Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 minutes ago, ABay said:

Monty Python's Flying Circus, meh. Holy Grail & Life of Brian, genius.

I agree with this. The movies were way better than the show. The show had some funny moments and then a lot of sketches with British men in dresses yelling about spam, which was supposed to be funny for some reason. 

[Anduin]

I've never liked cringe comedy, Mr Bean especially.

[WritinMan]

18 hours ago, Anduin said:

I've never liked cringe comedy, Mr Bean especially.

While I absolutely agree with the sentiment about cringe comedy, I've never thought of Mr. Bean as cringe. I just thought of it as really silly.

I think more of shows such as The Office (both versions), Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Louie.

Edited February 27, 2022 by WritinMan

[proserpina65]

On 2/26/2022 at 6:17 PM, ABay said:

Monty Python's Flying Circus, meh. Holy Grail & Life of Brian, genius.

Flying Circus was hit or miss.  Some sketches were hilarious, some real duds.  But yes, Holy Grail and Life of Brian were genius.

[SusanM]

18 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Flying Circus was hit or miss.  Some sketches were hilarious, some real duds. 

Different kind of comedy but I've noticed this with The Carol Burnett Show.  I remembered it as being can't miss comedy gold but in reality watching it in reruns on our local PBS station where were a lot of sketches that jsut didn't work for whatever reason.  Mildly funny at best.  But mixed in with the so so sketches and the "what were they thinking?" ones were some absolute classics.

[Blergh]

On 2/28/2022 at 12:26 PM, SusannahM said:

Different kind of comedy but I've noticed this with The Carol Burnett Show.  I remembered it as being can't miss comedy gold but in reality watching it in reruns on our local PBS station where were a lot of sketches that jsut didn't work for whatever reason.  Mildly funny at best.  But mixed in with the so so sketches and the "what were they thinking?" ones were some absolute classics.

Of course, in The Carol Burnett Show's case, one must recall that it had originally been a variety show with lots of singing and dancing  between the sketches so I believe this might have gotten the studio and at home audiences to have had more tolerance for those sketches now viewed without that kind of padding/building up that rerun viewers would  more likely to consider as  'so so' and 'what were they thinking?' sketches !

Edited March 3, 2022 by Blergh

[Hiyo]

Holy Grail and Life of Brian are just so meh.

[Anduin]

17 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

Holy Grail and Life of Brian are just so meh.

I feel they have a couple of good bits, but I don't want to rewatch the whole movies again.

Democratic peasants and the People's Front of Judea, if anyone's curious.

[Zella]

I think in general sketch comedy is very hit or miss. Compilations of the "Best of" skits are the way to go, whether it's SNL, Carol Burnett, or Monty Python. 

[GreekGeek]

My problem with Monty Python--movies and sketches--is that the best bits have been quoted so often that they're just not funny. I still haven't seen Holy Grail.

[Columbo]

I like Monty Python's flying Circus but whilst I can rewatch certain sketches of theirs forever I never had the urge to rewatch any of their episodes. There was a big drop off in quality when Cleese left imo.

[DoctorAtomic]

It always comes down to the writing. It's exposed more with sketch shows. 

[SmithW6079]

On 2/26/2022 at 6:45 PM, Anduin said:

I've never liked cringe comedy, Mr Bean especially.

Never cared much for Mr. Bean either, and if I realize a show I'm watching is veering into embarrassment humor, I turn it off. I get embarrassed by osmosis and I don't like the feeling.

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Never cared much for Mr. Bean either, and if I realize a show I'm watching is veering into embarrassment humor, I turn it off. I get embarrassed by osmosis and I don't like the feeling.

I agree! IMO, a pie in the face can be funny (if done right) while indulging in bathroom humor in public is annoying and tacky!  And I truly don't need to know  nor find it funny if another person (or character) has wet or soiled themselves or even broken wind near anyone else with a working nose! 

[SVNBob]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

IMO, a pie in the face can be funny (if done right)

 

Edited March 4, 2022 by SVNBob

[Ohiopirate02]

On 3/3/2022 at 6:08 AM, GreekGeek said:

My problem with Monty Python--movies and sketches--is that the best bits have been quoted so often that they're just not funny. I still haven't seen Holy Grail.

I have only seen some sketches from Monty Python's Flying Circus, but Holy Grail has one of my favorite subtle jokes from any comedy.  I prefer word play over pratfalls.  The snooty Frenchman yelling "fetchez la vache!" will never not be funny.

[scarynikki12]

Monty Python is interesting because I have no interest in Flying Circus but Holy Grail is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen and I think about it regularly. Same guys completely different reaction.

”It’s not a question for where he grips it. It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a 1 pound coconut.”

”Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

”I’m invincible!!”

