It it just me or does modern TV lack excitiment?

[Viceguy]

I have been trying to get into modern TV shows for quite a while , but to no avail. I mean, for some strange reason it it so hard to find a TV show today that would be actually entertaining to watch, leaving you with pleasant afterglow.

Everything just tries too hard to be drama and takes itself too seriously.

There are almost no shows (well, none that I know of) that you can watch with your family and expect everyone to entertained, regadless of age.

Everything is either too generic and bland, or, on the contrary, too violent and with lots of sexual content just for the heck of it.

 

Does anybody feels the same or is it just me? Because almost all my friends are into these new shows ( for example, " Game of Thrones) and they keep on talking how great this stuff is...Yet I don't understand what's the appeal.

 

P.S. Opps... I misspelled excitement

Edited November 16, 2014 by Viceguy

[Vincent Hanna]

Yeah I'm not a big TV fan. Cop shows have gone down hill considerably, They all look the same with the formulaic plots.

 

The only relatively new show I watch is "Mad Men" But I wouldn't really recommend it for an entire family, but then again i'd probably say the same thing about Vice back in the day xD

 

I just stick to movies tbh. I haven't got time to watch 20 hours of one season

[CrockettFan333]

I also have the same problem, except comedy tv series like "The big bang theory". Other today's tv series don't have "this thing". My friends delight "Game of thrones" and other "trendy" tv series but I still watch old good "Friends" (great for family), "Twin Peaks" (a little sad) and Miami Vice of course. I think it's a matter of taste. As regards sex and brutality I like both so it isn't my problem,    maybe it the first less.

 

Sorry for the mistakes, I'm still learning English. 

[James]

I don't watch Game of Thrones either, I don't understand why everybody rates it so highly.

The only shows I'm into are;

Arrow

The Flash

Supernatural

There are others which are currently between seasons such as

Ray Donovan

Black Sails

Graceland (I rate this one highly, it's similar to MV in some ways)

But I think I understand what you mean, today's shows lack the excitement, they're too dull, and moody. Some shows like Arrow always have the action scenes, but it doesn't change much.

[Kavinsky]

Well one of the things my father and I were talking about is that with TV, everything is so clean when it comes to the gunfights. to the point where it seems like the gun in the story is just a literal and ultimate tv remote. Gun used, story over, no repercussions

 

instead of showing that war and fighting for your life is hell

 

IE no smell of blood, deaf hearing from having the thing go off in close proxy to your ears, no trail reprocutions, no police investigation, no arrest and prosecution by the police, no blood and guts.

 

no nada, everything is always rapped up in a little bow for the comercials and end credits, regardless if your the cop or a civlian

 

I mean if gunfights were really like that Sir Churchill would have never said the most thrilling thing is to be shot at without result, he would have said to be shot at is the equavalent of getting poked with a stick!

 

 

and ontop of that the cops seem like nuts and assholes,  on Hawaiii 5-0 I see them go into a house after two kidnappers, one turns around pulls a gun, the cop puts him down, like actual cop procedure would dictate and actually do

 

then the weird bit happens, the other kidnaper, a female with no visibile weapons flee's and the girl From Battlestar starts SHOOTING at her with her pistol as she hops the fence in a residental area, she hops it and gets into a waiting getaway car

 

no STOP Police, No nada, I mean even Eastwood said HALT! before he fired his handcannon in Dirty Harry.

 

no shots fired from the fleeing suspect at present, and then Daniel Dai Kim, Johnny Gatt to most people or a power ranger, Comes around the bloody corner with an MP7 PDW, a machine pistol made by the germans for deep penetration of bodies and body armor

 

were talking about a .25 caliber bullet moving at rifle velocity, 2000 - 3000 + some FPS, like a 30 - 06 vs 850 to 1250 of a normal pistol

 

and even a standard pistol would go through a house and a window like a hot knife through butter, as bonds PPK amroer would be keen to say, and what does he do, he unloaded on a car in a residental area, firing like a mad man at a fleeing car, putting everyones life at risk with his bravado.

 

now how am I supposed to root for the police when they dont even keep up the protect bit about to protect and serve serious? I mean the best I've seen of gun handling was scott bacula on NCIS recently with the same circumstances, he fired two shots at the fleeing car and was careful to aim

 

and slowly moved through the house and all that

 

not to mention the criminals are always a 100% evil in these shows, there's no blurryness of whos right and wrong, and life aint like that. and usually just because there evil there more interesting too.

