tv_talk | TV Tuesday: You Love Me, You Love Me Not

Outlander immediately comes to mind for a show that I didn't think I would love, but do indeed love. I'd been aware of the books ever since the first one was published 30+ (?) years ago, but avoided them because the blurb on the back made them sound like glorified Harlequins. And totally ludicrous. So when I saw mentions of the show in my Twitter stream, I was somewhat dubious -- but these were people I quite respected (journalists and profs, etc.) who were raving about it, so I thought I'd give it a go since I was in-between shows at the time. And the rest is history. Also Friday Night Lights. I never watched it when it originally aired, and later, because I'm not fan of American football, it didn't really scream "Watch me!!!" to me, you know? But I eventually did watch it and adored it and have recommended it to so many people since.

As for shows that I thought I'd like, but in the end found them rather disappointing, there have been a few. Poldark is one. I started watching it because a lot of people who love Outlander also love Poldark. The first series was OK -- didn't love it but it was OK enough to carry on with the second series. That one, however put me off. The main character was an ass, each episode was quite samey (very formulaic). Might not really be the show's fault -- maybe the books are like that too and it was just being faithful to the books. However, I didn't continue with the series. Another one was The Following, which was a show starring Kevin Bacon about a serial killer with the Edgar Allen Poe fixation. It started off not too badly, but then just became really incredibly stupid. I mean, every single character was just incredibly stupid and did incredibly stupid things. I actually watched through to the bitter end of the first season hoping it would redeem itself, but nope, it really didn't. I heard that the 2nd season was actually better, but I just didn't care anymore.

Oh I remember The Following! The premise sounded interesting and it had a decent cast but I became disenchanted with it that season as well. I'm not sure if I ever watched S2 or not. I don't think so.

FNL has had such great reviews but I've always resisted it as well. The subject just seems too close to home (I'm totally not into football) so I've avoided it.

Oh yes, I also had that same reaction with Friday Night Lights as well! I remember hearing a lot about it at the time it was airing but didn't think it was for me due to the football angle, but then curiosity got the better of me (mainly became interested due to Adrianne Palicki) and decided to check it out only to discover just how good it is. Football was merely a backdrop for the character drama that was happening, which was addicting to watch. "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" and "Texas forever" are phrases I still use today. :D

Outlander for me too. I only watched it because of the time travel but then found it to be really good and its one of my most anticipated shows now.

Billions - a show about the stock exchange and politics should not have made me want to watch it as much as it did. I watched the first ep on a whim and it snagged me in with all the twists and turns and backstabbing etc, and it stayed good right up until the end imo.

Stargate SG1 - I'm adding this to the list too, because I actually didn't like it at first. I watched the first few eps and hated it because it wasn't anything like the movie. It was only after a couple of seasons, when someone online convinced me to give it another try that I ended up falling in love with it, and now its probably my most loved show ever.

In terms of shows I thought I would love and didn't.... Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Not sure what it is, but I don't like it. I love all the other treks, even Enterprise. But DS9... I've tried it a few times but just can't get past season 1.

That's so interesting about DS9! I agree it does seem to buck the trend.

I think for me Billions suited my expectations and I've yet to see SG1 (I did see the film ages ago but wasn't particularly attached to it). Outlander is an interesting case -- like you I also watched because of the time travel angle since I like historical fiction. But I've found it very uneven, less so in the historical aspects but more because I haven't cared for the character development. I think the historical aspect continues to be what keeps me watching (I have yet to see the latest season).

I'd say That Time I Was Reincarnated As A Slime counts under the first question, and here's why:

My first ever encounter w/ Reincarnated as a Slime happened when its movie Scarlet Bond came out around, say, 2022 or so. I pretty much watched its Japanese sub version on a whim, feeling pretty upset after a shitty day at work, and I ended up LOVING it. To the point I later saw the English dub version about a few days later. And so, I've been looking for the anime since, since I really enjoyed the movie's two versions. I really wasn't sure I'd like something called what the anime's title implies, but I really, really enjoyed it!

This one might be a tad controversial, but I'm not the biggest fan of Psych, to be honest. I've liked the actors in other projects, but Psych's pilot kind of dissuaded me from touching the rest of the show. As for movies I detested Night Swim, even though I thought it might just be good like M3GAN in that weird self-aware way. It was not. It SO was not.

You're not alone. I tried out Psych a few months back and stuck with it through almost 2 seasons but I just didn't warm to it. For me it was a bit plot but mostly character development. The set up was great but I just felt it and the characters weren't utilized well.

Oh, I thought I was the only one who didn't like Psyche? I couldn't get past the first season. It just didn't work for me.

Weirdly, the shows I've become the most fannish over, are the ones I didn't think I'd like? Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Farscape, The Wire, Angel the Series...

Show I thought I'd love and disappointed me? Sigh, too many to count, unfortunately.

