Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[juno]

I was a big fan of The Grinder back in the day.

On re-watch I could not make it through any episodes.

I was blown away by the amount of bullying, put downs and manipulation that Stewart has to go through every episode. It became unwatchable after a few episodes.

Bullying in comedies is something that I just can't watch anymore.

[Wiendish Fitch]

18 hours ago, juno said:

Bullying in comedies is something that I just can't watch anymore.

I agree. A million years ago, back on TWoP, someone had this to say about mean comedy: does the target have it coming?

If the answer is yes, then I'll gladly laugh at their misery. If not, then it feels like Genovese syndrome, and I feel complicit somehow, even if it's only fictional. 

I can also expand on this point: does the bullied victim get their own back? Get revenge, triumph in some way, anything? Does someone stand up for them? Do the bullies get any kind of comeuppance? Showing my age, but I remember a brilliant episode of Tiny Toon Adventures where Babs subjects Shirley's bullying ballet classmates to a hilariously humiliating routine of slapstick violence during a recital. The mean girls suffer brutal indignities, but Shirley comes out on top, earning enthusiastic applause.

Or, taking the more complex, adult route, is the victim actually sympathetic? Take Greg from Succession. I agree it's appalling and wrong how Tom abuses him... but it's only because Tom is taking his gross, petty insecurities out on a weaker man. That is horrid behavior, and I don't condone it one bit. On the other hand, Greg is assuredly not sympathetic; he's a grasping, weaselly little social climber. He doesn't get pushed around because he lacks confidence, he gets pushed around because he lacks character. That's a crucial difference, and it creates layers in the interactions between him and Tom. In fact, that's true with the majority of the characters, which is what I admired about the show.

Yes, I made references to both Tiny Toons and Succession. That's just the kind of hairpin I am.

[DrSpaceman73]

Since I first saw the show, I've thought a perfect spinoff from succession would be Greg and Tom. I'd be there every ....week.  or drop. Or however they measure new episode releases nowadays. 

 

[juno]

51 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I agree. A million years ago, back on TWoP, someone had this to say about mean comedy: does the target have it coming?

If the answer is yes, then I'll gladly laugh at their misery. If not, then it feels like Genovese syndrome, and I feel complicit somehow, even if it's only fictional. 

I can also expand on this point: does the bullied victim get their own back? Get revenge, triumph in some way, anything? Does someone stand up for them? Do the bullies get any kind of comeuppance? Showing my age, but I remember a brilliant episode of Tiny Toon Adventures where Babs subjects Shirley's bullying ballet classmates to a hilariously humiliating routine of slapstick violence during a recital. The mean girls suffer brutal indignities, but Shirley comes out on top, earning enthusiastic applause.

Or, taking the more complex, adult route, is the victim actually sympathetic? Take Greg from Succession. I agree it's appalling and wrong how Tom abuses him... but it's only because Tom is taking his gross, petty insecurities out on a weaker man. That is horrid behavior, and I don't condone it one bit. On the other hand, Greg is assuredly not sympathetic; he's a grasping, weaselly little social climber. He doesn't get pushed around because he lacks confidence, he gets pushed around because he lacks character. That's a crucial difference, and it creates layers in the interactions between him and Tom. In fact, that's true with the majority of the characters, which is what I admired about the show.

Yes, I made references to both Tiny Toons and Succession. That's just the kind of hairpin I am.

Well put.

Take for example Leonard on The Big Bang Theory. I find his relationship with his mother Beverly one the worst relationships I have ever seen on TV. She is so hideous towards him that my reaction is to start hating Leonard because he refuses to deal with her. I mean he didn't need to tell her off as much as deciding to kick her out of his life. Somehow this character was allowed back on the show over and over for comedic effect. I will not watch any episodes with her to this day.

[chrisrose]

8 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Yes, I made references to both Tiny Toons and Succession. That's just the kind of hairpin I am.

Love your post, and your references.... nice quote from The Strawberry Blonde! :)

(I just had to show off that I got your reference...forgive me ;))

[Wiendish Fitch]

5 hours ago, chrisrose said:

Love your post, and your references.... nice quote from The Strawberry Blonde! :)

(I just had to show off that I got your reference...forgive me ;))

Hey, anyone who gets my obscure 1940s film references is all right by me!