I can quote FOR DAYS.

Now for something more specific to television my UO is that Succession is just fine. I get why everyone is going nuts over it but I can’t get invested. The acting is excellent though.

[ABay]

It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand that ka-nig-it was knight.

[Blergh]

12 minutes ago, ABay said:

It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand that ka-nig-it was knight.

Don't feel too bad! I'd have NEVER guessed it had you not spelled it out . But then again, I have no regrets in having invested ZERO time bothering to watch Game of Thrones- despite it having many appealing cast members and settings! As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather watch the more appealing cast members in other productions and surf to that site rhyming with True Cloob to see those exotic locales  instead of enduring a minute of that show. Yeah, boo me.

[Zella]

When I took a British lit class in college, we were supposed to do some creative project about medieval knights in literature, and I choose to do a wanted poster from the Knights who say Ni, demanding that someone apprehend King Arthur for them. It's one of my proudest achievements, and I still have it squirreled away somewhere. 

[Browncoat]

I love the absurdist humor of Monty Python -- show and movies.  Sure, some skits definitely don't work, and there are parts of "Meaning of Life" that I just can't watch, but for the most part, those guys just have me howling with laughter.  I will always laugh at the dead parrot and the Ministry of Silly Walks, even though my hovercraft is full of eels, and it is pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove.

[proserpina65]

On 3/4/2022 at 12:16 PM, Browncoat said:

I love the absurdist humor of Monty Python -- show and movies.  Sure, some skits definitely don't work, and there are parts of "Meaning of Life" that I just can't watch, but for the most part, those guys just have me howling with laughter.  I will always laugh at the dead parrot and the Ministry of Silly Walks, even though my hovercraft is full of eels, and it is pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove.

On the other hand, I do not like the fromage qui s'appelle camembert.

[Suzn]

I love Monty Python - TV show and movies.  Of course, the skits are hit and miss, but the best ones live on.  I particularly love the Holy Grail.  So many memorable lines and situations.  I think I need to get my DVD out and watch very soon!

[scarynikki12]

So I'm doing a West Wing rewatch to appease the nostalgia gods and I'm reminded of a major UO which is that I would have liked to see Hoynes be president after Bartlet. I enjoyed the Vinick vs Santos campaign storyline but I thought the early seasons did a great job of fleshing Hoynes out after our initial negative impression. He never stopped being himself but he also had issues he firmly cared for and could see the bigger picture. Two of my favorite Hoynes moments are in the season 2 premiere: 1) when the Secret Service burst in to take him to a secure location he gets a look of horror because he understands immediately what's going and 2) when he doesn't care if the military guys in the Situation Room stand for him when he enters. Prior to that we'd have assumed he'd take advantage of the shooting to make himself look good but he didn't.

It would have been nice to see how he would have ended up if he'd been allowed to continue that same character trajectory. Again, I enjoyed Vinick vs Santos but Hoynes will always be my What If.

[callie lee 29]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

So I'm doing a West Wing rewatch to appease the nostalgia gods and I'm reminded of a major UO which is that I would have liked to see Hoynes be president after Bartlet. I enjoyed the Vinick vs Santos campaign storyline but I thought the early seasons did a great job of fleshing Hoynes out after our initial negative impression. He never stopped being himself but he also had issues he firmly cared for and could see the bigger picture. Two of my favorite Hoynes moments are in the season 2 premiere: 1) when the Secret Service burst in to take him to a secure location he gets a look of horror because he understands immediately what's going and 2) when he doesn't care if the military guys in the Situation Room stand for him when he enters. Prior to that we'd have assumed he'd take advantage of the shooting to make himself look good but he didn't.

It would have been nice to see how he would have ended up if he'd been allowed to continue that same character trajectory. Again, I enjoyed Vinick vs Santos but Hoynes will always be my What If.

I always liked Hoynes and thought he got a bad rap. Sure he wasn't Bartlett but sometimes Jed could be a dick. I thought it was last writing to always want to make Hoynes the bad guy. 

[bluegirl147]

Add me to the list of John Hoynes fans.  For me it probably had to do with the fact Tim Matheson was portraying him.  On most shows the Vice President would have been at odds with the President and trying to undermine them.  But on the West Wing Bartlett and Hoynes sometimes disagreed but Hoynes knew his job.   

[Zella]

 I actually liked Hoynes better than Bartlett, who often struck me as absolutely insufferable. LOL

[Hiyo]

Quote

who often struck me as absolutely insufferable.

I felt that way about most of the characters on the West Wing, which is why I gave up watching it sometime during season 3.

[Zella]

39 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

I felt that way about most of the characters on the West Wing, which is why I gave up watching it sometime during season 3.

