It’s Just a TV Show, Dammit!

[brianrubin]

Originally published at Brian's Universe. You can comment here or there.

Last night I watched my first episode of the sitcom, Big Bang Theory. Why? Because the episode was to revolve around one of the main characters learning football to be closer with his girlfriend and her friends, who are Nebraska Cornhusker fans. As I too am learning football

Comments

[akarui_sekai]

I think I already did my part of this conversation on Facebook, but I thought I'd add one more example I figure you'll appreciate. My aunt doesn't like Firefly. I loaned it to her, she watched the whole Big Damn Series, and she didn't like it. She found Mal and River annoying.

I don't know. It's a fact that we enjoy sharing the things we love with others, and watching someone else take pleasure from something you're sharing with them is a wonderful feeling. On the flip side, if you recommend something to someone and they don't like it, the temptation to get defensive is pretty darn powerful. As you might have noticed with me and the HP books. ^_~ Believe me, if you knew how many times I've bitten my tongue on, "What's WRONG with you?! These books are AWESOME!" and had to forcibly remind myself that not everything is for everyone...

(Seriously, how can you not be totally consumed with obsession for those books by now?? What's WRONG with you???) ^_~

[brianrubin]

"What's WRONG with you???"

How much time have ya got? ^_~ Seriously though, I need to muscle through book 2. I know, I will, just...ugh...

And wow with the aunt and Firefly...wow...

[lovetheguys]

Hey, I was a closet DARK SHADOWS fan for 5 years, and now I love SUPERNATURAL, a show many people don't even know is on the air! I happy to like BIG BANG THEORY, but my husband thinks it sucks. He loves wrestling, which I think sucks. I think FAMILY GUY and SOUTH PARK are really funny, but other folks think I'm crazy and strange to love them.

TV happens to be a huge passion of mine, and what I hate is commercials! There are too many, they're too long, irritating as hell, and especially during SUPERNATURAL! My best friend is my DVR, which allows me to sweep past the commercials so I can enjoy my shows around them! I love LAW AND ORDER: SVU, MENTALIST, NIP/TUCK, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, TWO AND A HALF MEN, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, CASTLE, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, and BONES.

I'm sure that you dislike many of my faves, and that's OK! I've managed to stay married to my husband for 31 years despite his love of wrestling!

Love, Robin
Editor, SUPERNATURAL
at moogi.com

[brianrubin]

I thought a lot of people liked Dark Shadows? And yeah, I get the same reaction about SPN, sadly.

And wrestling? Really? You must really love the guy. ^_~

[azarsuerte]

There actually is a middle ground of sorts for The Big Bang Theory, and I'm in it. I find the show both offensive AND funny. Meaning I laugh at some of the jokes (not all), but I hate myself for doing so for all the reasons you espoused. :-P

Me, I watched it for a little while because it was on before How I Met Your Mother at the time and it was easier to just endure it than to risk getting online and forgetting to turn on HIMYM at 8:30, but as soon as I didn't have to do that anymore, I quit.

The characters are trite, cliched, one-dimensional, and not the least bit sympathetic and I'll admit a part of me doesn't understand how anyone can feel that it's NOT mocking geeks and geekdom from a very unkind place. But my former roommate who's as big of a geek as I am loves it and keeps trying to convince me to give it another try. :-\

Personally, I get a much bigger kick at the characters on HIMYM denying their geek status while staying home on their anniversary to watch a Quantum Leap marathon or nearly dumping a girl because she didn'

[brianrubin]

Heh, that sounds like an odd middle ground to be on. I'll admit I do enjoy HIMYM more, a lot more. ^_^

[azarsuerte]

I think its because the characters aren't "geeks" per se, they're people who just happen to have geeky tendencies among other traits. Which is really a more accurate portrayal of what we real life "geeks" are like. :-) HIMYM's cast of characters feels *real* to me, and surprisingly for a TV show (a sitcom in particular), so does their take on relationships. *g*

[akarui_sekai]

I love your icon so very very much. ♥

The Chuck & Morgan one is pretty great, too.

[alpinemaps]

I’ve watched shows I’ve not clicked with that other people LOVE (i.e. Babylon 5, Farscape, The X-Files, etc)

Thank you. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

As far as Supernatural is concerned...I hope you don't feel like I've maligned it. I know I tease you about Supernatural vs Survivor, but that's only because I'm a Survivor fan, and it's on at the same time. If you were a 90210 fan, and it was on opposite Survivor, I'd tease you the same (okay, I'd tease you FAR more than that, but that's another story).

Anyway, I agree with your post. I've never understood why someone would want to shoot down a television show they don't like as a defense to someone telling them they don't like one of their shows. If you spent week after week knocking it down, that'd be totally different. But giving it a try, and telling people why you're taking a pass - perfectly reasonable.

[brianrubin]

Pfft, I know you're just teasing me about SPN and I don't take it seriously. It's not as if you watched the show in the middle of season 4 and said you hated it or some such. ^_~

[martinemonster]

My problem with the show is that they're supposed to be increadiby intelligent nerds who talk in a way that people can't understand, and I've yet to see them mention physics of a higher level than high school. They only reference stuff I can understand, and I'm not a science nerd. That annoys me.

Also, the fact that the characters are badly written, the content of the show is dull and the conflicts are cliched.

Shows you should check out, however, are How I met your mother (if you're not watching it already?) and Carnivale (it's pretty old, but great HBO). I'm assuming you already watch Castle?

[brianrubin]

I can see all of that being annoying, and I agree it was badly written.

I've checked out HIMYM, and I do enjoy it. I've never seen Carnivale but I hear good things. And I absolutely ADORE Castle. ^_^ I should get some Castle icons, now that I think on it.