Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Zella]

I usually will try to give a show a season before making a final judgment, but I also don't feel like my TV viewing should be like homework. (Ditto for movies and reading.) I did enough homework in school. So, if it starts to feel like homework or even the very idea of it seems like homework, nope. [EDITING FOR CLARIFICATION SINCE APPARENTLY I DIDN'T EXPLAIN MYSELF WELL: I am not going to spend a season on something I hate, only things I am on the fence about. See note about not watching shit that feels like homework. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.]

As for shows people bragged and bragged on and that I gave a season and was still unimpressed with--Community. It bored the hell out of me. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Zella

[Mabinogia]

26 minutes ago, Zella said:

I usually will try to give a show a season before making a final judgment

I'm the opposite. I have dropped shows within minutes of the first ep. I used to be a completionist, if I started a show I had to see it through to the end, then I realized life was far too short to waste my time on something that is meant to be entertainment but feels like work. 

I am very actor oriented. A show can have the greatest writing of all time, the best plot imaginable, but if I don't like the main cast I just can't spend time with them. I am blessed with a great imagination (a product of being an only child with no friends growing up so I had to imagine a whole community of people to play with) so if the premise is good but the cast put me off, I just make up my own show in my head. 

The only show I initially didn't like, couldn't get through the first ep the first two times, but was intrigued enough to try a third time was Orphan Black. It seriously took me three tries to get through episode one but once I did I was completely hooked and it was one of my all time favorites, at least the first two seasons. The reason I kept trying was shear boredom and an instant adoration of Tatiana Maslany. I'm glad I did, but I also don't regret any of the many, many shows I gave up on. lol

[Zella]

18 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I'm the opposite. I have dropped shows within minutes of the first ep. I used to be a completionist, if I started a show I had to see it through to the end, then I realized life was far too short to waste my time on something that is meant to be entertainment but feels like work. 

My approach isn't really that far off from yours, so I don't think we're opposites. As I noted in my comment, I won't watch something that feels like work. But if I'm on the fence about it, I'll usually give it the benefit of the doubt and watch the whole season. But if I hate it minutes in, I'm not going to watch a season to make up my mind. I watched all of about of a minute of Don't Fuck with Cats before I noped out. And I am not in any way a completionist. I have dropped several shows halfway through because they weren't doing it for me. [House of Cards was one. I gave up on The Good Wife in the last season, and you couldn't pay me to finish it, though I have rewatched seasons 1-5.]

Edited March 6, 2021 by Zella

[Wiendish Fitch]

Star Trek: DS9 UO: Not only did I not hate Ezri Dax (indeed, I liked and sympathized with her), I thought Curzon Dax sounded like a horrid, creepy douchebag.

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, JimmyJabloon said:

My UO for sitcoms is- I have no problem with laughtracks. I just tune them out. 

So I don't like laugh tracks but I like live audience reaction (even if it might be "enhanced" a little.)  It reminds me of plays.  I actually think some of the best, longest enduring sitcoms have them.  Laughter is contagious. I don't hate things that make me feel like I'm laughing with someone.

My caveat is that I have to think the show is funny.  I think it's actually kind of sad that writing for a multi-cam/live audience setting isn't considered cool or hip so not many writers as well versed in those rhythms. 

49 minutes ago, Zella said:

I usually will try to give a show a season before making a final judgment, but I also don't feel like my TV viewing should be like homework.

Yeah. I have a few "homework" shows I still watch.  I've given up shows after an episode but I will also watch a show for a while if it has enough elements (premise, cast) that intrigue me in the hopes that things will click into place.   Part of the reason is that it not only takes some shows a while to figure themselves out, sometimes it takes me a while to figure them out. 

I'm less inclined to give dramas as much leeway.  Dramas don't need to find a rhythm so they can hit a specific outcome (laughter).  They can get better but they should be interesting to watch from the beginning for me.

[Zella]

Just now, Irlandesa said:

Part of the reason is that it not only takes some shows a while to figure themselves out, sometimes it takes me a while to figure them out. 

Yes, this is why I will try to give it a season if I like some elements but am on the fence with it. It can take a while for a show to find its groove, and if some aspects are working and others aren't, that's what will make me wait around to see if they get it sorted out. 

I am actually more inclined to give a drama a season than a comedy, though, especially if it is serialized. I sometimes get frustrated with TV reviewers who are reviewing every episode in a serialized storyline and seem confused that things are still up in the air. I know you have to lay some groundwork for many things to hit right, so I often do want to see if they pull off the payoff well. If they do, I'll tune in again. If not, then I'll abandon ship. (Or read ahead and spoil myself.) 

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I usually will try to give a show a season before making a final judgment,  

Not me! If I find myself heartily disliking something, I'm DONE with it regardless of any and all hysterical hoopla over it (e.g. South Park after five minutes of getting grossed  out, turned off and revolted).

[Zella]

Just now, Blergh said:

Not me! If I find myself heartily disliking something, I'm DONE with it regardless of any and all hysterical hoopla over it (e.g. South Park after five minutes of getting grossed  out, turned off and revolted).

As I noted earlier in my comment, I am making a distinction between instantly hating something and being on the fence. I am not going to waste time watching a season of something I hate! I guess for some reason I didn't explain this very well since I have to keep clarifying. 

[Irlandesa]

22 minutes ago, Zella said:

I sometimes get frustrated with TV reviewers who are reviewing every episode in a serialized storyline and seem confused that things are still up in the air.

I agree that critics shouldn't necessarily be criticizing that some things are still left unanswered but I do think it's true that sometimes things are left up in the air long past their due date.  But it goes back to the construction of a show.  If individual episodes are done well, I think there's more tolerance for detours. 

