Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[ifionlyknew]

9 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I have never seen soap and it's the one I've tried to find to watch.  Doesn't seem to be on any stream services I have.  I think someone said it's an YouTube deluxe prime or whatever.   Just don't want to pay for another service though. 

I streams on Crackle and Tubi.

Edited January 21, 2022 by ifionlyknew

[sistermagpie]

16 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

I remember when I was seven or so and we'd first gotten cable and I came across The Honeymooners. When the husband threatened to punch the wife, I came out of my seat, horrified and in tears that someone would think that was funny. We never, ever watched that show again. 

That used to scare the hell out of me as a kid whenever I caught an episode.

I happened to watch a few episodes of Soap over the holidays when I was at someone's house who could get it. Chuck and Bob will never not be hilarious to me.

[Annber03]

"Soap" is hysterical. That show went all out and bless them for it :D. 

I love watching old sitcoms - they take me back to my simpler childhood/teen years, and I have a lot of fond memories of watching a lot of them with my family. The sitcoms from the '60s and '70s bring back memories of watching Nick at Nite with my mom and dad when I was little :). 

[Enigma X]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

"Soap" is hysterical. That show went all out and bless them for it :D. 

I think I was around and saw Soap when it aired (born in 1975) but really loved it upon rerun re-watch. One of the best sitcoms ever!

[DearEvette]

4 hours ago, Annber03 said:

"Soap" is hysterical. That show went all out and bless them for it :D. 

Yup.  Sitcoms are light and amusing in general.  But I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have actually flat out laughed-laughed hard while watching one. But I remember doing that a few times with Soap.  I haven't seen it in forever, but I have such strong memories of it being flat out funny.

[DoctorAtomic]

6 hours ago, SusannahM said:

The same people making this mistake also miss the meaning of Fortunate Son by a country mile.

Oh yeah. 

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

Yup.  Sitcoms are light and amusing in general.  But I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have actually flat out laughed-laughed hard while watching one. But I remember doing that a few times with Soap.  I haven't seen it in forever, but I have such strong memories of it being flat out funny.

I guess I'm just weird. I rewatch a LOT of shows from my childhood and young adult years.

As for gut-busting laughing? I Love Lucy has a lot of episodes that have me laughing until I'm crying. Then there are a few episodes in Facts of Life, too. Especially the season 3 episode where the girls have to paint the room they think they're leaving and they end up in a paint fight. I've always wondered if Jo trying to hold back her laughter was Nancy McKeon breaking character--Jo had set a pan of paint on a chair and Blair sat down into it. It was hilarious.

[Mabinogia]

8 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

I watched Three's Company when it originally aired. I was barely a tween and didn't get a lot of the jokes.  When I have seen episodes as an adult I cringe because I get the jokes now and they aren't that funny.  Soap on the other hand I still find funny.

Same here. I forking LOVE Soap. I loved it then, as a kid, and I still love it now where many sitcoms from that era that I loved as a kid I am either meh about or, like Three's Company, actually cringe at now. 

I think Soap still works because it was a parody of soap operas. The stories were insane, but they were meant to be. I also loved soaps as a kid so the fact it was just a really funny exaggerated soap opera. 

I'm totally hit or miss with my sitcom tastes. I do tend to dislike popular shows though. Friends, Seinfeld, Modern Family, The Simpsons, all hard passes for me because I just didn't like any of the characters in said shows. 

I loved Will and Grace until one day I just didn't anymore. It's not that I think the shows quality went down, or it ran out of ideas, it's just that I finally got sick of the characters. I didn't enjoy spending time with them anymore. Meanwhile, I can still watch reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, which wasn't a better show, or even a funnier show necessarily, but for some reason I enjoyed hanging out with the Barones, even when I had seen the eps enough times to know what they were going to say.

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, Annber03 said:

The sitcoms from the '60s and '70s bring back memories of watching Nick at Nite with my mom and dad when I was little :). 