[Spartan Girl]

On 2/11/2024 at 10:25 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I agree. A million years ago, back on TWoP, someone had this to say about mean comedy: does the target have it coming?

If the answer is yes, then I'll gladly laugh at their misery. If not, then it feels like Genovese syndrome, and I feel complicit somehow, even if it's only fictional. 

I agree, but even if the victim is an asshole, there are still some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Babs messing with Shirley’s bullies was good clean comeuppance, but then there was Malcolm in the Middle, where Lois went after a couple of teenagers that played a cruel joke on Reese in ways that were borderline sociopathic, and framed an innocent child for the fallout.

[Affogato]

On 2/11/2024 at 11:22 AM, juno said:

Well put.

Take for example Leonard on The Big Bang Theory. I find his relationship with his mother Beverly one the worst relationships I have ever seen on TV. She is so hideous towards him that my reaction is to start hating Leonard because he refuses to deal with her. I mean he didn't need to tell her off as much as deciding to kick her out of his life. Somehow this character was allowed back on the show over and over for comedic effect. I will not watch any episodes with her to this day.

In real life it isn’t easy to cut a parent out of tour life, even when they are cruel and abusive. This isn’t an unrealistic scenario. 

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

In real life it isn’t easy to cut a parent out of tour life, even when they are cruel and abusive. This isn’t an unrealistic scenario. 

And would have been kinda dark for BBT. Now one could argue the writers should have made Beverly less of a horrid person. What bothered me most about Beverly was how much she liked Sheldon.  That hurt Leonard and that made me hurt for him.  Clearly Beverly would have preferred Sheldon as a son.  I don't know if the writers thought that was funny but it was not funny at all.  

[janie jones]

Leonard's mom doesn't even make sense. I don't think all child psychologists are perfect parents, but you'd think she'd know her treatment of him would be detrimental.

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, janie jones said:

Leonard's mom doesn't even make sense. I don't think all child psychologists are perfect parents, but you'd think she'd know her treatment of him would be detrimental.

Have you met Amy Elliot Dunne’s parents from Gone Girl? Child psychologists that thought it was a good idea to turn their  daughter into their literary cash cow and complete idiots about what a sociopath she became.

Yeah, child psychologists SHOULD know better, but when it comes to blind spots and narcissism, no one is safe. 

Back to BBT Sheldon was an ass, but you can’t forget that sometimes he gave as good as he got. Leonard, Howard, and Raj weren’t always the greatest of friends, making him to his face and behind his back.

Edited February 12 by Spartan Girl

[scarynikki12]

I figured having a mother as horrid as Beverly is why Leonard had such a high tolerance for Sheldon's nonsense. 

What I found surprising is how normal his father seemed. The way Leonard talked about his upbringing it was clear both parents were emotionally unavailable and emotionally abusive. Then we meet his father and he seemed like a regular guy. He did not seem like someone who would force his children to prepare research papers in lieu of Christmas gifts and harshly grade them. Nor did he seem like someone who would ever have had an interest in Beverly much less have multiple children with her. He should have been an older Sheldon.

[Gharlane]

On 2/9/2024 at 2:11 PM, Chaos Theory said:

I actually really liked BBT until it became The Sheldon Cooper show.

I refer to it as "becoming Stephen Urkle".

 

On 2/12/2024 at 1:06 PM, bluegirl147 said:

And would have been kinda dark for BBT. Now one could argue the writers should have made Beverly less of a horrid person. What bothered me most about Beverly was how much she liked Sheldon.  That hurt Leonard and that made me hurt for him.  Clearly Beverly would have preferred Sheldon as a son.  I don't know if the writers thought that was funny but it was not funny at all.  

I've realized that Chuck Lorre has female issues and all his shows reflect it to some extent.

[BlueSkies]

Just a general statement:

 

I don't really enjoy bing watching series especially heavy ones.  So occasionally I'll look online for spoilers....  and I feel most of the times knowing what will happen still doesn't ruin it for me 

Edited February 15 by BlueSkies

[Annber03]

Yeah, spoilers don't ruin things for me, either. There's still a difference between a description/summary of what happens in a review or promo or whatever and seeing it play out in full for yourself, and even when there are spoilers, there's still some things that remain a surprise much of the time. 

