TV shows most people love that you hate

[wxfree]

I hated "Friends."  I loved "Seinfeld," and "Frasier," but I never connected with "Friends."

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

[texaskdog]

I hated "Friends."  I loved "Seinfeld," and "Frasier," but I never connected with "Friends."

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

I can sit and watch Friends when I'm flipping the dial but I don't think it's a good show, the characters are pretty pathetic, it's not that funny (though better than 90% of what is being produced today).  My ex got all 10 seasons on DVD-torture.

Can't handle Frasier at all, or Kristie Alley Cheers either.

What sucks about "reality" shows is they make people think the average people lives like that.  My wife would get bored all the time because she watches shows like this.  The average person goes to work, goes home, eats dinner with the family watches TV does a couple things on the weekend.  I loved the idea of Survivor until they put all those ridiculous challenges in.  Every "reality" show is fake.  Even some of the most basic ones.  Pickers don't really travel together.  Judge Judy covers all the rulings anyway, plus she endorsed Bloomburg, 180 from what she supposedly believes about responsibility.  Property Brothers don't finish their work and leave messes and make you sign agreements to not disclose this.  Are any of them any close to real?

[Max Rockatansky]

I hated "Friends."  I loved "Seinfeld," and "Frasier," but I never connected with "Friends."

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

For some reason I always liked Frasier but never liked Cheers.  I never liked the cast of characters on Cheers nor the setting. 

[texaskdog]

I hated "Friends."  I loved "Seinfeld," and "Frasier," but I never connected with "Friends."

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

For some reason I always liked Frasier but never liked Cheers.  I never liked the cast of characters on Cheers nor the setting. 

There are not that many likeable people in Boston, maybe it was fitting.

[kphoger]

I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.

I'd say it's further away.  At least tacos are a Mexican staple and burritos have a regional presence there.  The taco and burrito special at Taco Bell at least serves you Mexican menu items–even if those items aren't seasoned, prepared, garnished, or served the same way they would be in Mexico.  Reality TV, on the other hand, claims by its very name that it has its basis in reality, when in fact it doesn't.

No, reality TV is more like getting Chinese at a small-town Kansas café:  the "sweet and sour chicken" ends up being chicken-fried chicken with a packet of sweet & sour sauce, mixed vegetables, a bread roll, and Country Time lemonade.

[Max Rockatansky]

I hated "Friends."  I loved "Seinfeld," and "Frasier," but I never connected with "Friends."

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

For some reason I always liked Frasier but never liked Cheers.  I never liked the cast of characters on Cheers nor the setting. 

There are not that many likeable people in Boston, maybe it was fitting.

I never really liked Ted Danson or Kristie Alley all that much which probably didn't help.  Having the show confined almost entirely to a bar just didn't do it for me.  Granted Frasier mostly took place in an apparent and a radio studio.  I do prefer the back drop of Seattle much more over Boston. 

[In_Correct]

I found Friends to be bad. (and hate the theme music)

Seinfeld to be even worse. (and hate the theme music)

Frasier is very stuffy programme. And do not like the dog either. Yes, it is about very eccentric Doctor Frasier Crane losing his marbles over and over again, but this is a programme, as is Murphy Brown ... all ready done with The Bob Newhart Show, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Even The Mary Tyler Moore Show despite being 1970, has a Marker Board in the very far corner. Frasier was married to Lilith. Frasier & Lilith are extreme versions of Robert & Emily.

There is another programme that is in the same universe as Cheers and Frasier. Cheers is fine. (How ever, it is Kirstie Alley.) I all ready told you why I do not like Frasier. But there is also a third programme:

Wings. It was some thing to watch. I love the piano music. It has plenty of really fun guest characters such as Carlton (William Hickey) Sandy (Valerie Mahaffey), and Stuart (John Ritter). The main characters came and went, especially Lowell. Wings is not set on any air craft. It is not any Love Boat. And it is worse than Super Train. (I was expecting the same setting with Wings.) It is set on a tiny air port with two bickering local air lines as well as a diner. Two brothers that work together (the same air line) hate each other are brought together every time they reminisce over an embarrassing photo took during their child hood. Did they even have any other memories to share?! It is set in Nantucket, a very over rated place. The characters are all ways down about how failure their lives are. You are living in Nantucket?? You are not failures.

