Young people's awful taste in television

Saila

most shows need to grow on you, usually the first time you watch anything it seems a bit meh, but once you start to get in on the in jokes and all that stuff they get much better

starlit

Every ones tastes are different. Tastes in tv programmes can change as you get older. I know myself. I used to love watching certain reality shows but have stopped watching them, only watch the odd one if I am interested in watching it.

Others I just weaned myself off of cause they got dire. Id' watch the x factor but wouldn't be a mad fan of it, really only watch it towards the end when they start singing on the live show and get nearer to the final. I find watching them audition is painful though. I am more for sitcoms, comedies, films and documentaries and the soaps and the odd reality show but nothing else.

JokerD

candlegrease wrote: »

I've noticed a growing trend amongst young adults (say 18-25). They watch horrible, horrible tv programs. A lot of my friends in college watch stuff like Two and A Half Men, Entourage, The X-Factor, The Big Bang Theory (probably the best of this bunch), Gray's Anatomy. All these programs are terrible IMO.

I never saw Two and A Half Men before but decided to watch an episode because everybody was continuously banging on abut it. I was actually in shock when I saw it, it's like a kids program or something, the humour is pathetic.

Here's Two and A Half Men without the canned laughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6adZU02alc

It's almost as if the crappy canned laughter is telling all the brainwashed idiots "you should find this funny" and so they laugh. Everybody seems to have the same kind of sense of humour from it as well.

Which TV Shows are you a fan of?

parker kent

The last 15 years has been TVs golden age in terms of top quality TV. It has never been better.

The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Game of Thrones, Battlestar Gallactica are just a few of the genuinely great shows in the recent past. These are as good as any top movie.

Sure there is shít out there as well, but look at TV schedules in the 70s, 80s and 90s, there were enormous amounts of terrible shows as well. You only remember the classics.

Oh and The Big Bang Theory is funny. You may not like it, but it is has quality writing and is not the typical view of geeks.

Dotrel

parker kent wrote: »

Oh and The Big Bang Theory is funny. You may not like it, but it is has quality writing and is not the typical view of geeks.

Is it not? Any time I've ever seen it they can't go 15 seconds without some pop reference to sci-fi/fantasy or have some character acting socially awkward.

Standman

:eek: You mean different people have different tastes in tv shows? HOLY COW BATMAN!

RichieC

I like Entourage, 2 and a half men is gash, so is bbt.

Parks and recreations is great, and the us office.. only other half hour comedy stuff I watch.

parker kent

Dotrel wrote: »

Is it not? Any time I've ever seen it they can't go 15 seconds without some pop reference to sci-fi/fantasy or have some character acting socially awkward.

I didn't say that they don't show them as socially awkward or without references to sci-fi fantasy (indeed those references are a huge reason why it is popular with geek world). Of course it it is exaggerated, it's a comedy. They are heightened extremes of what geeks can be like. Nonetheless, it is a heartfelt view of them and it is not in any way cruel.

booboo88

candlegrease wrote: »

Yes, I know its an opinion.

I'm complaining about the facts that most people's opinions are so goddamn retarded.

each to their own?

Mindkiller

Why is Sheldon in TBBT seen as such a great character? All he seems to be is a slightly aloof weirdo with geeky interests.

booboo88

And Leonard in BBT is hotttt!!!!!

The House Of Wolves

Because the TV stations buy in this rubbish, the teens watch it because it's all there is, the ratings go up and the stations buy in more rubbish. It's the circle of liiiiife.

No, but really. The Inbetweeners, Shameless, Misfits. All great comedy to come out of Britain. HBO in America has some great shows. You just need to look for it on the internet because the stations here don't show it. (Or if they do, it's at ungodly hours. RTE with Mad Men, I'm looking at you.)

Ally Dick

I was at a birthday party yesterday, and I was absolutely shocked at all of the 40 and 50 somethings discussing X Factor. It's bloody awful rubbish. Most people watch it. Very disturbing. ITV are laughing all the way to the bank. They're making a fortune from that crap

Rjd2

parker kent wrote: »

The last 15 years has been TVs golden age in terms of top quality TV. It has never been better.

