# TV shows you never 'got'....



## WaylanderToo (Mar 27, 2016)

or indeed in your opinion never gelled...

I'll start out with 

Charmed - I so wanted to like this but by the end of E2 I had lost the will to live. Cliched, hammy acting dreadful.


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## Droflet (Mar 28, 2016)

Twin Peaks. I liked it but at times Lynch went off on a tangent that made my head hurt.


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## BAYLOR (Apr 1, 2016)

*Lost   *I watched it for a while , but just never couldn't get into it.


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## Lex E. Darion (Apr 1, 2016)

The Office (UK version).  Everyone raved about it but I thought it was stupid! Not my thing at all. I was going to say the Ricky Gervais just doesn't do it for me, but I quite liked Extras.


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## WaylanderToo (Apr 1, 2016)

I'll go one further - I'm sure RG is a nice bloke but comedically speaking... no, just NO! So 'The Office' wasn't my cuppa nor Extras


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## Brian G Turner (Apr 1, 2016)

I tried the first episode of _Firefly_, but just couldn't get into it. The premise seemed to be "cowboys in space", which could have been interesting - but I felt that I was watching a sequence of comic-book cliches.


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## Rodders (Apr 1, 2016)

The Prisoner.


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## SilentRoamer (Apr 1, 2016)

Star Trek DS9.

Being a Trek fan I should have enjoyed it but found it just OK. I thought it might be because it was based on a station instead of a ship but Babylon5 was one of my favourites.

I think Sisko was my least favourite captain and found the races pretty boring. Major Kira was very annoying. If it wasn't for O'Brian and Bashir I would have abandoned it.


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## pambaddeley (Apr 1, 2016)

WaylanderToo said:


> I'll go one further - I'm sure RG is a nice bloke but comedically speaking... no, just NO! So 'The Office' wasn't my cuppa nor Extras


Agreed!


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## pambaddeley (Apr 1, 2016)

Rodders said:


> The Prisoner.



Classic 1960s version or that awful remake?


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## pambaddeley (Apr 1, 2016)

Brian Turner said:


> I tried the first episode of _Firefly_, but just couldn't get into it. The premise seemed to be "cowboys in space", which could have been interesting - but I felt that I was watching a sequence of comic-book cliches.



He he!  The original Star Trek was sold on the premise of 'Wagon Trail in Space' (a popular cowboy show of the time).


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## Lex E. Darion (Apr 2, 2016)

SilentRoamer said:


> Star Trek DS9.
> 
> Being a Trek fan I should have enjoyed it but found it just OK. I thought it might be because it was based on a station instead of a ship but Babylon5 was one of my favourites.
> 
> I think Sisko was my least favourite captain and found the races pretty boring. Major Kira was very annoying. If it wasn't for O'Brian and Bashir I would have abandoned it.



I loved all the other Star Treks but this was my least favourite too. I couldn't really work out why either but put it down to it being on a station and not on a ship-not sure why that would have made much of a difference though. I think the story lines were too boring and 'samey'.


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## AnyaKimlin (Apr 2, 2016)

Another one for The Office but I've never really worked in an office.

And I always wanted to get Vic and Bob - I find Bob Mortimer on his own hilarious and Vic Reeves sort of funny but together I don't get them at all.


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## Frost Giant (Apr 6, 2016)

+1 on Lost, for me it was an appropriate name for the show. Never got through the series and from what I hear about the finale, I wasn't missing much.


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## The Bluestocking (Apr 14, 2016)

Hmmm... here's mine:

LOST - Watched the first two episodes and went "Hmmm... yeah, no."
CHARMED - Logically, this should appeal to the feminist in me. I love Buffy etc... but yeah, no.
TORCHWOOD - All the weirdness of Doctor Who but none of the charm. I stopped watching a few episodes in.
DARK MATTER - Watched two episodes. It was competing with KILLJOYS. KILLJOYS won.
GAME OF THRONES - Season 1 was fine. I stopped watching from early on in Season 2 onwards. Too much gratuitous use of rape and violence against women.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY - I love Horror but my personal tastes run towards spooky ghost stories that make your hair stand on end (think THE INNOCENTS and THE OTHERS), not increasing amounts of in-your-face grossness and depravity.

Any soap opera. Did we really need that reboot of DALLAS?