 

[Popples]

7 hours ago, JimmyJabloon said:

Watched the IT crowd because of the hype. Didn't live up to it. Had funny moments and a few funny episodes. But that's it. Didn't get why people were acting like it's the best thing ever.

I wanted to love The IT Crowd so badly, but I just couldn't get into it.

[Zella]

6 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I agree that critics shouldn't necessarily be criticizing that some things are still left unanswered but I do think it's true that sometimes things are left up in the air long past their due date.  But it goes back to the construction of a show.  If individual episodes are done well, I think there's more tolerance for detours. 

 

Oh for sure, but I've seen some of them act like this in the first episode a subplot is introduced. The AV Club has some especially dimwitted and inept critics in the past few years who are really bad for this, which is a shame because it used to be my go-to source for interesting commentary. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Zella

[DoctorAtomic]

I actually got to be part of a test group for a pilot. It was on a special channel, like I had to select 00 at a certain time. Then they called me after and asked a whole bunch of questions. I never knew how I got selected, but I really had a blast. 

[Ohiopirate02]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

 

Maybe I should try that with Schitt's Creek.  I've seen a few episodes from various seasons and it didn't really grab me.  Is there one or two episodes that I should watch? 

For Schitt's Creek, watch the episode where Moira and David make enchiladas.  I believe it's the second episode of season 2.  If you don't find that funny, then you will not like the rest of the show. 

 

My UO is I cannot get into The Office.  I tried more than once, but I just don't find anything about Michael Scott funny.  Ditto Ed Helms's character.  I have never and will never find mediocre white men failing up funny.  I like the background office antics, but those two just don't work.  

[sistermagpie]

41 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Not me! If I find myself heartily disliking something, I'm DONE with it regardless of any and all hysterical hoopla over it (e.g. South Park after five minutes of getting grossed  out, turned off and revolted).

The thing about people saying "it gets good after X-point" is that that usually means that it gets good at what it's trying to do at that point. So if you don't like what it's trying to do, that's usually not going to help. 

[Mabinogia]

11 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

My UO is I cannot get into The Office. 

I can't stand that whole sitcom is a documentary thing. I liked Parks and Rec when I finally did get around to watching it, but mostly because I enjoyed the characters, but generally that docu-comedy stuff falls flat, even in Parks and Rec the docu part of it didn't do much for me, those "knowing" looks at the camera and awkward fumbling stuff is just boring. I like good old fashioned sitcoms better than these more awkward sitcoms. The Office is one of the lest funny shows I've ever attempted to sit through. Needless to say, I didn't make it through a whole episode. I watched part of one and was bored so I moved on.

[Hiyo]

I never liked either the British or the American versions of The Office.

 

[isalicat]

My husband and I have the "twenty minute" rule for TV shows and movies. If one person recommends something to the other to watch, we agree to sit through 20 minutes of the recommended viewing before declaring it of no interest (and that applies to books too, but that was the "twenty page" rule).

So I agreed to watch 20 minutes of Breaking Bad because he really loved the first season and after twenty minutes, it was "nope! I don't want these people in my living room!". Same thing happened to me with The Sopranos and Mad Men. I know these are deeply loved series but nope!

We both applied the twenty minute rule to Game of Thrones when that first debuted and turned it off. When the last season started we decided to give it another go, and wound up binge watching the whole thing and finishing up about a week after the final episode. It wasn't the best thing I've ever seen on TV but reasonably entertaining (despite the torture porn aspect).

[Irlandesa]

2 minutes ago, isalicat said:

that applies to books too, but that was the "twenty page" rule

Ha. If I had that rule, I'd never read a book. I don't know that I've ever read a book that hooked me in the first 50 pages much less 20.

[ParadoxLost]

3 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

The thing about people saying "it gets good after X-point" is that that usually means that it gets good at what it's trying to do at that point. So if you don't like what it's trying to do, that's usually not going to help. 

I've had a few shows that I tried to watch the first season and couldn't make it past a few episodes.  Then got totally hooked later on when giving a different season a chance.  I generally find that I am then able to watch the first season as a a kind of prologue and get far enough past whatever it was that I didn't like because I know the show gets to a better place eventually and maybe earlier than I picked it back up.

The Magicians was like that.  I'm not so sure that it got good at what it was trying to do.  I think of that show as finding a sense of humor somewhere along the way which it desperately needed.  But then season 4 happened and I never watched season 5.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

So I don't like laugh tracks but I like live audience reaction (even if it might be "enhanced" a little.)  It reminds me of plays.  I actually think some of the best, longest enduring sitcoms have them.  Laughter is contagious. I don't hate things that make me feel like I'm laughing with someone.

This. I think some people (speaking on a general level here) still confuse live audiences with laugh tracks and seem to think they're all one and the same. There is a distinct difference between the two, and even if/when live audiences are "sweetened" a little, it's still an actual audience laughing. 

But yeah, that's why audience laughter in shows has never bothered me, either. I've never seen it as a cue to tell me when something's funny or anything like that. I just see it as similar to watching with other people and sharing a laugh. Like you said, like a play-which is an especially apt comparison for older sitcoms, since so many of the actors in them came from theater backgrounds and were thus used to, and played more strongly off of, audience reactions. And then there's shows like "Frasier", which were basically similar to theater plays in terms of how their stories were structured. 

Quote

My caveat is that I have to think the show is funny.  I think it's actually kind of sad that writing for a multi-cam/live audience setting isn't considered cool or hip so not many writers as well versed in those rhythms. 