Most of the N.B.C. programmes in the 1990s are very annoying.

Also, I do not like any thing from Disney. Even now.

As for the Crime Drama, I was a fan of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But now I think it is silly.

No fan of Late Night Talk Shows. I was a fan of Jay Leno, but he is not a Late Night Talk Show host any more. I miss the Headlines segments. Interesting that Jerry Seinfeld is friends with Jay Leno. I still find Seinfeld a head ache.

I am also going to include Roseanne, The Conners, and The Cosby Show. I will explain why later.

What kept me tuned in is every time Jackie lost her marbles. Today, they have Jackie, Darline, and even Becky as stronger characters. Becky was rarely in episodes previously but is around much more often.

I only liked a few things about The Cosby Show. Here they are: It seems to be the exact opposite of any thing from Norman Lear. Claire is a proud mother with a ban on make up. ... But then they brought in Olivia, a supposedly abandoned child by her biological mother. That can not possibly be true as she ended up being raised by Dr. Huxtable.

As for C.B.S. programmes: I remember a different series of programmes in the same universe. That is why I mentioned The Cosby Show. There is a completely different programme named COSBY that is set in the same universe as Every Body Loves Raymond (and I think Becker also). I found COSBY to be a much more active programme, deserves as much or perhaps more attention as The Cosby Show does.

Every Body Loves Raymond got on my nerves rapidly.

Court Shows are fine. I hate Reality Television. They have many scripts in Reality Television. Even sports are supposed to be for entertainment purposes, not healthy competitions.

Really, Really, Hate De Grassi Street, DeGrassi Junior High, DeGrassi High, DeGrassi The Next Generation, Degreassi The Next Class, and what ever else that they have now ... is a retelling of the same story meant to pit students against each other. Students that all ready hate each other. Also, it is completely unbelievable the school burned down.

I Loathe The Rug Rats.

And I saved the best for last:

I am the only person that does not like this programme:

Family Guy.

A programme that is an extreme version of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home.

And there are more programmes that I do not like either. But I do not want to give them any recognition.

[roadman]

Regarding British TV comedies, many people loved Faulty Towers, but I could never warm up to it (even though John Cleese was in it).

[J N Winkler]

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

I dislike reality TV at a conceptual level, and think much of it--especially the shows that have an element of audience participation through voting--is emotionally manipulative.  However, it is a cheap way to fill out the programming schedule and allows the industry to serve people who have their TVs playing from waking to sleeping, which is a substantial proportion of viewership.  The low production cost also allows expanded coverage of special-interest subject matter areas, such as road transport over winter ice (Ice Road Truckers).

Ultimately, I think tastes in TV programming are shaped by TV watching style.  I am distractible, so ambient TV will pull me in to some degree, but I would never consciously choose to watch TV except on an intentional basis.  I don't do appointment TV:  if I can't time-shift it, I'll do without it.  I hate to divide my attention between multiple tasks--if I'm watching TV, that is all I am doing.  I don't do re-runs:  they bring back bad memories of early childhood when I didn't yet know original programming usually goes on hiatus over the summer, would tune in to watch a favorite show (when over-the-air was the only easy and cheap option), and would be crushed to discover it was an episode I had already seen before.  All of this informs my preference for scripted drama, viewed on devices other than a TV set, with individual episodes never re-watched in full--generally I just replay the scenes I especially like.  I realize all of this puts me in a minority, but so does book reading as a primary leisure activity.

[kphoger]

Regarding British TV comedies, many people loved Faulty Towers, but I could never warm up to it (even though John Cleese was in it).

Faulty Towers, Monty Python...  I grew up on this stuff.  My wife just looks at me while I'm cracking up and says, deadpan, "Is that funny?  Oh.  OK."

[roadman]

Regarding British TV comedies, many people loved Faulty Towers, but I could never warm up to it (even though John Cleese was in it).

Faulty Towers, Monty Python...  I grew up on this stuff.  My wife just looks at me while I'm cracking up and says, deadpan, "Is that funny?  Oh.  OK."

Absolutely love Monty Python even to this day (I started watching it in junior high).  My other favorite British comedy is the original Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister.

