DangerousR6
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They're not soap operas now, they're labeled as Drama's.... :dontknow:Cagey said:
Favorite tv shows?
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Cagey
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There are cohesive arcs, and there are Gordian knots. You can watch a single episode of NCIS or Squidbillies and decide on the strength of that whether you'd ever watch it again. It makes sense in and of itself. Of course, there are personalities and ongoing storylines that are developed over time, but they're rarely critical to the episode you're watching at the moment. But, try and watch a single episode of "Sons of Anarchy" or "Mad Men" or "The Sopranos" or "Breaking Bad" and figure out what's going on. You'll be lost. Just like you would be if you tried to watch a single episode of "Lost". Nonsensical in the extreme, unless you've followed the show for a while.
As for real soap operas, they're identifiable by the fact they're shot on tape vs. film, and have incredibly bad writing, acting, direction and editing. Most children would roll their eyes at how bad they are, and they're used to Japanese Anime. But, their raison d'être is to sell worthless things to a captive audience with an average IQ lower than their shoe size, so it doesn't matter. Still, we're seeing more and more of that sort of thing in prime-time, which is weird considering most households have 80+ channels to chose from these days, as well as easily obtainable rental movies, video-on-demand, streaming movies, the internet, etc. You would think the competition would raise the bar.
As for real soap operas, they're identifiable by the fact they're shot on tape vs. film, and have incredibly bad writing, acting, direction and editing. Most children would roll their eyes at how bad they are, and they're used to Japanese Anime. But, their raison d'être is to sell worthless things to a captive audience with an average IQ lower than their shoe size, so it doesn't matter. Still, we're seeing more and more of that sort of thing in prime-time, which is weird considering most households have 80+ channels to chose from these days, as well as easily obtainable rental movies, video-on-demand, streaming movies, the internet, etc. You would think the competition would raise the bar.
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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I've got the only 2 seasons of Frisky Dingo on DVD. I've been loaning it out to the band and Xtacles quotes have been making road trips go by faster. The episodes are only 12 minutes, so you blow through a season in no time. The animation, the voices, a lot of the character likenesses are like Archer, which I don't care for. The main reason, Archer doesn't have Killface, the Xtacles, or the absurdity of Wendell or the Anilatrix.
Corey P.
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Community, Parks and Recreation, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Mad Men are my mainstays, and Party Down, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Mr. Show, the UK Office and pretty much any Joss Whedon show were/are mainstays as well. I digested Lost and BSG in binges after they were through airing, and enjoyed them a lot, too, but wouldn't call them faves.
anorakDan
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Cagey said:
Raising the bar is out of the question. If by raising the bar you mean that competition should breed better, i.e. more thoughtful, imaginative or insightful programming. No, indeed, it means lowering the bar to appeal to a broader audience, therefore making your advertising medium more appealing to advertisers. The more monkey-boy eyes glued to your particular part of the overall media translates into more money in your pocket. Why in the world would any self-respecting capitalist allow anything remotely resembling "quality" programming interfere with making a buck. It's about the broad appeal. It's about the mass-market. It's about fleecing the rubes. Wasn't it H.L. Mencken who said, "No one ever lost a fortune by underestimating the taste of the American public"?
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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Corey P. said:
Love Parks and Rec., Mr. Show, and Party Down.
bigguspickus
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Soooooooooooul Train!
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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I'm all about the hardtail. I don't want nothing moving on me. I vibrato with the other hand.
And, I put Mad Men a few posts ago, but I'm less fascinated by the story lines and more by how things have changed in a relatively short time. People smoked in buildings but wouldn't dream of wearing a hat inside. Now it's the opposite. Everyone thought nothing of sexism, racism, or anti-Semitism. My dad never laughed so hard as when Bert Cooper, referring to JFK, said, "Who the hell is this guy? He doesn't even wear a hat"! My dad said his Grandfather said the same thing.
And, I put Mad Men a few posts ago, but I'm less fascinated by the story lines and more by how things have changed in a relatively short time. People smoked in buildings but wouldn't dream of wearing a hat inside. Now it's the opposite. Everyone thought nothing of sexism, racism, or anti-Semitism. My dad never laughed so hard as when Bert Cooper, referring to JFK, said, "Who the hell is this guy? He doesn't even wear a hat"! My dad said his Grandfather said the same thing.
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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Except it's the 60s.
The technology advances are interesting too, big and small. Don Draper drinking a canned beer before cans had pull tabs, then a few seasons later, they have them. Don accusing Pete of stealing a file, "There's no way you have a copy because there's not some magic machine that makes identical copies". A few weeks later they have a large, loud, unreliable Xerox machine.
The technology advances are interesting too, big and small. Don Draper drinking a canned beer before cans had pull tabs, then a few seasons later, they have them. Don accusing Pete of stealing a file, "There's no way you have a copy because there's not some magic machine that makes identical copies". A few weeks later they have a large, loud, unreliable Xerox machine.