Yes, definitely agreed on this, too. If a show isn't funny, the audience laugher, or the laugh track, will stand out much more as a result, and it will sound a lot more awkward. But that's not so much the fault of the audience/laugh track as it is the bad writing/acting/what have you. And then of course there are the audiences that clapped and whistled and whatnot virtually every time someone even stepped foot on stage, which can be very obnoxious, too. 

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I like good old fashioned sitcoms better than these more awkward sitcoms. The Office is one of the lest funny shows I've ever attempted to sit through. Needless to say, I didn't make it through a whole episode. I watched part of one and was bored so I moved on.

I like what I've seen of "The Office", myself, as well as some other comedies similar to those that have come out in recent years ("Trial & Error" was another favorite, and while it wasn't a mockumentary comedy, I also loved "Community", which did have some awkward moments of its own). But I do agree with your sentiments about older sitcoms, too. I've been watching a lot of '90s ones especially lately, and I'll be cracking up so much and it's just fun to flat out laugh at something. I miss that kind of comedy, or comedies which weren't afraid to have some genuinely sweet/poignant moments mixed in without some sort of cynical or detached edge to it, and whatnot. It seems so many comedies nowadays are very self-conscious and the humor is more of a faint, "Oh, well, that was amusing" reaction than anything else. And there's certainly a place for that kind of comedy, too, and as indicated, I like some of it. But yeah, I do miss the style of some of the older sitcoms, too. 

5 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I am very actor oriented. A show can have the greatest writing of all time, the best plot imaginable, but if I don't like the main cast I just can't spend time with them. I am blessed with a great imagination (a product of being an only child with no friends growing up so I had to imagine a whole community of people to play with) so if the premise is good but the cast put me off, I just make up my own show in my head. 

Yeah, actors are often a big draw for me, too. I have to be invested in the characters first and foremost in order to stick with a show. That's not to say I have to like all of them, mind, though I do generally prefer it when I can like most, if not all, of the characters to some degree. But I do have to be interested in what happens with them, and want to know more about them. 

8 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

But, I understand, too, that comedy is subjective. For ex. I hated that people were saying that anyone who didn't like Arrested Development weren't smart enough to get it.  I loved Arrested Development (the network seasons only--don't get me started on the Netflix seasons), but I would never suggest it to my dad. He's far from stupid--it's just not his style.

I can relate to this, 'cause I remember a lot of "Community" fans having that snobbish attitude as well, and it always made me cringe so much. I loved the show, and I thought it was creative and fun, but people, it's a comedy series. It's not that deep. Nor does it have to be. I can definitely see where a show like that wouldn't be everyone's bag, and that's fine. 

(I also hated the weird rivalry the fans had with "Big Bang Theory" fans, since that show was often on at the same time as "Community" and got more viewers. They seemed to act like it was that show's fault that "Community" would often struggle in the ratings, and not for any other reason. To say nothing of how, even with all the ups and downs that show went through, we still managed to ultimately get our six seasons out of it, so...it ain't exactly like the show did too badly in the end.)

There's also the rather obvious fact that if you (general "you") want someone to check out a show you like, mocking their tastes and preferences is probably about the worst way imaginable to go about doing that. If someone checks out a show I like, of course, I certainly hope they like it, 'cause hey, another person to talk about the show with and yay, they liked something I enjoy :D. But if they don't, eh, so be it. They gave it a shot, so that's good enough for me. 

[Mabinogia]

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I've been watching a lot of '90s ones especially lately, and I'll be cracking up so much and it's just fun to flat out laugh at something.

There is nothing better (tv wise) than a true, genuine laugh out loud moment. It doesn't have to be witty or brilliant or meaningful, sometimes a totally unexpected pratfall will make me bust a gut and it feels soooo good. 

9 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, actors are often a big draw for me, too. I have to be invested in the characters first and foremost in order to stick with a show. That's not to say I have to like all of them, mind, though I do generally prefer it when I can like most, if not all, of the characters to some degree. But I do have to be interested in what happens with them, and want to know more about them. 

I just finished binging The Boys and I would say that I loved and hated most of the characters at one point or another but I was never disinterested. I wanted to know what happened to them, I was completely invested in even the worst of them because the writing was surprisingly complex and the acting was spot on.

It is a show I resisted watching for a long time based on a friend's anti-suggestion based off a review she read. I decided to give it the one ep try and fell in love almost instantly. 

On the laugh track or not debate, if the show is funny enough that I'm laughing I don't notice at all. If I don't find it funny even real audience laughter is annoying to me. 

[DrSpaceman73]

41 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

This. I think some people (speaking on a general level here) still confuse live audiences with laugh tracks and seem to think they're all one and the same. There is a distinct difference between the two, and even if/when live audiences are "sweetened" a little, it's still an actual audience laughing. 

But yeah, that's why audience laughter in shows has never bothered me, either. I've never seen it as a cue to tell me when something's funny or anything like that. I just see it as similar to watching with other people and sharing a laugh. Like you said, like a play-which is an especially apt comparison for older sitcoms, since so many of the actors in them came from theater backgrounds and were thus used to, and played more strongly off of, audience reactions. And then there's shows like "Frasier", which were basically similar to theater plays in terms of how their stories were structured. 

Yes, definitely agreed on this, too. If a show isn't funny, the audience laugher, or the laugh track, will stand out much more as a result, and it will sound a lot more awkward. But that's not so much the fault of the audience/laugh track as it is the bad writing/acting/what have you. And then of course there are the audiences that clapped and whistled and whatnot virtually every time someone even stepped foot on stage, which can be very obnoxious, too. 

