Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[ToxicUnicorn]

I think Conan came off badly because of his style of commentary.  He's acerbic and dry, doesn't pull his punches, and his persona comes off as a bit tetchy.  As a result, I really like his humor, but I think his reaction to the Leno thing was not the way to win sympathy.

 

Fallon and Kimmel present very differently.  My impression is that they are more lovable doofus type hosts ... (the kind who kids because they love).  In the midst of all the ill will, I think those personalities were very appealing.  As for Leno, I can't resist another jab: he always comes off as an ass to me.  Of course, mileage may vary.

Edited July 8, 2014 by ToxicUnicorn

[Kel Varnsen]

Maybe but Conan would still have been punished for Leno's primetime failure.  Leno's show was such a disaster that the local affiliates were losing money and revolted, promising to replace his show with reruns.  Putting him in for the first half of the Tonight Show's traditional start time would mean that NBC had two shows competing with Letterman (Kimmel was made by this debacle), doubling their chances of people just not watching.  There are so many ways it still could have gone wrong with this format, though I think that Seinfeld's Tonight Show theory is somewhat disproven with Leno's primetime failure.  If it were Leno that everyone was clamoring to see, then his talk show wouldn't have failed so badly.  

I get that moving back to 12:05 could be viewed as being punished for Leno's failure, but at the same time in the long run I wonder if taking that punishment would have been a better or worse choice than basically being banished to basic cable. And while most people probably have cable so some might thing it is not a big deal, I think the promo factor is a big deal, so if you are watching Law and Order SVU on NBC (or better yet the late local news) you can see promos for who will be on Leno/Conan/Fallon or whoever. You don't really get that with the number of people watching TBS. Plus there is the matter of people actually knowing what channel TBS is.

 

As for Seinfeld's comment, I think it was just in response to Conan holding the whole concept of The Tonight Show in such regard. Jerry's response was more that no one watches the Tonight Show because it's "The Tonight Show". They watch it because they liked Carson or Leno or Conan or they like Jimmy Fallon.

[cleo]

My UO relates to Breaking Bad. I'm always behind in tv viewing, so I have not seen all of Breaking Bad, but I'm about on Season 2 episode 7. I was really looking forward to the show, it seemed like my kind of show. But honestly I don't see what all the hype is, I'm not sure I like it or will even make it through the series. It's well-written I suppose and the acting is very good but it doesn't seem groundbreaking or anything. And it's incredibly dreary- and this from someone that typically likes dark dreary shows- but with this show virtually all the characters just seem dreary and unlikeable. Jesse is more tolerable, but not enough to make up for the rest. 

 

I think both the Sopranos and the Wire were far superior and much more innovative, and I think it's a travesty that Breaking Bad got so much attention and the Wire virtually none. 

 

Thanks I had to get that off my chest!

 

One more rant- I know a little bit about lung cancer as a relative of mine died from it, and their depiction of it seems very unrealistic. Walter's experience with it may happen for some people but it's very rare I think. ie lung cancer is usually not identified until very late stages, often when it has already spread, to the point where remission is very unlikely, and death usually occurs relatively quickly . So I'm not an expert on this, and if someone has other facts feel free to share, but this was my understanding after some light research I did when my relative was ill. So it bugs me on the show because they could have easily chosen something else more realistic. Maybe there is some logic to this that comes later in the show, but it has been irritating to watch. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

I could piss and moan about the issues I had with Buffy the Vampire Slayer until I'm purple in the face, but I'll just allow myself one UO for today: Giles was wrong to leave Buffy in Season 6. Buffy was an emotional mess after being, you know, resurrected from the dead (and from Heaven, no less), and she could have used a stable confidante. Instead, Giles was like, "Suck it up, Buffy, if we have to live in this shitsack world, then so do you", and leaves her. Fuck you, buddy. The one time Buffy needs you more than ever, you ditch her and have the audacity to put a noble spin on it. 

[Shannon L.]

 

My UO relates to Breaking Bad. I'm always behind in tv viewing, so I have not seen all of Breaking Bad, but I'm about on Season 2 episode 7. I was really looking forward to the show, it seemed like my kind of show. But honestly I don't see what all the hype is, I'm not sure I like it or will even make it through the series. It's well-written I suppose and the acting is very good but it doesn't seem groundbreaking or anything. And it's incredibly dreary- and this from someone that typically likes dark dreary shows- but with this show virtually all the characters just seem dreary and unlikeable. Jesse is more tolerable, but not enough to make up for the rest.

