. 

Most shows that go for 80s tend to go for the "trendy" 80s, the big hair and the work out clothes and Madonna and Michael Jackson but my experience was more subtle, more like Stranger Things which has some of that typical 80s vibe, like feathered hair, but it doesn't look costumey. 

[Shannon L.]

So, apparently my family are the only 4 people in the country that couldn't make it through the 1st episode of Schitt's Creek. 

[Ohiopirate02]

18 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

So, apparently my family are the only 4 people in the country that couldn't make it through the 1st episode of Schitt's Creek. 

While I personally love the show, it does start off slowly.  The show doesn't really hit it stride until the second season, and many people bailed on it early.  Season one is necessary for character development, and everyone is extremely unlikeable in the first few episodes because the audience meets the Roses on the worst day of their lives.  

[proserpina65]

On ‎09‎/‎17‎/‎2020 at 8:25 PM, Mabinogia said:

Yeah, I was an 80s teen and I lived on Nick at Nite, which played ooooold reruns, black and white stuff like Burns and Allen, The Patty Duke Show, Dobie Gillis. There was a lot of 50s nostalgia in the 80s. I also watched a lot of 70s reruns and tons of MASH. I think MASH and Little House on the Prairie were on every single night for most of my childhood and teens... and actually I think they still run constantly today. haha. 

Most shows that go for 80s tend to go for the "trendy" 80s, the big hair and the work out clothes and Madonna and Michael Jackson but my experience was more subtle, more like Stranger Things which has some of that typical 80s vibe, like feathered hair, but it doesn't look costumey. 

My family did not have cable in the 80s, so we only watched what the networks were running.  The only exceptions to that were the shows the local stations showed between the soap operas and the news, like Emergency or the Brady Bunch.  MASH was on in prime time until 1983.

Personally, the 80s nostalgia is the best thing about the Goldbergs for me.

 

1 hour ago, Shannon L. said:

So, apparently my family are the only 4 people in the country that couldn't make it through the 1st episode of Schitt's Creek. 

I never started the 1st episde of Schitt's Creek.  Doesn't interest me in the least.  But that's what cable is for - finding stuff you like.

[Bort]

5 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

So, apparently my family are the only 4 people in the country that couldn't make it through the 1st episode of Schitt's Creek. 

I tried Schitt’s Creek because Emily Hampshire was so great on 12 Monkeys but I could only get through four episodes before I gave up and decided it was boring.

[Irlandesa]

Schitt's Creek is a tricky one for me.  I saw a few early episodes and moved on from it because it was okay but nothing I was going to go out of my way to watch.  The premise wasn't really one that I usually give a lot of leeway to (mystery shows or romcoms) but it also wasn't one that I have very little leeway to (like sci fi or fantasy). 

Part of me wants to watch until the show clicks in.  The issue is that it apparently doesn't really click until well into the second season. That's a lot of "be patient" viewing to get me to the point when it's all going to come together.  Totally worth it if it does.  Such a waste if it ends up being one of the "not for me" shows.

[Crs97]

I can’t get past the name.  It seems like such a juvenile “Ha!  Ha!  We made you say a bad word!” that I keep worrying all the jokes will be that kind of lame.  But everyone I know clearly loves it.

Edited September 21, 2020 by Crs97

[kiddo82]

Regarding Schitt's Creek, I'm in early season 2 and so far I'm in the "like not love" camp.  There are some moments that I find laugh out loud funny and some entire episodes where I don't know if I laugh once.  It's a breezy enough watch though so I'm sure I'll stick with it.

[topanga]

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I can’t get past the name.  It seems like such a juvenile “Ha!  Ha!  We made you say a bad word!” that I keep worrying all the jokes will be that kind of lame.  But everyone I know clearly loves it.

There's only episode (that I recall) where people make a joke about the name of the town. 

2 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Regarding Schitt's Creek, I'm in early season 2 and so far I'm in the "like not love" camp.  There are some moments that I find laugh out loud funny and some entire episodes where I don't know if I laugh once.  It's a breezy enough watch though so I'm sure I'll stick with it.

Eh, comedy is subjective. Even if a show is popular and critically-acclaimed, it might not touch your funny bone. What are your favorite comedies (shows or movies)?

[Stats Queen]

10 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

So, apparently my family are the only 4 people in the country that couldn't make it through the 1st episode of Schitt's Creek. 

I couldn’t get through the first episode either. Maybe I should try to stick it out, as it is my kind of humor and my sister really liked it. 
but not on the top of my watch list.