I like what I've seen of "The Office", myself, as well as some other comedies similar to those that have come out in recent years ("Trial & Error" was another favorite, and while it wasn't a mockumentary comedy, I also loved "Community", which did have some awkward moments of its own). But I do agree with your sentiments about older sitcoms, too. I've been watching a lot of '90s ones especially lately, and I'll be cracking up so much and it's just fun to flat out laugh at something. I miss that kind of comedy, or comedies which weren't afraid to have some genuinely sweet/poignant moments mixed in without some sort of cynical or detached edge to it, and whatnot. It seems so many comedies nowadays are very self-conscious and the humor is more of a faint, "Oh, well, that was amusing" reaction than anything else. And there's certainly a place for that kind of comedy, too, and as indicated, I like some of it. But yeah, I do miss the style of some of the older sitcoms, too. 

Yeah, actors are often a big draw for me, too. I have to be invested in the characters first and foremost in order to stick with a show. That's not to say I have to like all of them, mind, though I do generally prefer it when I can like most, if not all, of the characters to some degree. But I do have to be interested in what happens with them, and want to know more about them. 

I can relate to this, 'cause I remember a lot of "Community" fans having that snobbish attitude as well, and it always made me cringe so much. I loved the show, and I thought it was creative and fun, but people, it's a comedy series. It's not that deep. Nor does it have to be. I can definitely see where a show like that wouldn't be everyone's bag, and that's fine. 

(I also hated the weird rivalry the fans had with "Big Bang Theory" fans, since that show was often on at the same time as "Community" and got more viewers. They seemed to act like it was that show's fault that "Community" would often struggle in the ratings, and not for any other reason. To say nothing of how, even with all the ups and downs that show went through, we still managed to ultimately get our six seasons out of it, so...it ain't exactly like the show did too badly in the end.)

There's also the rather obvious fact that if you (general "you") want someone to check out a show you like, mocking their tastes and preferences is probably about the worst way imaginable to go about doing that. If someone checks out a show I like, of course, I certainly hope they like it, 'cause hey, another person to talk about the show with and yay, they liked something I enjoy :D. But if they don't, eh, so be it. They gave it a shot, so that's good enough for me. 

Let me start off by saying I like both community and the big bang theory.  I've seen every episode of both and to some extent enjoyed them both to the end 

But man can some community fans be f****** obnoxious and pretentious!!  If you dont declare it the greatest dhow ever in the history of the universe they act like you just shimot their dog.  If you are suggest later seasons in general declined in quality you get a 30 minutes lecture on his wrong you are and how you need to rewatch and rethink your views.    Calm down people I like the show. I was on a Facebook community group for awhile and all it ever amounted to was 'tell me your favorite episodes  Tell me how great the show was'

On the other hand, id forgotten about the community big bang theory being on at the same time slot and those arguments until you brought it up.  More viewers doesn't make it a better show.  And you can like both for different reasons.  And still criticize both.  Id never suggest chuck lorre has the greatest or most original writers on his shows. just getting better ratings doesn't mean the other show sucks.   

Edited to add I'm not saying you specifically as a community fan are like that.   Just as a group they can be like that

Edited March 6, 2021 by DrSpaceman73

[Mabinogia]

6 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

More viewers doesn't make it a better show. 

Truer words have never been spoken!

Extreme fandom makes me just shake my head. I mean, it's just TV people! It's entertainment. If I am the only person on earth who loves a show it's not going to make me love it any less. If my BFF doesn't love a show I do, I, well, I jokingly mock her for her terrible taste, but I don't try to force her to like it. I am just bummed not to be able to talk to her about it, but that's what I come here for so it's all good. 

 

[Annber03]

11 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Let me start off by saying I like both community and the big bang theory.  I've seen every episode of both and to some extent enjoyed them both to the end 

But man can some community fans be f****** obnoxious and pretentious!!  If you dont declare it the greatest dhow ever in the history of the universe they act like you just shimot their dog.  If you are suggest later seasons in general declined in quality you get a 30 minutes lecture on his wrong you are and how you need to rewatch and rethink your views.    Calm down people I like the show. I was on a Facebook community group for awhile and all it ever amounted to was 'tell me your favorite episodes  Tell me how great the show was'

On the other hand, id forgotten about the community big bang theory being on at the same time slot and those arguments until you brought it up.  More viewers doesn't make it a better show.  And you can like both for different reasons.  And still criticize both.  Id never suggest chuck lorre has the greatest or most original writers on his shows. just getting better ratings doesn't mean the other show sucks.   

Edited to add I'm not saying you specifically as a community fan are like that.   Just as a group they can be like that

No, yeah, I get what you mean, don't worry :)! I'm a "Community" fan and I very much agree with your take on some of those fans! I'm sorry you had to deal with some of that craziness. I wasn't in any fan groups for the show on Facebook, but I used to hang out at other sites for the series and I encountered some of those similar attitudes there, too. I haven't seen much of "Big Bang Theory" (no particular reason why, just somehow missed out on it-that's nothing new for me, though, I'm very often late to the TV party with a lot of shows :p), so I can't comment on that show as a whole, but what I have seen looked cute and I get why it was popular show. 

And the part of your post that I bolded needs to be laminated and posted somewhere where everyone can read it, because yes. It doesn't have to be an either/or scenario. And while I'm certainly happy if a show I like is getting a lot of viewers, because it (usually)  means better chances for it to stick around for a while, yeah, viewership and quality are two very different things and one isn't an automatic indicator of another. 