 

and Magnum PI was keen to show that,  that its not always straight cut and that's part of the reason why I dislike Tom being in Blue Bloods, as it just seems below him frankly.

 

 

So basically cop shows, the cops are always right, never make mistakes, Unload fully Automatic Pistols in civlian areas with no regard for life or limb, and everything is rapped up in a neet little bow, no Two parters, no advancement or building on a charachter that lasts a season, no mistakes and if there is its unnautural

 

you could replace most of the cast with washing machines, holding guns and you'd have the same effect.

 

and that is the main problem, if nothing burns them, changes them, like it would in real life, how am I supposed to get attached and involved?

 

and that is what classic TV has over modern, you get involved, From the Saint to Adam 12, To perry mason to Magnum Pi,  and morse and Miami vice Your involved and care because the serious stuff is taken seriously

 

 

and hell the only show I watch nowadays that is new is probably Endevour, the young inspector morse show, the rest I can not remember ever really lking

 

artfull detective is alright, Sherlock, the brit series is brain dead and stupid, but high concept and fun to make fun of, a Mind that is a computer, give me a break.

 

Elementary isnt bad either, one of the few were the story seems to be connected rather than ended quickly by the end credits.

 

 

so that is what 2, 3 shows that are new that I watch, one for the worst possible reasons, and Doctor who has turned into a tree loving hippy that is all about clara recently.

 

but its bottomline, its that nothing seems real, everything is stale and produced without love or craftmanship, or fun

 

and even then the poor atempts at that are cringeworthy,  and I hate smart allec characters like Tony From NCIS and the head of bones there, the one who acts like an AI all the time, I did like the sasy Black lady though, the one driving the gremilin.

 

also the writer of NCIS, doesnt understand star trek and should avoid talking about it from now on, as that explanation of the Maru was terrible.

 

it would have been far funnier and meanfull just to say you've never seen that? MOVIE Night!

Edited November 17, 2014 by Kavinsky

[Vincent Hanna]

I hate how on modern cop shows there's always supposed to be a "message" at the end. The main characters will spout out some pseudo-philosophical quote at an attempt at some phoney cathartic experience.(Criminal Minds)

 

 

[Spyder]

Breaking Bad has been the only TV show in the last 15-20 years that truly left me breathless and wanting more after each episode. For a newer series, I highly recommend it. It lives up to its hype. 

 

As for cop shows, nothing has come close to Vice in the last 25 years. CSI Miami and Burn Notice weren't that good even though they borrowed from MV in every way possible.

[James]

I never got into Breaking Bad. But I also never really sat down to watch it, I watched some of the last episode though because it was on TV. 

[Tommy Vercetti]

I personally don't think Breaking Bad lived up to the hype. I watched the first three seasons and I was unimpressed. I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. I don't like any of the characters and it didn't draw me in. I have no desire to watch the other seasons as it hasn't grabbed me so far. I think it's just a load of hype and it's way overpraised. The writing isn't that great. There are lots of other shows and movies I can think of with much better and more eloquent writing. I judge movies and shows on the writing and Breaking Bad's writing didn't impress me. The show just doesn't appeal to me and the huge hype it has annoys me a bit. 

 

I also don't think Deadwood is good. I think the writing on that show was atrocious. There were never any storylines and the amount of swearing was ridiculous. An overuse of profanity is a sign of bad writing so that doesn't reflect too well on Deadwood. I honestly don't think people at that time cussed that much. 

[Kavinsky]

I think with breaking bad the pull is its a slow burn that all ties together, where the plot lines all tie into each other.

 

as slow burns are hard to find nowadays, let alone a series that more or less requires you to put in the time to watch every episode.

 

all things that AMC is explioting for its own Benefit with shows like the Walking dead, this one and that mad men one that has never apealed to me.

 

as unless your doing a 1960's spy thriller with either James Bond or Harry Palmer I aint interested in a 1960's time piece (as I just recently rewatched the Ipcress files and funeral in berlin and I need to see Billion Dollar Brain one of these days)

 

and also one of the advantages of a slow burn is that it punctuates the action in the show and the dialog connected into it, such as the Often quoted I'm the One Who Knocks Monologue

 

although I still cant believe its Malcom's dad doing this, he was such a nice man lol.

 

 

So I think its the Novely Hype effect that's causing these things to blow up like they do, same thing with Game of thrones.