Every great once in a while I might avoid spoilers for something, but that's only in very specific cases/circumstances, where knowing ahead of time would genuinely take away from my reaction to something. But even then, I also know that no mattet how much I'd do to try and shield myself or how spoiler-averse some sites might be, if I go online, I run the risk of potentially running into spoilers at some point, because, well, internet. 

(I also think that a lot of what various shows and movies try to mark as big spoilers really aren't all that shocking or surprising much of the time, to where it feels kind of pointless to do a whole song and dance about it, and that some media relies way too much on shocking/surprising spoiler twists to where it kind of robs those moments of the effect they're meant to have, but that's a whole other topic unto itself.)

[AgathaC]

I, too, like spoilers. I tend to get stressed out when I get wrapped up in a show/movie/book. Sometimes I find that knowing what happens frees me up to enjoy and take it all in. On occasion, I like to let it be a surprise, but, on the whole, I prefer to be warned. There are still plenty of details to surprise me. And on more than one occasion, I’ve been saved from being very upset.

[Chaos Theory]

Depends on the show for me.   There are some shows  don’t want to know what is going to happen next so I kind of avoid the groups that talk about them.   It’s sad because these are the shows that are the most fun to talk about but a lot of people are jumping at the bit to reveal a spoiler and all those spoiler tags just too temping not to look at.   Other shows don’t bother me as much if a particular plot point leaks through.   It really does depend on the show and maybe how invested I am in the story.  

[Enigma X]

I love spoilers. More often than not, spoilers have warned me on whether I need to waste my time on an episode, whole series, or movie.

[Chaos Theory]

Actually there is nothing more entertaining then coming up on a fan page or a group (even this one on occasion)  and it looking like it was a heavily redacted file from the CIA it has so many spoiler tags.   

Edited February 15 by Chaos Theory

[Lugal]

23 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I love spoilers. More often than not, spoilers have warned me on whether I need to waste my time on an episode, whole series, or movie.

Pretty much how I feel about it.  If I trust the writers, I may avoid a few spoilers while I'm watching it, but other than that, I usually try to find them so I know what I'm getting into.  Like a friend of mine said, "If it's not worth watching spoiled, it's not worth watching twice."

[Ohiopirate02]

15 hours ago, Annber03 said:

(I also think that a lot of what various shows and movies try to mark as big spoilers really aren't all that shocking or surprising much of the time, to where it feels kind of pointless to do a whole song and dance about it, and that some media relies way too much on shocking/surprising spoiler twists to where it kind of robs those moments of the effect they're meant to have, but that's a whole other topic unto itself.)

When you consume enough stories as books, movies, or TV shows, there really are not a lot of true spoilers anymore.  It's easy to tell where the story is going, for me at least, that you can see when the story is going to twist and what that twist will be.  I think the last time I was truly shocked was when I first watched Mad Men, but even then I should have seen Checkov's lawnmower coming and there were enough textual clues pointing towards some of the deaths.

[RunningMarket]

I used to work at a movie theatre, and part of my job was to check on the movie as it was running/be prepared to clean at the end. I got spoiled on a lot of movies during my 5 years. 

I'm OK with spoilers for the most part. However, there are some shows that I am truly invested in where I am glad I don't seek out information and am surprised or caught off guard by a big moment. (SouthLAnd was this show for me.)

[Browncoat]

I prefer not to be spoiled, especially with competition shows like The Amazing Race.  I like the suspense of wondering who will be eliminated... next.  And I like learning of the next location along with the teams.

For movies, I like to know enough about them to know whether I want to watch, and usually the trailers are sufficient.  

[Mabinogia]

5 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I love spoilers. More often than not, spoilers have warned me on whether I need to waste my time on an episode, whole series, or movie.

I have been burned so many times by what creators think is a "shocking twist", or that they have to constantly "surprise" the audience that I seek out spoilers before watching something I'm unsure about.

While I love a good mystery, so much of what is out there is more shock value driven and I'd rather know that going in. If the characters are engaging and the way the story is told is entertaining it doesn't matter if I know how it ends. Hell, I can quote Clue word for word and I still enjoy the hell out of it every time I watch it. 