The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Game of Thrones, Battlestar Gallactica are just a few of the genuinely great shows in the recent past. These are as good as any top movie.

Sure there is shít out there as well, but look at TV schedules in the 70s, 80s and 90s, there were enormous amounts of terrible shows as well. You only remember the classics.

Oh and The Big Bang Theory is funny. You may not like it, but it is has quality writing and is not the typical view of geeks.

Throw in Deadwood, Six Feet Under and Mad Men and we are still not even scratching the surface.
Its as easy to find these shows as it is to avoid all the stuff that most consider rubbish.

InkSlinger67

I need to let it be known that I only thanked the OP because I do agree that the specific shows mentioned are sh1te. That's not to say there are no good US comedies out there at the moment.....South Park has been struggling for the past few years but is still enjoyable. 30 Rock also struggled after the first series but is still pretty damn funny in comparison to all the other tripe out there.

On the serious drama side of things, I tend to avoid most of the modern series still running. I usually get my drama fix on TV nowadays from old movies screened during the day on Channel 4 or Film 4 - some serious classics shown on a daily basis which is great.

So my good TV time is taken up with classic movies, one or two comedies and mainly documentaries, not a big fan of downloading these days (apart from live sports streams).

old hippy

It never ceases to amaze me how people's good/bad taste in telly can be so much more divisive/emotive than some of the arguments on gay marriage/Republicanism/social welfare/travellers/immigration

Dotrel

old hippy wrote: »

It never ceases to amaze me how people's good/bad taste in telly can be so much more divisive/emotive than some of the arguments on gay marriage/Republicanism/social welfare/travellers/immigra[n]tion

That's because you'd let a tv show into your house.

Wibbs

hondasam wrote: »

Two and a half men is pretty good tbh.

Well I'd defo say it's not nearly as dire as some seem to make out. It had it's moments, though the shark was long ago jumped. What surprised me about the show was that unlike most US mainstream media, the "bad" guy, the alcoholic, prescription druggy, whoremaster who treated women like crap pretty much always ended up the winner. Where the "nice" guy, the underdog pretty always ended up worse off by the end of an episode. Not the usual morality tale the main channels ike to play into the homes of middle america. It's raging popularity gave me some hope for the same middle america. Yea it was dire at times, but it's premise interested me.

Mindkiller wrote: »

Why is Sheldon in TBBT seen as such a great character? All he seems to be is a slightly aloof weirdo with geeky interests.

He is funny, though funny because he's a common enough type within the nerd community if not so extreme. I've certainly met guys not unlike him in their lack of empathy and basic human understanding. He's a good actor that's for sure. Great timing. All of them have that.

Maybe more online men will tend to prefer TBBT over 2 1/2 men because of that different dynamic? Very few of them would identify with Charlie Harper. maybe even identify more with his put upon brother, but with TBBT they'd see more of themselves in the characters and would really want to identify with the Leonard guy and the fact he pulls someone like Penny and other hot babes. I'd reckon if one asked the "man/woman on the street" they would swing the pendulum back to TBBT more than online. A similar one would be Doctor Who. The online communities only love the new geeky guy but tend to get ranty about the previous guy who the mainstream preferred.

I'd defo agree with parker kent(and Rjd2) that there have been some quality TV coming out on both sides of the atlantic in the last decade or so. I remember the telly from 20/30 years back and while there were good shows(Hill Street Blues etc) there wasn't the quantity, quality and range IMHO. There were less good writers/directors/actors aiming at TV. There was more of a film/TV split.

old hippy

Dotrel wrote: »

That's because you'd let a tv show into your house.

I'd let most people in, tbh

4leto

Mindkiller wrote: »

Why is Sheldon in TBBT seen as such a great character? All he seems to be is a slightly aloof weirdo with geeky interests.

I think he is a comic genies, his timing, his delivery, he was genetically engineered for that part and the Emmy people thought so to.

I first though he was playing the nerd camp, but he is actually gay in real life and engaged to his boyfriend.

