Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Joe]

How many episodes do you call a success? Nikita got 73, but the Nineties version got 96. 73 is still pretty good.

 

Doctor Who is a continuation rather than a reboot.

[Shannon L.]

Cannot stand A Christmas Story.   Watched it once.   Decided it was stupid.   Have never watched it again.   Definitely do not get the attraction of the Leg Lamp.

Have never seen it, have never had any desire to see it.

I made it about half way through before turning it off and never bothered trying again.

[spaceytraci1208]

Another UO in the world it seems, but not within my family is my disgust w/all things Gone W/The Wind. "I don't know nothing bout birthin no babies"...well I don't know nothing about liking this movie. This movie actually makes me seethe.

LMAO

[DittyDotDot]

Joe, on 14 Dec 2014 - 07:48 AM, said:

How many episodes do you call a success? Nikita got 73, but the Nineties version got 96. 73 is still pretty good.

 

Doctor Who is a continuation rather than a reboot.

 

I guess another question is what one would consider a re-boot? Doctor Who went off the air in 1989 and didn't reappear till 2006. Yes, they continued the storyline rather than restarting from the beginning, but I'd still call it a re-boot because the show was dead before they started it again and it was a totally different creative team and brought a totally new dynamic to the show.

 

I'd consider a continuation to be more like when Stargate SG-1  got cancelled on Showtime, but picked up by SyFy shortly after. They still had the same cast and crew and creative team and continued right from where they left off as though nothing had changed at all.

 

Or are we talking about only straight up re-makes?

Edited December 14, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[Sweet Tee]

 

Has there ever been a reboot of an old popular show that succeeded?  Seems to me they are always doomed from the start.

 

Hawaii Five-O is in its fifth season.

[galax-arena]

Has there ever been a reboot of an old popular show that succeeded?  Seems to me they are always doomed from the start.

Battlestar Galactica? But it might be a stretch to call the original series popular, since it only lasted for one season. 

[ganesh]

Doctor Who is a continuation rather than a reboot.

 

I think Doctor Who is actually the truest definition of reboot. The use of 'reboot' has been smeared so wide that the use of the term is practically nonsensical. I mean, they're 'rebooting' Terminator by doing the first movie over again. It's a universe where time loops are part of warfare! There's no need!

 

Doctor Who always played loose with continuity, but when it started in 2005, the Doctor was the Ninth. He still had his TARDIS, there were still daleks and cybmerman and the Master plotting at the edge of the universe. It's just that the Doctor was traveling around a lot since 1989 and didn't make it back to earth for a while. 

[galax-arena]

Battlestar Galactica wasn't really a remake because it was a continuation and a jump in time. New technology, new people.

I'd argue that it's a remake (or reboot), considering that it uses the same character names and roughly the same relationships between them. Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, with Apollo being the son of Adama, etc. Sure, it uses a different timeframe and new technology, but that could be chalked up to when each series was written. It's really not like the various Star Trek series, which I'd agree are just continuations of one another. 

 

Similar to people getting offended that Watson was gender/race-flipped in Elementary, I also recall people clutching their pearls because they gender-flipped Starbuck. 

Edited December 14, 2014 by galax-arena

[DittyDotDot]

Similar to people getting offended that Watson was gender/race-flipped in Elementary, I also recall people clutching their pearls because they gender-flipped Starbuck. 

 

And Boomer! Not only was she a girl, but a Cylon too--oh the horror of it all!

[galax-arena]

Heh, they also race-swapped Boomer, but I don't recall much if any outrage about that. My cynical side is wondering if it's because the original Boomer was played by a black man. But yeah, the gender/Cylon thing was a big deal. 

[ganesh]

I'd argue that it's a remake (or reboot), considering that it uses the same character names and roughly the same relationships between them. Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, with Apollo being the son of Adama, etc.

 

Technically, though, the show myth was "all of this has happened before and will happen again." Which was invented by the new show, but in effect, what they're saying is that we're watching the newest incarnation of this playing out. Then they ended the show basically with the next one starting. 

[kassygreene]

I categorize reboot vs remake as success vs dear-god-that-sucks-failure.  

 

BSG is a reboot.  The "happens over and over" was a nice nod to the differences in the two series.

 

Star Trek Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager were continuations, Enterprise was a prequel.  It wasn't until Star Trek XI (2009) that there was a reboot (which I personally regard as an Assiti Shard).  It erased all that lovely canon but was still a good story.