Yeah I enjoyed the show the first time I watched it and managed to get through about 3 or 4 seasons, but when I tried to rewatch it, I gave up after a few episodes because the characters (with a handful of exceptions) were so unbearable. Based on his writing, I imagine Sorkin himself is intolerable. LOL

[DrSpaceman73]

4 hours ago, Zella said:

Yeah I enjoyed the show the first time I watched it and managed to get through about 3 or 4 seasons, but when I tried to rewatch it, I gave up after a few episodes because the characters (with a handful of exceptions) were so unbearable. Based on his writing, I imagine Sorkin himself is intolerable. LOL

Sorkin writing in general I just can't take. I mentioned this before trying to watch sports night. 

Banter to him is repeating things by different characters with different phrasing. Over and over....

Edited March 15, 2022 by DrSpaceman73

[bluegirl147]

My I'm sure very unpopular opinion is I like Aaron Sorkin.  In fact I loved the West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and the Newsroom.  I've watched all three multiple times and want to watch them again.  His characters aren't perfect even if some of them think they are.  He takes real life issues and shows it to us in entertaining ways.  Does Aaron Sorkin think too highly of himself? Sure he does.  But the man has won five Emmys, three Golden Globes and an Oscar.  He is good at what he does.

[Hiyo]

Quote

But the man has won five Emmys, three Golden Globes and an Oscar

I'm still scratching my head over that...

[Rootbeer]

19 hours ago, callie lee 29 said:

I always liked Hoynes and thought he got a bad rap. Sure he wasn't Bartlett but sometimes Jed could be a dick. I thought it was last writing to always want to make Hoynes the bad guy. 

I also appreciated Hoynes support of Leo as a fellow alcoholic and his quiet invitation to him to join the private AA meetings at the EOB rather than risk attending a public meeting.  I thought that, over time, he was shown to be a stand-up guy who stuck to his principles and did what he thought was right.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

11 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

I also appreciated Hoynes support of Leo as a fellow alcoholic and his quiet invitation to him to join the private AA meetings at the EOB rather than risk attending a public meeting.  I thought that, over time, he was shown to be a stand-up guy who stuck to his principles and did what he thought was right.  

Agree. And it didn't hurt that Hoynes was played by one of my favorite actors: Tim Matheson. But Sorkin and company had to go trash and ruin him.

[MargeGunderson]

If only Josh had run Hoynes’ campaign, he would have been president! I hate Josh so very much (were we supposed to like him?), and could not have cared less about Sam. I was only there for CJ and Toby. 

Edited March 16, 2022 by MargeGunderson

[DrSpaceman73]

I think sorkin is a great writer. 

But binge watching his shows is ......tedious and difficult. 

[scarynikki12]

1 hour ago, Rootbeer said:

I also appreciated Hoynes support of Leo as a fellow alcoholic and his quiet invitation to him to join the private AA meetings at the EOB rather than risk attending a public meeting.  I thought that, over time, he was shown to be a stand-up guy who stuck to his principles and did what he thought was right.  

I loved that. In that same episode Hoynes maneuvers so that he gets credit for the passage of a major bill rather than Bartlet but he put that aside in the scene with Leo after Jenny left him and made sure he not only knew that there was a private meeting available to him but that there wouldn't be any strings. It's reiterated in season 3 when another member of their group suggested that Leo should leave since his addiction had become public knowledge and political enemies could tail him and potentially discover the others who hadn't gone public. Hoynes kindly but firmly puts a stop to it. 

I like Sorkin's writing but he does have a tendency to write towards the hype and that's when it can get insufferable. 

[Haleth]

We did a rewatch of TWW during the lockdown and it hasn't held up all that well.  So many of the characters are insufferable and it tended to be preachy, but I still think it was the finest show ever produced.  At least that's my opinion.  I love the Sorkin style, loved The Newsroom as well as TWW.  

Vinnick > Santos.

[Hiyo]

Quote

the Sorkin style

[statsgirl]

Santos and his family ruined the last season of TWW for me. So much time spent on them instead of characters I was interested in and cared about.

[Columbo]

Homicide life on the street really dipped in quality after the first two seasons when they had mined almost everything from the book. Though the acting remained stellar.

[Danny Franks]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:21 AM, Haleth said:

We did a rewatch of TWW during the lockdown and it hasn't held up all that well.  So many of the characters are insufferable and it tended to be preachy, but I still think it was the finest show ever produced.  At least that's my opinion.  I love the Sorkin style, loved The Newsroom as well as TWW.  

Yeah, I like his writing as well. Of course it has issues, and Sorkin certainly has paternalistic tendencies that are more than a little overblown (the old TWoP reviews of The Newsroom were so utterly blinkered and determined to see every scene as an attack on women that they were unreadable).

