TV Shows turning cynical and un-funny

fastnoc

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My two favorite TV shows right now are The Office and My Name is Earl.

Has anyone else noticed how much these two shows have changed? The office use to be a very light hearted show that laughed at Michael's stupidity but was all in good fun. Since the end of the last season though it's gotten cynical. Still funny parts but it's serious now with people getting fired, relationships breaking up and the mourning for it, sad pregnancies that are hurting people etc.

My Name is Earl also use to be just funny. But now they are trading some of that funny with adding characters, changing the circumstances and starting to stray a little from the theme of the show.

Both shows have started to stray from what made them so popular and that's a bad sign. Both have also introduced new characters which to me says they think the show is stale and needs something new, which I don't agree with.

This bugs me. There are so few TV shows I enjoy. I still mostly watch re-runs of my old favs. but I'm starting not to like these two. Am I the only one noticing this?
 

starryeyedtiger

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Keep in mind that things were also pretty influenced by the aftermath of the writer's strike that happened. I'm not certain if those two shows were involved (but i think they were).
 
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fastnoc

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Wow i didn't even think about this being the aftermath of the strike. This is a very good point.
 

forensic

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Yeah, if you watch Eureka you know that blasted strike is hitting home (I don't WANNA wait until January for more episodes! :cry: )
 

natalie_ca

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I don't watch those 2 shows, but I do know that for several years that the quality of TV has declined terribly.

All that seems to happen is that there is a new spin off of Law and Order or CSi, other than that it's all reality show / game show trash!

I mostly stick to oldie rerun channels, movie channels, history channel or the documentary channel these days. Nothing on mainstream TV is really worth watching IMHO.
 

tierre0

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I don't watch those 2 shows, but I do know that for several years that the quality of TV has declined terribly.

All that seems to happen is that there is a new spin off of Law and Order or CSi, other than that it's all reality show / game show trash!

I mostly stick to oldie rerun channels, movie channels, history channel or the documentary channel these days. Nothing on mainstream TV is really worth watching IMHO.
My Thoughts exactly, it seems if they get one hit show then they have to make a million spin-offs from that show..
I like a couple of the newer shows like House and Bones but even they are just knock-offs of older shows..
I am a big Animal Planet fan, as well as the Discovery, and History Channels...At with those you can find something different.
 
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fastnoc

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I disagree about the decline. I think there are some fresh shows out there. The office is really a spin off of the UK version but is casted perfectly. There are some others i enjoy but don't watch regularly. I'm not a big sit-com or drama watcher anyway.

But what I've noticed is that the PEOPLE change that watch the TV. I honestly believe this is a result of people disliking change, and missing the comforts of the tv shows they watch.

Have you ever paid attention to what was wildly popular in the late 70s and early 80s? Have you watched an old rerun? They are absolutely SILLY. But that's what we grew up watching. Shows like Three's Company were just bad, but huge.

Think back further. Giligan's island? How can you possibly come up with a dumber show than that? but I've seen every one and can recite them line by line. The Brady bunch was just as bad.

Go back further. NcHale's Navy? I can't remember the one with Colnel Clink but that one too. It was really bad tv.

So I don't think this have decreased, I just think that as we grow older we miss what use to comfort us.
 

cata_mint

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Maybe its because I'm a...
There are only so many ideas for new tv shows. Its inevitable that the better ideas will be done to death.

Try British tv shows! We didn't have a writers' strike!


We have Dr Who, and the original Office and Life On Mars and ... uh ... QI with Stephen Fry?
 

goldenkitty45

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IMO most of the shows today have gone downhill. We rarely watch TV cause of it. I don't like the "morals" or the stuff they think is funny.
 
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fastnoc

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

IMO most of the shows today have gone downhill. We rarely watch TV cause of it. I don't like the "morals" or the stuff they think is funny.
See but this isn't really the case. What was the sole topic of Three's Company? Sex.
MASH was a racist, dumbed down comedy. Do you remember they use to call the black man in the show spear chucker?

Archie bunker, a severe racist comedy. Fred Sanford, his exact opposite. The Jefforsons, same deal. Their entire premise of these shows was racism.

In reality? most of those shows from that era wouldn't even be allowed on TV if they tried to come out now. Racial awareness is miles further than it was then, and the topic of sex really hasn't changed.

And I've never seen a show as stupid as I Love Lucy. However from time to time i still watch it.

I just think that it's the people that change, not the shows. However I'm definitely interested in some examples. what shows do you think have corrupt the moral compass that didn't exist before? maybe i'm not seeing things clearly
 

clixpix

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Originally Posted by fastnoc

See but this isn't really the case. What was the sole topic of Three's Company? Sex.
MASH was a racist, dumbed down comedy. Do you remember they use to call the black man in the show spear chucker?

Archie bunker, a severe racist comedy. Fred Sanford, his exact opposite. The Jefforsons, same deal. Their entire premise of these shows was racism.

In reality? most of those shows from that era wouldn't even be allowed on TV if they tried to come out now. Racial awareness is miles further than it was then, and the topic of sex really hasn't changed.

And I've never seen a show as stupid as I Love Lucy. However from time to time i still watch it.

I just think that it's the people that change, not the shows. However I'm definitely interested in some examples. what shows do you think have corrupt the moral compass that didn't exist before? maybe i'm not seeing things clearly
I think you might have missed the point of shows like All in the Family. Even then it was cutting edge, and pushing the boundaries of people's comfort. Archie's racism wasn't lauded, it was skewered. M*A*S*H did have a character whose name was Spearchucker Jones, as it was taken from the movie by the same name (which was a fantastic movie). Was it PC? No, but I think that name too was given to push people's comfort level. Yes, eventually the show was eventually "dumbed down", but it didn't start that way.

There are always going to be garbage shows, but there will always be very fine shows as well. For every "All in the Family", there will be a "Welcome Back Kotter".

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

IMO most of the shows today have gone downhill. We rarely watch TV cause of it. I don't like the "morals" or the stuff they think is funny.
Wow! That's a lot of TV you threw into that pot!
There are lots of fine shows that probably would be in line with your "morals", but that's fine. I think it's a bit much to group so many TV shows, most of which you probably have never seen since there is so much out there now however.
 

bonnie1965

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I would have never watched "The Office" if it hadn't been placed in the Thursday night slot. I enjoy it for the most part, but the Michael character gets old very quickly. I never thought he was funny. His character is just sad and pathetic.The other characters reacting to him can be humorous - especially Stanley


When Dwight put the cat in the freezer - what the heck was that about? How ridiculous. How could that have possibly added to the show? Made me ill.

I couldn't watch Three's Company now - ugh. Loved it back then, though. I also loved Charlie's Angels, Knight Rider and The Hardy Boys so that should tell ya something
 

clixpix

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Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

I couldn't watch Three's Company now - ugh. Loved it back then, though. I also loved Charlie's Angels, Knight Rider and The Hardy Boys so that should tell ya something
It tells me we're about the same age.
I loved the Hardy Boys! I had the biggest crush on Parker Stevenson, and my younger sister liked Shaun Cassidy.
I also had a big crush on Dirk Benedict from Battlestar Galactica!
 

essayons89

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Originally Posted by Rockcat

I don't watch many sit-coms, but I love Two and a Half Men.
I love that show, too. Hilarious.

About the only things I watch are the History Channel, Deadliest Catch, NCIS, The Unit and Stargate Atlantis.

MASH will always be a favorite of mine.
 
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