We're on Season 2 as well and while I'm going to keep going because I'm fascinated, it's not all I thought it would be given the hype.  I have said you're exact words to others who love the show--no one is likeable and Jesse is tolerable.  My husband doesn't even want to finish the series because of those reasons--he's not liking it at all, but since we have a friend over once a week to watch a couple of tv shows (we've started when 24 was on the air, went through the Luna season of Dexter and are one episode away from the Burn Notice series finale) he's humoring us and sitting with us while we watch it.

[Joe]

Weindish yes! You're completely right about Giles. I know Tony Head wanted to spend more time back in England, but putting Giles in hospital, unconcious, would have been a better way of doing it.

[ganesh]

It's well-written I suppose and the acting is very good but it doesn't seem groundbreaking or anything.

 

It's not groundbreaking. The Sopranos really popularized the antihero and I think some credit does to the Shield for that as well. But, no every show has to be groundbreaking. BB may be taking a page from the Sopranos, but they certainly executed the concept at possibly the highest level. 

 

I think what it is good about it is that it didn't degenerate into stupidity and it didn't treat the audience as idiots. And it had a good hook: Mister Chips to Scarface. And it was fairly serialized so there were no fluff episodes. Even though you knew how it was going to end, the actual getting there was compelling. Not like Lost where every week was wtf now? They're back in time? What?

 

The Wire was superior but it was on HBO for one and for the other is was in the wrong era. BB got really popular because of re runs on netflix and social media chatter. The Wire just didn't have that. Although I have to say, the final season wasn't up to par as the prior, whereas BB was solid over the whole run.

Edited July 9, 2014 by ganesh

[Mulva]

I could piss and moan about the issues I had with Buffy the Vampire Slayer until I'm purple in the face, but I'll just allow myself one UO for today: Giles was wrong to leave Buffy in Season 6. Buffy was an emotional mess after being, you know, resurrected from the dead (and from Heaven, no less), and she could have used a stable confidante. Instead, Giles was like, "Suck it up, Buffy, if we have to live in this shitsack world, then so do you", and leaves her. Fuck you, buddy. The one time Buffy needs you more than ever, you ditch her and have the audacity to put a noble spin on it.

 

So apparently I created a new ID and posted this righteous screed in my sleep. Either that, or Wiendish and I are sharing the hive brain.

Yeah, Giles's could have and should have stayed around in Buffy's hour of need instead of running off to England. At least, he could have taken Shiny McWhiny with him.

My Buffyverse UO: Lindsey McDonald (Angel) was far more sympathetic and worthy of redemption than Faith.

I like the Ninth Doctor more than 10 and 11 put together, and I wish they'd bring him back. Do a prequel or too, BBC!

I've realized that I tend to hate the allegedly sexy 'bad boys' who always seem wildly popular----Lost's Sawyer, Veronica Mars' Logan, Vampire Diaries' Damon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Spike, etc. (Weirdly and even more unpopularly, I happen not to find any of the above at all physically attractive, either---except maybe Sawyer/James Holloway, and only when his hair is under control!)

It really bugs me how even their most sociopathic behavior and unthinkably vicious (and often racist, homphobic, etc.) words are merrily excused and handwaved away because these bad boy woobies are sometimes amusingly snarky, have been through paaaaiiiiin (unlike, you know, everyone else on the planet) and manage to act occasionally like actual human beings around whatever woman they happen to be lusting after. Meanwhile, a lot of halfway decent characters get crucified mercilessly for the smallest perceived misdeed and are deemed hypocritical or excessively 'judgmental' if they dare to point out that maybe the bad boy woobie is a tad out of line. And I hate for so many reasons when these jerks 'get' the girl and are temporarily "tamed" by them.

So you've been watching Supernatural then? It really irks me that Sam is roasted for daring to be angry with Dean for tricking him into being possessed.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Mulva

[mstaken]

I could piss and moan about the issues I had with Buffy the Vampire Slayer until I'm purple in the face, but I'll just allow myself one UO for today: Giles was wrong to leave Buffy in Season 6.