I have gotten to the point with television that I would rather rewatch a rerun I've seen 50 times than try something new as there is so little new content that appeals to me. I'm sick of Marvel, I'm sick of Disney, I'm sick of "prestige" shows, or "fake" historical dramas, I'm over anything "distopian". I think I'm officially old now, because I'd rather watch Murder She Wrote than any new drama show.

I now live for CinemaSins and TVSins because they allow me to know what people are talking about without having to commit to watching crappy shows. 

All that said, when I watched the first season of The Good Place NOT knowing the big spoiler, that was one of the greatest tv watching moments. I literally got chills, in the literal use of literally, not the one the kids these days use to sound extreme lol So I really could go both ways.

If I really love a show and its writers have built up enough trust, like TGP, I don't want to know what happens. But if I just kind of like the show, or I'm unsure, or it's from someone I am hit or miss on, I would rather find out if it is worth investing my time in.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

While I love a good mystery, so much of what is out there is more shock value driven and I'd rather know that going in. If the characters are engaging and the way the story is told is entertaining it doesn't matter if I know how it ends. Hell, I can quote Clue word for word and I still enjoy the hell out of it every time I watch it. 

There's also the fact that sometimes, if not much of the time, knowing/having an idea where the story is going is a GOOD thing. Not everything needs to be a surprise, sometimes the foreshadowing and predictability is the entire point of the story. And if viewers are putting the puzzle pieces together and figuring out where the story is going, that's a GOOD thing. That means they're paying attention and picking up the little bread crumbs the writers/creators are putting out there. That's what you want viewers to do in those instances. 

Quote

All that said, when I watched the first season of The Good Place NOT knowing the big spoiler, that was one of the greatest tv watching moments. I literally got chills, in the literal use of literally, not the one the kids these days use to sound extreme lol So I really could go both ways.

Ha, now see, that one would not be all that surprising to me, simply because, from what I do know about the show and the big spoiler, there was a "Twllight Zone" episode that had a similar premise/twist :p. Which ties into the point made above that after a while, certain types of stories become more and more predictable (agian, not meaning that as a critique, just that, well, there's only so many ways to tell a story after a time). 

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't like to be spoiled because I do think it invariably colors one's viewing experience. For me, once I endeavored to stay spoiler free, my viewing experience is more fun. Certainly, there's been times where 'reveals' were obvious; that doesn't necessarily mean the show/movie isn't enjoyable though. 

I wasn't spoiled for The Good Place, but I didn't only figure it out just before Bell's character. That was fun. Ya basic!

Similarly, way way back when Galactica was on, when the ship rescued the people on the planet by dropping into the atmosphere and jumping, I was calling out the move as nonsense because the ship couldn't maneuver in atmosphere, and I reasoned it out just before Adama gave the order. I completely lost my mind. 

If you watch Farscape, stay unspoiled. 

[JustHereForFood]

I only avoid spoilers for detective shows/mysteries like whodunnit, because I want to guess. Other stories, I'm fine with spoilers, sometimes I even read up on the storylines to see if it's going to be something I might enjoy. I usually start watching shows later, once I've heard enough good things about them, so it would be hard to avoid big plot twists anyway.

[AgathaC]

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I have been burned so many times by what creators think is a "shocking twist", or that they have to constantly "surprise" the audience that I seek out spoilers before watching something I'm unsure about.

While I love a good mystery, so much of what is out there is more shock value driven and I'd rather know that going in. If the characters are engaging and the way the story is told is entertaining it doesn't matter if I know how it ends. Hell, I can quote Clue word for word and I still enjoy the hell out of it every time I watch it. 

I have gotten to the point with television that I would rather rewatch a rerun I've seen 50 times than try something new as there is so little new content that appeals to me. I'm sick of Marvel, I'm sick of Disney, I'm sick of "prestige" shows, or "fake" historical dramas, I'm over anything "distopian". I think I'm officially old now, because I'd rather watch Murder She Wrote than any new drama show.

Are you me? I, too, can quote Clue and am watching MSW as I type.