42 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

There is nothing better (tv wise) than a true, genuine laugh out loud moment. It doesn't have to be witty or brilliant or meaningful, sometimes a totally unexpected pratfall will make me bust a gut and it feels soooo good. 

So true :D! Sometimes it's the simple things. It's also tough to create a comedy that you can watch and still laugh at just as much as you did when you first saw it, so anyone who can manage to do that has my respect. 

Quote

 

I just finished binging The Boys and I would say that I loved and hated most of the characters at one point or another but I was never disinterested. I wanted to know what happened to them, I was completely invested in even the worst of them because the writing was surprisingly complex and the acting was spot on.

It is a show I resisted watching for a long time based on a friend's anti-suggestion based off a review she read. I decided to give it the one ep try and fell in love almost instantly

 

There ya go, perfect example right there :). That's great. 

Quote

On the laugh track or not debate, if the show is funny enough that I'm laughing I don't notice at all. If I don't find it funny even real audience laughter is annoying to me. 

Agreed. 

[Mabinogia]

29 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

It's also tough to create a comedy that you can watch and still laugh at just as much as you did when you first saw it, so anyone who can manage to do that has my respect. 

I have a few shows I can watch over and over and still laugh out loud even though I know the jokes. They aren't even great comedies necessarily. But they just do it for me. There are eps of Golden Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mom, etc, none of them "prestige" by any means, but just good old fashioned hilarious. 

A great example of the actors making the show is Coupling. I watched the UK version and just about died laughing. When the US version came out there were a couple actors on it I knew and liked so I figured I'd give it a go. I had a couple low level chuckles but it all felt...off. I figured it was because it was the exact same script so I knew the jokes. I went back and watched the UK version again and died laughing, and this was in less than a week so it wasn't like I'd forgotten the jokes. It was just that it worked better. 

That could be that the UK actors just got the British humour better or the actors just had a better comradery but it is the most definitive example for me of how important the cast is. It was almost word for word the same script. 

[Annber03]

15 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I have a few shows I can watch over and over and still laugh out loud even though I know the jokes. They aren't even great comedies necessarily. But they just do it for me. There are eps of Golden Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mom, etc, none of them "prestige" by any means, but just good old fashioned hilarious. 

A great example of the actors making the show is Coupling. I watched the UK version and just about died laughing. When the US version came out there were a couple actors on it I knew and liked so I figured I'd give it a go. I had a couple low level chuckles but it all felt...off. I figured it was because it was the exact same script so I knew the jokes. I went back and watched the UK version again and died laughing, and this was in less than a week so it wasn't like I'd forgotten the jokes. It was just that it worked better. 

That could be that the UK actors just got the British humour better or the actors just had a better comradery but it is the most definitive example for me of how important the cast is. It was almost word for word the same script. 

I have a few shows like that, too :). It's good comfort TV, it's just nice to know you can put something like that on and know you can have fun for the next half hour or so. 

Excellent example regarding actors, too. It's also an example of how some types of comedy are easier for some people to write and perform than others. Different sensibilities, different locations, different worldviews, deliveries, etc. It really is the little things sometimes that can make or break a show. 

[kathyk24]

2 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Let me start off by saying I like both community and the big bang theory.  I've seen every episode of both and to some extent enjoyed them both to the end 

But man can some community fans be f****** obnoxious and pretentious!!  If you dont declare it the greatest dhow ever in the history of the universe they act like you just shimot their dog.  If you are suggest later seasons in general declined in quality you get a 30 minutes lecture on his wrong you are and how you need to rewatch and rethink your views.    Calm down people I like the show. I was on a Facebook community group for awhile and all it ever amounted to was 'tell me your favorite episodes  Tell me how great the show was'

On the other hand, id forgotten about the community big bang theory being on at the same time slot and those arguments until you brought it up.  More viewers doesn't make it a better show.  And you can like both for different reasons.  And still criticize both.  Id never suggest chuck lorre has the greatest or most original writers on his shows. just getting better ratings doesn't mean the other show sucks.   

Edited to add I'm not saying you specifically as a community fan are like that.   Just as a group they can be like that

I think fans can get really possessive of their favorite shows and god help you if you disagree with them. I liked Criminal Minds but I thought Reid was a boring character and I liked the hated JJ. I got my head handed to me for expressing these opinions.

[Annber03]

9 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

I think fans can get really possessive of their favorite shows and god help you if you disagree with them. I liked Criminal Minds but I thought Reid was a boring character and I liked the hated JJ. I got my head handed to me for expressing these opinions.

Ha, and I'm over here liking both of them, which seemed to be as equally an unpopular opinion in some circles-the fandom has its particular favorites and the rest it seems they can take or leave, or certain characters just have their small subsets of fans. Meanwhile, I'm one who found something to like about every team member :p. 

I was also in an extreme minority for liking the idea of Reid and JJ together as a couple. So much debate around that whole situation-further proof of how possessive and intense some fans can get about shows, for sure!

[kathyk24]

9 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I'm the opposite. I have dropped shows within minutes of the first ep. I used to be a completionist, if I started a show I had to see it through to the end, then I realized life was far too short to waste my time on something that is meant to be entertainment but feels like work. 

I am very actor oriented. A show can have the greatest writing of all time, the best plot imaginable, but if I don't like the main cast I just can't spend time with them. I am blessed with a great imagination (a product of being an only child with no friends growing up so I had to imagine a whole community of people to play with) so if the premise is good but the cast put me off, I just make up my own show in my head. 