 

Doctor Who is a reboot because it had been cancelled and also failed its 1996 comeback.  But it is a continuation of the original which takes advantage of the advances in the industry and acknowledges the social changes on Earth.  Ten years + 5 doctors.

 

The various Holmes stuff over the last 100+ years I generally consider remakes, when they aren't set in Victorian England with Victorian attitudes.  Sherlock is a reboot because they are at least attempting to answer What Would Conan Doyle Do if he was writing in the 21rst century.  And it's really really fun to watch.

 

Hawaii Five-0 is a reboot of Hawaii Five-O: same character names, same location, same theme, same 1974 Mercury Marquis, but written for the faster-paced life and massively increased commercial breaks of the 21rst century.  Five seasons so far.

[merylinkid]

Points for the Assiti Shard reference.   Go read the books everyone.

[ribboninthesky1]

I'm sure it's not unpopular to watch (superhero) comic adaptations on TV, but I find the animated versions to be much better than live action. Shame that animated series are still considered kid's play, for the most part.

[izabella]

Also, another general TV UO of mine:  I find ho-yay to be exceedingly tiresome and boring.  

 

That makes two of us.  Especially when there are pages and pages analyzing a glance or smile or nothing,   Take the ho yay to fan fiction, if you must!

[Athena]

I'm sure it's not unpopular to watch (superhero) comic adaptations on TV, but I find the animated versions to be much better than live action. Shame that animated series are still considered kid's play, for the most part.

 

Batman: The Animated Series is probably better written and voice acted than most procedurals on in the evening now.

[Jipijapa]

I was pleased to learn that the TV remake of The Rockford Files, which actually got as far as a pilot being shot, died a dog's death a few years ago.  (All you had to tell me was "Not-James-Garner as Jim Rockford" and, urk...)

 

Why do things have to be slavishly remade anyway?  For instance, I'd love to see a *sequel* to the Rockford Files set in the present day.  Call it "Paradise Cove," have it be about a private eye (or maybe even a few in competition with each other) who were mentored by old Jim Rockford (RIP, with a black and white photo of Garner visible on the desk of said P.I.), getting into Rockford-esque adventure, with the occasional end-of-episode beer where they sit around reminiscing about things that old Jim Rockford used to do and say.  That might actually be a fun show.  With new characters, with new names, who might remind us a bit of the old ones.  But why just try to repeat old stuff?

Edited December 15, 2014 by Jipijapa

[ganesh]

Why do things have to be slavishly remade anyway?

 

Because tv people are lazy and greedy. All you have to do is slap a known name on something. I would have much rather new Star Trek set farther into the future when TOS were more known as legends than the same characters just 20 something. 

[Minneapple]

I guess I don't care if something is a remake or a reboot. About the only thing I care about is if it's a good show on its own. I never watched the French movie or the TV show La Femme Nikita, but I loved loved Nikita with Maggie Q. Sniff. I still miss it.

[galax-arena]

I guess I don't care if something is a remake or a reboot. About the only thing I care about is if it's a good show on its own.

I tend to agree, but for me the one exception is when it comes to superheroes. If there is never another Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman movie/tv show, it will be too soon IMO. The jury's still out on X-Men. 

[DittyDotDot]

I tend to agree, but for me the one exception is when it comes to superheroes. If there is never another Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman movie/tv show, it will be too soon IMO. The jury's still out on X-Men. 

 

I don't understand the "craze" mentality. If a show is popular on one network, every other network bends over backward to do their own crappy rip-off version of it because it's the current craze. I think I adore ingenuity far more than quality, so I'll watch a show just because it's something I've never seen before a lot of times. Doesn't necessarily have to be "good."  But quality and ingenuity...

[Jipijapa]

I hate comic book TV and movies.  HAAAAAAATE.  I barely go to the movies any more because of them.

[amensisterfriend]

I've stated this one before, but it was dug up again by an Old Navy commercial I saw on something I'd recorded----I just don't think Amy Poehler is funny. I'm sure she's a great person, but as an actress/comedienne I actually find her incredibly grating.  (Even more unpopulalrly, I don't think Parks and Rec is funny in general, though I enjoy it for other reasons!) 

[SmithW6079]

Points for the Assiti Shard reference.   Go read the books everyone.