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## Phyrebrat (Apr 14, 2016)

The Bluestocking said:


> GAME OF THRONES - Season 1 was fine. I stopped watching from early on in Season 2 onwards. Too much gratuitous use of rape and violence against women.


This^

Also, watched the first season of _Buffy_. Loathed it.
_Will and Grace_ - people walking in and out of rooms shouting and slamming doors.
_Star Trek TOS - _however, I'd suggest this wouldn't be the case if I saw it first time around.
_Doctor Who_ - tries too hard to be quirky and edgey. I liked the David Tenant seasons and the next guy but stopped.
_Penny Dreadful_ - waste of a concept and I'm sure Dorian Grey was far more sexy than that.

pH


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## HareBrain (Apr 14, 2016)

Firefly for me too. I wanted to like it, but all the banter felt unreal, like the characters were constantly being poked in the back by a scriptwriter telling them to say something witty.


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## The Bluestocking (Apr 14, 2016)

Phyrebrat said:


> This^
> 
> Also, watched the first season of _Buffy_. Loathed it.
> _Will and Grace_ - people walking in and out of rooms shouting and slamming doors.
> ...



Buffy gets much more interesting as the seasons go by. 

I do love WILL AND GRACE - it's hilarious!

The new DOCTOR WHO was good with David Tennant and Matt Smith. Then the current Doctor took over and I was like: "Eh?" and stopped watching.

PENNY DREADFUL - Agreed.


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## Juliana (Apr 15, 2016)

Another one for Lost - it got really weird and freaky fast and I dropped it.

And - sorry - Doctor Who. But I think that's because I was terrified of the show as a kid, and then I moved to a country that didn't have it so never got a chance to grow up with it and lose that fear. So it still freaks me out.

I tried Sense8 because of a friend's recommendation, but had given up by the end of episode 1 - too many plotlines, too many main characters.


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## Randy M. (Apr 15, 2016)

I stopped watching _Doctor Who_ when Christopher Eccleston left. I've seen some of the David Tennant and Matt Smith episodes since and I may have been a bit hasty.

Liked _Lost_ for two seasons then gave up. Loved the early episodes of _Twin Peaks_, but ultimately I don't think Lynch knew where it was going or how to get there.

Recently watched the first episode of _Hap and Leonard _and just didn't connect. 

I like _Gotham_ but recently not enough to try keeping up, and I couldn't get into _Sliders_ at all.


Randy M.


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## WaylanderToo (Apr 15, 2016)

Hunters - watched E1... not a fan


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## svalbard (Apr 19, 2016)

Alex Darion said:


> The Office (UK version).  Everyone raved about it but I thought it was stupid! Not my thing at all. I was going to say the Ricky Gervais just doesn't do it for me, but I quite liked Extras.



Blasphemy.


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## Toby Frost (Apr 19, 2016)

Doctor Who - all of it. It feels like it tries too hard to be wacky and "British", to the extent where it just grates on me.


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## REBerg (Apr 20, 2016)

Alex Darion said:


> I loved all the other Star Treks but this was my least favourite too. I couldn't really work out why either but put it down to it being on a station and not on a ship-not sure why that would have made much of a difference though. I think the story lines were too boring and 'samey'.


DS9 is also at the bottom of my ST rankings. Things did pick up a bit once the Defiant was added to the mix, and the crew could take the fight to the enemy instead of just waiting to see what threat would next emerge from the wormhole.


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## WaylanderToo (Apr 20, 2016)

now y'see for some reason DS:9 was my fave along with (controversially!) Sisko being my favourite captain


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## Droflet (Apr 20, 2016)

I like all the star trek incarnations. Meh, that's me I guess. Hangs head. Sob, I even liked Enterprise.


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## SilentRoamer (Apr 20, 2016)

Droflet said:


> Sob, I even liked Enterprise.



It was all a dream... sorry I mean hologram....


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## Lex E. Darion (Apr 20, 2016)

Droflet said:


> I like all the star trek incarnations. Meh, that's me I guess. Hangs head. Sob, I even liked Enterprise.


Don't get me wrong - I watched and enjoyed DS9 (esp Quark) but it just wasn't my favourite. I also enjoyed Enterprise but never watched it religiously so didn't get emotionally involved with it.


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## Idoru (May 3, 2016)

For some reason I just can't see the appeal of Walking Dead. I feel like I should like it, but I don't. Can't stand anything by Ricky Gervais, but he comes across well on Twitter and I applaud his stance on animal rights. DS9 I thought was OK, but couldn't stand Voyager or Enterprise.


