Rant: my disappointment with TV & streaming

[Sifferino]

Yesterday I watched the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s one of the few shows my gf and I watch together, but... it takes a special skill I think to turn a show that was as awesome as it was in season 1 into... this. Clearly the creators have no clear end for the show in mind, no real vision. No guts. They just want to keep going and going now. Violating the established show canon too. I am so disappointed. 

 

Last week I watched the 3rd of 4th episode of Stranger Things, season 3. The whole internet is raving about it, how it’s the best season ever. Which makes me wonder what’s wrong with me, and incidentally my gf as well (another shared show), because we decided to stop watching. It is basically more of the same, yet of lower quality and without a clear direction. Again, awesome first season. Benefit of the doubt for season 2. That feeling of “the creators have absolutely no vision, except to keep it going forever” in season 3. I hate it!

 

I had high hopes for the streaming era: a new business model, higher budget, better quality. No commercials, no need to keep going forever. Tell a story. Tell it well (better than a movie would allow). End it. Move on. But it seems we’re back to old groove of “oh they like it, give them more of the same and keep it going until the show fizzles out and it gets canceled”. Watching TV is inherently a waste of time, but if a show dies because it started sucking more and more and got canceled or I tuned out... that just hits home how many hours I wasted. That I could have wasted on, I don’t know, gaming? ?

 

There’s like a million (original) shows on Netflix now that look interesting, but I am wary and won’t try any. They all seem to either follow the “keep it going forever” formula or were trying to but were canceled after the first season with a cliffhanger ending! I love a good story, it is what I look for in books, games, movies, TV shows. But stories have an ending and TV shows seem to have forgotten it?

 

Am I alone in this? Should I just stick to books, games & movies and just hope for a mini-series to come along every decade or so (watching HBO’s Chernobyl right now)?? Or just hope that Apple picked up on this and their streaming model will be more geared towards mini-series to set it apart?

 

Got that off my chest, thanks ?

Edited July 21, 2019 by Sifferino

[AFRising]

I feel you. Personally, I haven't had the slightest interest in watching anything aside from movies in a really long time. Back in the day I watched eight seasons of House and Dexter (good times) only to be disappointed when the last ones were terrible and made me question why I put so many hours of my life on them. I mean, I don't regret watching them at all - maybe you could say it's all about the journey and not the destination? - but it made me put off investing any time on any show in particular.

 

Recently I decided to bite the bullet and binged on 13 Reasons Why. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I LOVED the first season. Really, thought it was heartbreaking and moving in all the ways I expected (and in some ways I didn't as well). So it would only make sense to expect a killer season 2, right? Then season 2 came along and it was a total waste of time. Just a cheap follow-up to season 1 that pulled some cliffhanger BS to get people hyped for season 3, but had the opposite effect on me. That kind of attitude makes me reluctant to invest any time on any show in particular... It's like they don't want to actually sit down and make something entertaining and moving, they only care about producing something mildly engaging to keep the viewer hooked until they themselves can't come up with anything to justify that show existing anymore - and then they cancel it. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if that is their business model, because it clearly works very well. lol

Edited July 21, 2019 by AFRising

[Feral]

2 hours ago, AFRising said:

Recently I decided to bite the bullet and binged on 13 Reasons Why. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I LOVED the first season. Really, thought it was heartbreaking and moving in all the ways I expected (and in some ways I didn't as well). So it would only make sense to expect a killer season 2, right? Then season 2 came along and it was a total waste of time. Just a cheap follow-up to season 1 that pulled some cliffhanger BS to get people hyped for season 3, but had the opposite effect on me. That kind of attitude makes me reluctant to invest any time on any show in particular... It's like they don't want to actually sit down and make something entertaining and moving, they only care about producing something mildly engaging to keep the viewer hooked until they themselves can't come up with anything to justify that show existing anymore - and then they cancel it. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if that is their business model, because it clearly works very well. lol

Lol, while reading the OP's post 13 Reasons Why immediately came to mind for the exact reasons you mention. Definitely one that should've been a single season.

[DaivRules]

 

Ever watch Futurama? The character Cubert was brought on a few seasons in and everyone who wrote in said he was super annoying. Guess what? Cubert was put in by the writers to represent the “fans”. Even the fans found the fans annoying. 

 

I can only think of a few shows that I’ve thought stayed great past season 2. They’re absolutely rare and I don’t expect any show from a streaming service, especially Netflix, to ever come out with one. 

[thefourfoldroot]

I don't watch anything on Netflix until it has at least 3 seasons, ideally more. If it starts to get boring I'll stop watching it. Worst is to start watching something that gets cancelled unceremoniously as shows on their first or second season tend to.