Thanks for the recommendation. I like Eric Flint, but I haven't read anything other than the Jao Empire series and the Trail of Glory series.

[ChromaKelly]

You just reminded me of another UO I have :) I still very strongly prefer to watch TV on a TV. I'm ridiculous enough to buy my favorite episodes online and watch them on my computer and/or my iphone, but I still "need" to own the DVDs of my favorite shows anyway---not because of the extras, which I usually watch either just once or not at all, but because I have this thing about enjoying TV far more when it's shown on an actual TV screen. The teens I work with find this highly amusing! 

Yes! Well, I do watch a lot of programming streaming and online, through the Roku but still on my actual television. I don't enjoy watching shows on the iPad unless I'm like stuck in bed sick or something. I also can't stand people who get all high and mighty about not having a TV but watch tons of shows on their i-device. What's the difference? At least when I'm watching TV, I can enjoy the show with other people.

[Minneapple]

What makes no sense to me is the cord cutters who brag about not having cable -- but then use someone else's password to get networks like HBOGo and WatchESPN. Buddy, you better hope your friend/brother/cousin/father doesn't decide to cut the cord as well!

[ganesh]

I like my cable. I watch mostly online through the ondemand and I can use the other apps for my phone. I was actually going to cancel it and they gave me the promotional rate with free hbo for a year. 

[ByTor]

I've stated this one before, but it was dug up again by an Old Navy commercial I saw on something I'd recorded----I just don't think Amy Poehler is funny. I'm sure she's a great person, but as an actress/comedienne I actually find her incredibly grating.  (Even more unpopulalrly, I don't think Parks and Rec is funny in general, though I enjoy it for other reasons!) 

I've said it before as well...can't stand her & that smug "Aren't I the most cleverest being in the universe" grin after everything she says.

 I also can't stand people who get all high and mighty about not having a TV but watch tons of shows on their i-device. What's the difference?

I cancelled my cable & have internet only, since everything I enjoy watching is available online anyway.  But to your point, when I tell people I don't have television, I qualify it with "I watch everything online."  I don't like the high & mighty attitude either, I sure as hell don't want anyone thinking I have it! :)

[amensisterfriend]

I've said it before as well...can't stand her & that smug "Aren't I the most cleverest being in the universe" grin after everything she says.

 

Ha! I never really thought of it that way before, but now I can't NOT see it :) 

 

Speaking of popular female leads who just don't work for me, I think the actress who plays Kate Beckett on Castle is absolutely terrible. I'm trying to generously think that maybe she's a decent actress who's just terribly miscast as a 'tough' female detective (some of the funniest scenes from that show derive from the unintentional comedy of hardened lifelong felons having to act frightened and intimidated in the presence of the 'great' Kate Beckett!) Honestly, though, I'm not sure I'd like her much more in other types of roles. 

[Anna Yolei]

You just reminded me of another UO I have :) I still very strongly prefer to watch TV on a TV. I'm ridiculous enough to buy my favorite episodes online and watch them on my computer and/or my iphone, but I still "need" to own the DVDs of my favorite shows anyway---not because of the extras, which I usually watch either just once or not at all, but because I have this thing about enjoying TV far more when it's shown on an actual TV screen. The teens I work with find this highly amusing!

Regarding this, I think a lot of that may come from when these teens and mid-20's folks like myself came of age--right at teh beginning of the recession. People in general have been holding on to big ticket items longer (sales on tablets have dropped in recent years, as have new computer sales). I don't know if it's the majority yet, but if I were a 20-something in college barely making minimum wage and needed to buy food and pay for gas, and already owned a Pc for school and cell phone, I'd just let my PC double for TV.

 

That said, I finally bought a 32" last month after not having a TV since I left for the military five years ago, and it's nice to not have to squint at my phone for movies. ;)

[Anna Yolei]

The problem with the CW is viewers’ perceptions of the network. So, sure, if the shows were on other networks, then maybe more viewers would watch because they wouldn’t be biased, but that would be offset by the higher expectations that those bigger networks have. Shows on bigger networks couldn’t get away with the 0.4s that Nikita was pulling in. Plus, at least the CW generally allows its shows to run a full season before yanking them off air, even if they’re canceled.

All of this. Even the worst of what I've watched outta the CW these days is still head and tails above much of what UPN was producing, and I include both Star Treks it hosted in that. By merging with the WB, it's found a decent niche with the young female demographic and its shows are generally more enjoyable.

