Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[GreekGeek]

Don't you guys mean BRIAN BLESSED?!!!?

 

I was surprised when I found out about his reputation for bellowing everything, because I only saw him in one thing, I, Claudius, and didn't remember him as particularly shouty. He really yelled in only one scene, the one where he confronted the roomful of men about sleeping with his daughter.

I cannot stand Lucille Ball.  Not in old movies, not on her TV shows.

 

This puzzles me, I admit. I can see liking the movies but not the TV shows or vice versa, but not liking either? Ball onscreen pre-I Love Lucy was very different than she was in her films during and after the show, where she mostly just played variants of the same character. (She did try a change of pace in Stone Pillow, as a homeless woman.) Check her out in Dance, Girl, Dance, The Big Street, DuBarry Was a Lady, and The Dark Corner. If you still dislike her, then I understand--sometimes there's something about an actor's manner you just don't like. I agree that her post-I Love Lucy shows were pretty bad, although I don't know how much of an UO that is. I remember watching them when they were new and my mom guffawing with laughter, while I sat there straight-faced.

[Misslindsey]

My UO is that I like the show Jane the Virgin well enough. I think it is okay, and something I can watch without thinking too hard about. I did not think it lived up the hype for me. I think Gina Rodriguez is good and very likable, I haven't seen her in anything else that made me think she is so great.

 

Another UO is that I dislike Lena Dunham and Girls. I thought I would enjoy both, because I did like Lena's "Tiny Furniture", but I find Girls so smug. I am in the demo that should find the show relatable, but I do not.

[DittyDotDot]

Another UO is that I dislike Lena Dunham and Girls. I thought I would enjoy both, because I did like Lena's "Tiny Furniture", but I find Girls so smug. I am in the demo that should find the show relatable, but I do not.

 

My UO is that I enjoy Girls in that it validates my want to yell at those damn kids on my lawn. ;)

[Enigma X]

Misslindsey, I also have a UO of disliking Lena Dunham. I also dislike Girls.

[SmithW6079]

Another UO is that I dislike Lena Dunham and Girls.

 

I've never seen the show, not having HBO, but any respect I might have had for her as an actress plummeted when she wrote in her autobiography that she basically molested her little sister, and then got mad because people started calling her out on it.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I've never seen the show, not having HBO, but any respect I might have had for her as an actress plummeted when she wrote in her autobiography that she basically molested her little sister, and then got mad because people started calling her out on it.

 

I'm not sure if it was molestation in the strictest sense (she was just a little kid, after all), but I'm just baffled as to why she'd want to share that information with the world. I did a ton of embarrassing, shameful things as a kid, and I hope to take those events to my grave. And holy shit, those are some damn permissive parents Dunham has!

 

I kind of enjoyed Girls in the beginning, but now I've grown weary with it. I just can't keep watching these whiny losers keep making the same mistakes over and over. Plus, I preferred merely speculating that Jessa was a sociopath (at least, that's how she came off to me the last time I watched the show).

[janie jones]

Misslindsey, I also have a UO of disliking Lena Dunham. I also dislike Girls.

I have never seen anything Lena Dunham has ever done (except for one movie where she played a barista for about 3 minutes) and I dislike her for a pretty irrational reason:  On the red carpet, she never stands up straight and appears to wear shoes that are difficult for her.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I'm beginning to think that liking/loving I Love Lucy is the unpopular opinion instead of the reverse.

 

I love it and I love Lucille Ball. Always have and always will. I grew up watching this show in syndication and still love it watching it as an adult. Both Lucy and the show, just make me flat out, gut busting laugh. And tear up in the emotional scenes, like the episode when Lucy tells Ricky she's pregnant. So emotional.

 

That said, I never enjoyed any of the post I Love Lucy shows. There was just something about I Love Lucy, although the first dozen or so episodes in the first season were rough, and I don't think it really got funny (for me) until the end of the first season and then the remaining seasons.

[opus]

I have never seen anything Lena Dunham has ever done (except for one movie where she played a barista for about 3 minutes)

The Innkeepers?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I'm beginning to think that liking/loving I Love Lucy is the unpopular opinion instead of the reverse.

 

I love it and I love Lucille Ball. Always have and always will. I grew up watching this show in syndication and still love it watching it as an adult. Both Lucy and the show, just make me flat out, gut busting laugh. And tear up in the emotional scenes, like the episode when Lucy tells Ricky she's pregnant. So emotional.

 

I also really enjoy I Love Lucy. Like The Honeymooners, the zanier the situation got, the more it would make me laugh. But both shows also had a lot of heart, and it would always make me smile when Ralph would tell Alice, "Baby, you're the greatest."

Edited January 16, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[ganesh]

I also have a UO of disliking Lena Dunham. I also dislike Girls.