The only show I initially didn't like, couldn't get through the first ep the first two times, but was intrigued enough to try a third time was Orphan Black. It seriously took me three tries to get through episode one but once I did I was completely hooked and it was one of my all time favorites, at least the first two seasons. The reason I kept trying was shear boredom and an instant adoration of Tatiana Maslany. I'm glad I did, but I also don't regret any of the many, many shows I gave up on. lol

I'll watch the pilot of a new show and if doesn't grab me I don't bother with the rest of the series. I hated the pilots of Firefly and Madmen. I loved the pilot of Dead Like Me and SyFY shows like Eureka and Warehouse 13 which I watched to the end.

[kiddo82]

This isn't directed at anyone in this thread but just something I've noticed over the years.  I think sometimes people inaccurately conflate their fandoms (or other people's fandoms) with their own personalities.  For example, when some people say they like a certain show, what they really mean is "I want to be seen as the type of person who likes this show."   No show is going to appeal to everybody but there are definitely shows that are more niche than others vs shows that are designed to have broader appeal.  I'd say Community is more niche than the Big Bang Theory.   (for the record I consider myself a fan of both.)  I have most definitely run across a subset of people who think liking a show like Community means they are a more intelligent or sophisticated consumer of media than people who like The Big Bang Theory.  That's simply a false equivalency.  On the movie side you'll hear people say I don't like super hero movies/the MCU but "I like Deadpool because I'm dark."  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with liking Deadpool and not the MCU at large, but a doesn't unequivocally equal b.  Yes, certain types of people are going to be predisposed liking certain types of things but I think most of us are drawn to wide variety.  I've not cared for things that seemingly would be in my wheelhouse and I've enjoyed things that are outside of my usual scope.  At the end of day, like what you like and don't like what you don't.  Just don't be a jerk to others regarding the same.  I don't think I've ever done that on these boards but if I have I apologize.  

Edited March 7, 2021 by kiddo82

[Zella]

1 hour ago, kiddo82 said:

This isn't directed at anyone in this thread but just something I've noticed over the years.  I think sometimes people inaccurately conflate their fandoms (or other people's fandoms) with their own personalities.  For example, when some people say they like a certain show, what they really mean is "I want to be seen as the type of person who likes this show."   No show is going to appeal to everybody but there are definitely shows that are more niche than others vs shows that are designed to have broader appeal.  I'd say Community is more niche than the Big Bang Theory.   (for the record I consider myself a fan of both.)  I have most definitely run across a subset of people who think liking a show like Community means they are a more intelligent or sophisticated consumer of media than people who like The Big Bang Theory.  That's simply a false equivalency.  On the movie side you'll hear people say I don't like super hero movies/the MCU but "I like Deadpool because I'm dark."  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with liking Deadpool and not the MCU at large, but a doesn't unequivocally equal b.  Yes, certain types of people are going to be predisposed liking certain types of things but I think most of us are drawn to wide variety.  I've not cared for things that seemingly would be in my wheelhouse and I've enjoyed things that are outside of my usual scope.  At the end of day, like what you like and don't like what you don't.  Just don't be a jerk to others regarding the same.  I don't think I've ever done that on these boards but if I have I apologize.  

Yes, I think some people mistake being a fan of something as a substitute for having a personality or as a means of being self-congratulatory. (Not directed at anyone on this board.) I went to college with a lot of people like that, and as a result, I had to learn to not judge some shows by their most vocal and off-putting fan base. At the end of the day, personal taste is very subjective and isn't a matter of being right or wrong. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Zella

[Danny Franks]

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

This. I think some people (speaking on a general level here) still confuse live audiences with laugh tracks and seem to think they're all one and the same. There is a distinct difference between the two, and even if/when live audiences are "sweetened" a little, it's still an actual audience laughing. 

Both laugh tracks and live audiences get on my nerves, when I'm watching a sitcom. Laugh tracks are infinitely worse, as they seem to be used to telegraph where the viewer is supposed to laugh rather than trusting that they'll get the joke.

It seems like laugh tracks are mostly used on multi camera sitcoms, and live audiences obviously always are, and that's probably another reason I don't like them.

Other than Friends, which was genuinely funny enough that I was able to ignore the live audience reactions, I only ever watch single camera sitcoms - Community, Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Scrubs, MASH, Arrested Development, Derry Girls, Episodes etc. I find the style of comedy in single camera shows to be far more to my taste than multi camera stuff. The denseness of writing and delivery in a single camera show allows for so many more gags per minute, while also allowing for long, deadpan reaction shots. I don't really enjoy the performative, 'say the line, pause for the audience reaction' rhythm of laugh track and live audience shows.

15 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

The thing about people saying "it gets good after X-point" is that that usually means that it gets good at what it's trying to do at that point. So if you don't like what it's trying to do, that's usually not going to help. 

I try to stick to this thinking when recommending a show or a series of books to people - 'if you don't like it by X-point then it's probably just not for you'. Episode 4 of The Expanse, for example, or The Vulture episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. It doesn't mean I'm always right to think that, but I like having a line in the sand where I and the person I'm talking to can just agree that something isn't for them. There's no need to keep pushing, or for them to keep trying to like something they don't.

Edited March 7, 2021 by Danny Franks

[Bastet]

The only time a laugh track bothered me was the one that plagued the first season of Sports Night.  It was glaringly obvious, overdone, and usually misplaced; I found the show quite funny, but often not when that ridiculous effect prompted me to.

In general, though, I don't even register whether audience or canned laughter comports with my own.  Only if I find the whole show painfully unfunny while hearing laughter throughout do I notice the disconnect when "they" laugh and I don't.  And that's a show I quickly discard, so it's not an ongoing issue for me to evaluate.