 

although I really wish Star trek would start again on one of these networks, as theres rumors of a return of that and Babalon 5 abound nowadays, namely something called Captain Worf.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Kavinsky

[Stinger390X]

Well Viceguy you hit the nail on the head. There is no really good tv anymore because the cost of producing shows has become too expensive so the networks are all reverting to "REALITY TV" (which I absolutely despise!)

 

I agree fully with Spyder that Breaking Bad hit a nerve in the audience and it was a fabulous series, dark and developing and left moral questions to the audience for debate such as when Walt and his brother in law are at the pool talking about prohibition smoking Cuban Cigars and talking about drugs. It engages the audience in the debate...

 

I can see the demise of TV as we know it with all these stupid reality series that are all "cookie-cutter" copies of each other. A couple of camera guys following people around, then sitting them down for interviews, and then cutting all the film footage into drama based confrontational busllshit!   I'm so sick of it.......................................................

 

I think only the independent networks will spend the money on quality entertainment like Mad Men, which has a huge budget per episode, which most networks like the big three won't spend these days.

Not much interests me on tv anyway. If it's good I'll wait for it on dvd as I can't stand commercials anymore as they insult my intelligence. Regular television for me has become unwatchable as I can't fathom the drug commercials which cause diarrhea, dizziness and death....but talk to your doctor as it might be right for you!!!! The financial commercials are exceptionally insulting as everyone is advertising financial help when really they are stealing the wealth of America from the many and making the few rich.

I haven't watched TV for almost five years now and on the rare occasion that I do, it's not for long.

 

I may sound bitter but I hate the change that has taken place in entertainment on television. Such a powerful medium and it is used for propaganda and whored out for the advertising medium. The message is not the same as it was many years ago. The quality of shows are not drawing my attention back so shame on Hollywood!

[Tony D.]

The only series I watched pretty faithfully was "The Mentalist."   I like the way Jane could find so many clues to a murder while everyone else didn't see anything.

I haven't seen any new episodes this season.

[Kavinsky]

hmm with the mentalist I kinda tuned out when he got off on shooting that guy, the one that he thought killed his family at that table in the mall.

 

that was kind of the jump the shark moment for me, as he gets off without charges in the next episode.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Kavinsky

[Tony D.]

He did go to jail for a short time........and that guy was a killer anyway.

 

The whole Red John thing is complete now.  Jane is working with the FBI.

[Jerry B.]

Couldn't agree more with Viceguy. I shot my TV set in 2000.

 

Should have done it earlier.

[Sonny-Burnett]

Not sure about programming for the entire family these days on network tv, unless it is Disney.   

 

But there have been some decent programs on in recent years such as 7 Seasons of Burn Notice..always liked the plots and character development until perhaps the last few eps of the series, where I found the plots non-believable, or at least way out of character. Also liked Magic City which had a brief run on one of the paid cable channels as a show set in the Kennedy era on SoBe. And if you can get past David Caruso's posing and one liners, CSI Miami was pretty entertaining as well for about 10 seasons.

But I think my bias for all things SoFl is showing through here.

Also watch some other series such as the reboot of Hawaii 5-0 though they have added some strange characters such as Melanie Griffith as Danno's mom.

 

But in general I have to agree the overall quality of network programming leaves a lot to desire, and my particular disdain is focused on the so-called Reality genre. I think that is probably the most oxymoronic label on tv today as there, to me at least, is nothing 'real' about these scripted shows that seem to showcase the weirdest personalities, and narcissistic egotist personalities, as well as the wackiest programming I've ever seen before on tv. (Real Housewives and their many spinoffs, Braxton values, Honey Boo Boo, Teen Mom, Jersey shore, the Real World, the Kartrashians, some show about child performers that I can't recall the name..oh its Dance Moms, to name a few).

Granted there are exceptions, but if most of these "reality" programs all disappeared tomorrow I would not even give it a second thought. 

Edited November 25, 2014 by Sonny-Burnett

[Kavinsky]

He did go to jail for a short time........and that guy was a killer anyway.

 

The whole Red John thing is complete now.  Jane is working with the FBI.

 

I dont know, that just felt like something that should have been done at the end of the series, to do it so early just seemed like a cop out, and yeah I know the killer thing and he had a gun on him but it just felt wrong to do it that way.

 

I mean wouldnt it of ment more if he was about to do it and someone else pulled the trigger, only for him to have his victory ripped away from him, and for him be forced into looking at the world without that hate and drive?

 

think like what they did at the start of Batman Begins, I mean that would have been a great character building moment for Jane, and instead it was a cop out and a half attempt at that with the ending of the following episode.