But there are a host of great characters in the show, it just works, ifI was a producer and someone was to pitch the show to me, sciencey nerds doing comedy I would toss them out of the office.

phasers

I have amazing taste in television and I'm 20. You just hang out with losers OP.

Mindkiller wrote: »

Why is Sheldon in TBBT seen as such a great character? All he seems to be is a slightly aloof weirdo with geeky interests.

Because betas enjoy TBBT and relate to Sheldon's aspie tendencies.

St.Spodo

Whenever people want to comlain about modern television, they point to Two and a Half Men. It's getting a bit lame; there have been some really excellent shows made in the 21st Century.

Also, as bad as Jersey Shore, X Factor and I'm a Celebrity Derp are, you'd be wrong to think it's just young people keeping them going. The X Factor, for example, has a large audience among older people.

Dotrel

old hippy wrote: »

I'd let most people in, tbh

Good for you.

Superbus

mickydoomsux wrote: »

American sitcoms, all sitcoms in fact, are usually utter ****e regardless of when they were on. Tame humour with laugh tracks inserted to remind you what's supposed to be "funny".

The problem is that there are tons more of them now because they are cheap to produce, you can pretty much reuse scripts from other ones you've written and just change the names (How I Met Yore Ma is literally just Friends with different named characters) and they get massive ratings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBelT-Xi1CY

paddyandy

All tv is Rubbish. Everything that's popular is.....always been that way...

Eathrin

I'm young and I can tell you that I hate Two and a half men/x factor/mtv shìte.

I don't even watch much tv but I do enjoy good shows like:
The big bang theory
Misfits
Inbetweeners
The it crowd/father ted/black books
And the sports of course:D

Yeah Buddy

How I met your mother = quality

Captain Limerick

The popularity of reality tv I don't understand,
Its all the same and so bland,
A buch of rich tools fake lives,
Its all so contrived,
This stuff really should be banned!

phasers

Everybody shut up and watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPqRpar4PyE

Zascar

You cannot possibly make a decision on a show by just watching one episode. You really need to watch a good few episodes from the beginning to really understand what its about and if you like it.

Would you pick up a book, read a few pages in the middle, and think its ok to throw it away cause it's rubbish?

vampire of kilmainham

ejmaztec wrote: »

The only funny thing about Two and a half men is the amount of money they get paid for writing and appearing in such sh1te.

the same thing applies to them all and all american comedy is sh1t anyway

vampire of kilmainham

fluorescence wrote: »

What are you on about? Big Bang Theory is amazing

O no it's not:p:p:p

krudler

Dotrel wrote: »

Is it not? Any time I've ever seen it they can't go 15 seconds without some pop reference to sci-fi/fantasy or have some character acting socially awkward.

....thats kinda the point.

krudler

also TBBT is filmed in front of an audience, they've made a point of this throughout the seasons, you can tell by the audience reactions in these clips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gE3RGn5qkU

OPENROAD

They don't make them like these any more imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1NiNKwueE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw-GP1D6cdo

vampire of kilmainham

one foot in the grave
the green green grass
steptoe an son
open all hours
porridge
keeping up appearances
fawlty towers
a lot of old stuff now but i still think the brits were best at comedy

vampire of kilmainham

i dooooooo notttttt beliveeeee itttttt

ballsacky

Does anybody remember Charlie Chalk? That was real television.

EKClarke

I don't watch any of the shows you listed and I'm 19.
I usually watch Eden, Fox News, Blackadder, Black Books, IT Crowd, QI and anything with David Attenborough.
And Sponge Bob Square Pants 2-More Sponge Less Pants.

yawha

parker kent wrote: »

I didn't say that they don't show them as socially awkward or without references to sci-fi fantasy (indeed those references are a huge reason why it is popular with geek world). Of course it it is exaggerated, it's a comedy. They are heightened extremes of what geeks can be like. Nonetheless, it is a heartfelt view of them and it is not in any way cruel.

What are you on about? The whole show is about laughing at a guy with Asperger's Syndrome.