[kiddo82]

15 hours ago, topanga said:

Eh, comedy is subjective. Even if a show is popular and critically-acclaimed, it might not touch your funny bone. What are your favorite comedies (shows or movies)?

I like a little bit of everything.  Right now it's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel but I also keep going back to The Office, Community, and Friends.  I really want to check out What We Do in the Shadows because I just saw the movie for the first time and loved it.  And Ramy looks like a hoot.  It's on the list.  I just watched Ted Lasso on Apple and that show is way better than it has any right to be.

[Danny Franks]

I keep seeing the same clip of Schitt's Creek on Netflix when I scroll through - the clip with Eugene Levy freaking out because the ceiling of their motel is leaking - and am just baffled. There's nothing funny in that clip. At all. Why would Netflix use that as a taster for the show?

Other than that, it really doesn't interest me. I don't think any show will ever do family dysfunction as well as Arrested Development did, so why bother trying?

[FurryFury]

I tried watching Arrested Development twice and didn't care for it a bit. How's that for an unpopular opinion? 🙂

But then, I generally don't care about big families. 

[partofme]

I was surprised that I loved Schitt's Creek from the pilot.  I saw it for the first time during quarantine.  I think the show was consistently hysterical throughout its run.  I also think its a unique show in that none of the main characters are assholes.

[Bort]

See, and I thought they were ALL assholes and maybe that’s why I didn’t like Schitt’s Creek. Too Seinfeld-esque for me, which I also hated.

[DoctorAtomic]

I haven't watched it, but I may eventually get around to it. There's too much content, really. Which is great, but I feel like the industry attitude of 'why aren't you watching this?!' is counter productive. I don't have time to consume every show, and when I do, I like being outside and doing other things. 

[kiddo82]

I miss the communal aspect of watching a show.  As convenient as streaming is, something is lost with all of us consuming different shows at different rates.  Game of Thrones might be the last show where it seems like everyone watched together live for a long time.

[DoctorAtomic]

I do target some shows that I'm going to watch 'with everyone', like Archer, and when the Orville comes back, and the actual television shows; Bob's Burgers. *Everyone* was revved up for Lucifer, so we all watched that week or so. 

I just finished Mindhunter, which aired last year, so there's not much I'm going to add to the forum. 

[partofme]

10 hours ago, kariyaki said:

See, and I thought they were ALL assholes and maybe that’s why I didn’t like Schitt’s Creek. Too Seinfeld-esque for me, which I also hated.

Maybe in the beginning but they all grow and become better people over the course of the series.  I don’t know, I saw the whole series in about three weeks back in March/April and really loved it.   I also love Arrested Development for what it’s worth, but there was definitely no character growth in that. 

[cleo]

It actually got too sappy for me. Once they paired up Alexis and David (with others) I found it went downhill. I also have the UO of really finding Patrick bland and boring and the relationship with David just never worked for me. I felt the same with Alexis and the vet. I bailed.

[juno]

56 minutes ago, cleo said:

It actually got too sappy for me. Once they paired up Alexis and David (with others) I found it went downhill. I also have the UO of really finding Patrick bland and boring and the relationship with David just never worked for me. I felt the same with Alexis and the vet. I bailed.

I agree, Patrick with David had zero chemistry and killed some of the show for me. The best relationship on the show was David and Stevie and I recommend first time users focus on the hilarious and awesome relationship of David and Stevie at least until Patrick shows up.

[kiddo82]

This. All of this.

This article basically articulates how I feel about it all but the part about the episodes all blending together is another biggie.  I can still remember, in somewhat reliable detail, aspects of epsiodes of Buffy the Vampire slayer I haven't seen in years but don't ask me what happened on season 2 of Dead to Me.  You really do miss out on the anticipation and you don't get to/have to marinate over what you just witnessed for a whole week.  And sure, no one is stopping you from doing your own weekly watch but like I said, when everyone is consuming at different rates you lose something as well.  You're not part of the conversation which is part of the fun.  There's also something about growing up with a show that gets lost with binge watching.  Again, certain episodes of certain shows just bring up old memories.  "Oh, this was around the time we moved in high school."  "This was during exams in college.  Remember when we took a break from studying to watch?"  "I remember watching this my first night in my new apartment."  As televison seasons progress so do our lives, and as weird as it sounds, certain episodes can even become markers of that passage of time.  I get more of that from the MCU now.