Living in L.A. and spending several years working in a related industry at the time, I took visiting friends and family to the taping of several sitcoms 20-25 years ago.  The atmosphere yielded more laughter than any given audience member would emit at home, certainly, but it didn't overall force laughter that otherwise wouldn't have been there at all. 

[Haleth]

15 hours ago, isalicat said:

So I agreed to watch 20 minutes of Breaking Bad because he really loved the first season and after twenty minutes, it was "nope! I don't want these people in my living room!".

After years of hearing this was the best thing ever on tv I started watching early in the pandemic.  It's ok.  Yeah, Cranston is superb but I'm mostly bored by the plot.  I think I'm somewhere in season 3 but I keep foregoing watching to binge other shows.  BB is my go-to when I'm in between watching other things.  I'll get through it eventually.

I've said before that I can't stand comedies, mostly because the humor is usually at someone's expense.  I don't find humiliating people to be entertaining.

[JimmyJabloon]

13 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

But man can some community fans be f****** obnoxious and pretentious!!  If you dont declare it the greatest dhow ever in the history of the universe they act like you just shimot their dog.  If you are suggest later seasons in general declined in quality you get a 30 minutes lecture on his wrong you are and how you need to rewatch and rethink your views.

Oh yes. The general consensus is that s4 is shit and s5 and 6 are the epitome of comedy. If you disagree with that opinion then boy oh boy.

And you have to worship dan harmon. Or you're an idiot. 

 

Same with another dan harmon show, Rick and morty fandom.

[Annber03]

25 minutes ago, JimmyJabloon said:

Oh yes. The general consensus is that s4 is shit and s5 and 6 are the epitome of comedy. If you disagree with that opinion then boy oh boy.

I liked stuff in all those seasons. I enjoyed Paget Brewster showing up towards the end of the show's run, and season 4 had some episodes that I rather liked. 

Quote

 

And you have to worship dan harmon. Or you're an idiot. 

 

Same with another dan harmon show, Rick and morty fandom.

 

Yeah, I've seen some of the intense fandom around him. He was not the draw for me when I got into "Community"-I'd never heard of him before that show, and I've not followed any of his work outside of that show. I got into "Community" 'cause it had Joel McHale and John Oliver in it, and I liked them, so naturally I wanted to see what a show with them would be like :). 

[DrSpaceman73]

28 minutes ago, JimmyJabloon said:

Oh yes. The general consensus is that s4 is shit and s5 and 6 are the epitome of comedy. If you disagree with that opinion then boy oh boy.

And you have to worship dan harmon. Or you're an idiot. 

 

Same with another dan harmon show, Rick and morty fandom.

That's my other unpopular opinion.  I like rick and morty but it's overrated.  Maybe my expectations were too high going into it.  It's a fun show but not the greatest thing ever. 

[Shannon L.]

16 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I can relate to this, 'cause I remember a lot of "Community" fans having that snobbish attitude as well, and it always made me cringe so much. I loved the show, and I thought it was creative and fun, but people, it's a comedy series. It's not that deep. Nor does it have to be. I can definitely see where a show like that wouldn't be everyone's bag, and that's fine. 

The thing about Arrested Development is that it had a lot of things in the background or in newspapers they were reading that were really clever if you caught them.  You had to be really observant or invested in pausing the show or backing it up ( ex. "what was that clown doing?").  If you caught it, you were really committed and/or observant.  If you didn't, it doesn't make you "not smart enough to get it".  Thankfully, imo, there was enough going on in the foreground and with the story that I don't feel like I missed out by not catching those things.

@JimmyJabloon people really thought season 5 and 6 of Community were the epitome of comedy?  Wow.  I was mostly bored by then (but stayed until the end).  I think it's first 3 seasons were fantastic with a handful of clunkers and Ken Jeong not withstanding--I could have happily done without him.  But, I thought the rest of the story lines and characters were good enough that I was willing to overlook him.

UO (apparently, given the popularity of them):  I can't get into animated shows.  I can count on one had the number of episodes of The Simpsons, South Park, and King of the Hill. I don't think I've seen any others.

[magicdog]

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I can't get into animated shows.  I can count on one had the number of episodes of The Simpsons, South Park, and King of the Hill. I don't think I've seen any others.

Haven't seen The Simpsons in over 20 years (shows like that really shouldn't need to run that long!!), KOTH wasn't bad and had it's moments (though I hadn't watched it all the way through).  

For animated shows, I found better success with shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Justice League, Batman The Animated Series, Batman Beyond,  Young Justice (first season is still my fave!) and Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.

[Mabinogia]

14 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I've not cared for things that seemingly would be in my wheelhouse and I've enjoyed things that are outside of my usual scope.

I'm like that. It drives people nuts because they'll be all "oh, you liked Buffy, you'll love Firefly". I loved Buffy. I hated and loathed Firefly. Just because the same dude made them doesn't mean I'm gonna like em both. I love Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Avengers movies, Spiderman too. Iron Man is okay. Have no use for Captain America at all, can't be bothered with any of the rest of the MCU. 

Based on our mutual likes a friend thought I'd love Schitt's Creek. Can't stand it. Couldn't get through a single ep I was so annoyed with how hard it was trying. 

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

UO (apparently, given the popularity of them):  I can't get into animated shows. 

You are not alone. The only animated shows I liked were Scooby Doo (when I was a kid. I liked mysteries) and Kim Possible (when I was no longer a kid. I loved Shego). I do, however, love most Disney animated movies. I just don't like "adult" animation I think. 