Also can I shout out to the poster that hated "Gone with the Wind"? As a black woman, I can overlook the racist stereotypes that were all too common in the year this was filmed....but I cannot overlook Scarlett and her foolish obsession with Ashley and her other selfish behaviors...like marrying her sister's fiancee in the name of securing the family fortune. Maybe I missed something in between dozing off, but wouldn't the guy have taken care of the family if he'd married the sister?  I have the sneaking suspicion that The Bold and the Beautiful's Brooke Logan was modeled off of Scarlett, minus the realization that the two of them were never right for one another.

[SmithW6079]

Unless you've seriously put time and effort into a show bible and mytharc, please don't create a show that's supposed to have an encompassing theme when all you're going to do is make it up as you go along. 

 

I liked "Battlestar Galactica," but the Cylons didn't have a plan at all, other than shagging humans.

 

"X-Files" worked best with the stand-alone, monster-of-the-week episodes (except for Krycek, as part of the mytharc). Otherwise, it failed miserably.

 

"Grimm" seems to be falling into the same trap when it goes beyond the Wesen crime of the week or commentary on modern society through the eyes of the "monsters."

Edited December 18, 2014 by SmithW6079

[amensisterfriend]

Parenthood is awful, IMUO. AWFUL. And, for me, it always has been. This is coming from someone who tried very hard to like it, as it featured a few actors and actresses I've adored in other roles and family dramedies are so sadly rare these days. But, ugh, that show is such a mawkish, treacly, poorly written, actively irritating disappointment IMO, with some of the worst characters on TV and neither the dramatic nor (allegedly!) comedic parts working well at all. Every time critics inform us it's a show we should be watching, I want to write back and tell them there's a reason why many of us aren't :) 

 

"Grimm" seems to be falling into the same trap when it goes beyond the Wesen crime of the week or commentary on modern society through the eyes of the "monsters."

 

Heh---this is another show I tried to like but which I find deeply disappointing. I think the characters are flat and dull, the acting mediocre (at best!), and the "mythology" among the most sloppy and just plain nonexistent I've ever come across.  

Edited December 17, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[ribboninthesky1]

Unless you've seriously put time and effort into a show bible and mytharc, please don't create a show that's supposed to have an encompassing theme when all you're going to do is make it up as you go along. 

 

This is one reason I'm not a huge fan of science fiction or fantasy shows.  Mind you, I don't necessarily watch, say, procedurals, either, but at least you know what you're getting (those Saturday L&O marathons can draw you in).  Is there a show that's actually been consistent with its theme or mythology throughout the series?  Of course, given how many shows end up cancelled, the latter is probably a rare jewel in itself. But hell, I'd take a show that actually did this in the first couple of seasons.   

 

I thought BSG was pretty good, until it wasn't.  Lost was very well-acted, but the smoke and numbers and all of that myth-y stuff pretty much derailed the show for me, and I bailed half-way into season 2.  I actually preferred The Nine, but I was probably one of the nine people who watched it, so alas, it was cancelled. 

Edited December 18, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

[backformore]

Yes! Well, I do watch a lot of programming streaming and online, through the Roku but still on my actual television. I don't enjoy watching shows on the iPad unless I'm like stuck in bed sick or something. I also can't stand people who get all high and mighty about not having a TV but watch tons of shows on their i-device. What's the difference? At least when I'm watching TV, I can enjoy the show with other people.

Ha! I have a brother who brags that in his house, they "NEVER watch Tv."

Yeah they buy DVD' s of TV shows. They watch lots of TV. They just never watch a current season of a show.

[ganesh]

Is there a show that's actually been consistent with its theme or mythology throughout the series?

 

Babylon 5, Farscape. I'd say Game of Thrones is, but they have the books. Boardwalk Empire was ok. Generally, the shorter season orders makes it easier. There's a lot of BBC shows (Orphan Black is currently holding up well enough), that do, for that reason. Life on Mars, too. 

[Minneapple]

The CW these days is actually nearly on par with the golden days of the WB. OK, maybe that's exaggerating a bit. But -- Jane the Virgin is the best new show on TV. The Flash and Arrow are solid comic book shows. The 100 is surprisingly not crappy, but good teen dystopian sci-fi. They've really done a 180 from the 90210-Melrose reboot days. Viewer perception definitely hurts the network, but maybe Jane's Golden Globe nominations (eeeee!) will help change that.