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## Droflet (May 3, 2016)

Wow. Finally someone who doesn't like the walking dead. Hey, different strokes, right.


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## Cli-Fi (May 9, 2016)

DS9- my initial reactions was that i hate sisko and just started watching it now. It has some good episodes and the wars are great, along with Quark and Odo but otherwise it's blah. 

Heroes- First season was great. Stopped watching in season 3. 

Game of Thrones- Didn't care about anybody in the first two episodes.


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## Khuratokh (May 11, 2016)

DS9 is definitely my favourite of the Treks. Because of the setting, actions had consequenses. Characters grew and developed. Things that were completely ignored on Voyager and Enterprise.
Nog for example. Started out as an annoying illiterate little brat. Joined starfleet, ended up a luitenant. 
Harry Kim on Voyager however, remained an ensign for seven years.

As for shows I couldn't get into.

TORCHWOOD
Dr. Who shenanigans in an "adult" setting. "Adult" meaning sex and swearing, and aliens that feed on orgasms. 
So many things wrong, so many mary sues. 
And then SFX rated "cyberwoman" 4/5 stars. 

FALLING SKIES
5 seasons on and I still didn't care if any of the leads lived or died.
A side character infected? Leave them to writhe in agony. One of the lead's hormonal moronic sons infected? Move heaven and earth and sacrifice a few other people to cure him.
Token evil teammate Pope even points this out, but is quickly silenced.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD.
Now in it's second season. Main difference from the main show:
West coast.
On a boat.
Still don't care about the characters or where it's going.

ELEMENTARY
a poor man's Sherlock

MEN AT WORK
all jokes Coupling did a decade earlier and better.

FAMILY GUY
Confuses poop jokes and 80's references with substance.

BIG BANG THEORY
Nerds are weird and deserve to be reviled.


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## kythe (May 11, 2016)

I can't get into "The Walking Dead", despite being surrounded by fans.  I can't suspend disbelief enough to wrap my mind around zombies, and I think there are better post-apocalyptic stories without the large amount of gore.

DS9 (along with TNG) is one of my favorite Star Trek shows.  It had solid characters and the most in-depth storyline.  Voyager had potential with the "lost in space" premise, but characters were uneven and it tended to resolve short storylines too easily rather than genuinely feeling these people were stranded and desparate.  Voyager is the only Star Trek show I've never seen straight through because it doesn't maintain my interest.


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## BAYLOR (Jun 9, 2016)

Lost.


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## galanx (Jun 30, 2016)

Mad Men
Fear the Walking Dead- and I'm a Walking Dead fanatic
Just started getting The Big bang Theory in Taiwan- dumb show about supposedly smart people.


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## FeedMeTV (Jul 7, 2016)

Breaking Bad. It is adored by fans and I can't stand it. It went in a completely different direction from what I was expecting, far too much like a soap most of the time.


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## Khuratokh (Jul 7, 2016)

galanx said:


> Mad Men
> Fear the Walking Dead- and I'm a Walking Dead fanatic
> Just started getting The Big bang Theory in Taiwan- dumb show about supposedly smart people.


As someone once remarked Arrested Development is a smart comedy about stupid people. Big Bang is a stupid comedy about smart people.


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## Khuratokh (Jul 7, 2016)

FeedMeTV said:


> Breaking Bad. It is adored by fans and I can't stand it. It went in a completely different direction from what I was expecting, far too much like a soap most of the time.


Did you finish it? It gets better towards the end. While I had my fair share of problems with the Jesse Pinkman character.


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## FeedMeTV (Jul 10, 2016)

I stopped half way through the last season, Khuratokh, as I'd really lost the will. I should really press on to the end at some point I suppose.


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## AnyaKimlin (Jul 10, 2016)

Broadchurch - by the end of it I'm bored.  The BBC did a much better one off "Mayday" which they showed over a week.  I still felt it could have done with a trim but it was much more exciting.


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## Droflet (Jul 11, 2016)

FeedMeTV said:


> I stopped half way through the last season, Khuratokh, as I'd really lost the will. I should really press on to the end at some point I suppose.


 I did the same thing until a friend convinced me to push on. So. push on, you won't regret it.