 

I'm not in the demo, so I've never seen the show. Obviously, she must be doing something right because one doesn't just get their own HBO show. I saw her on the interview on TDS and got the impression that being friends with her takes *work*. I also don't think she's really how she is, and it kind of putting on an act. 

[mansonlamps]

I thought liking Lena Dunham and Girls was the unpopular opinion.

[truthaboutluv]

I thought liking Lena Dunham and Girls was the unpopular opinion.

 

So did I...

[janie jones]

The Innkeepers?

Yes!

[ChaseMCP]

Put me down for liking I Love Lucy as well! And I'm in my early twenties, so I don't understand the general opinion that you can only like the show if you're part of the older demographic. Ah well, to each his own.

 

As for Lena Dunham, I'm not quite sure what to make of her. Despite the show supposedly representing my age group, I have no interest in Girls. However, I am always surprised and shocked at just how much hate she does get. Mind you, I'm not a huge fan of her, but I can respect all the accomplishments she has made as a young woman in this industry (even with the help of her parents). There's a lack of women in front of and behind the camera, so whatever helps at this point. And I know she's had her share of scandal or whatnot (not paying people on her book tour, the incident with her sister in the book, her rape, etc.) and I don't even know enough details to try to get into any of that, but if you ever read any article about her, the comments on it are always so vicious, down to saying she deserves to get raped. I know, trolls and all, but there always seems to be a special amount of hatred for her and that I don't quite understand, even as someone who isn't crazy about her work. 

[ABay]

I admire what Lucille Ball achieved but I loathe I Love Lucy. Lena Dunham's personality and show inspire nothing but meh-ness in me. The only strong reaction I have to her at all is about her hideous fashion choices on awards shows.

Edited January 11, 2015 by ABay

[MaryMitch]

I don't care for "Girls", but I'm not the demographic. My nieces - all in their 20s - love it. But every time I've seen her Lena Dunham in an interview, she's always impressed me with how thoughtful and intelligent she seems to be.

Edited January 11, 2015 by MaryMitch

[braziliangirl]

My problem with Girls is that most of the time I sort of hate everyone and there are a lot scenes that I find so uncomfortable to watch. But the moments that speak to me REALLY hit a nerve (in a good way) so I'm still in. Also I like Lena. I like the fact that she puts her body out there even when "society" says it's not the ideal body to be proud of having (and I wonder if this is one of the causes people seem to dislike her so much).

[Enigma X]

 

I like the fact that she puts her body out there even when "society" says it's not the ideal body to be proud of having (and I wonder if this is one of the causes people seem to dislike her so much).

That is not why I don't like her. We share the same body type, so that is definitely not my problem with her. My problem with her stems from my perception that she says and does things only for shock value. Yes, I know Hollywood is filled with'em, and I can't stand them either.

[ABay]

There are other actresses with substantial bodies. I want them to be stylish and not look like they pinned together whatever they pulled out of the laundry hamper and/or the trunk of their car. If they can't do it with their beaucoups bucks and access to professional stylists, what the hell hope do I and my potato-shaped body have?

[Rick Kitchen]

There are other actresses with substantial bodies. I want them to be stylish and not look like they pinned together whatever they pulled out of the laundry hamper and/or the trunk of their car. If they can't do it with their beaucoups bucks and access to professional stylists, what the hell hope do I and my potato-shaped body have?

 

Melissa McCarthy (she just lost 45 pounds, bless her) dresses very stylishly at awards shows.  Lena Dunham looks like Miss Starlet from Carol Burnett's "The Wind Done Gone" - "I saw it in the window and had to have it."

[Cobalt Stargazer]

 Lena Dunham looks like Miss Starlet from Carol Burnett's "The Wind Done Gone" - "I saw it in the window and had to have it."

 

[Nitpicking]It's actually "Went With The Wind".[/Nitpicking] :-P

[Snow Apple]

I think Carol Burnett as Miss Starlet looked better. Ms. Burnett had good posture which made the curtain appear fashionable.

[SmithW6079]

I think Carol Burnett as Miss Starlet looked better. Ms. Burnett had good posture which made the curtain appear fashionable.

She saw in the window and just couldn't resist it.

[SmithW6079]

I'm not sure if it was molestation in the strictest sense (she was just a little kid, after all), but I'm just baffled as to why she'd want to share that information with the world.

 

I believe she said something to the effect that she did everything a pedophile would do to her little sister, and I believe I read that she was five years older than her sister.

[Expat]

Gabrielle & Joxer are my OTP. Always have been, always will be.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Gumdrops

[amensisterfriend]

Veronica Mars UOs:

 

As far as semi-reformed jerks go, I far preferred Troy to Logan. I actually pretty much hate Logan and everything about the twisted, show-marring Veronica/Logan "epic" romance. And I don't even think the character/actor has sex appeal. 

 

As much as I respect her and understand what she's been through, Veronica was really, really hard---borderline impossible---for me to like and root for throughout at least half of the series. It's mostly the writing, but I wish Kristen Bell had relied less on those smug looking smirks. 

 

I loathed Lily Kane. In many ways I hold the unpopular opinion of preferring S2 to S1, and Lily not being part of S2 is one reason why. 

 

Wallace, Weevil and Cliff were my favorite characters on the whole show! 

[ganesh]

I believe she said something to the effect that she did everything a pedophile would do to her little sister, and I believe I read that she was five years older than her sister.

 

I read the passage on one of the pop culture sites I peruse every day and it came off as really creepy. The thing is, there was no reflection or remorse to it.

[Minneapple]

Lena Dunham just comes off as try too hard to me. Everything she says or does makes me roll my eyes.

I've been reading the Arrow forum again in all its trainwreck glory, so this is my UO: the ills of the world are not Katie Cassidy's fault.

[truthaboutluv]

Lena Dunham just comes off as try too hard to me. Everything she says or does makes me roll my eyes.

 

 

This so much. I think she was just trying so hard to seem "edgy" and "cool" with the comments in the book but it backfired in a BIG way and I enjoyed every second of the backlash. She pretty much went into hiding for awhile, didn't even promote the book and cancelled all the engagements she had. And of course she came out stating that is not what she meant and I think her sister made a statement about Lena never abusing her. But it's like, those aren't the kind of comments and things one should joke about. So I was glad her ass got called out for her bullshit.

Edited January 12, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[ribboninthesky1]

I'm indifferent to Lena Dunham, but I can't believe she wouldn't know how inappropriate her comment would be.  What bubble is she living in?  

 

I've been reading the Arrow forum again in all its trainwreck glory, so this is my UO: the ills of the world are not Katie Cassidy's fault.

 

People still hate Laurel/Katie Cassidy? Isn't the show in its 3rd or 4th season now? I've disliked my share of characters before, but at some point, I had to make peace with the fact that he or she wasn't going anywhere.  Constantly complaining about it just distorted my enjoyment of the show (if it wasn't already diminished).  Either I get over it, or move on.  I don't quite understand the level of effort and focus it takes to continuously express disdain for a fictional person.  It's a mix of fascinating and sad.   

[callie lee 29]

I feel the same way about Lena Dunham as I do Sarah Silverman. They are both trying so hard to be the funny, edgy non-girlie girl it just comes off as desperate and slightly pathetic. Maybe they would be interesting if they stopped trying so damn hard. 

[DiamondDoll]

I didn't enjoy Breaking Bad, I gave up after 3 episodes. Same with Friday Night Lights. Actually most shows the media hypes as the!best!thing!ever are not my cup of tea. Mad Men makes me sleepy, Good Wife stopped being entertaining a couple seasons ago and I would rather eat sand than watch Walking Dead. I gave up on Game of Thrones after they beheaded Sean Bean and have not looked back since.

[Minneapple]

People still hate Laurel/Katie Cassidy?

Oh, the hate is ramping up as her Black Canary arc is apparently drawing near. And fhe hate for Laurel/Katie (remember they are interchangeable) is inversely proportional to the love for Emily/Felicity. The thing is, Laurel has barely even been involved in the season so far, and her onscreen time has been forgettable and boring. They had a big Felicity episode and Felicity has been very involved in all the heavily promoted Arrow/Flash crossover stuff, for which Laurel was absent. But people don't want to focus on that, just rant about Laurel and how she ruins everything. It must be so exhausting to spend that much energy hating a character.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Minneapple

[ganesh]

I think Sarah Silverman is pretty actually pretty smart and subversive. Plus, she volunteers for pro-choice groups and actually gets out there to demonstrate, so that's hard not to like.

[Jipijapa]

I can't bring myself to watch Games of Thrones because the fantasy character names seem so silly, like a bad approximation of the fantasy genre.   I keep expecting them to bring on characters with names like Kristen Greylock, Shanelle Wolfslayer and Jonathan Livingston Moorcliff.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

People still hate Laurel/Katie Cassidy? Isn't the show in its 3rd or 4th season now? I've disliked my share of characters before, but at some point, I had to make peace with the fact that he or she wasn't going anywhere.

 

Forget Laurel, Supernatural has been running for ten seasons, and apparently questioning Dean's actions means you're a Sam-Stan or a John apologist.

[ganesh]

I also actually think the GOT names are pretty 'normal.' I mean, Lannister, Stark. Those are reasonable. Jon Snow is silly, but there's a canon legal basis for the name. 

[Jipijapa]

"Jaime"?  "Catelyn"?  "Robb"? 

 

I dunno, it all just strikes me as fantasy fictional names that a 12-year-old girl would think up.  An unconvincing mixture of badly contrived sword and sorcery type names (Greyjoy, Margaery, etc) plus names of her 7th grade classmates.

 

Also, there's the small matter that I tried to read the books and found them to be shite.  :-)

[ganesh]

I've known real life people with all those names, like right now. I'm not one of those people that think the show is the best thing ever, but I find the names rather banal. 

[truthaboutluv]

Never watched the show but yeah, have to agree that I don't think names like Jamie, Catelyn and Robb are strange. I too have met many people in my real life with these names especially Catelyn and Robb. I mean maybe the spelling is slightly different but the names are fairly common far as I've observed. 

[amensisterfriend]

Chiming in late with my own Firefly UOs:

 

Zoe/Wash was the only couple I could even semi-tolerate. I absolutely hated the would-be 'ships of Inara/Mal and Simon/Kaylee and think one of the benefits of the show's early cancellation was that we would never have to see more of them!

 

Actually, I don't like Inara or (more unpopularly) care about Kaylee, and both actresses leave me underwhelmed. Conversely, I enjoyed the generally unpopular Book and think his character had great potential. 

 

I think the Firefly movie, Serenity, was somewhere between mediocre and terrible. 

 

Simon and Zoe are my two favorite characters. 

 

I definitely prefer the The Train Job, which FOX is often criticized REALLY harshly for showing first, in lieu of the show's intended Pilot. 

 

I wish the show had done away with the random bursts of poorly pronounced Chinese phrases!  

[DearEvette]

I also actually think the GOT names are pretty 'normal.' I mean, Lannister, Stark. Those are reasonable. Jon Snow is silly, but there's a canon legal basis for the name. 

 

I read somewhere that since the book is supposed to be a retelling of he Wars of the Roses that the Lannister = Lancaster and Stark = York.  So vaguely close to the real historical names.

 

 

"Jaime"?  "Catelyn"?  "Robb"? 

 

I dunno, it all just strikes me as fantasy fictional names that a 12-year-old girl would think up.  An unconvincing mixture of badly contrived sword and sorcery type names (Greyjoy, Margaery, etc) plus names of her 7th grade classmates.

 

For fantasy fiction these names are positively normal...Banal even.   At least their spelling makes them pronounceable.  HBO could have adapted Steven Erikson's Malazan empire series and then  we'd be stuck with names like Ganoes Paran, WhiskeyJack, and Anomander Rake.

[ribboninthesky1]

Chiming in late with my own Firefly UOs:

 

Zoe/Wash was the only couple I could even semi-tolerate. I absolutely hated the would-be 'ships of Inara/Mal and Simon/Kaylee and think one of the benefits of the show's early cancellation was that we would never have to see more of them!

 

Actually, I don't like Inara or (more unpopularly) care about Kaylee, and both actresses leave me underwhelmed. Conversely, I enjoyed the generally unpopular Book and think his character had great potential. 

 

I think the Firefly movie, Serenity, was somewhere between mediocre and terrible. 

 

Simon and Zoe are my two favorite characters. 

 

I definitely prefer the The Train Job, which FOX is often criticized REALLY harshly for showing first, in lieu of the show's intended Pilot. 

 

I wish the show had done away with the random bursts of poorly pronounced Chinese phrases!  

 

I didn't have any issues with Inara, but goodness, Kaylee was annoying.  Simon could do much better, though I suppose there weren't many options.  I didn't realize liking Book was unpopular!

 

Anyway, right there with you re: Simon and Zoe.  They made the show tolerable for me. 

[ganesh]

I'm going to tell people to start calling me Whiskey Jack. 

[Anna Yolei]

I believe she said something to the effect that she did everything a pedophile would do to her little sister, and I believe I read that she was five years older than her sister.

I do remember that, and I agree that if she was going for the lulz Lena failed hard. But it context to the rest of that story, it seemed like she was just an overly curious kid.

[ganesh]

I don't know. The actual verbatim passage was way way creepy.

[braziliangirl]

ER: I admit it - I liked Lucy and was really interested in her relationship with Carter.

[Mulva]

Forget Laurel, Supernatural has been running for ten seasons, and apparently questioning Dean's actions means you're a Sam-Stan or a John apologist.

Ain't that the truth! Dean's frequently a dick, and he got turned into a demon by his own chosen behavior, but any criticism of his actions, or pointing out his massive hypocrisy, means you're an 'Extreme Sam Girl'.

[izabella]

OK, I'll admit it:  Maura Tierney does nothing for me, nothing good anyway.  To me, she's always either dull dishwater or sad sack annoying.