SMASH comes to mind, mainly because I saw the musical recently and rewatched some of the series.
Others? Crazy-Ex-Girlfriend, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Glee, Joan of Arcardia, Northern Exposure, The Sopranos, Firefly, Dollhouse, Agents of Shield, Loki, Ms. Marvel, X-men the Animated Series (original 1990s version)...the list goes on and on..

Yes, sadly the shows that disappointed me are legion and what's more I don't even remember most of them because I stopped watching before long.

I've lost track of how many shows I stopped watching or never made it back to.

A lot of them just go on too long. Five seasons is typically best for any series - you start getting past the five season mark and things can go down hill. With few exceptions.

Others have great pilots, but the writers change or the leads want out. Or what is happening behind the scenes is so incredibly toxic - it just can't last, and in some cases it's amazing it was as good as it was. Sleepy Hollow is one that disappointed just about everyone in the audience. I read about what happened with that one - the show-runners and network kind of killed their own show - by not accurately reading their audience, and mistreating the female lead to the point in which she got physically ill and wanted out, which killed the show. Also they were racist misogynistic nitwits. People think Whedon was a bad show-runner? He was nothing compared to Lost's show-runners, and ugh, Sleepy Hollow.

Edited 2025-03-26 23:04 (UTC)

I put off watching Star Trek: Lower Decks for ages before finally giving it a try. I'd largely only heard negative things about it, and the clips I'd seen from the earliest episode didn't really win me over. I definitely never expected it to end up my favourite new Trek show!

On the other side, I feel like I rarely go into things assuming I'll love them. I usually drag my feet about starting a new show, and it takes me a while to get into the habit of tuning in regularly. Aside from shows that I was loving for a long stretch before they disappointed me, the only thing that comes to mind is From. That was one where the snippets I'd seen and the opening scene led me to expect one vibe, but then the actual show just didn't work for me.

Yes, it seems that recently there's been a bunch of shows that seemed like one thing only to turn out to be a different genre or type of story entirely.

I think what I keep falling for comes down to the rise of really good trailer houses and sometimes trailer directors or music directors being brought in to shoot a series opener. I like highly stylized promotional material for things I already love, but sometimes I need to get a proper idea of what the show is actually like!

Liked despite myself: Ted Lasso. Sports? Someone being set up to fail? Not things I typically like

Wanted / expected to like better than I did: Mr Robot. It has its moments but it was just such a slog.

Yes, on the face of it I expected to like Mr. Robot. I don't think I made it through 5 episodes.

And I agree that a sports show in general would probably not be my thing as I hardly watch any sports (the exception is the Men's and Women's FIFA World Cups). However I was curious to learn more about English leagues and it being a comedy drew me in. Had it been a drama, not sure I would have given it a go.

Had the same reaction to Mr. Robot. I expected to like it, and was surprised that I didn't. I don't think I made it past five episodes either - I found it boring.

Friday Night Lights was a show that I didn't think that I was going to be into, but I was so wrong. After curiosity got the better of me I decided to check it out, and I was immediately hooked. I also think Battlestar Galactica was another one, because I wasn't sure I would be into something that was heavily focused on military and politics. After already deciding that two characters were my favorites from fandom osmosis alone I checked out the show, and instantly became a fan. It has become my favorite science fiction shows of all time.

As for shows that I thought I'd love but ended up disappointed, there are quite a number that fit into this category, however the one that immediately comes to mind is Once Upon A Time. I actually really enjoyed the first season, but I lost interest at the beginning of the second season. It just went in a direction that wasn't for me, so I stopped watching.

It's interesting, looking at my answers. With the ones I thought that I wouldn't like I usually judged them based on the initial outward concept but realized there was more to it than just those things, whereas the ones that I thought I'd like but ended up getting letdown were things where the concepts initially grabbed me but the execution just couldn't live up to my expectations. I do tend to give things a chance, because I do think some exaggerate (for better or worse) what a piece of media is due to personal biases. We just never know what is going to scratch that particular narrative itch we're searching for in fiction.

True. So much depends on execution, which can vary even with the same people depending on conditions. And it's a very rare show that remains strong throughout a long run.

Oh my, sooooo many. Sometimes I loved one season and hated the next. Sometimes the other way around.

HPI ate me heart and soul, I certainly didn't expect that. :D

I loved season one of The Librarians, such a great character dynamic and such a great season. All the other seasons were very disappointing to me. I'd hoped for character growth...

I'd expected Doctor Odyssey to be absolutely terrible, and it is hella cheesy, but I still like it a lot. Who knows how that works? :D

Oh, Lost You Forever! It's a costume cdrama with over 50 eps, and despite the fact that I *hate* costume/palace dramas, and that I wasn't particularly enamoured with any of the actors going in, I loved that one. Or most of it, anyway.

I tend to forget about things that immediately didn't work for me, like Only Murders in the Building, or 9-1-1 Lone Star, or Doyle's Republic. They never leave a big enough impression for me to really think about them for long.

Yes, I tend to quickly forget things I tried out and abandoned too.

TV Tuesday: You Love Me, You Love Me Not

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject