Unpopular Entertainment Opinions • Page 50

It, like anything else, is a product of its time. For what was out then, it was really good, but we also didn't have a lot of the movements that we have now or even such a strong internet culture to examine it and scrutinize it for everyone.

 

I loved the first four seasons HIMYM back in the day but it does not hold up well at all

 

Eh, never been a fan of that argument for any piece of media. Things obviously have to be looked at through the lens of when/where they were made to understand them fully, but that doesn’t mean that the problematic things get a pass for the present.

 

Now THAT is a show that has become dated incredibly quickly. Even more than Friends.

 

You know what holds up? Scrubs.

 

Tbh friends is still my fave, but there were so many problematic sitcoms and it's easy to be like oh well yeah the time. Which yeah there was less awareness and less platform for marginalized groups to speak out, but then you have shows like ER that aired at the same time and still hold up as being v current and progressive so it's like whelp

 

I like scrubs a lot but I felt like I was supposed to relate to Zach Braff and his flaws on some level and he was just God awful don't @ me. Like he's funny in the way that sitcom characters are funny but if it was real life you'd be like wow they're the worst.

 

JD and Elliot are awful people, and JD’s plots almost ruined the last few seasons. But overall yeah it holds up incredibly well.

 

It was so freeing when I realized I could relate to Elliot and not JD on Scrubs

And I kinda like watching Friends now and being like yeah Ross is such a nice guy and the fact that he was obsessed with Rachel since he was 17 and she was 15 or something like that is kinda fucked up

 

Tbh I didn't relate to any character on scrubs which I don't think you necessarily have to relate to enjoy shows, but with scrubs I guess I felt like I was meant to relate to the flawed characters and that aspect fell flat. Still think it's a great show tho

 

I relate to Ted on a very deep level.

 

I didn't say it got a pass for the present. I don't think it should either. What I am saying is that it's all about how your perspective. We are fortunate enough to look at things like that and pick it apart and say "woof, I can't believe I liked this, they think the friend zone is a real thing?" and grow and enjoy better pieces of entertainment instead. However, it did exist back then and you have to think about it in the context of when it was released, not for how well it holds up, but for why it was so impactful. That's all I'm saying.

There are a lot of shows and movies that came out in the late 80's and early 90's that wouldn't be allowed to air now or not at least without becoming something completely different. There are some shows that got away with some racist stuff that (hopefully) wouldn't allow it to air today.

 

I think the first three seasons of HIMYM is some of the most engaging and well-written sitcom TV out there.

I haven’t gone back to it since the finale, though...

 

What a terrible ending. Almost as bad as the ending to Weeds.

 

@Nathan Natalie Portman is a great example. I dont know many people who would call her terrible but her performance in the Phantom Menace is horrendous. Directing and writing affect acting way more than people realize.

Regarding sitcoms, I really dont get The Office. It's got some funny/hilarious stuff throughout but like, I'm starting season seven and i just genuienly dont care about any of these people, and theres only three or four likable ones in the bunch anyway. It's a funny show and all but that's kind of it.

 

I'd like to point out that the reverse is also true. A script or director can be really good, but a bad actor can ruin it all. It's a bit harder to tell those apart I feel.

 

Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York comes to mind in that regard.

 

This is a good fake example haha

 

I maintain to this day that the ending to season 3 would have been the perfect series finale.

“It’s a date.”

“I’m sorry, what was the question?”

Boom. Perfect television. End it.

 

I stopped watching around season 6 and never finished. Which sucks because those first 3 seasons contain some of my favorite moments on television and I hold them very near to my heart. Unfortunately the characters became shells of their former selves and it was really hard to watch.

Edit: there are good moments in season 4 like Michaels paper company but on the whole I feel it started to show the decline in quality

 

The last few seasons were trash except for James Spader and Catherine Tate (to some degree) and the last episode was perfect.

 

The American Office starts to get bad around the middle of season two. The introduction of Andy makes it unwatchable. Ultimately, the show runs out of steam with believable behavior and actions and just becomes more and more outlandish. The U.K. Office understood to keep it short, both because it could stay fresh and that there would be a limit to what the bosses would tolerate from Brent.

 

Yeah Andy is terrible. Michael and Dwight are also bad like half the time

 

I was always impressed by how little turnover dunder Mifflin had

 

Yeah no office goes that long with the same staff haha. I've had a death, two moves, and two arrests at my job in the last year and a half and I work at a company with 14 employees total lol