[SmithW6079]

I thought BSG was pretty good, until it wasn't.

 

Out of 4 seasons, I thought "Battlestar Galactica" had a good 2 1/2.  My favorite scene is still the Cylon Wehrmacht marching down Main Street, New Caprica, and Chief asking Starbuck, "What do we do?" and her answer: "What we always do. Fight 'em till we can't." 

[topanga]

People misuse "jump the shark" to mean something happened that they didn't like, regardless if it does in fact fit into the show.

My UO: I liked watching Fonzie jump the shark in his leather jacket. I was six years old at the time, but still.

[Gudzilla]

My UO that might get me stoned to death... I've never liked the muppets.

[cpcathy]

I used to love the Muppets (hey, I had the Muppet Movie soundtrack on 8 track), but the "new" Muppets I can do without. Without Jim Henson, they're just not fun anymore. The magic is gone for me.

[blueray]

Regarding this, I think a lot of that may come from when these teens and mid-20's folks like myself came of age--right at teh beginning of the recession. People in general have been holding on to big ticket items longer (sales on tablets have dropped in recent years, as have new computer sales). I don't know if it's the majority yet, but if I were a 20-something in college barely making minimum wage and needed to buy food and pay for gas, and already owned a Pc for school and cell phone, I'd just let my PC double for TV.

 

That said, I finally bought a 32" last month after not having a TV since I left for the military five years ago, and it's nice to not have to squint at my phone for movies. ;)

I'm like this. While I do have a tv, I honestly wouldn't have cable it if wasn't included in my rent. I can't afford to pay for it and watch most things online. The only good thing cable is good for is when I'm not sure what I want to watch, it gives suggestions for me.

[ShadowHunter]

I love Jake on Scandal. At this point he is one of the few things that keeps me watching the show.

 

I hope the shows end with Fitz having choked on the Jam while he was alone in Vermont. 

[ribboninthesky1]

Out of 4 seasons, I thought "Battlestar Galactica" had a good 2 1/2.  My favorite scene is still the Cylon Wehrmacht marching down Main Street, New Caprica, and Chief asking Starbuck, "What do we do?" and her answer: "What we always do. Fight 'em till we can't." 

 

I agree with your timeline.  I lost interest in season 3, and never looked back.

[briochetwist]

I used to love the Muppets (hey, I had the Muppet Movie soundtrack on 8 track), but the "new" Muppets I can do without. Without Jim Henson, they're just not fun anymore. The magic is gone for me.

 

I couldn't agree more!  At the risk of sounding like a complete and total nutbar, I'll share this anyway.  The other day I was flipping through radio stations and came across the new version of 'The Rainbow Connection', the one with whoever does the voice of Kermit now.  I have always loved that song, I listened to it and .... nothing.  No connection, rainbow or otherwise.  Later that day I watched the original on youtube and it brought tears to my eyes.  Jim Henson was magic, it's just not the same...

[kathyk24]

I loved the original Muppet movie but I hated the remake, I felt there was too much focus on the new Muppet Walter and not enough on the original gang.

[MaryPatShelby]

Also, another general TV UO of mine:  I find ho-yay to be exceedingly tiresome and boring.  

Could someone explain to me what ho-yay is?

[ganesh]

Ho-yay = homosexual subtext. It's where you get your slash from. It's non-canon for whatever show. Like Methos/MacLeod on Highlander, a fave. 

 

What's great is when the actors play it up. 

[Anna Yolei]

I'm like this. While I do have a tv, I honestly wouldn't have cable it if wasn't included in my rent. I can't afford to pay for it and watch most things online. The only good thing cable is good for is when I'm not sure what I want to watch, it gives suggestions for me.

I live on-base in the housing for single junior enlisted that's one step above the barracks, and the roommate already had cable installed . With cable and Internet, the bill is damn near 100 dollars a month. If she dropped the half-assed basic package (which is missing basic stations that I thought came with every cable package, like MTV and A&E--not that I watch either of these, but it's the principle) the Internet alone would only be $45.I will never have cable, not even if it were even five dollars more than the 'Net to have it.

[Neurochick]

My UO is, I don't think the quality of White Collar went down.  To me the quality stayed the same and maybe the show went on too long.