[ResoluteRock]

I just started watching Stranger Things a few days ago. I finished the first season last night, and I have to say, it was phenomenal. I know everyone hyped it up but I went into it a bit skeptical, as most Netflix shows seem to have very slow pacing and that tends to bore me (like Jessica Jones and even Black Mirror).

 

The pacing was perfect, I actually really liked the characters (especially David Harbour’s Hopper), and the Sci-Fi / mystery elements were more prevalent than I thought they would be.

 

You’ve made me nervous about watching Season 2 now lol. I don’t want the show I love to be ruined by additional seasons. I’ll stay positive though!

[GT__Jedi]

I have Netflix, Prime and Hulu,  I enjoy all of them as they each have something different to offer.  Do I like everything?  Hell, no.  But there are some great programs that I've really enjoyed.  Right now I'm in the 3rd season of Money Heist, have enjoyed Dark and Black Spot.  On Prime All or Nothing (if you like sports) is great as well as Bosch.  So, I don't have any complaints.

 

I used to have DirecTV but the expense for what you got was terrible.  DirecTV was running me ~ $120US a month, and didn't have half the variety that the streaming programs have.

[hotdog_president]

For me there's just so many shows coming out, that you have to diligent in picking which shows strike you as interesting. I keep a running list of shows that I have interest in and what format they're being played on. Then when I get time to check out a new show, I give it about 2-3 episodes before making judgement. If I like it, then I continue watching... if not, then move on.

 

It seems like an obvious way to do it, but it's really worked for me. It's helped me check out a lot of shows in a small amount of time. I've found some real gems I never would've originally checked out had I not had this system in place. There are so many ways to watch and shows being produced, that this a great way to dip your toes in and see if the water feels fine.

[Gommes_]

Stranger Things season 1 was the best. 2 was just okay, like the third one. But Westworld takes the cake for me. Season 1 was brilliant but season 2 was so incredibly awful that it made me angry while watching it.

[zizimonster]

Stranger Things' best season is still the first one. It's a love letter to 1980s cinema.

 

I've been obsessed with "Nordic noir" in the past ten years. If you want to try it out, there are a few series I'd like to recommend -- and, I believe, some are available on streaming services. Here they are:

Bron/Broen (Swedish/Danish)

Ófærð (Icelandic)

Forbrydelsen (Danish)

Karppi (Finnish)

Bordertown (Finnish)

Jordskott (Swedish)

Case (Icelandic)

 

It is absolutely refreshing to watch "non-Hollywood" series (for me, at least). 

[GoldenShaka]

Hollywod and all the current political correct propaganda is hitting very heavy now.

That's why you've seen many shows with huge changes in the last seasons. 

That's why we're getting a new and unnecessary OITHB last season, a regular Stranger things 3rd season. 

I dislike like everybody when a show is just dragging out season after season, but that added to the aforementioned aspect is very tiresome (in kind words).

[mako-heart]

I don't have streaming services, as I do not live in a largely populated area with good internet. In addition to the expense I pay for non-unlimited.

 

I think the only Netflix/whatever show I watched was Arrested Development season 4 and it was a garbage disappointment.

 

So yeah, I don't watch anything. 

[Sky_RykerXD]

The only show I look forward to every couple of years is The Venture Brothers...

 

I'm already fed up with Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Marvel, Prime, etc. Now companies want to make their own streaming service because they had ONE good show they own. I watch mostly tutorials now...

 

Gotta follow directors/writers/studios that care about quality. Indie/foreign stuff is great. Find a local theater that plays these.

[Conker]

I Myself have none of these as no interest but damn we will get to a point where you'll be paying like $200 a month for all the streaming tv there will be . Is there a point where the market just becomes to saturated? 

 

Personally i still do watch some tv, not much, just mainly sport stuff, gameshows and some other things, mostly if i watch stuff its twitch or youtube videos 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Conker

[Charizarzar]

I’m with you on Stranger Things and what someone else said about 13 Reasons Why. There’s also a show called You that I really liked but there was no need for a second season imo. Stranger Things at least had more of a reason for the story to continue, but after loving season 1 I’ve just been progressively more disappointed. I get that S1 was sometimes lighthearted but it seems like most of the characters aren’t taking anything seriously 90% of the time, and Steve, Dustin and Lucas’ annoying sister are just used for cheap jokes while the story is barely progressing.  