Hobbes

Here is tbbt without laughing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmLQaTcViOA

Here is the same one with Peter griffen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JysYVvhoB9A

whirlpool

Yes, often people watch tv for the precise purpose of switching off their brains and being entertained by nothing particularly clever. Mindless entertainment happens to be a scientifically proven basic human requirement - which you might know if you watched more of the engaging and educational programming you judge your peers for apparently steering clear of.

People often need entirely mindless escapism to switch off for a while and chill out - something you might benefit from trying some time.

mfceiling

Just to clear this up........

2 and a half men is not funny full stop
If you watch the x-factor you do not have a brain
Anything reality is probably shíte
Soaps are shíte

If you disagree with the above then you do not deserve to own a television...

yupyup7up

I hate X factor, I used to watch 2.5 men but it has gotten old.

Big bang theory is brilliant, in fairness now. Whoever says that it's crap probably liked sh!te like 24, lost etc.

Snakeblood

candlegrease wrote: »

I've noticed a growing trend amongst young adults (say 18-25). They watch horrible, horrible tv programs. A lot of my friends in college watch stuff like Two and A Half Men, Entourage, The X-Factor, The Big Bang Theory (probably the best of this bunch), Gray's Anatomy. All these programs are terrible IMO.

I never saw Two and A Half Men before but decided to watch an episode because everybody was continuously banging on abut it. I was actually in shock when I saw it, it's like a kids program or something, the humour is pathetic.

Here's Two and A Half Men without the canned laughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6adZU02alc

It's almost as if the crappy canned laughter is telling all the brainwashed idiots "you should find this funny" and so they laugh. Everybody seems to have the same kind of sense of humour from it as well.

You're damn right. Bring back the Partridge Family. That's the sort of highbrow entertainment that we need.

Snakeblood

Zascar wrote: »

You cannot possibly make a decision on a show by just watching one episode. You really need to watch a good few episodes from the beginning to really understand what its about and if you like it.

Would you pick up a book, read a few pages in the middle, and think its ok to throw it away cause it's rubbish?

Yeah, I would. I threw down Dan Browns book because of reading the first paragraph.

Sometimes things are just bad.

Macers

candlegrease wrote: »

I've noticed a growing trend amongst young adults (say 18-25). They watch horrible, horrible tv programs. A lot of my friends in college watch stuff like Two and A Half Men, Entourage, The X-Factor, The Big Bang Theory (probably the best of this bunch), Gray's Anatomy. All these programs are terrible IMO.

I never saw Two and A Half Men before but decided to watch an episode because everybody was continuously banging on abut it. I was actually in shock when I saw it, it's like a kids program or something, the humour is pathetic.

I like the colour blue...does that mean I've a horrible taste in colours?

TV is like music - different genres etc appeal to different people's nature. Just cause you don't like the shows doesn't mean other people don't. 2.5 Men is a very very successful show - there for showing that there is a large following for it.

If you don't like it fair enough but do you have to blast them for liking forms of entertainment you don't?

DublinWriter

Snakeblood wrote: »

You're damn right. Bring back the Partridge Family. That's the sort of highbrow entertainment that we need.

What?!?...all her kids have different colour hair.

Think on that and the message of promiscuity and loose morals that it promotes.

Bring back coverage of the 12-hour angelus I say.

Azureus

TV choices are as subjective as any choice any individual makes. Just because you dont like it doesnt make it crap.

I admit I watch some shockingly bad tv (the only way is essex and the xfactor for example) and I can complately switch off during it. Im also partial to a bit of Jeremy Kyle and Judge Judy after a days work. I can admit these are crap-I would never defend that-but I still enjoy it.
I love shows like Big Bang Theory-I personally find it hilarious. I couldnt sit through Lost if someone paid me. This doesnt mean Im stupid. If Im actually watching TV, as opposed to having it in the background to switch off, I watch National Geographic/science programs/art shows etc. Depends on my mood but I dont see what my intellect has to do with my television choices and dont get when people relate the two.

elefant

Bring back Arrested Development!



oh, wait