I LOVED Nick at Nite. Burns and Allen was my favorite, along with The Donna Reed Show, that's where I watched Soap, the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Topper, The Patty Duke Show. Oh, the memories.

I also watched this show called I Married Joan, and all I can remember of it is part of the theme song. lol "I married Joan, what a girl, what a whirl, what a wife..." is all I remember and it randomly pops into my head at the oddest times. 

I really was born in the wrong time pop culturally. I listened to Bing Crosby and Glen Miller as a kid in the 80s. Actually took up clarinet because I wanted to be like Benny Goodman. Yeah, I had lots of friends, if by lots of you mean imaginary. 

[SusanM]

20 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Meanwhile, I can still watch reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, which wasn't a better show, or even a funnier show necessarily, but for some reason I enjoyed hanging out with the Barones, even when I had seen the eps enough times to know what they were going to say.

There are things about ELR that can drive me up a wall and yet I love the show and can still sit and watch all but a few episodes ( roughly one or two from each season) so I figured "hey I like ELR that must mean I'll like King of Queens".  No.  It's loosely related to ELR but that's about it.  Can't stand it.

[Mabinogia]

28 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

so I figured "hey I like ELR that must mean I'll like King of Queens".  No.  It's loosely related to ELR but that's about it.  Can't stand it.

Same here. KoQ just didn't have the same "magic". I think it's because what I love about ELR isn't really Ray (probably my least favorite on the show) or Debra (who really gives him a run for his money) but the parents, and the kids and especially Robert. I have a soft spot for Robert. KoQ had Deacon and his wife, and then was it Patton Oswald as the really annoying one, and I Carrie's dad who was annoying, and eventually his dog walker who was the only one I actually liked. So other than the dog walker, I didn't like anyone on KoQ while on ELR I liked everyone but Ray and Debra, but I didn't mind them because things usually blew up in their faces. My parents liked KoQ which is the only reason I watched it. 

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

I loved Will and Grace until one day I just didn't anymore.

I wanted to love Will and Grace, but Debra Messing ruins everything.

I can't stand Everybody Loves Raymond.  Or as I like to say, everybody does not love Raymond. 

[Crs97]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

I really was born in the wrong time pop culturally. I listened to Bing Crosby and Glen Miller as a kid in the 80s. Actually took up clarinet because I wanted to be like Benny Goodman. Yeah, I had lots of friends, if by lots of you mean imaginary. 

Are we related?!?  I grew up on Frank Sinatra and Glen Miller.  Husband teases me about never knowing any 80’s band ever.  We visited his mom in a retirement facility and I was so happy to hear the music, only to realize when it’s my turn I will hate what is played in the common areas.

[ifionlyknew]

I would like Everyone Loves Raymond if not for Patricia Heaton.  I refuse to watch anything she is in.  

I watched King of Queens on DVD after it aired.  Wouldn't watch it again.  There was not one likable character on that show.  Maybe Deacon.

Probably a huge unpopular opinion but I didn't like Jack or Karen on Will & Grace.

 

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

Same here. KoQ just didn't have the same "magic". I think it's because what I love about ELR isn't really Ray (probably my least favorite on the show) or Debra (who really gives him a run for his money) but the parents, and the kids and especially Robert. I have a soft spot for Robert. KoQ had Deacon and his wife, and then was it Patton Oswald as the really annoying one, and I Carrie's dad who was annoying, and eventually his dog walker who was the only one I actually liked. So other than the dog walker, I didn't like anyone on KoQ while on ELR I liked everyone but Ray and Debra, but I didn't mind them because things usually blew up in their faces. My parents liked KoQ which is the only reason I watched it. 

That's my unpopular opinion about ELR. I never understand the love for Robert.  He won multiple Emmys for that roll and I just don't get it. He is perfectly fine as a character but never once did I watch and just think he was one of the funniest on TV. 

 

And I like king of queens. Despite the fact it really is just a classic stereotypical sitcom set up. 

[roamyn]

On 1/20/2022 at 7:15 PM, Bastet said:

Same with The Police's "Every Breath You Take".

And Sarah MacLauchlan’s ‘Angel’, which is abt a friend she lost to heroin.  (Angel used to be the street name for heroin)

Edited January 22, 2022 by roamyn

[Ohiopirate02]

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

 

I loved Will and Grace until one day I just didn't anymore. It's not that I think the shows quality went down, or it ran out of ideas, it's just that I finally got sick of the characters. I didn't enjoy spending time with them anymore. Meanwhile, I can still watch reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, which wasn't a better show, or even a funnier show necessarily, but for some reason I enjoyed hanging out with the Barones, even when I had seen the eps enough times to know what they were going to say.

I loved Will and Grace during its original run when I was younger.  When I tried to watch it again as an adult, I hated it.   Will, Grace, Karen, and Jack are all assholes who constantly punch down.  I can live with unlikable protagonists with asshole tendencies,  but I can't do punching down.  

I will also watch reruns of ELR.  There's something about that show that reflects real life and makes it funnier.  There are a few duds every season, but when the show gets it right, it's still hilarious no matter how many times I see that particular episode 

[Hiyo]

I never liked ELR, KoQ, or Will & Grace. Or The West Wing (not a sitcom but still).

[Anduin]

Recasting. I have no problem with it. This recently came up in a Lord of the Rings discussion. Someone insisted there was only one Galadriel. Well, too bloody bad. Cate Blanchett has never done more than ten episodes of a TV series. She's not going to commit to a multiyear project. Maybe Morfydd Clark will be bad. Maybe she'll be good. Who knows? I'm going to watch with an open mind.

It helps to be a Dr Who fan. By the time I was properly aware of such things, they were already up to the seventh lead. The first three changes happened before I was even born. And that was fine.

Although to my mind there's only one Black Sabbath singer, and that's Ozzy. Maybe the person I'm talking about has a point, or maybe I should either shut up or get off my high horse.

[Lugal]

On 1/21/2022 at 7:55 AM, DoctorAtomic said:

People also think 'Born in the USA' is a patriotic song. I don't think you really know the Boss. 

I think that's because they only know/listen to the chorus.

On 1/21/2022 at 8:43 AM, BlackberryJam said:

I remember when I was seven or so and we'd first gotten cable and I came across The Honeymooners. When the husband threatened to punch the wife, I came out of my seat, horrified and in tears that someone would think that was funny.

Futurama referenced that when the people of the future took his "Straight to the moon!" line literally when Fry remarked, "he's just using space travel as a metaphor for beating his wife."

Although, connecting the two threads here, there's an episode of Full House that still sticks with me when they had the uncles singing "Janie's Got a Gun" to the girls.  I'm about 12 years old watching this and thinking, do they know what that song's about?!

[Mabinogia]

15 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I never understand the love for Robert.  He won multiple Emmys for that roll and I just don't get it. He is perfectly fine as a character but never once did I watch and just think he was one of the funniest on TV. 

I don't actually think he deserved awards for the role. I just have a thing for tall guys with deep voices. lol Also, he was the one I related to most, the "other" child. Raymond got all the love and attention while Robert, who put his life on the line daily as a cop, got nothing. 

My OU is I have never watched anything because it one an award. Being a generally contrary person, that usually puts me off. lol I think all the entertainment awards, Emmy, Oscar, etc, are more popularity contest and political statement platform than a sign of talent or quality. 

That said, one of my coworkers had an Emmy in his office and I can't pretend I didn't wait till he was gone, go in and hold it while giving my acceptance speech. They are intoxicating, they just don't sway my viewing at all.

[Zella]

11 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Or The West Wing (not a sitcom but still).

About 10 years ago, I watched The West Wing for the first time and really enjoyed the first few seasons before losing interest. Tried to rewatch it a few years ago and could barely make it through a couple of episodes because I found the characters so fucking insufferable.

[ShortyMac]

I can't stand King of Queens, I love ELR. Raymond is my least favorite character though. What did Debra see in him? He's lazy, doesn't want to spend time with her, or his kids, a wet blanket, jealous, possessive, and selfish.

[DoctorAtomic]

9 hours ago, Lugal said:

Futurama referenced that when the people of the future took his "Straight to the moon!" line literally when Fry remarked, "he's just using space travel as a metaphor for beating his wife."

Well. I don't see you with a fungineering degree. 

[andromeda331]

 I love Soap too. It's so funny. I have the entire series on DVD. Burt, Benson, Chuck and Bob are my favorite. They are so hilarious. 

I really don't get why Everyone Loves Raymond. He's lazy, whining and doesn't want to do anything. Why did he get married if he didn't want to do anything with his wife or kids? I'm no fan of Debra but I can't see why she would have ever gone on a date with him. 

[Blergh]

My UO re ELR is this:

I've said it before in the Worst Parents Subforum but neither Raymond nor Debra (nor, for that matter, Frank) seemed to view parenting as anything but a series of thankless chores and   they viewed their offspring as obligations to attend to with little if any evidence of them actually wanting to be part of said offspring's lives. instead of being relieved they were with others.  For all of Marie's  MANY faults and toxicities, in spite of being in an unpleasant bond with Frank from Day One, she alone of the four adults viewed parenting as a calling and valued being part of her sons' and grandchildren's lives! 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Blergh
clarity

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

My UO re ELR is this:

I've said it before in the Worst Parents Subforum but neither Raymond nor Debra (nor, for that matter, Frank) seemed to view parenting as anything but a series of thankless chores and   they viewed their offspring as obligations to attend to with little if any evidence of them actually wanting to be part of said offspring's lives. instead of being relieved they were others.  For all her MANY faults and toxicities, in spite of being in an unpleasant bond with Frank from Day One, she alone of the four adults viewed parenting as a calling and valued being part of her sons' and grandchildren's lives! 

I agree with 90%. She clearly loved being a parent to Ray and grandmother to their three kids. If not raise the kids herself. But she did treat Robert like crap. 

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I agree with 90%. She clearly loved being a parent to Ray and grandmother to their three kids. If not raise the kids herself. But she did treat Robert like crap. 

IMO, Marie had a hierarchy in which she clearly favored Raymond, then her grandchildren, then Robert, then grudgingly tolerated Frank, then openly resented Debra (and Robert's wife in the last season was somehow sandwiched between Frank and Debra in the ranking). I think in her twisted way was trying to get Robert and maybe Frank to 'try harder' to work their way closer to most favored kin status eve though she'd never have displaced Raymond or the grandkids.

[Katy M]

27 minutes ago, Blergh said:

IMO, Marie had a hierarchy in which she clearly favored Raymond, then her grandchildren, then Robert, then grudgingly tolerated Frank, then openly resented Debra (and Robert's wife in the last season was somehow sandwiched between Frank and Debra in the ranking). I think in her twisted way was trying to get Robert and maybe Frank to 'try harder' to work their way closer to most favored kin status eve though she'd never have displaced Raymond or the grandkids.

Amy was between the kids and Robert.  Not as low as Frank, certainly.

[SusanM]

7 hours ago, Blergh said:

I've said it before in the Worst Parents Subforum but neither Raymond nor Debra (nor, for that matter, Frank) seemed to view parenting as anything but a series of thankless chores and   they viewed their offspring as obligations to attend to with little if any evidence of them actually wanting to be part of said offspring's lives. instead of being relieved they were with others. 

Frank I'll agree with you and later seasons Ray too but Debra IMO was never shown to be an uninvolved or uncaring mother.  The show deliberately kept the focus off the kids so they had to keep finding reasons why the kids weren't around.  Honestly those first few years those twins had the longest naps in the history of napping!  When they did have the kids around I never saw any evidence to show that Debra wasn't a loving and involved mother.  Frazzled sometimes?  Sure.  But that doesn't mean they were showing her as uncaring.