 

There’s still plenty of non-streaming shows that are/were guilty of this though (Supernatural, TWD, Dexter, Big Bang Theory etc)

[Eremoto]

I believe this mostly happens because a lot of people blindly assume they will get clouse on tv shows' stories while companies can laugh it off as they get millions on merchandise to try to keep the hype alive as long as possible (thus, maintaining the revenue from anything related to said series)

 

And so we end up with a never-ending valley of mediocrity in story telling instead of getting that big satisfactory climax. That's why I prefer stand-alone movies and games or finished series instead of something that it's still going on. Better late and good than early and bad I say.

[ArmoredSnowman]

4 hours ago, ResoluteRock said:

You’ve made me nervous about watching Season 2 now lol. I don’t want the show I love to be ruined by additional seasons. I’ll stay positive though!

Season 2 is more based around

Spoiler

Eleven finding out about her history and other human projects

. Season 3 involves

Spoiler

Russians and romance.

Neither season is perfect, especially with Billy wasting screen time, but give them a try. I was not disappointed by any of the Stranger Things seasons, though I can understand people's views towards 13 Reason's season 2, though I'm looking forward to season 3. That said, I can understand why people get disastisfied after seasons lose their focus. I, for one, loved watching Walking Dead...until the latest season, and I pretty much gave up on the show. It lost what made it fun to watch, and just kept killing off great characters, that I just skipped half the season. There's very few series that end on a good note, though Futurama definitely fits that bill for me. Same for some anime. But some shows outstay their welcome, as seen with Community. 

[djb5f]

Just enjoy the seasons you have liked, no?  If you cut bait on it, that should not impact the seasons you did enjoy.  

 

Sort of like I enjoyed Black Flag but I had no intention to play every AC game.

 

With quality content from HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. we are in a golden age for TV.

[griffin123456789]

I usually find I can't watch more than two and a half seasons of a show before getting tired. I watched Battlestar Galactica and loved every minute of the first two seasons. Season 3 was promising, but then they started having the menacing killer robots we've been afraid of for dozens of episodes walking around in Hawaiian shirts and talking about their religion and I just instantly dropped out.

 

I know that came out years ago, but I'm finding that the case with a lot of shows today. Walking Dead had a great first couple episodes, then just became clear they were padding it out. Stranger Things was a fantastic series of episodes telling a cohesive story, then season 2 just killed my interest. I gave up watching Game of Thrones halfway through season 3 because it just got so damn depressing and nihilistic and for years my friends made fun of me for not having thick skin... They're STILL furious about how that show ended.

 

I find a lot of media right now so depressing honestly, not trying to sound over-dramatic. Everything is supposed to criticize the fabric of society, or make the audience feel like crap or show some utterly disturbing thing all under the excuse of "errgh, human nature is so flawed, eergh." I'm just so tired of a lot of it. I get that we've had offensive and risqué comedians, films, etc. for decades now but at least a lot of that had a point to it. South Park at least ends every episode with some lesson or interesting reflection about society. George Carlin would make you ask "why do we get offended by these jokes yet feel content with other horrible things in the world?" Nowadays, not a lot of this stuff feels like it has any point to it. 

 

That's why I've seriously just focused all my free time (at least the part of it usually devoted to films and TV) towards video games. Games just don't make me feel like crap the same way other forms of media do. And I'm getting tired of developers and writers in the games industry saying how much they want to make everything "movie-like" because, right now at least, I'm trying to get away from movies and TV.

 

Incidentally though, I just started watching that show Chernobyl and it's pretty good in all honesty. It's based off real events and is a five part miniseries, so I know it has an endpoint and isn't just wasting my time. I'd recommend some of you watch it if you're craving a good show.

Edited July 21, 2019 by griffin123456789

[Sifferino]

22 hours ago, AFRising said:

Back in the day I watched eight seasons of House and Dexter (good times) only to be disappointed when the last ones were terrible and made me question why I put so many hours of my life on them. I mean, I don't regret watching them at all - maybe you could say it's all about the journey and not the destination? - but it made me put off investing any time on any show in particular.

 

Haha same here: House, Lost, The X-Files, Star Trek, ... I must say they (some) got a lot better too when TV boxes were released and you could binge watch them. I really hated having to watch them on TV with commercials, huge gaps between episodes, sudden re-runs, etc. I must admit part of the problem is changing circumstances. I don't have the time (or don't want to spend the time) to waste on watching TV shows if I'm not reasonably sure it will at least deliver in terms of good entertainment. Good story telling. 

 

16 hours ago, thefourfoldroot said:

I don't watch anything on Netflix until it has at least 3 seasons, ideally more. If it starts to get boring I'll stop watching it. Worst is to start watching something that gets cancelled unceremoniously as shows on their first or second season tend to.