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

There's also the fact that sometimes, if not much of the time, knowing/having an idea where the story is going is a GOOD thing. Not everything needs to be a surprise, sometimes the foreshadowing and predictability is the entire point of the story. And if viewers are putting the puzzle pieces together and figuring out where the story is going, that's a GOOD thing. That means they're paying attention and picking up the little bread crumbs the writers/creators are putting out there. That's what you want viewers to do in those instances. 

Ha, now see, that one would not be all that surprising to me, simply because, from what I do know about the show and the big spoiler, there was a "Twllight Zone" episode that had a similar premise/twist :p. Which ties into the point made above that after a while, certain types of stories become more and more predictable (agian, not meaning that as a critique, just that, well, there's only so many ways to tell a story after a time). 

There have been a number of movies (Dead Again comes to mind) that I’ve enjoyed more on rewatch. Sometimes, once you know the twist or solution, you can get so much enjoyment and stimulation from finding all the clues!

[DoctorAtomic]

Babylon 5 is required to watch a second time because you're just blown away when you see the set ups years before the payoffs now that you know. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don’t like to be spoiled. Back in the days before the internet, no chance of that happening! I lived for those cliffhangers on Dallas! Though of course in 1984, when shockingly it turned out it was Bobby(!!!) who had been shot in the finale, people who taped it, discovered who it was!!! That leaked out to the media, and if you paused it, you could see in the reflection of the door that it was Cliff  that did it. So TPTB changed who the shooter was when the show returned in the Fall. Of course it took several episodes before we learned who it was!

More recently I stayed spoiler free by avoiding the forum and articles, so I was happily SHOCKED to learn that Duncan MacCloud Adrian Paul was Dante on Arrow!

But as @Mabinogia posted up thread, I also don’t like any of the new shows out there and watch my classics like Perry Mason, Dallas, and Murder, She Wrote, which I’m watching right now!

[andromeda331]

I'm both. I love being surprised and I love knowing what's going to happen. 

[paulvdb]

I try to avoid spoilers as much as possible because I want to be surprised by my shows. I would have enjoyed The Good Place less if I had known in advance about that reveal at the end of season one. But if I really like a show I can enjoy a rewatch even though I know what is going to happen. So basically I want to be unspoiled the first time I watch a show but if a show is good I can still enjoy rewatching it. Of course I watch so many shows that I forget a lot of things that happened so even on a rewatch I am sometimes surprised by things that I had forgotten.

[Haleth]

I've read spoilers to many a show to see how the final episode resolves everything.  I can't tell you how many times I've skipped final episodes because I am disappointed by what I've read and don't want to waste time and emotion on crap endings.  No regrets.

[Raja]

 

A problem today that large parts of the audience no longer watch things live is that the Google bots see your interest in a subject and the thumbnails  from news feeds start spoiling you.  I had watched the first episode of Mr and Mrs Smith and the next morning there was push after push of stories trying to lure me to their particular video, for them to get ad revenue, wanting to "explain the ending"

[Chaos Theory]

I got one not sure if has been discussed before but I was getting really tired of Gibbs and his never ending trauma on NCIS (that seemed to eventually effect everyone else because everyone had to be just as miserable as him). and I am actually enjoying NCIS and the new theme of “learning to live again” that seems to permeate now that he is gone.   

[JustHereForFood]

To link this with another topic I've thought about lately: there are many cable shows that go on and on for years even if people constantly complain about them and think they should finish already (BBT or Supernatural are some examples I can think of but there are more). I don't particularly care, if I stop enjoying something I'll stop watching, I don't have much time to hate-watch TV shows, I already spent too much time hate-watching the news because I feel like I have to know what's happening and then I only want to spent my free time watching what I like. But what I wanted to say is that because these shows are usually released weekly and at a regular time, there is a bigger chance that people will hate-watch or meh-watch them for years even if the creators don't have much to say anymore.