[texaskdog]

I hate every "reality" TV show ever made.  I once read a small-time newspaper humor columnist who said that "reality" TV was as close to actual reality as the taco and burrito special at Taco Bell was to actual Mexican food.  My concept of Hell is never getting voted off the island and being trapped there forever.

I dislike reality TV at a conceptual level, and think much of it--especially the shows that have an element of audience participation through voting--is emotionally manipulative.  However, it is a cheap way to fill out the programming schedule and allows the industry to serve people who have their TVs playing from waking to sleeping, which is a substantial proportion of viewership.  The low production cost also allows expanded coverage of special-interest subject matter areas, such as road transport over winter ice (Ice Road Truckers).

Ultimately, I think tastes in TV programming are shaped by TV watching style.  I am distractible, so ambient TV will pull me in to some degree, but I would never consciously choose to watch TV except on an intentional basis.  I don't do appointment TV:  if I can't time-shift it, I'll do without it.  I hate to divide my attention between multiple tasks--if I'm watching TV, that is all I am doing.  I don't do re-runs:  they bring back bad memories of early childhood when I didn't yet know original programming usually goes on hiatus over the summer, would tune in to watch a favorite show (when over-the-air was the only easy and cheap option), and would be crushed to discover it was an episode I had already seen before.  All of this informs my preference for scripted drama, viewed on devices other than a TV set, with individual episodes never re-watched in full--generally I just replay the scenes I especially like.  I realize all of this puts me in a minority, but so does book reading as a primary leisure activity.

IRT was great because it just showed something interesting.  Then they had to make it a competition for a jacket.  Eventually it got down to a competition between rival companies.  So fake!

[roadman65]

I could not stand Dallas after Bobby resurrected in Pam's shower on her honeymoon with Mark Graison.  The show was unbelievable after Patrick Duffy returned to his role of Bobby Ewing as they did bad job aligning Season 10 with Season 8 as Season 9 was erased making it a dream Pam had after she reconciled with Bobby.  In fact the marriage proposal was in the Season 8 finale to give final closure to Bobby and Pam as Bobby got written off as dying to explain Duffy's departure.  If Duffy stayed on they would have not brought back together Pam and Bobby as Pam's character was a pretty strong character being a single mom running a corporation.  After the dream she became a housewife which made actress Victoria Principle quit the series because the direction her character went way too weak.  Plus the great storylines they abandoned like Ray and Donna adopting a special needs child. Plus JR and Sue Ellen reconciled really swell after Linda Gray giving the performance of her life playing drunken Sue Ellen in the detox ward.  Jack played by Dack Ranbow fit in well with the cast that season as after Pam woke up they gave him no interaction with anyone.

Then that one storyline where JR got arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison for rape when the girl he had sex with consented and was indeed over age of 18.  Plus his arrest was brought on when JR was about to be murdered by two southern boys who loathes northerners who they said that JR was despite Texas where JR is from is a southern state that was confederate as the fictional town they were all in part of the real Arkansas.  Instead the dumb hillbilly Sheriff let the two criminals go and arrested JR instead without allowing him counsel or creating a criminal profile on JR and allowing him to be tried by a kangaroo court in a hotel lobby by a non judge. 

Even JR looked weak as he could not figure out to get the girl who helped him escape to call his lawyer as he just tried to bribe people who gave no regard to power or money.  Plus how could a lawman allow an escape fellow be under his own nose and not be aware he applied for a marriage license in his jurisdiction?  JR was strong and always had almost everyone in check except the hillbillies.

Then the last season was the worst killing April in her honeymoon with Bobby. Miss Ellie giving away her beloved Ranch to travel.  Then JR locked in a mental hospital. Yeah right.

They ruined a once popular series and turned it into a joke.

[wxfree]

Regarding British TV comedies, many people loved Faulty Towers, but I could never warm up to it (even though John Cleese was in it).

Faulty Towers, Monty Python...  I grew up on this stuff.  My wife just looks at me while I'm cracking up and says, deadpan, "Is that funny?  Oh.  OK."

It's "Fawlty Towers", which the paperboy can change to "Flowery Twats."  I like it, too, but a lot of that British stuff is different.  I love it, but you either get it or you don't.

[In_Correct]

Regarding British TV comedies, many people loved Faulty Towers, but I could never warm up to it (even though John Cleese was in it).