 

and that just really bugged me that they did that, and put me off of it, like why drag us on with the court case, just to build ratings, only for it not to be the guy and for Jane to get off of it anyways, making the whole epic thing seem less noteworthy to me.

 

like you had this great build up, the climax, and him just sitting there drinking his Coffee in silence at the end, with that funny little punchline and then that..... its like damn it, why are you playing with me program, atleast have it be the guy if your going to do a court case afterwards.

 

 

 

 

and jerry you didnt do it this way did you lol like the joker does at 1:01 here

 

 

 

 

and after watching some of CSI New York tonght it occured to me, what puts me off about TV cop shows is the rudeness and I'm always right mentalty of of the cops in them nowadays, like theres no sort of thought given to if the person did it or not, its just I'm right but were going to go throught the system, like we know there guilty, so lets go throught the rigmarol

 

and what is the fun of that? you know have the cop be neutral and non confrontational, like a cop is supposed to be, otherwise they come off as thugs with badges.

 

and they already did that it was called the Shield and training day, and ontop of that it just makes it feel less involving if you know they did it, kinda the downfall of the flashbacks and the how they did it cuts they always did on those shows, like they never show a flashback that is wrong. you ever notice that?

 

and ontop of that, isnt that kind of removing the involvement of the viewer if they see all of it done on screen in minute detail? so its shooting themselves in the foot really.

 

and also there is no fun sparing competitions between the leads, I mean that is how you kinda learn about characters and what makes them tick, the little nuances, and things they refuse to say or do as when was the last time we had a fun little back and forth like C and T always did?

 

as I cant remember seeing anyone do that in modern tv at all.

 

I mean I always remember that little chat C and T had in El Viejo, Crockett: Where are you going to be, looking down at the damaged car, Tubbs: I'm gonna go back and put the squeeze on that chump who drove the hitvan, Crockett: ask him if he had Collision

 

and he just breaks out laughing

 

like it broke Tubbs out of his angry stupor, and lightened the mood and tv never does that anymore and never has fun with itself, and if it does it never feels organic.

 

like that stupid back and fourth between the geek and the girl on NCIS about the Kobashi Maru, which just rubbed me wrong as I was literally rewatching those movies for the first time in 10 years recently, and he got the bloody thing wrong.

 

your supposed to go through that as its a way to see how someone acts when they know they cant win, will they do everything they can to do it right without putting further lives on the line or risk starting a war.

 

 

like the actor didnt have any input and just put it out there, and the last time I saw an exchange that was that fun as the c and t one was in the noland batman films that I watched For Halloween.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Kavinsky

[Stinger390X]

I think the one thing that we are all forgetting is how MV changed television.

 

In the premier episode the world was shocked when the good guys lost! Yes Sonny and Rico were held holding their guns at Chalky's while the bad guys got away.

 

That had Never happened in television ever before!

 

If you could only see the relevance of this fact............It changed television forever as this had never been done before. Other dilemmas like Sonny shooting Hackett...This was a high standard now to live up to for the next five years.

 

Today's television is having a hard time playing out moral dilemmas in dramatic effect. I think Breaking Bad came about the closest of all but as I said before networks aren't willing to spend huge budgets anymore on entertainment and they only make Reality TV as it is cheap and the actors are nobody's who work for cheap. The crews are small and costs are low.

 

So... make some popcorn and curl up to the TV tonight to watch people bring junk into a pawn shop or watch people fight over door number one two or three in storage wars (the new Let's make a Deal) Lets see... there are also cooking shows and of course some beautiful woman is looking for an eligible bachelor or there are a group of people in the jungle backstabbing each other for the big prize!.

 

My goodness what has this world come to? If you find this entertaining then I feel sorry for you.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Stinger390X

[Vincent Hanna]

It's impossible for shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men to live up to the hype that fans themselves have pumped up so much but they do the job when it comes to entertainment, I think.

 

I don't think TV is really the place for quality stories, despite what filmmakers these days try to say. Sure you got 10-20 hours in a season instead of a 2 hour film but i'd rather 2 hours of jam packed story than something dragged out and filled with filler over a long period of time.

 

If you want to be entertained, I'd always recommend a new David Fincher, Michael Mann, Nolan, Tarantino, Scorsese movies any day over the latest fad tv show.

 

I've never really seen a full episode of Walking dead and Game of thrones because they don't really look appealing, and I hate how predictably random things happen just for the sake of being unpredictable, If that makes sense. Main characters get killed off out of nowhere but when it happens the 3rd time you start to catch on and it becomes meaningless. 