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## 2DaveWixon (Jul 11, 2016)

First thing popping up in my mind was "Knight Rider." I felt there must have been something wrong with me, because my late wife, a solid sf fan, really liked it. But it just didn't keep my interest. (I feel better about myself, with the passage of time...)

And I'll give a "second!" to those who named "The Office" and "Mad Men." I tried to watch, but when the first commercial came I would pick up a book or the newspaper, telling myself that I'd just read until the commercials were over...but suddenly the show was over and I found I had missed everything...
(I seem to do that a lot, I guess...)


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## manephelien (Jul 31, 2016)

Lost. Too many questions, no proper answers. I lost interest after the first two seasons.

Voyager. I enjoy all the other ST shows, with DS9 being my favorite. VOY suffered from inconsistent writing and a lack of decent character development. The Maquis were integrated into the rest of the crew far too quickly, and they never really seemed to feel the lack of resources in a proper fashion. Janeway complained about the lack of coffee a few times but that's all. Contrast that with Stargate Universe, where Dr Rush's caffeine and nicotine withdrawal symptoms are shown in closeup, and where the civilian scientists and their military colleagues are all but fighting it out in the first season.


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## JunkMonkey (Sep 13, 2016)

Brian Turner said:


> I tried the first episode of _Firefly_, but just couldn't get into it. The premise seemed to be "cowboys in space", which could have been interesting - but I felt that I was watching a sequence of comic-book cliches.



Which was my opinion.  Word for word, but my parents in law made me stick with it.  "Trust us.  It's great."  They were right.  About 5 or 6 episodes in it clicked.  They were right.


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## Brian G Turner (Sep 13, 2016)

JunkMonkey said:


> Which was my opinion.  Word for word, but my parents in law made me stick with it.  "Trust us.  It's great."  They were right.  About 5 or 6 episodes in it clicked.  They were right.



If it comes up again, I'll put it on for the family and see how it goes.


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## Dave (Sep 13, 2016)

Brian Turner said:


> If it comes up again, I'll put it on for the family and see how it goes.


I'd loan you the box set, only my son has "stolen" it from me and I doubt I'll ever see it again


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## Toby Frost (Sep 13, 2016)

For me, the problem with Firefly is that it varies hugely in quality depending on who’s on the screen, and over time it became clear to me that Whedon’s preferences weren’t mine. In particular, River is a huge Sad Mary Sue and, despite being apparently mentally ill, everything she does is mysterious/deadly/cool. This gets annoying. There came a point where the captain has to choose between River and the villainous but much more likeable (and better as a character) Jayne, and at that point I realised that the series wasn’t going to go the way I wanted it to. Also, I’ve never got on with Whedon’s (admittedly acclaimed) dialogue. Everyone talks like, y’know, Buffy unless they are an Evil Authority Figure.

To be honest, at times the Cowboys in Space thing is quite crudely done, and the society is never really all that clear. But it’s a good show overall and has a few very good episodes. The film is well worth watching, too.


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## JunkMonkey (Sep 13, 2016)

...and it's got Gina Torres in leather pants.  


(...did I just type that out loud?)


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## Droflet (Sep 13, 2016)

Yep. And I couldn't agree more.


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## HanaBi (Sep 18, 2016)

BREAKING BAD  - Gave it the benefit of 2 seasons, but try as I might, just couldn't see what all the fuss/acclaim was about, and gave up 2 episodes into S3.

VOYAGER/DS9/ENTERPRISE - Voyager, could have been a worthy successor to NextGen, but wayward scripts, disjointed story-arcs, and lead characters I had little or no empathy for, meant I called it quits after S2. Same with DS9 and especially Enterprise. Tired and unexceptional.

LOST - ... the plot by around S3, and with it my time and patience.


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## Khuratokh (Sep 18, 2016)

HanaBi said:


> VOYAGER/DS9/ENTERPRISE - Voyager, could have been a worthy successor to NextGen, but wayward scripts, disjointed story-arcs, and lead characters I had little or no empathy for, meant I called it quits after S2. Same with DS9 and especially Enterprise. Tired and unexeptional.


You stopped watching DS9 after it's second season? Understandable if a little unfortunate. It gets a lot better come season 4. Once the Dominion war kicks off and it starts to take it's toll on the characters.

Can you honestly say TNG was perfect in the first two seasons? These old shows unfortunately need a lot of time to find their feet, which can be turn off for new viewers. But they can be rwarding if you see them through. 
(Same goes for Breaking Bad.)