 

Unfortunately that's not always a sign of quality. It could be a sign of "they like it, so let's just keep it going and going for as long as we can". Which is my problem. Stories need to end, it cannot be a good story if it just wants to stay put in the middle part and just waits for an executive to axe the show. Lost comes to mind here... I wasted so much time on that show. Incredible first season. So much mystery in later seasons, surely the writers have this covered. Only to realise that they were just making it up as they went and had absolutely no idea where it was going or how to end it. Prison Break too. Great stuff, such an impressive first season. Until 2/3s of the first season in and you could clearly notice that what was intended as a miniseries had been extended. And it became a meaningless "let's just keep going" show. However came up with "I know! Let's just put him back into prison and break him out again! And again!"... let's just say they don't deserve a christmas bonus.

 

15 hours ago, ResoluteRock said:

You’ve made me nervous about watching Season 2 now lol. I don’t want the show I love to be ruined by additional seasons. I’ll stay positive though!

 

Don't be ? We are all different, maybe you'll love it. Besides, season 1 was reasonably stand-alone without a real cliffhanger ending. I'll remember the show as just season 1 and I loved it. Season 2 & 3 never happened ?

 

11 hours ago, Eremoto said:

And so we end up with a never-ending valley of mediocrity in story telling instead of getting that big satisfactory climax. That's why I prefer stand-alone movies and games or finished series instead of something that it's still going on. Better late and good than early and bad I say.

 

Amen to that!

 

11 hours ago, djb5f said:

Just enjoy the seasons you have liked, no?  If you cut bait on it, that should not impact the seasons you did enjoy.  

 

I would like to, but hardly ever are they stand-alone. Like I said, a good story has an ending. If I either stop watching or the show just won't end on its own, there is no ending. Making everything that came before basically useless. The only solution seems to be that I have to wait for every TV show to end so I can google whether it was a good show. Not because I have control issues but because they producers cannot be trusted to to deliver on their main goal: tell a good story with a beginning, middle and end. That's how I feel anyway.

 

11 hours ago, griffin123456789 said:

Incidentally though, I just started watching that show Chernobyl and it's pretty good in all honesty. It's based off real events and is a five part miniseries, so I know it has an endpoint and isn't just wasting my time. I'd recommend some of you watch it if you're craving a good show.

 

I did that this weekend, with my gf. I loved it. Well, love is not the right word because it is quite depressing. But THIS is exactly what I am hoping for. This is quality. Quality over quantity too. I am going to research more HBO miniseries as a result.

 

Thanks all for your tips, I will definitely look into it!

[djb5f]

@Sifferino, I think we differ in opinion which is fine.  TV used to be a wasteland of second-rate writing, directing, and acting but they've flipped the script.  I am less compelled to watch movies these days because all too often they have such a prescribed format where you know what acts are coming each step of the way so that they can get to the Hollywood ending with a bow on top that wraps things up.  I find life is not like that, instead I prefer the journey, the slow burn of it and more character development.  In fact, one of my favorite movies was No Country for Old Men who many complained ended abruptly.  Same with the Sopranos finale.  Loved it.

 

The way Walter White (Breaking Bad) was explored could never be done on the big screen.

 

Sure a lot of TV shows do not have enough content and there is a lot of filler to hit upon however episodes they need.  Which is why the mini-series, becoming more popular, is a great format.   But a lot of the higher quality shows many only have 6-8 episodes (Game of Thrones and Big Little Lies recently) a season anyway.

 

 

[Sifferino]

@djb5f, actually I don’t think we differ in opinion all that much in this case ?

 

I do love how streaming has allowed better TV (as you mentioned: budget, actors, story risks etc). And I definitely agree that the format allows for better story telling than a movie ever could. Please don’t get me wrong, when I say good story I certainly don’t mean “must fit Hollywood cliché happy ending format”. I welcome slow burn and more character development if it fits the show. I love unexpected endings. What I don’t like is when you can clearly see that the next season wasn’t planned and the story continues not because the story calls for it, but because it is popular and they therefore decided not to go towards the planned natural conclusion. Sometimes indefinitely. If you watch The Handmaid’s Tale you can see it happening clearly. Wasted potential, I am really bummed about it. 

 

Incidentally I loved Breaking Bad (I think they could have made it better with the last 2 seasons condensed into 1, but that’s just my nit picking). And I love Better Cal Saul (perhaps even more): the very definition of a slow burn. A good example of a show that benefits from having multiple seasons. Never did it feel like there were filler episodes. 