Contrast it will streaming shows that drop the entire season at some random time and then (from what I understand) only consider the numbers of views during some short time afterwards when deciding to cancel/renew it. I like this model less and less. There are many great shows on streaming, especially in terms of diversity, but I often discover them later on by the word-of-mouth and even if I happen to catch it early or if a new season drops, I like to watch at my own pace. Not only does binge-watching limit conversation about individual episodes, it sometimes creates this stress that we have to watch it as soon as possible so that are views count. I have already seen way too many tips about how to watch if you want to increase the chances of your show being renewed, it takes away part of the joy IMO. I get that streaming services are businesses not charities and they need to look at numbers, but I think that a more complex look would be beneficial, because if you give a good show a chance, it might find its viewers even years later. And it's especially frustrating to see shows cancelled when you know that creators have detailed plans for X number of seasons (still bitter about Sense8) or when it's an adaptation, so the story is already there. In this context, I get the complaints about long-running cable shows where the writers seem to have no idea where they are going, because it seems unfair to those who have plans but don't get a similar chance.

To bring it back to the topic of knowing where the story is going, I wonder if this system might soon backfire, because people will get burned too many times by getting attached to a show that is then cancelled without a proper resolution. One possible way for us viewers to avoid that might be to just wait until the show is finished, check the comments if it got a proper finale and then decide if it's worth our time. I don't think this is what streaming services want. I know that for example with Sandman, Neil Gaiman said that it took so long to renew it because the executives had to take into account that because it was more episodic, many viewers were watching it slowly and new viewers kept coming even after the first 2 weeks they originally wanted to consider. I hope that they adopt this for more shows and soon, because there's been way too many cancelled shows recently with very dedicated fanbases that had IMO a lot more potential.

[Ohiopirate02]

46 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

 

To bring it back to the topic of knowing where the story is going, I wonder if this system might soon backfire, because people will get burned too many times by getting attached to a show that is then cancelled without a proper resolution. One possible way for us viewers to avoid that might be to just wait until the show is finished, check the comments if it got a proper finale and then decide if it's worth our time. I don't think this is what streaming services want. I know that for example with Sandman, Neil Gaiman said that it took so long to renew it because the executives had to take into account that because it was more episodic, many viewers were watching it slowly and new viewers kept coming even after the first 2 weeks they originally wanted to consider. I hope that they adopt this for more shows and soon, because there's been way too many cancelled shows recently with very dedicated fanbases that had IMO a lot more potential.

I know that a few streamers have done weekly drops of episodes, and I do appreciate that.  Rarely do I have the time to watch all 8 or 10 episodes of a show in one weekend, sorry Netflix.  I honestly do not know how Netflix can truly gauge the success of a show in such a short period of time, two weeks after dropping all the episodes.  Outside of critics and the perpetually online folk, no one has the time to watch the latest release in its entirety ever single weekend.  Between work, family, friends, and housework, most people can only devote so much time a week to one streaming service.  I know I have to plan out which weekend I will get around to catching a show on Netflix, and that weekend may be a month after the show initially dropped.  I think Netflix based their data collection methods on how people were watching back in 2020 completely forgetting why we were all at home back then.  Or certain juggernauts were dropped on the perfect weekend for thousands of Americans to watch--Bridgerton Season One and Squid Game come to mind.  You cannot judge all of your original programming on how well those outliers did.

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Not only does binge-watching limit conversation about individual episodes, it sometimes creates this stress that we have to watch it as soon as possible so that are views count.

Agreed. It's also frustrating because you can't discuss the episodes on their own, which is how they're really meant to be seen. The one advantage is that when you binge watch you don't have time to get invested in things you want to happen but you're wrong about, but that investment's also part of investment in the show in general. Having to binge it all at once like an assignment cuts out a lot of the enjoyment I have about the shows I really love. The individual episode threads are usually just dead as everyone talks about the whole thing and misses details along the way.

[JustHereForFood]

The one show I would have liked to bingewatch was Rings of Power, since that felt like one story randomly cut into shorter segments, same as with LOTR movies. But that's the one they released weekly. 🤷‍♀️

[Mabinogia]

20 hours ago, AgathaC said:

Are you me? I, too, can quote Clue and am watching MSW as I type.

It just means that, like me, you have excellent taste. 😉

13 hours ago, paulvdb said:

Of course I watch so many shows that I forget a lot of things that happened so even on a rewatch I am sometimes surprised by things that I had forgotten.

OMG same. It's great because I often rewatch eps of Midsomer Murders and there are so many that I forget who the killer was so it's like watching for the first time. 