[Stinger390X]

I know what you mean thedeparted94

 

I too can't sit through an entire episode of Walking Dead because frankly I think zombies are just pathetic (just my opinion) so therefore it immediately dis-interests me.

As for show being predictable, you really hit a point there. I hate it when I can figure out the whole plot in eight minutes and there is an hour left to go.

The problem is the writing in many cases and the other is that most tv is now geared to the 14-32 year old audience if we are talking the early evening slots.

 

Good point about the 2 hr movie vs the ten part miniseries. I also agree with you on that. I watched a series that was a remake of the old Prisoner series. The new one led the story in a completely different direction than the original and I ended up suffering through the entire set to find an abomidouble ending that was stupid. What a waste of time....................... 

[Kavinsky]

hmm the walking dead, I dont know but it seems to me that zombie movies and tv shows are taking the place of westerns from yesteryear

 

like its an excuse to have a western like background set in modern times. and I did watch a few episodes, and it was alright, but nothing ground breaking and I did watch the prisoner a few years ago, the original all the way through. although as a general rule I always avoid remakes.

 

unless its something I grew up with like James Bond and star trek, both of which got remade/rebooted.

[Vincent Hanna]

The majority of entertainment in any medium is junk, let's face it. Whether it's movies, tv shows, video games and music. Miami vice is remembered because it's one of the few shows that were great back in the day. Sure A-team, Knightrider, Airwolf, Magnum PI and stuff were entertaining but they were based primarily on gimmicks. Vice was a straight up cop show but with the added flair of movie production values.

 

The serial tv shows these days don't want to emulate movies, they do the "slow burn" of building up the story over 13 episodes like in Mad men and breaking bad. Unless you're a big fan then there's no point investing that kind of time into them.

[Kavinsky]

I wouldnt put magnum in there though, as unlike the rest of the shows in that list that one damn near last 10 years while everything else was 2 to 4.

[Vincent Hanna]

I wouldnt put magnum in there though, as unlike the rest of the shows in that list that one damn near last 10 years while everything else was 2 to 4.

 

Alright fair enough lol.

 

I Don't really think TV has ever been "exciting" though as a whole, there are exceptions of course but there's way too many variables and committee choices where everyone and their mother has a say in what goes on. With movies, the top guys like Fincher, Mann, Spielberg, Scorsese, Tarantino, Nolan can do whatever they want without studio execs butting it and meddling with the whole process.

 

I haven' seen "Gone Girl" or "Interstellar" yet but I know they're going to be great. Can't wait for "Black hat" either.

[Kavinsky]

Yeah when any money is involved, so are the chains, and well just listen to what Sony is doing to save a buck here:

 

 

However I am not saying a buck here a buck there doesnt add up, it does but when you do it that way the ethics of how you do it is brought into quesiton

 

now imagine that for the entire movie industry, plus given the economic downturn, where people have less money to spend on entertainment and taxes and the cost of living keeps going up because of misguided good ideas.

 

such as the lets jack up the minimal wage permanetly idea, that just causes the cost of everything to go up to keep that profit margin up for all of these corporations, rather than just asking for more bonuses and maybe have the CEO's voluntarily cut there own salaries 

 

such as I believe the CEO of sony actually did a little while back, and what boston market just did for its employees the other night, plus can you imagine the effect on productitivy a state and federal tax free work week for everyone would have on everyone

 

I mean you should see how much stuff people buy on that day in september where its a sales tax free day in MA, its like another black friday sale here on August the 16th.

 

but those good ideas without forethought about its permanent effect all back fire and it effects everything, and maybe if and when everything gets straightened out maybe we'll start to see some daring and interesting movie and tv projects, but until then everyone is playing it safe with Franchises that they KNOW will sell and have a set fanbase

 

after all it is the reason why Batman, Star Trek, the Terminator and all of these franchises that were big and popular in the old days are getting rebooted

 

along with star wars and probably a few others, such as lost in space apparently, so unfortunately everything is tied into the economy and the mentality of those who lead the country and how much it effects everybody.

 

and well this is why socialsmn and communismn doesnt really work, it drains everybodies pocket books without a paper trail just to see where its all going, and the accountability of it and thus all the money for the fun stuff goes away and everything just gets miserable and pointless with no escape from reality in sight.

 

plus the jobs those distractions provide for, I mean it really is all interconnected once you pull the first string and see where it all goes, basically in short, follow the money, and there your fun and happy stuff goes.

Edited December 14, 2014 by Kavinsky