Faulty Towers, Monty Python...  I grew up on this stuff.  My wife just looks at me while I'm cracking up and says, deadpan, "Is that funny?  Oh.  OK."

It's "Fawlty Towers", which the paperboy can change to "Flowery Twats."  I like it, too, but a lot of that British stuff is different.  I love it, but you either get it or you don't.

Thank You.

Also one of the episodes he changed the sign to "Watery Fowls".

[roadman65]

Law and order SVU now is lame. Mariska what's her name is another Pricilla Presley and both can't act.  The writers in an earlier season had to get Olivia Benson raped so that her empathy stories to be more believable when comforting rape victims.

Since it lost most of its original cast it lost what it originally had.   Plus making the two leading ladies both unmarried moms is not a good idea considering the shows premise is about dealing with immoral sex and even though both ladies got pregnant without force many cultures still prefer to promote children being part of full families having two full time parents.

[hbelkins]

I haven't been watching the first-run SVUs, as I know they will eventually end up on USA or Ion. But Benson's kid is adopted and isn't her own natural child.

[roadman65]

I haven't been watching the first-run SVUs, as I know they will eventually end up on USA or Ion. But Benson's kid is adopted and isn't her own natural child.

Well figures as I missed quite a few seasons since I ditched cable TV and do not watch anything other than ME or Laff.  Besides who would want to do her anyway.

[kphoger]

[Scott5114]

No, reality TV is more like getting Chinese at a small-town Kansas café:  the "sweet and sour chicken" ends up being chicken-fried chicken with a packet of sweet & sour sauce, mixed vegetables, a bread roll, and Country Time lemonade.

At least that sounds halfway appetizing, unlike most reality TV...

I dislike reality TV at a conceptual level, and think much of it--especially the shows that have an element of audience participation through voting--is emotionally manipulative.  However, it is a cheap way to fill out the programming schedule and allows the industry to serve people who have their TVs playing from waking to sleeping, which is a substantial proportion of viewership.  The low production cost also allows expanded coverage of special-interest subject matter areas, such as road transport over winter ice (Ice Road Truckers).

The downside of reality programming is it has the tendency to crowd out the previous occupier of that niche–traditional game shows, which I find to be far more enjoyable. Reality programming's draw is to get you attached to the contestants and their interpersonal drama. With a game show, the contestants' personalities are subordinate to their skill at playing the actual game, which I find is usually a more immersive experience (i.e. you can yell your own answers at the TV as the contestants are playing the game). A game show contestant has to be remarkably good or bad at the game for their personality to make any sort of impact upon the viewer (good: Ken Jennings, bad: that girl on The Price Is Right that attempted to use the digit 1 twice so many times that when she finally won, Bob Barker was so shocked that he sat down on the stage in disbelief).

[triplemultiplex]

It baffled me when my peers were all about Friends back when it was still running.
It baffled me even more when these same people were torn between watching Friends or Survivor which aired in the same time slot back then.

I found them both to be unwatchable.
Especially since Family Guy was quietly killing it in the same time slot in the run up to the second cancellation.  That third season was dope.

[MNHighwayMan]

Regarding British TV comedies, many people loved Faulty Towers, but I could never warm up to it (even though John Cleese was in it).

Faulty Towers, Monty Python...  I grew up on this stuff.  My wife just looks at me while I'm cracking up and says, deadpan, "Is that funny?  Oh.  OK."

Absolutely love Monty Python even to this day (I started watching it in junior high).  My other favorite British comedy is the original Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister.

Mine is Peep Show, or really anything else done by Mitchell and Webb. Other favorite British shows of mine, besides those already mentioned, are QI and Would I Lie to You?

[KEVIN_224]

You wouldn't have paid me to watch American Idol. FOX...ABC...it doesn't matter. None of that singing/competition crap for me. No to The Voice, The Masked Singer, etc. I avoid the garbage that is Kardashian/Jenner like the plague.

[US 89]

You wouldn't have paid me to watch American Idol. FOX...ABC...it doesn't matter. None of that singing/competition crap for me. No to The Voice, The Masked Singer, etc. I avoid the garbage that is Kardashian/Jenner like the plague.

The original American Idol on Fox was decent, if only because I enjoyed watching Simon Cowell roast the bad singers. It started going downhill once they started messing around with the judging panel in season 9.

[Bruce]

Boomer execs ruined television.