 

I guess what I am saying: tell the story. Start with the ending planned. And use as many episodes as is necessary to tell the story. No more, no less. Make art. Novel writers have editors who tell them to trim useless fat. It seems producers do the exact opposite more often than not. 

[AJ_Radio]

On 7/21/2019 at 0:07 PM, griffin123456789 said:

I usually find I can't watch more than two and a half seasons of a show before getting tired. I watched Battlestar Galactica and loved every minute of the first two seasons. Season 3 was promising, but then they started having the menacing killer robots we've been afraid of for dozens of episodes walking around in Hawaiian shirts and talking about their religion and I just instantly dropped out.

 

I find a lot of media right now so depressing honestly, not trying to sound over-dramatic. Everything is supposed to criticize the fabric of society, or make the audience feel like crap or show some utterly disturbing thing all under the excuse of "errgh, human nature is so flawed, eergh." I'm just so tired of a lot of it. I get that we've had offensive and risqué comedians, films, etc. for decades now but at least a lot of that had a point to it. South Park at least ends every episode with some lesson or interesting reflection about society. George Carlin would make you ask "why do we get offended by these jokes yet feel content with other horrible things in the world?" Nowadays, not a lot of this stuff feels like it has any point to it.

 

Personally I am sick of a lot of today's television shows for the very thing you pointed at. They try far too hard to be overly dramatic and as a result I get turned off by it.

 

I feel that shows like The Sopranos, Big Love, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Six Feet Under, The Wire and to a certain extent Breaking Bad had the perfect balance. They didn't come off as being overly dramatic 100 percent of the time. Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire were both fantastic shows that take on what America used to be in the past, The Sopranos had what I feel were very good life lessons as was Breaking Bad.

 

But nowadays the media, especially on the political spectrum and some of the stuff I've seen on Amazon Prime and Netflix is far too dramatic. I think back to old comedians like Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Kinison, Richard Pryor, Gallagher, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Bill Hicks. They were like cute adorable puppies in comparison to some of the stuff I see in the media today.

 

To add to this I think it's sad that shows like Family Matters, Home Improvement, Married With Children, Friends, Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are now considered "old fashioned". I get that these shows ended a long time ago but I think some of us would be all the better if shows like this would make a comeback. They were for me, and especially for my parents, great shows to relax, be entertained and take the stress out of daily life.

 

Not once did I think that these sitcoms made me feel like crap. I watched Boy Meets World the other night and that made me laugh and be entertained moreso than practically any drama hour long show I've seen on Netflix/Prime over the past several months.

 

Modern day stand up comedians and sports are about the only things left on television anymore that I can truly stand. That's not to say there aren't good drama shows on Netflix/Prime because as other people have said, there is something for everyone. I just cannot get into today's drama.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Spaz

[Cleggworth]

Netflix does seem to have this season 2+ blues thing going on more than other "networks". Whilst not terrible stranger things has dropped off somewhat. The marvel shows all suffered as well. Luke Cage season 1, fantastic. Season 2? One of the worst things I've ever seen.

 

I think it's the binge it in a weekend, wait almost two years in some cases for season 2 and.... Yeah it's not what I remembered. If you could go back and not watch it, and keep it until it had finished I am sure they'd seem better.

 

It can be done though as Narcos/Narcos Mexico has been great it's entire run. Now if mindhunter, which is due season 2 in the next few weeks can do the same that'd be grand ?

[RevengeancePrime]

I feel like a lot of show runners also write with an absolute focus on the first season most likely because of the chance that the show may be cancelled. This results in a stellar first season being produced, but any subsequent seasons ending up lacklustre or aimless because the creator never even intended for the story to proceed beyond the first season. There are of course creators that do plan out the story from start to finish and it does show, although it seems rare these days. Although it's an anime, I've found Attack on Titan to go from a good show to incredible with its more recent seasons. That's because it's clear that the creator of the manga had planned out the story from start to finish and the studio adapting his work is following the source material pretty well.

 

I believe it's generally better for shows to be adaptations rather than originals because it seems like show runners are more effective at bringing an already existing world to life rather than imagining one from scratch. A lot of the shows I've enjoyed more recently like Altered Carbon and The Boys are adapted from source material like books and comics. That's not to say all adaptations are good. A lot of the Netflix Marvel shows are terrible. Each season is around 13 episodes long, yet they could have easily been condensed to 8 or less and have been much better for it. Game of Thrones is also a good example of the show runners not having source material for their last few seasons and being utterly lost. Even though they consulted with the George R.R. Martin, they were unable to really capture any of his ideas.