Edited January 23, 2022 by SusannahM

[Blergh]

I agree that Debra wasn't a neglectful parent but, by NO means, did she seem to enjoy doing the tasks of parenting anywhere close to how Marie enjoyed doing them. Moreover, she seemed to put only token resistance to Marie caring for them so she could get a break from doing so. IOW, she didn't seem to have put together that by giving her sworn enemy unfettered and unsupervised access to her children, there would be little if anything to have stopped Marie from trashmouthing her (and Raymond) to these children who clearly loved reaping their grandmother's pampering. Yes, it's likely when they'd reach their teens, they'd somewhat be put off by the smothering aspect but at this time there was nothing to stop Marie from being their most favored relative with Debra, Raymond, Frank and Robert following. By doing so, this could easily set the stage for the grandkids to grow up somewhat resenting their less doting relatives for  the rest of their lives while cherishing the smothering one's memory even factoring in conflicts with the latter- as I saw happen in my own extended family.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Blergh

[Mabinogia]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

I agree that Debra wasn't a neglectful parent but, by NO means, did she seem to enjoy doing the tasks of parenting anywhere close to how Marie enjoyed doing them.

I think Debra would have enjoyed it more if Ray did even the smallest thing to help and Marie didn't criticize everything she did. She really was in the thankless position of being a single mother with a fourth child in Raymond. 

I think it was a VERY exaggerated version of the old 50s dynamic where mothers were the homemakers and fathers were that fun guy who shows up once in a while, plays ball for with his son for five minutes then goes out for drinks with the guys. That would drive even a saint to drink. 

I'm no Debra fan, I found her incredibly annoying and not in a funny way like I found Marie or Frank, but I get why she'd be so miserable all the time.  

Her and Ray really deserved each other though, because they both sucked. I think the twins weren't taking long naps, they were just hiding from their terrible parents and plotting their eventual escape. 

[JustHereForFood]

On 1/22/2022 at 2:45 AM, ifionlyknew said:

Probably a huge unpopular opinion but I didn't like Jack or Karen on Will & Grace.

I liked them in the original, but in small doses. I didn't share the apparently popular opinion that they were better or more interesting than Will and Grace.

In the revival, I liked only Jack, Karen was the worst thing in it.

[SusanM]

On 1/23/2022 at 2:27 PM, Mabinogia said:

I think it was a VERY exaggerated version of the old 50s dynamic where mothers were the homemakers and fathers were that fun guy who shows up once in a while, plays ball for with his son for five minutes then goes out for drinks with the guys. That would drive even a saint to drink

Definitely ELR was not a product of its time - it was a product of an earlier time.  Damned if I  know why I love it.  But I do!

Edited January 25, 2022 by SusannahM

[annzeepark914]

On 1/22/2022 at 12:26 PM, Mabinogia said:

That said, one of my coworkers had an Emmy in his office and I can't pretend I didn't wait till he was gone, go in and hold it while giving my acceptance speech. They are intoxicating, they just don't sway my viewing at all.

Well, I can't stand it any longer. What did your coworker win an Emmy for? Or, did he find it at a consignment shop?

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Well, I can't stand it any longer. What did your coworker win an Emmy for? Or, did he find it at a consignment shop?

Haha, no consignment shop. I worked at ABC for a few years. He was a tech director for the nightly news. It wasn't one of the Emmy's you get on the broadcast award ceremony but one of the ones you get at the little event the day before. Still super cool though, and heavy. 

[annzeepark914]

48 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Haha, no consignment shop. I worked at ABC for a few years. He was a tech director for the nightly news. It wasn't one of the Emmy's you get on the broadcast award ceremony but one of the ones you get at the little event the day before. Still super cool though, and heavy. 

Thanks. I would've done exactly what you did, once the coast was clear 😁

[Enigma X]

I only found the first two or three seasons of Downtown Abbey entertaining. The rest were repetitive.