10 hours ago, Raja said:

the next morning there was push after push of stories trying to lure me to their particular video, for them to get ad revenue, wanting to "explain the ending"

I can't stand this trend of "explain the ending" videos. like, 1) I'm not a moron, 2) if the ending needs to be explained then the show wasn't very well written so I don't care, 3) let people watch and determine for themselves what it all meant. We don't all have to get the same thing out of our entertainment. 

 

8 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I know that for example with Sandman, Neil Gaiman said that it took so long to renew it because the executives had to take into account that because it was more episodic, many viewers were watching it slowly and new viewers kept coming even after the first 2 weeks they originally wanted to consider.

Clearly not Netflix then LOL That is sadly unusual, execs actually realizing that just because every single person on Earth doesn't watch something the second it drops means the show isn't successful (Netflix, I will NEVER get over the loss of Lockwood & Co, no matter what you do!), but it is smart, businesswise. 

I get not jumping into a second season right away and waiting to see if the show does get more of a following, but don't just ax it weeks after you released it just because it wasn't "as big as Squid Games". I am evil as I secretly (not so much so that I'm unwilling to post it on a public internet forum lol) hoping the second season bombs just so maybe Netflix will get the hint that flashes in the pan might burn brightly but they also dwindle quickly while some shows that take longer to ignite end up having a much longer flame. (That metaphor was a bit forced. If I were on Netflix I'd have been cancelled before I even got to this paragraph. lol)  

5 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

The one show I would have liked to bingewatch was Rings of Power, since that felt like one story randomly cut into shorter segments, same as with LOTR movies. But that's the one they released weekly. 🤷‍♀️

haha, that figures. I do prefer to binge watch something that has a continuous story while sitcoms, procedurals, your one mystery per ep type shows I prefer not to binge. Trouble with the continuous story shows is that, like a book, I finish one chapter and think 'just one more, I need to know what happens next' and one more ends up being 8-10 more and then my entire Saturday is gone. 

[Bastet]

On 2/15/2024 at 2:36 PM, Mabinogia said:

All that said, when I watched the first season of The Good Place NOT knowing the big spoiler, that was one of the greatest tv watching moments.

Same here.  I don't mind spoilers, and often seek them out because, TV being what it is, I frequently need to get my disappointment out of the way before, so then I can sit and better appreciate an episode for what it is rather than being fixated on what I wish it was.  But I'd heard nothing about The Good Place (other than it existed) by the time I watched it on Netflix, and I was very happy not to have known about The Twist at the end of season one.

On 2/16/2024 at 9:49 AM, sistermagpie said:

The individual episode threads are usually just dead as everyone talks about the whole thing and misses details along the way.

Ugh, yes.  I don't hate binge watching in and of itself, but discussion of shows that drop all at once is exponentially less interesting, thoughtful, and detailed than of those which air weekly.

Edited February 18 by Bastet

[JimmyJabloon]

TBBT- massive UO- Raj should've ended up with Missy.

[Ancaster]

On 2/15/2024 at 9:49 AM, Browncoat said:

I prefer not to be spoiled, especially with competition shows like The Amazing Race.  I like the suspense of wondering who will be eliminated... next.  And I like learning of the next location along with the teams.

 

I'm the opposite since I generally have favourites on The Amazing Race and I want to know in advance when they leave so I won't be too disappointed.

[Gharlane]

On 2/15/2024 at 9:58 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Babylon 5 is required to watch a second time because you're just blown away when you see the set ups years before the payoffs now that you know. 

Babylon 5 is the best example of a show that was planned out from start to finish.

[Lugal]

On 2/15/2024 at 3:36 PM, Mabinogia said:

All that said, when I watched the first season of The Good Place NOT knowing the big spoiler, that was one of the greatest tv watching moments. I literally got chills, in the literal use of literally, not the one the kids these days use to sound extreme lol So I really could go both ways.

That's the awesome thing about The Good Place, that it works both ways.  I was unspoiled for the big twist (although I think we all guessed it at some point along the way), but on rewatch, knowing that twist, you can pick up so many more little things along the way, which in a lot of ways was more fun.