 

This x1000! 

 

My Buffyverse UO: Lindsey McDonald (Angel) was far more sympathetic and worthy of redemption than Faith.

 

My UO here is that I HATE Faith. Flames on the side of my face hate (can you tell I'm obsessed with the movie Clue?!) It's not in a 'fun to hate' way, either. 

 

And [*whispers*] I actually don't think Buffy overall holds up all that well all these years later, even the widely beloved early seasons. Large parts of it feel so clunky, dated, trying-too-hard cutesy and just generally disappointing to me now. 

[Mulva]

You're not alone with the Faith hate. She was a vile, loathsome sociopath who should have been ganked. I never bought her poor widdle woobie act for a minute. And I'm not too fond of Xander either.

[Princess Sparkle]

And [*whispers*] I actually don't think Buffy overall holds up all that well all these years later, even the widely beloved early seasons. Large parts of it feel so clunky, dated, trying-too-hard cutesy and just generally disappointing to me now.

 

 

You don't have to whisper that by me.  I love Buffy, but I find that Angel holds up much, much better.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Ok, I'm allowing myself another Buffy UO:

 

Word on Faith. She was a backstabbing, murderous ingrate, and I have no love for her whatsoever.

 

I felt the same way about Terra from Teen Titans. True, she wasn't as evil as her comic book counterpart, but she was still a traitorous little skank, and I hated that she was framed as a tragic hero.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Wiendish Fitch

[BellaLugosi]

*snip (can you tell I'm obsessed with the movie Clue?!) 

 

Talk about something the does really hold up, I just watched that movie again and howled with laughter. That ending with Wadsworth explaining everything is one of my favorite movie moments. 

 

Back to the topic: I have no desire to see Modern Family and Sofia Vergara could retire from public life and I wouldn't complain. I've only seen her on a few talk shows and I don't find the constant screaming to be cute at all. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

 

I HATE Faith.

By the time BTVS was over, I liked Faith much more than I liked Buffy. Then again, by the time BTVS was over, I liked *syphilis* more than I liked Buffy, and that's a different rant for a different time. Faith's not the one who was marching everyone off to certain death with an asinine plan that the script forces Giles to call "brilliant" after cuddling up with her attempted rapist because "he has a soooooooouuuuuuuulllllllll now." Okay, so it was time for a mini-rant.

[Sweet Tee]

Genuinely curious about this Spike thing. Are the people who hate Spike for attempting to rape Buffy also anti-Angel because of what Angelus did? Because to me it's the same thing. Was the rape storyline ill thought out? Absolutely. But I don't see how it's fair to absolve Angel for his soulless crimes but not Spike. Of course if you do dislike both characters because of their crimes than fair enough and I retract my statement.

[bmoore4026]

I don't like Conan O'Brien's constant belittling jokes of geeks and nerds.

 

That's it.  I don't like it.  I take it as a personal attack (even though that's not the intent) and as an assault on things I hold dear, in particular video games.

 

I also hate the "grown man loser who is fat and still lives with his parents" trope in the media and the portrayal of such men as worthy of contempt. 

 

Some of us can't help it, either because of disability or lack of the income needed for independent living or both.

[BellaLugosi]

 

I don't like Conan O'Brien's constant belittling jokes of geeks and nerds.

That's it.  I don't like it.  I take it as a personal attack (even though that's not the intent) and as an assault on things I hold dear, in particular video games.

I also hate the "grown man loser who is fat and still lives with his parents" trope in the media and the portrayal of such men as worthy of contempt.

 

Me too! Similar to that, I really hate it when Chris Hardwick, self professed nerd, acts like anyone who likes sports is a fat, drunk idiot.  I know, jokes. But you'd think someone who understands what it's like to be portrayed negatively for what they happen to enjoy wouldn't then turn around do it to another group of people. It's such an easy joke and played out. 

[spaceytraci1208]

I loved The Wire, and appreciated The Sopranos...but I don't think either was the greatest show ever written, or even the best show on HBO. To date, my all-time favorite HBO series is Oz. It definitely hit a steep decline in the last couple seasons, but I was obsessed with it and stuck with it until the end; not even "hate-watching."

