litlover12 | You have failed me, TV

TV is supposed to be comfort food. That's my philosophy. I don't go for all this "It's supposed to break you in pieces and rip your heart out" stuff; I want my nice soothing mug of hot chocolate, metaphorically speaking.

So it's too bad my shows are all getting gloomy and dark and depressing, not to mention badly written. Person of Interest had one stellar episode when Carter came back as a guardian angel/ghost/hallucination/whatever, then reverted back to the soulless crap we've been getting for most of season 4 (with a dose of torture porn thrown in). Juliette's storyline on Nashville has gotten horrible -- I've heard they're heading towards a diagnosis of postpartum depression, but apparently they don't know how to write "depressed new mother" and went for "raging Godzilla terrorizing the citzenry for miles around" instead. They threw away all her character development and made her way more over-the-top than she's ever been. I just know they're going to break up her marriage, just as I was starting to really get into it.

At least the political storyline on The Good Wife has been good for some wry chuckles. I know a lot of people hate it, but it offered such a healthy dose of realism I couldn't help enjoying it, in a cynical way. It was just adorable of Alicia to think she actually might get fairness or loyalty or decency from a gang of Chicago politicians!

But other than that, TV, you are seriously letting me down.

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I know, right? I vaguely remember watching TV to relax. Hasn't been that way for years!

That's why I enjoy Doctor Who. The Ten years got melodramatic, but for the most part, it's been fun.

It might be good to get back to some really old shows like I Love Lucy. And I've always wanted to watch all of The Honeymooners, in order. I've only seen eps here and there. They were brilliant!

Lucy is so great. I grew up on those shows. Here they run at something like 4 in the morning, so I sometimes watch them when I can't sleep. :-)

I wanted to watch The Good Wife, but wasn't sure how it would be. Plus I was traumatized by the fact that they straightened Julianna Margulies's hair!!

I think it's really good. A lot of interesting characters and storylines. I got into it very late, but I know a lot of people who watch it and talk about it, so I didn't have any trouble picking things up. Also, it's one of the few modern dramas that gives devout Christians a realistic portrayal and a fair shake. Not that most of the main characters are Christians -- only the heroine's teenage daughter -- but Christian characters pop up on a regular basis and are taken seriously.

I hear the hair is a wig. Don't know if that helps. :-)

Hm. Maybe I'll give a try during the summer when most of the shows are on break.

I hear the hair is a wig. Don't know if that helps. :-)

Oh, wow! She must have shaved her head bald to be able to get all her real hair under there!

I know what you mean...

Nothing against dark TV shows (I mean, I really like "The Blacklist", but this was advertised as disturbing and dramatic, so I knew what I was getting into), but it really seems as if everything has to be dark nowadays to be considered "good" or "artistic" or whatever - and if it didn't start out that way, it will be by season 3. So annoying.

I want to have fun when I watch TV. I recently started re-watching older series from the '80s and '90s that I liked when I was a teenager (thanks to whoever invented DVDs!) and while they're sometimes a bit cheesy or the effects certainly not as good as now, at least I won't get depressed watching them. I'm all for new ideas and inventions, but I like my outlook to be optimistic.
Good, fun entertainment doesn't mean something has to be stupid, and being dark and edgy doesn't make a show more sophisticated.

Alright, I'm through ranting. ^_^ It just felt good to see that I'm not the only one who has a problem with the current shows.

Good, fun entertainment doesn't mean something has to be stupid, and being dark and edgy doesn't make a show more sophisticated.

I couldn't agree more!

That's why I loved Babylon 5. The effects are, of course, not to the level they'd be today. Some of the costuming could be considered cheesy. And while it's not always "light" entertainment, it's not deeply disturbing and dark. It's thoughtful, insightful storytelling. It's at times sad, but not in that despairing sort of way. As a whole, it leaves you inspired instead of depressed.

And of course all my B5 icons are inactive. Argh!

"Babylon 5" is on my list of things to watch (I missed it in the '90s because science fiction wasn't my cup of tea at the time)! It looks like an interesting show., thanks for the recommendation. ^_^

And I agree - just think about the original Star Trek series: it looks ridicilous now, with the cheap sets and costumes, but they had some really good stories and all those funny scenes with Spock and McCoy.

I missed it when it aired as well. I'd never even heard of it until I discovered online life and heard fans always recommending it to others. They're almost religious in their fervor, LOL! And now I know why.

The consensus seems to be that it starts off a bit slowly. (I didn't feel that way, but I've heard that quite often.) But if you stick with it, I think it's well worth it.

The plot's a bit convoluted at times, as sci-fi shows can be. But it has wonderful characters / character development. It handles so well the issue of how we make our choices and then our choices... eventually make us. Makes me all weepy just thinking about it.

It also has the dubious distinction of nearly making me into a shipper - not once, but twice. Anyone who knows me knows that's an impossible achievement right there.

(See? We're NUTS about his thing!)

I first heard of it when I was looking up the filmography of one of the actors and you're right, the fans can be a bit overwhelming. ~_^ But I like the concept and the storyline and will give it a try this summer.

Yes, I heard that the first season isn't the best but that it gets better.

Convoluted is alright, I can live with plotholes as long as it's entertaining (I mean, I like old musicals, I'm pretty immune against unlogical plots). Interesting characters are what makes a show, and if there's real development, that's even the better.

Shipping can be fun... ^_^ Is there a specific pairing I should look out for?

Musicals are the best! When I was a kid I never understood why real people never would burst into song at random times and places. After all, I always did. I still do!

Hm. Well, both couples are kind of spoilery in a plot sense. One, very much so!

There's nothing like one of those totally unrealistic, colourful, funny Hollywood musicals to cheer one up - I love them ("Easter Parade", anyone?). You sing - that's nice! ^_^

Looking at the cast and what's on youtube, I can make an educated guess... ~_^

I agree with you. I watch TV to cheer myself up.

Just watched the episode of PoI. Urgh. What a letdown after the previous one: two of the storylines I find least interesting, with bonus torture thrown in for good measure. *sigh*

I'm with you! I would like something fluffy on TV these days, but it seems like even the lightest comedies have angst! I appreciate well written drama, but depressing storyline after depressing storyline is too much. *sigh* Rewatching is really the way to go... I have fallen back on rewatching Murder, She Wrote, Psych, and Nero Wolfe for my comfort TV!

Ah, Psych! There was some wonderful fluff! Nero Wolfe too. I need to drag out the DVDS . . .

You have failed me, TV

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