[Ohiopirate02]

I attempted Downton Abbey, but could not make it through season one.  I love period dramas, I also love good soapy melodrama, but DA was a step too far.  The tonal shift from the pilot to the second episode was too great for me.  What was the point of Mary's killer vagina?  

[Enigma X]

8 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

What was the point of Mary's killer vagina?  

Good question.

[Crs97]

On 1/28/2022 at 6:17 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Thanks. I would've done exactly what you did, once the coast was clear

I love that Kate Winslet put her Oscar in the bathroom specifically so her guests can see themselves hold it and give a pretend speech!

Apparently Julian has a diary from an ancestor (maybe?) that chronicles having a lover die in her bed.  Considering the jury is still out whether Mary actually consented to that sexual encounter, I didn’t mind his death and will always side eye Thomas’ rise in the household.

[annzeepark914]

Dang it all, I miss DA. I've rarely had a "my show" since the days of Designing Women, LA Law, Cheers, MTM, Seinfeld, WKRP, etc. So,  when DA arrived, I was in my glory on Sunday nights. And it always ticked me off, royally, that some of the viewers would say it just wasn't all that good, "like Upstairs Downstairs was". I tried watching UD several times and my unpopular opinion is that the pace was way too slow to keep me awake. IMO, it was too fuddy duddy, or stilted. 

 

[Zella]

I enjoyed the first 3 seasons of Downton Abbey, even when it was stupid, but the last 3 seasons is some of the dumbest television I've ever sat through. I laughed until I cried when I realized that it was actually going to go through with

Spoiler

framing both members of a couple for separate murders.

Weirdly enough, though, I thought the follow-up movie was really charming and entertaining. 

I firmly believe the show really would have benefited from an American-style writers' room rather than Julian Fellowes writing everything. I think he can write some really interesting individual scenes and episodes, but he absolutely sucks at long-term narrative and character arcs (hence why the movie was better than seasons 4-6) and would have benefited from some other voices. 

It's making me hesitant to even try The Gilded Age, though it sounds tailormade for me. 

[Irlandesa]

I stopped being a regular viewer after the Season 2 Christmas special. And unlike for others, it wasn't a specific plot point that did it.  It should have been tailor made for me but I just ultimately found it kind of dull.

And I have the same hesitation with The Gilded Age as well because of that.  It's not like I don't understand the appeal of that kind of show, it's that I was surprised that was the show to become so crazy popular.

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Irlandesa

[Enigma X]

I expect to  really love the first two seasons of the Gilded Age and then have to say goodbye.

[andromeda331]

I tried to get into Downton Abbey because the setting and clothes were amazing. But except for Sybill and at times Cora. I really thought the rest of the Crawleys were horrible people. Robert was a jerk and so horrible at managing the estate that he twice had to have someone else's money bail him out. Mary and Edith were both horrible. I really disliked how as the series went on anyone who was against the upper class was made to be horrible. Or like Tom who forgot all about his previous objections. 

[Zella]

32 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

Or like Tom who forgot all about his previous objections. 

This storyline convinced me the house was basically a British Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. 

[sistermagpie]

52 minutes ago, Zella said:

This storyline convinced me the house was basically a British Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. 

It's like he was suddenly like...but wait, when you're the one with the money it's pretty cool!

I don't think Julian Fellowes could wrap his mind around anything else, though. In his world anybody who criticizes the upper classes would love to be upper class and that's that.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

This storyline convinced me the house was basically a British Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. 

Not to mention, both seem to have been WAY overplayed for far too long!

[Hiyo]

Quote

I don't think Julian Fellowes could wrap his mind around anything else, though. In his world anybody who criticizes the upper classes would love to be upper class and that's that.

From his views he seems to a staunch believer and supporter of the British aristocratic system, so not surprising that his shows may reflect that. The guy probably creamed his pants when he heard the Queen would make him a life peer.