[callie lee 29]

Someone mentioned The Golden Girls and it reminded me... I can not stand that show. And apparently I'm from a generation who is supposed to love it (Gen X). I truly do not know anyone my age who dislikes this show. It's like it's rainbows and puppys and unicorns and I am un-American and evil by not liking it.

 

Also, I;m a huge SYTYC fan and I can't even remember Danny Tidwell. So he must not have made a big impression.

[ybrik]

Okay in regards to the Daniel subject. I have one that goes both ways. First the character was brought in as an obstacle/love interest of the main couple while also being the mentor of the main character. He was praised as the epitome of his profession and a hero. However, it all led to him turning and becoming the villain. In his villainy he comes close to winning but ends up losing because he believes that he is as great as all the praise he had received. This Daniel was Daniel Shaw on the show Chuck. He was hated when he was a good guy by fans and really hated when he became a villain.

 

I  don't know if this is unpopular or not but I really wish they would just let Community go. Maybe a movie/special to close things out but really another season or two on Yahoo. Let it go. I am interested in seeing these actors in other roles at this point. Honestly for most shows they shouldn't go beyond 5 years and Community hasn't really been going strong these last couple of years.

[lucindabelle]

Yes it's a peeve of mine that people living with their parents is code for LOSER. I mean maybe if people have never left home in the first place but other than that what is wrong with extended family? I live with my mother.

I once lived in another state and owned a home but moved back about ten years ago for work and it made sense. After my father died it meant that if I moved out we'd both be alone, Why is that better? The cheap mockery and cliche of making fun of grownups who choose to live with family is cliched and hurtful.

If I had enough money for three houses I'd still choose to live with my mother. I love her and don't want her to be alone. It's that simple. Is is an UO to the point where until recently I wouldn't even admit it. But now I'm out.

[Aquarius]

I guess I have a UO regarding Buffy, given all the discussion about it here.

 

I never liked the show and thus never watched it.

 

 

Someone mentioned The Golden Girls and it reminded me... I can not stand that show. And apparently I'm from a generation who is supposed to love it (Gen X). I truly do not know anyone my age who dislikes this show. It's like it's rainbows and puppys and unicorns and I am un-American and evil by not liking it.

 

I don't know if I'm your age, but I'm Gen X and I can't stand that show either.  Never could.

[braziliangirl]

Awkward: I like Jake better than Matty.

Buffy: Hated Tara. Hated Spike. I also didn't like Chordelia. And Xander was annoying.

Grey's Anatomy: I love Meredith. And I sort of hate Bailey after the last couple of seasons (but loved her S1 - S3).

Scandal: I don't get the KW love.  Olivia is an awful character but also I think she's sooo badly acted. Don't get (at all) KW nomination for a Emmy.

Gossip Girl: I liked Serena over Blair. And wanted Serena to be with Nate or alone in the end.

Sex and the City: I hated that Carrie and Big ended up together.

Edited July 10, 2014 by braziliangirl

[Pickles Aplenty]

 

Sex and the City: I hated that Carrie and Big ended up together.

I really hope this isn't unpopular.  That ending was so sappy, ooey-gooey, happily-ever-after princess, it made me want to vomit, and this is coming from a die-hard romantic.  I would have preferred the ending from the book:  "Mr. Big is happily married.  Carrie is happily single."

[braziliangirl]

 

I really hope this isn't unpopular.

I remember reading somewhere that the producers or the writers didn't find the ending believable but they did it because the fanbase wanted Big and Carrie together. That's why I thought my opinion was unpopular. But I agree with you! I really hope it isn't unpopular.

[Aquarius]

I remember reading somewhere that the producers or the writers didn't find the ending believable but they did it because the fanbase wanted Big and Carrie together. That's why I thought my opinion was unpopular. But I agree with you! I really hope it isn't unpopular.

 

I have the same opinion as you both . . . but I do believe, unfortunately, that it is unpopular.  At least based on other fans I have discussed it with.

