Sometimes it is fun to turn off the brain and just veg.
I've never understood this sentiment in the context of mediocre entertainment. When I want to relax, I relax in a context without media, not with bad media.
I've never understood this sentiment in the context of mediocre entertainment.
Also along with Rym's point, if I want to just switch my brain off and veg out, I'll go lay in the sun and smoke my pipe, or hang out with my dog, or do some light work at my workbench, or just sit around and write down my idle thoughts. At the very least, there is good entertainment that I can veg out in front of, rather than having to resort to poor or mindless entertainment.
I will admit that I do like children's entertainment when I am feeling blue. I want not so much turn off my brain, but to only partake of nice fuzzy simple emotions, not the emotions brought on by the moral complexity that well done adult oriented fiction contains.
Have either of you ever watched an entire episode of Friends?
Yes. I recently watched the series all over again and enjoyed it. I guess I must not have taste. Yeah, fuck that show. Blah. Blah. Blah. I'm going to go with the masses of the forum and agree alongside them.
I'm not saying the show is the greatest, but I have my own personal experiences in life that relate to the show and experiences that I've shared with my own friends enjoying that show. Take it for what you will.
I like Seinfeld still. Its hard to watch with the laugh track.
I can't deal with laugh tracks at all anymore. They're like a punch in the ear.
It disappoints me to hear a laugh track, like they don't have faith in you knowing what's funny. I was so glad when I got into 30 Rock that it didn't have one.
Have either of you ever watched an entire episode of Friends?
Yes. I recently watched the series all over again and enjoyed it. I guess I must not have taste. Yeah, fuck that show. Blah. Blah. Blah. I'm going to go with the masses of the forum and agree alongside them.
I'm not saying the show is the greatest, but I have my own personal experiences in life that relate to the show and experiences that I've shared with my own friends enjoying that show. Take it for what you will.
Phew I'm glad you said this, because according to this forum I must have horrid taste in mind-numbing TV shows as well. I watched Friends in high school, and I enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed Seinfeld. I think I developed the ability to ignore laugh tracks a long time ago, maybe that's why. I am your average horrible media whore consumer American whatever etc. So there. :P
I think the reason I'm so down on shows like Friends is that I watched a lot of the early sitcoms as a child. When you've seen a good deal of I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, and the like, these modern sitcoms feel very tired and derivative.
Phew I'm glad you said this, because according to this forum I must have horrid taste in mind-numbing TV shows as well.
Likewise. I, for one, enjoyed Friends. I don't get why people need to have this bitchy elitist attitude towards "mainstream" shows like it. This elitism only adds to the stigma that we need to be ashamed of what we like. I don't personally care for Everybody Loves Raymond or King of Queens, but I have some friends who do, and I acknowledge and respect the fact that they derive enjoyment from these shows.
I sort of enjoyed Friends, in the sense that it was that show I could watch after The Simpsons. I'd watch two episodes of Simpsons, then maybe watch Friends, then Seinfeld afterwards. At the time I was still a pre-teen when I watched friends, I did think it was fun because they actually felt like friends and were amusing to watch.
If I hate Friends for any reason now, it's the fact that networks are trying THEIR ASSES OFF to replicate Friends in some sort of manner, with friends that border on sexual tension or couples that are friends. And most of them as a whole, fucking suck. Seriously, last year ALONE to this year, there was Perfect Couples, Better With You, Mad Love, Happy Endings, Friends with Benefits, Traffic Light, and Love Bites. All of them were trying to create the same thing as Friends, but not only was the chemistry totally lacking between actors, but the writing was particularly trying to be "hip" and surprisingly mean-spirited.
So you hate Friends because networks have tried to make various copies of the show and utterly failed, but not the networks for doing so?
Yeah, totally valid reason right there man.
No, I still enjoy Friends, but if I had to hate it for something, it would be the fact that many of these networks are desperately trying to re-create Friends. It makes me a bit sour that because people are so obsessed with this sitcom trend, that's it making Sitcoms as a whole WORSE. The origin gets a tiny speck of blame, but it is the whole of the networks, terrible actors, and terrible writer.s
With that reasoning right there, I should blame Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for being such a great game that it's successors couldn't deliver the same experiences and feelings I had with the original.
Stupid FF:CC, how dare you make me enjoy playing you with my friends!
You are giving Friends a tiny speck of blame because it was highly successful.
With that reasoning right there, I should blame Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for being such a great game that it's successors couldn't deliver the same experiences and feelings I had with the original. spawned FFVII
Stupid FFVI FF:CC, how dare you make me enjoy playing you with my friends! the studio enough money to waste it in producing FFVII
You are giving Friends a tiny speck of blame because it was highly successful.
We get a 24 hour Simpsons channel, new inferior Futurama, but still no Life In Hell cartoon? Fuck Fox.
Things may have changed in the last 24 years or so, but if I remember correctly, Matt Groening created the Simpsons specifically because they approached him to do a Life In Hell show, and he didn't want to, because it was too personal.
I think the reason I'm so down on shows like Friends is that I watched a lot of the early sitcoms as a child. When you've seen a good deal of I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, and the like, these modern sitcoms feel very tired and derivative.
People watched those? They were on in what, the 50s? 60s? ...Were, were there people back then?
I know. You read stories about there being stuff that happened before the 90s, but it's always surprising when someone talks about it like it was real. Rather than just a nebulous maelstrom of presidents and boats and Romans that might as well have all happened simultaneously in 1989 before promptly swirling down a drain to make way for Friends and Green Day, which is most of what I remember of the time.
We get a 24 hour Simpsons channel, new inferior Futurama, but still no Life In Hell cartoon? Fuck Fox.
Things may have changed in the last 24 years or so, but if I remember correctly, Matt Groening created the Simpsons specifically because they approached him to do a Life In Hell show, and he didn't want to, because it was too personal.
He was afraid that they would tell him how to change Life In Hell. I don't think that's a problem any more.
Comments
I for one hated Seinfeld more than I did Friends.
I'm not saying the show is the greatest, but I have my own personal experiences in life that relate to the show and experiences that I've shared with my own friends enjoying that show. Take it for what you will.
I'd probably watch the Simpsons channel, but really only as background noise or maybe if I was drunk or something.
If I hate Friends for any reason now, it's the fact that networks are trying THEIR ASSES OFF to replicate Friends in some sort of manner, with friends that border on sexual tension or couples that are friends. And most of them as a whole, fucking suck. Seriously, last year ALONE to this year, there was Perfect Couples, Better With You, Mad Love, Happy Endings, Friends with Benefits, Traffic Light, and Love Bites. All of them were trying to create the same thing as Friends, but not only was the chemistry totally lacking between actors, but the writing was particularly trying to be "hip" and surprisingly mean-spirited.
Yeah, totally valid reason right there man.
Stupid FF:CC, how dare you make me enjoy playing you with my friends!
You are giving Friends a tiny speck of blame because it was highly successful.
Seriously? Really?
1.) The Biggest Loser (about 90%)
2.) Make It 1997 Again Through Science Or Magic (about 9.5%)
3.) Everything Else (0.5%)
I know. You read stories about there being stuff that happened before the 90s, but it's always surprising when someone talks about it like it was real. Rather than just a nebulous maelstrom of presidents and boats and Romans that might as well have all happened simultaneously in 1989 before promptly swirling down a drain to make way for Friends and Green Day, which is most of what I remember of the time.