Edited September 24, 2020 by kiddo82

[Annber03]

I agree with that article and your post as well. I've grown up with the weekly episode format, so it's just what I'm used to. Usually if I binge something, it's on my own time, and it's when I want to do a marathon of a particular show. There have been a few shows on streaming sites I've binged, simply because that's how they were released, but yeah, if a show can do the "new episode each week" thing, I prefer that.

[Neurochick]

8 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

This. All of this.

This article basically articulates how I feel about it all but the part about the episodes all blending together is another biggie.  I can still remember, in somewhat reliable detail, aspects of episodes of Buffy the Vampire slayer I haven't seen in years but don't ask me what happened on season 2 of Dead to Me.  You really do miss out on the anticipation and you don't get to/have to marinate over what you just witnessed for a whole week.  And sure, no one is stopping you from doing your own weekly watch but like I said, when everyone is consuming at different rates you lose something as well.  You're not part of the conversation which is part of the fun.  There's also something about growing up with a show that gets lost with binge watching.  Again, certain episodes of certain shows just bring up old memories.  "Oh, this was around the time we moved in high school."  "This was during exams in college.  Remember when we took a break from studying to watch?"  "I remember watching this my first night in my new apartment."  As televison seasons progress so do our lives, and as weird as it sounds, certain episodes can even become markers of that passage of time.  I get more of that from the MCU now.

Thank you for linking that article.  

This is going to sound a lot but I think that's one of the problems today in society.  If I'm watching Netflix and someone else is watching Amazon or Hulu or Disney + or Apple TV, how can we talk about whatever show was on last night?  There is something to be said for watercooler discussion, different types of people all discussing a certain TV show.  And that's gone now, we're all watching alone, or with a small group of like minded people and sometimes I think that's sad.

[janie jones]

8 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

This. All of this.

This article basically articulates how I feel about it all but the part about the episodes all blending together is another biggie.  I can still remember, in somewhat reliable detail, aspects of epsiodes of Buffy the Vampire slayer I haven't seen in years but don't ask me what happened on season 2 of Dead to Me.  You really do miss out on the anticipation and you don't get to/have to marinate over what you just witnessed for a whole week.  And sure, no one is stopping you from doing your own weekly watch but like I said, when everyone is consuming at different rates you lose something as well.  You're not part of the conversation which is part of the fun.  There's also something about growing up with a show that gets lost with binge watching.  Again, certain episodes of certain shows just bring up old memories.  "Oh, this was around the time we moved in high school."  "This was during exams in college.  Remember when we took a break from studying to watch?"  "I remember watching this my first night in my new apartment."  As televison seasons progress so do our lives, and as weird as it sounds, certain episodes can even become markers of that passage of time.  I get more of that from the MCU now.

I straight up don't enjoy bingeing. I don't want to sit there and watch the same thing for five hours or watch the same thing for days and days and days. Then if you finish something too soon, you forget what happened by the time the new season is released a year and a half later. And with shows I really like, I don't want to run out too soon, so I spread out my viewing.

One exception to that for me is Stranger Things, which I watch fairly quickly (for me), because I don't want to be spoiled. That's another thing about shows airing weekly. Other people can't accidentally spoil you, because they have all the same information you have.

[Shannon L.]

52 minutes ago, janie jones said:

I straight up don't enjoy bingeing. I don't want to sit there and watch the same thing for five hours or watch the same thing for days and days and days. Then if you finish something too soon, you forget what happened by the time the new season is released a year and a half later. And with shows I really like, I don't want to run out too soon, so I spread out my viewing.

One exception to that for me is Stranger Things, which I watch fairly quickly (for me), because I don't want to be spoiled. That's another thing about shows airing weekly. Other people can't accidentally spoil you, because they have all the same information you have.

Same here.  At most we watch 2 episodes in one night , but that's rare and usually only if one episode is really good and we can't wait to see what happens next.  Typically we'll watch about 4 episodes a week, sometimes one or two more, sometimes less, depending on what we have going on, or if we're in the mood that night for whatever genre the show is. 

[partofme]

I used to think I didn't like binge watching, but since covid I've gotten really into it.  Also I think there are so many networks now that there really hasn't been one show that everyone watched in a long time.