[andromeda331]

Yes it's a peeve of mine that people living with their parents is code for LOSER. I mean maybe if people have never left home in the first place but other than that what is wrong with extended family? I live with my mother. I once lived in another state and owned a home but moved back about ten years ago for work and it made sense. After my father died it meant that if I moved out we'd both be alone, Why is that better? The cheap mockery and cliche of making fun of grownups who choose to live with family

 

 

I completely agree. I lived with my parents long after high school and people thought it was weird. I was saving up for specific place I wanted to live at, then I had a medical problem that took a long time for the doctors to figure out which wiped out most of my savings and two jobs because I had to quit for medical reasons and honestly given my medical issues it was nice to have them around when I was sick. By the time I got better my grandfather moved in and we took care of him the last year of his life and my parents' financial situation took a nosedive paying off his medical expenses. They would have recovered but then my mother was laid off so now they needed my money to help until she found another job.

 

Living at home doesn't mean your a loser for it. There can be many reasons I've known many who stayed at home saving up money until they were able to get a place of their own, some who moved back in after college because finding a job that'll immediately give you enough money for a place to live rarely happens, medical reasons, some who don't want to live alone or some who are happy

where they are. 

[lucindabelle]

Wow, there is a lot of passion around this, thank you all. I used to say, I can't afford to live in NYC without roommates, and if I have to have roommates, I'd just as soon they be biologically inclined to like me.

Now I think I'll just be out and proud, I love my mom and want to live with her.

Increasingly since I'm in my 40s people assume she lives with me. Why that is more acceptable eludes me.

When my late father was going people lived home until they had a good reason not to, such as marriage or job far away. He even lived at home after the army (until he took a job in a different town).

Talk show hosts and sitcoms need to dial this down, family is good. And this country is huge and it's easy to lose touch. One reason I moved home is that I was working 1.000 miles away, and I got tired of seeing my parents two times a year.

[kiddo82]

I  don't know if this is unpopular or not but I really wish they would just let Community go. Maybe a movie/special to close things out but really another season or two on Yahoo. Let it go. I am interested in seeing these actors in other roles at this point. Honestly for most shows they shouldn't go beyond 5 years and Community hasn't really been going strong these last couple of years.

Yes! Sometimes it's better to just let it go.

[tobia]

I think the character of Veronica Mars, especially in Seasons 1 and 2, is a straight up and unabashed Mary Sue that the show never stops pandering to, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why she's held up as one of the best written female characters of all time.

 

I think Orange is the New Black is really well-produced and find the characters' back stories interesting, but I just can't get engaged in the prison portion of the story. I can't even pinpoint why--I'm just not that into it.

 

(Also, as the OP of the TWOP thread, thanks for re-starting it and keeping the name!)

Edited July 11, 2014 by tobia

[CousinOliver]

I loathe Lucy. 

 

Cannot stand her.  She's self centered, mean, delusional.

 

I have a friend who is a huge fan of ILL and when I started watching the shows I asked him what the appeal was.  He couldn't quite explain, but he did tell me that housewives of that time really were like that (not the "in the show" crap, but the going over household budget because you want new clothes, etc., stuff.)  He's mid-30's, so this is not harmless; it gives a bad (and false) impression of housewives in the 50's.    

 

Lucille Ball, of course, is brilliant.  But I hate "Lucy Ricardo."  My very UO. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

I don't like Dick Van Dyke. I don't like actors who rely heavily on mugging. He never amused me, and his sitcom was nothing special to me. 

 

Likewise, I never got the appeal of The Andy Griffith Show. I think I'd want to slash my wrists, living in a town as dull as Mayberry, and I always thought there was something shifty and creepy about Andy Taylor. He crossed that line between excessively nice to suspiciously nice. It made me wonder what his secret was to keeping Mayberry crime-free.

 

I liked Newhart, and Joanna Louden didn't bother me (RIP, Mary Frann). Sure, she wasn't as awesome as Emily Hartley (RIP, Suzanne Pleshette), but then, who is?

 

I'm a freak of nature… I liked Ezri Dax. 

[Athena]

I'm a freak of nature… I liked Ezri Dax. 

 

You're not alone! Maybe there's just two of us. I think it was the actress whom I saw in other things. I wish we saw more of her. I was never enamoured with Jadzia so it helped too. I thought Ezri had chemistry with all the guys in the Dax life on DS9.

[DoughGirl]

Likewise, I never got the appeal of The Andy Griffith Show. I think I'd want to slash my wrists, living in a town as dull as Mayberry, and I always thought there was something shifty and creepy about Andy Taylor. He crossed that line between excessively nice to suspiciously nice. It made me wonder what his secret was to keeping Mayberry crime-free.