Most recently the latest thing I watched completely unspoiled was The Million Yen Women on Netflix and if you like twisty psychological thrillers, it's definitely one to watch unspoiled.  They had enough suspects and kept me guessing about who was the villain up until the big reveal.  And they even managed to throw in a few twists after that.

[proserpina65]

On 2/15/2024 at 7:03 PM, Annber03 said:

There's also the fact that sometimes, if not much of the time, knowing/having an idea where the story is going is a GOOD thing. Not everything needs to be a surprise, sometimes the foreshadowing and predictability is the entire point of the story.

For me there's a difference between having an idea where a story might be going and getting spoiled.  I hate spoilers for the most part, and I firmly believe that general entertainment sites should NOT have spoilers on their main page.  In individual articles, sure, but not on the very first page I get when I log in to read about something else.  (I'm looking at you, Entertainment Weekly.)  I avoid individual threads here about shows/movies/episodes I haven't watched yet, and I agree that if I look at one, I deserve what I get, but there should not be spoilers on the main page.  (And this site is very good about avoiding that.)

There are exceptions, like when I read all of the published ASOIAF books after seeing season 1 of GOT, but I did that on purpose.  And then there are those times when I accidentally spoiled myself, such as looking up a particular dragon's previous riders and finding out the fate of its current one.  But that's on me since I should've known to stay away from the wikis.

But in general, I really don't want to be spoiled when I watch something the first time because there's a quality to that experience which is lost if I know what's going to happen.

On 2/15/2024 at 9:29 PM, AgathaC said:

There have been a number of movies (Dead Again comes to mind) that I’ve enjoyed more on rewatch. Sometimes, once you know the twist or solution, you can get so much enjoyment and stimulation from finding all the clues!

True, but I don't want that to be my initial experience with the movie or show.  That's what rewatches are for.

On 2/16/2024 at 6:37 PM, Mabinogia said:

It's great because I often rewatch eps of Midsomer Murders and there are so many that I forget who the killer was so it's like watching for the first time. 

The one I watched last night, I knew who the killer was but I couldn't remember why he'd killed his victims.

On 2/18/2024 at 11:17 AM, JimmyJabloon said:

TBBT- massive UO- Raj should've ended up with Missy.

I absolutely agree.  They had so much chemistry in both her initial episode and the wedding episode.  I really wanted them to get together.

[DoctorAtomic]

21 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

(I'm looking at you, Entertainment Weekly.)

They spoil Jon Snow dies on GOT the second the credits roll, but on The Real Housewives of Witch Mountain - You won't believe who spilled the 

 

gravy. 

 

Edited February 21 by DoctorAtomic

[ABay]

36 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

But in general, I really don't want to be spoiled when I watch something the first time because there's a quality to that experience which is lost if I know what's going to happen....[other poster enjoying more on rewatch]...

True, but I don't want that to be my initial experience with the movie or show.  That's what rewatches are for.

I want to put 100 pairs of the clapping hands here.

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

 I hate spoilers for the most part, and I firmly believe that general entertainment sites should NOT have spoilers on their main page.  In individual articles, sure, but not on the very first page I get when I log in to read about something else.  (I'm looking at you, Entertainment Weekly.)  I avoid individual threads here about shows/movies/episodes I haven't watched yet, and I agree that if I look at one, I deserve what I get, but there should not be spoilers on the main page.  (And this site is very good about avoiding that.

I agree that spoilers shouldn't be on the main page. Put them on the next page or something so those who don't want spoilers won't be spoiled. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 2/15/2024 at 12:11 PM, RunningMarket said:

I used to work at a movie theatre, and part of my job was to check on the movie as it was running/be prepared to clean at the end. I got spoiled on a lot of movies during my 5 years. 

I'm OK with spoilers for the most part. However, there are some shows that I am truly invested in where I am glad I don't seek out information and am surprised or caught off guard by a big moment. (SouthLAnd was this show for me.)

When I was a kid in the 60s, we used to go to the movies and walk in in the middle.  That's what people used to do (in earlier decades also).  You'd watch till the end and then you'd watch the next movie (as you'd get a double feature), and then you'd go back to start the first movie.  Then you'd recognize when you came in and leave.  It was fun figuring out what was happening when you missed the first part of the movie.