Edited September 24, 2020 by partofme

[Ohiopirate02]

I do enjoy a good binge watch and have plowed through a few shows since March.  But, I hate that I am late to the party on many of them.  What sucks is everyone is on their own schedule and it's very difficult to get in sync.  I will watch a show and then seek out the show here only to find out that the discussion of it is dead.  Even with current shows if you are not watching the whole show when it drops, you miss out on a lot of the active discussion.  If you are a week or two behind, then you can be SOL because everyone else has moved on to the next show that Netflix, Hulu, etc dropped.  I do like how Disney+ handled the first season of The Mandalorian, and hope they continue to do a slow drop with all of their exclusive shows.  

[Raja]

Wasn't there some allegations that The Boys got down rated by user reviews in their second season when Amazon Prime changed their distribution model to the  few episodes a weekend  release model 

[Zella]

I kind of like a quasi-binge. I am too impatient to wait for stuff week by week (and to be honest I tend to forget significant plot details if I have to wait between seasons for things). But I also don't like binging series. I've done that with a couple of things, mainlining an entire season in a day, and I usually have no memory of anything that happened unless I rewatch the show. So, what I usually end up doing is a controlled binge in which I watch an episode or two a night and wrap the series up in a matter of days or weeks, depending on its length. I've been doing that for a couple of years, and it works better for me. 

[Irlandesa]

I've said it before but for me, the best shows to binge are the shows that weren't necessarily created with the notion that they'd be dropped all at once.

The episodes that had to conform to a certain time window tend to be tighter.  They're self contained so watching an episode can feel satisfying but they also know they have to plant enough to make you come back the next week.

There are only a few shows made for streaming services that work watched all at once.  Comedies with six episode seasons are easy to watch all at once. I think Bosch is brilliant with the way it juggles multiple stories and its pacing. 

[Zella]

Oh I forgot to add that I cannot binge procedurals. I die of boredom. LOL But I do love watching them on a week to week basis. 

[kiddo82]

4 hours ago, Zella said:

I kind of like a quasi-binge. I am too impatient to wait for stuff week by week (and to be honest I tend to forget significant plot details if I have to wait between seasons for things). But I also don't like binging series. I've done that with a couple of things, mainlining an entire season in a day, and I usually have no memory of anything that happened unless I rewatch the show. So, what I usually end up doing is a controlled binge in which I watch an episode or two a night and wrap the series up in a matter of days or weeks, depending on its length. I've been doing that for a couple of years, and it works better for me. 

I'm trying a new thing where I rotate.  Right now I'm going between Schitt's Creek, the Crown, and Orphan Black.  I have no hard or fast rules but it's an episode or two of either of them at a time and I try not to do any one show on back to back days.  When I finish one, I'll cycle in a different one.  I have a queue.

As an aside UO, The Crown is really, really dry.  I understand why it's so awards-y, and Lithgow was fantastic, but now I'm in season 2 and it's a chore.  The only thing is I feel committed now and I still have this desire to get caught up.  The good thing about my cycle technique with a show like this is it's an hour at a time a couple times a week.  So while watching the Crown kind of feels like homework, it's way more doable this way.  Also, it's the type of show that seems better when I've had time to digest it anyway.

[Haleth]

6 hours ago, Zella said:

 So, what I usually end up doing is a controlled binge in which I watch an episode or two a night and wrap the series up in a matter of days or weeks, depending on its length. I've been doing that for a couple of years, and it works better for me. 

That's what I do too.  Or maybe alternate between two shows I'm quasi binging. It helps that shows have considerably less episodes nowadays.  Binging 23 episodes would be a chore.  My husband binged all 7 seasons of The West Wing last spring and it took months to slog through.

[Ohiopirate02]

2 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I'm trying a new thing where I rotate.  Right now I'm going between Schitt's Creek, the Crown, and Orphan Black.  I have no hard or fast rules but it's an episode or two of either of them at a time and I try not to do any one show on back to back days.  When I finish one, I'll cycle in a different one.  I have a queue.

As an aside UO, The Crown is really, really dry.  I understand why it's so awards-y, and Lithgow was fantastic, but now I'm in season 2 and it's a chore.  The only thing is I feel committed now and I still have this desire to get caught up.  The good thing about my cycle technique with a show like this is it's an hour at a time a couple times a week.  So while watching the Crown kind of feels like homework, it's way more doable this way.  Also, it's the type of show that seems better when I've had time to digest it anyway.

I love the first two seasons of The Crown, but it requires your full attention.  I can see where it comes off as dry if you are distracted.  So much of Claire Foy's acting is non-verbal and if you are not paying attention you miss it.  I watched the first two seasons in the dark with my phone out of my reach.