 

Oh, and on the "Should love them but don't" front. I love history. The fashion of the 60s, the "cocktail hour" of it all, Mad Men should have been right up my alley. No interest. LOVE all things British, all things Victorian through WWII, should have been all over Downton Abbey like white on rice and yet I have never had even the slightest interest in watching despite Maggie Smith being a goddess and my actually liking the creator Julian Fellows. IDK why, exactly, but I just don't want to watch it. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Mabinogia

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

UO (apparently, given the popularity of them):  I can't get into animated shows. 

I can't either.  I watched very few cartoons as a child, even.  It's the same reason I generally dislike sci-fi and epic fantasy - while there are exceptions, for the most part I need realism in what I'm watching, so if the characters are "played" by drawings rather than people, right off the bat it's not my thing.  (Again, going back to this being a life-long thing even before I realized the theme: While I liked Daniel Striped Tiger, the Land of Make-Believe was not my jam when it came to watching Mr. Rogers - I was there for Picture Picture, where we learned how people make various things.)

Edited March 7, 2021 by Bastet

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

. I do, however, love most Disney animated movies. I just don't like "adult" animation I think.

Same.  I like a lot of Disney movies, but not the stuff that adults get into.

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

  (Again, going back to this being a life-long thing even before I realized the theme: While I liked Daniel Striped Tiger, the Land of Make-Believe was not my jam when it came to watching Mr. Rogers - I was there for Picture Picture, where we learned how people make various things.)

I watched Mr. Rogers, but all in all thought it was kind of dull.  Definitely not my favorite by far.  I did like the Picture Picture portion and his guests, but I thought The Land of Make Believe puppets were creepy.

[kiddo82]

17 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

I watched Mr. Rogers, but all in all thought it was kind of dull.  Definitely not my favorite by far.  I did like the Picture Picture portion and his guests, but I thought The Land of Make Believe puppets were creepy.

Oh good.  Between Wont You Be My Neighbor and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood I thought I was the only one who didn't have the warm and fuzzies for Mr. Rogers.  As an adult, I appreciate what he created but as a little kid I thought it was boring.  The only part I liked was The Land of Make Believe stuff.

[Katy M]

31 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Oh good.  Between Wont You Be My Neighbor and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood I thought I was the only one who didn't have the warm and fuzzies for Mr. Rogers.  As an adult, I appreciate what he created but as a little kid I thought it was boring.  The only part I liked was The Land of Make Believe stuff.

I only liked the puppets part.  I would get ridiculously bored when they showed how to make stuff and I couldn't udnerstand why he was always changing his shoes and sweater.

It's actually kind of funny because when the movie came out a couple of years ago, my mom said my dad used to like to watch Mr. Rogers and I was like "who was he watching it with? "  I guess maybe my sister liked it?  Or, he just turned it on and pretended someone else was also watching?  LOL.

I can actually see my dad liking it though for the spots on how people make things, because he likes stuff like that, but he's not particularly technical or mechanical, so aimed at kids it would have been perfect.  I realize that it kind of looks like I'm calling my dad stupid, but that was not at all my intent.

[kiddo82]

24 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I can actually see my dad liking it though for the spots on how people make things, because he likes stuff like that, but he's not particularly technical or mechanical, so aimed at kids it would have been perfect.  I realize that it kind of looks like I'm calling my dad stupid, but that was not at all my intent.

I didn't take it that way so I wouldn't worry. I'm not too proud to admit I've learned a few things myself from educational content designed for children.  I've definitely buried my nose in my nephew's How Stuff Works books.

[Crs97]

3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

the Land of Make-Believe was not my jam when it came to watching Mr. Rogers - I was there for Picture Picture, where we learned how people make various things.

Picture Picture was my favorite thing about Mr. Rogers!  I didn’t like make believe (their mouths didn’t move, which bothered me), but I loved Mr. Rogers’ gentle nature.  When I was in law school and feeling extra stressed, I would look for Mr. Rogers telling me he liked me as I am or Bob Ross and his happy trees.  Always settled me down.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, Crs97 said:

Picture Picture was my favorite thing about Mr. Rogers!  I didn’t like make believe (their mouths didn’t move, which bothered me), but I loved Mr. Rogers’ gentle nature.  When I was in law school and feeling extra stressed, I would look for Mr. Rogers telling me he liked me as I am or Bob Ross and his happy trees.  Always settled me down.

Hey there!  I just wanted to point out that while I agree with you, what you quoted actually came from @Bastet

[Crs97]

Thanks, Shannon!  Sorry, Bastet!

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Picture Picture was my favorite thing about Mr. Rogers!  I didn’t like make believe (their mouths didn’t move, which bothered me), but I loved Mr. Rogers’ gentle nature.  When I was in law school and feeling extra stressed, I would look for Mr. Rogers telling me he liked me as I am or Bob Ross and his happy trees.  Always settled me down.

As a kid, I sometimes watched Mr. Rogers though it wasn't a favorite. I was more into Match Game and soaps (I am very warped because of it lol) but as I got older I appreciated him more. I completely admire and respect him as a person regardless of how I personally felt about his show. He clearly cared about and respected children and as you say, had such a gentle nature. 

The land of make-believe is really the only part I remember, other than the theme song and changing of shoes and sweater which is pretty iconic. 

[kathyk24]

12 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Oh good.  Between Wont You Be My Neighbor and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood I thought I was the only one who didn't have the warm and fuzzies for Mr. Rogers.  As an adult, I appreciate what he created but as a little kid I thought it was boring.  The only part I liked was The Land of Make Believe stuff.

I thought Mr. Rogers was boring. I loved Sesame Street and The Electric Company. I loved the music on both of those shows and I'm a die hard Muppet fan. I miss Jim Henson more than Mr. Rogers.