Yes!!!!! Also hate "Ant" Bea.

And I hate the Dick Van Dyke show too.

I loathe Lucy.

Cannot stand her. She's self centered, mean, delusional.

I agree, but Ricky was no prize either. They deserved each other.

My Mom loved Lucy. She thought she was so cute and funny. She couldn't understand why I hated her.

[Joe]

 

I liked Ezri Dax.

I thought she was all right, but suffered a bit too much from what I call new toy syndrome. The writers have a new and fresh character to play with! So she was front and centre a bit too much.

[mstaken]

I'm loving the loathing of Lucy! I agree wholeheartedly. 

 

Here's one: While I agree that The Simpsons isn't as sublime as it used to be (what show would be after 25 seasons?!), I actually think there's still a lot to love. The lows are lower and the highs aren't as consistent, but I still love a surprising number of episodes from the allegedly abysmal recent seasons.  

 

Oh, and despite my gushing over the Simpsons, I absolutely despise Futurama. I still can't even wrap my mind around the fact that they're created by the same person. 

[Kel Varnsen]

Here's one: While I agree that The Simpsons isn't as sublime as it used to be (what show would be after 25 seasons?!), I actually think there's still a lot to love. The lows are lower and the highs aren't as consistent, but I still love a surprising number of episodes from the allegedly abysmal recent seasons.  

 

I totally agree with that. I mean sure it is new episodes aren't as good as seasons 3-6. But to me that is an almost unattainable standard. I mean there are no sitcoms on TV right now that are as funny, and new/original/groundbreaking as those golden age Simpsons episodes. So if no other shows can live up to that standard, why should the current simpsons episodes live up to that standards. I will say that when I do watch the episodes they usually make me laugh as much as any other sitcom I watch that week (which I think is a much more fair standard of comparison).

[DittyDotDot]

I'm loving the loathing of Lucy! I agree wholeheartedly. 

 

Here's one: While I agree that The Simpsons isn't as sublime as it used to be (what show would be after 25 seasons?!), I actually think there's still a lot to love. The lows are lower and the highs aren't as consistent, but I still love a surprising number of episodes from the allegedly abysmal recent seasons.  

 

Oh, and despite my gushing over the Simpsons, I absolutely despise Futurama. I still can't even wrap my mind around the fact that they're created by the same person. 

 

I haven't watched The Simpsons with any sort of regularity for about 10 years, but every now and then I catch and episode and expect it to be really bad and am surprised how good it turns out to be. I think maybe it's the not watching very frequently that makes it work for me. Still it's pretty amazing that after 25 years they still manage to pull one or two off that don't have me sighing myself into unconsciousness.

 

I also agree about Futurama, never could get into to that one.

 

And this isn't just for the novelty of it, but I actually LOVE Lucy. I know she's obnoxious and I know she's a terrible stereotype, but that show entertains me almost as much as my 11-year-old niece trying to figure out what an oxymoron actually is. So I guess this means that @mstaken is not me and posting during my sleeping hours!

[Ghost]

Yes it's a peeve of mine that people living with their parents is code for LOSER. I mean maybe if people have never left home in the first place but other than that what is wrong with extended family? I live with my mother.

I once lived in another state and owned a home but moved back about ten years ago for work and it made sense. After my father died it meant that if I moved out we'd both be alone, Why is that better? The cheap mockery and cliche of making fun of grownups who choose to live with family is cliched and hurtful.

If I had enough money for three houses I'd still choose to live with my mother. I love her and don't want her to be alone. It's that simple. Is is an UO to the point where until recently I wouldn't even admit it. But now I'm out.

 

I agree with this one too. I'm approaching 30 and I live with my parents, have always lived with my parents, and will continue to do so for as long as it's practical, regardless of what kind of place I could afford on my own. I love their company, they're very respectful of the fact that I'm not a child anymore and that the boundaries needed to change once I reached adulthood, and I love our family home. In my father's home country, it is pretty common for adults to continue to live with their parents, even when they have their own children and the grandparents then take a part in the raising of those children. I think that's beautiful and a desirable way to live, but in the country where I grew up and still live, it's viewed as strange. People seem to just dispose of the elderly here rather than making them the centre of family life, and I don't understand how living like that, or living alone, is somehow better and more adult. And no amount of watching American television, where this attitude is so strongly expressed, has made that more comprehensible to me.