But he's still capable of writing snappy, witty dialogue and relatively low-stakes drama better than most television writers. And in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with being preachy if the message is a good one. Sorkin is an idealist who presents his characters as being better than we get in the real world - Bartlet and Will McAvoy, in particular, are written as genuinely good people who have noble intentions and goals - and it's incredibly easy for cynics to pick at that and criticise.

[Anduin]

The new Game of Thrones show will be airing at the same time as Lord of the Rings. Oh no, competition! We must immediately pick sides! To which I say, no. Let's not. Let's all enjoy two great shows at the same time.

Furthermore, being familiar with both universes, they both have swords and dragons and such, but on anything but the most superficial level they're thematically very different. Attempting to force one to be a cut-rate version of the other would be a terrible idea, and displease fans of that one.

I want them to be different from each other, true to the spirit of their original books, and above all I want them to be good.

[Mabinogia]

14 minutes ago, Anduin said:

The new Game of Thrones show will be airing at the same time as Lord of the Rings. Oh no, competition! We must immediately pick sides! To which I say, no. Let's not. Let's all enjoy two great shows at the same time.

But not "at the same time" like back in the olden days right? I mean, I remember agonizing when two shows I liked were both on the same night at the same time due to a network reschedule. Now that is when you have to make the hard choices. I mean, sure you could record one once VCRs came around, but before that...it was pure torture. Children, you have no idea the hardships we suffered back before streaming. 

[Anduin]

3 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

But not "at the same time" like back in the olden days right? I mean, I remember agonizing when two shows I liked were both on the same night at the same time due to a network reschedule. Now that is when you have to make the hard choices. I mean, sure you could record one once VCRs came around, but before that...it was pure torture. Children, you have no idea the hardships we suffered back before streaming. 

Yes, I remember that too. And thankfully, no. HOTD is Sundays/Mondays depending on your time zone, while LOTR is Fridays/Saturdays. We don't have to choose, my friends. We can watch and enjoy them both!

[scarynikki12]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

But not "at the same time" like back in the olden days right? I mean, I remember agonizing when two shows I liked were both on the same night at the same time due to a network reschedule. Now that is when you have to make the hard choices. I mean, sure you could record one once VCRs came around, but before that...it was pure torture. Children, you have no idea the hardships we suffered back before streaming. 

There was nothing worse than having 3 shows on at the same time or wanting to watch and record but then your parents came in and took the tv (because they paid for it) to watch a show you'd never heard of. Then we had to choose which of the two shows to record and which to hope would be included in the summer reruns. The worst.

[Mabinogia]

9 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

There was nothing worse than having 3 shows on at the same time or wanting to watch and record but then your parents came in and took the tv (because they paid for it) to watch a show you'd never heard of.

Even worse if they weren't even paying for it because they tapped into the neighbors cable! Not that we did that, I'm comment for a friend. ;)

I used to watch three soaps at the same time, sitting a couple feet from the tele with the cable box in my lap, my fingers poised over two buttons while my other hand was on the toggle switch. As soon as a commercial or a storyline I didn't like came on I'd switch to the other show. Of course I have the memory of a rather forgetful hamster I would forget to switch back. Luckily soaps tend to have storylines that go on for so long it was easy to figure out what I'd missed or are over so fast I didn't even realize I missed them. 

Ah, this was my childhood: 

[scarynikki12]

Just now, Mabinogia said:

As soon as a commercial or a storyline I didn't like came on I'd switch to the other show.

Oh man I remember that! I still think it was so inconsiderate for shows to not have staggered commercial breaks so that those of us switching back and forth could get as much content as possible. They had no appreciation for people liking multiple shows (obviously). I remember once I switched to another network and they were playing the exact same commercial. That was a personal attack.

[WritinMan]

2 hours ago, Anduin said:

The new Game of Thrones show will be airing at the same time as Lord of the Rings. Oh no, competition! We must immediately pick sides! To which I say, no. Let's not. Let's all enjoy two great shows at the same time.

 

Not really a problem for me--I'll pass on watching both shows.

[Irlandesa]

22 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

There was nothing worse than having 3 shows on at the same time or wanting to watch and record but then your parents came in and took the tv (because they paid for it) to watch a show you'd never heard of. Then we had to choose which of the two shows to record and which to hope would be included in the summer reruns. The worst.

And I didn't even know how to set the VCR back then so I'd have to choose a station, hit record and then record that same channel all day long.  For too many years I only saw the beginning of Santa Barbara until I figured out how to record shows and could even switch channels.

But alas, even though I watched the first few seasons of GOT and saw the first LOTR movie, neither is really my preferred genre.  It will take some major to get me to check them out so I'll be looking for something else to binge.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Irlandesa