 

Good on you for cherishing your mother's company.

[DiamondDoll]

Unpopular Sex and the City opinion: My favorite Carrie relationship was with Alex Petrovsky. I adore Mikhail Baryshnikov and I really liked the vibe he had with SJP. He was mature, didn't play games with her and he brought out the best in her. I hated Big and personally, she deserved all the misery she got when she chose to be with him.

 

Also, Smith Jerrod was dull. And I didn't find him attractive at all. I always liked Samantha best with Richard.

[tobia]

I really liked Alex, too, and hated how they just blatantly and suddenly assassinated his character for the sake of their Carrie/Big ending. 

[Rick Kitchen]

I have to agree that I never found the appeal of Danny Tidwell.  But I do like Mark Kanamura, a lot.  Though Travis Wall is my favorite of all of the dancers, and never particularly cared for Benji.

[BellaLugosi]

On Rhoda, I liked Joe, and I wish they had worked harder to make that relationship work (the writers, not the characters).  Their breakup and the reasons given were so lame. 

[CoderLady]

Getting an Emmy or a nomination for an Emmy isn't an absolute indicator of excellence, it's just a measure of approval by an anonymous group of people with unfathomable motivations. And they don't "snub" anybody. That implies deliberate and malicious exclusion, not just naturally what happens when you have a limited number of awards to hand out, a large number of contestants, and an incomprehensible decision-making process.

 

The whole thing seems so high-schoolish to me: the WTF nominations, fan outrage over the "snubbed" fueled by insinuations of bias in the entertainment press, more argument over the merits of the chosen award show presenters and host, all the speculation and predictions, then finally the bloated, overstuffed  time-suck awards show itself. Then it's all over for another year except for some residual carping and bitching, but in the end who really remembers who got which award, anyway?

 

I've been wanting to say that for a long time, but of course YMMV.

[ganesh]

Totally. The problem is though, if you get an award of some kind, it's like a promotion in 'actor rank' or something like it. For sure, if you get an oscar you can get paid more for your next movie, or people will be sending better scripts your way. So legit shows and actors are stuck on the outside looking in, and no one knows why.

[CoderLady]

It's the "no one knows why" part that invalidates the whole thing for me. If they're not going to reward actual excellence, why legitimize them? I could think of a more learned way to say this, but -- if they're going to be stupid, ignore them until they do better. It may take a while but rewarding idiots with success just encourages them.

 

Of course that will never happen. Popularity contests aren't rational.

Edited July 12, 2014 by CoderLady

[ganesh]

I don't pay attention to the awards shows or read any of the media. My favorite shows aren't the emmy kind anyway. It's kind of anachronistic because so many shows don't fit into traditional categories anymore. 

[CoderLady]

Totally agree. I guess what I'm annoyed about is that each year people who know good TV actually expect Emmy recognition for the shows they like when it's obvious that it'll never happen, and that for weeks people are getting bent out of shape over it. I guess that's what I'm doing, once removed. Henceforth, I shall chill.

[ribboninthesky1]

@CoderLady, I know exactly how you feel.  It's why I've never paid attention to award shows.  I am always baffled by the hysteria and hoopla around who or what should be nominated or awarded.  I suppose I understand why actors/shows/producers want them, but as a viewer, I've never thought, "Oh, I need to check out this show or actor now that they've been nominated for/won an Emmy!" It's usually just a bunch of ego and hubris displayed in a nationally televised circlejerk.  Not the end of the world, but I can understand why many just tune in the fashion.   

Edited July 12, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

[ParadoxLost]

Totally. The problem is though, if you get an award of some kind, it's like a promotion in 'actor rank' or something like it. For sure, if you get an oscar you can get paid more for your next movie, or people will be sending better scripts your way. So legit shows and actors are stuck on the outside looking in, and no one knows why.

 

I remember when Helen Hunt won the Oscar.  She parlayed it to being paid 1 million per episode.  Paul Reiser's contract said that she couldn't be paid more than he was, so he got a million per episode too.  That was the clearest example I ever saw on what one of these awards could do.