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## HanaBi (Sep 18, 2016)

Khuratokh said:


> You stopped watching DS9 after it's second season? Understandable if a little unfortunate. It gets a lot better come season 4. Once the Dominion war kicks off and it starts to take it's toll on the characters.
> 
> Can you honestly say TNG was perfect in the first two seasons? These old shows unfortunately need a lot of time to find their feet, which can be turn off for new viewers. But they can be rwarding if you see them through.
> (Same goes for Breaking Bad.)



I would agree with you on all points. However, just how long can you devote to a poor-starting show? Stick with it until S3, 4 or 5 and hope things kick in? Is it not possible for a show to hit the road running from day 1? "Game of Thrones" and "The Sopranos" ticked all the boxes right from the oft.


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## Khuratokh (Sep 18, 2016)

HanaBi said:


> I would agree with you on all points. However, just how long can you devote to a poor-starting show? Stick with it until S3, 4 or 5 and hope things kick in? Is it not possible for a show to hit the road running from day 1? "Game of Thrones" and "The Sopranos" ticked all the boxes right from the oft.


Sure it is, but those shows are more the exeption than the rule. Also GOT is based on a succesful book series so it's plot and characters were mostly laid out before it even aired. So I'd hardly consider it a fair comparison.


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## Frost Giant (Sep 20, 2016)

Khuratokh said:


> Can you honestly say TNG was perfect in the first two seasons? These old shows unfortunately need a lot of time to find their feet, which can be turn off for new viewers.


This is true. Often due to network interference, changes in the writing room or show runners leaving the first two seasons can be uneven. TNG is a great example of this. 
Not every show can be an instant hit from episode one, although it can happen. I thought Fringe was good from the start, for example.


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## Khuratokh (Sep 20, 2016)

Frost Giant said:


> This is true. Often due to network interference, changes in the writing room or show runners leaving the first two seasons can be uneven. TNG is a great example of this.
> Not every show can be an instant hit from episode one, although it can happen. I thought Fringe was good from the start, for example.


But even that started out as a "monster of the week" show.


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## logan_run (Sep 20, 2016)

Buffy the vampire slayer.


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## Frost Giant (Sep 21, 2016)

Khuratokh said:


> But even that started out as a "monster of the week" show.


I don't agree, in the case of Fringe there was an overall plot in motion that was larger than any one episode. The show runners had a definite plan there and I thought they were very consistent. The quality of the show didn't suffer through it's run, that's why I thought it was worth picking up on blu-ray.
The X-Files was a show that routinely abandoned it's supposed mythology for isolated "monster of the week" shows. Some of those were still good on their own (Folie à deux was a good one) while some were pretty lame. Although it was deemed a successful show, the quality of the X-Files seemed to vary greatly throughout it's run.


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## Khuratokh (Sep 22, 2016)

Frost Giant said:


> I don't agree, in the case of Fringe there was an overall plot in motion that was larger than any one episode. The show runners had a definite plan there and I thought they were very consistent. The quality of the show didn't suffer through it's run, that's why I thought it was worth picking up on blu-ray.
> The X-Files was a show that routinely abandoned it's supposed mythology for isolated "monster of the week" shows. Some of those were still good on their own (Folie à deux was a good one) while some were pretty lame. Although it was deemed a successful show, the quality of the X-Files seemed to vary greatly throughout it's run.


I concede to your point. It just irks me when people expect a series to be good from the getgo and not give it a chance to grow. If you've watched it all and still think it sucks, sure that's ok, at least you made the effort.
It's like when people say 
- "I hate Dr. Who" 
-"have you seen any episodes?"
-"I saw a bit of " love and monsters" so I got the gist of it"
-"............"


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## Dave (Sep 22, 2016)

Khuratokh said:


> I concede to your point. It just irks me when people expect a series to be good from the getgo and not give it a chance to grow. If you've watched it all and still think it sucks, sure that's ok, at least you made the effort.


But my life is way too short to watch things that (i) I'm never going to like, or (ii) It's so poor that it won't get any better.
_
Exactly how long is it reasonable to continue watching something before giving up on it?_

I gave _Agents of Shield_ two episodes, I gave the new _Cold Feet_ only one. I gave _Lost_ a whole three Seasons!

BTW I've watched Dr. Who since I was still learning to walk, but I stopped because it was on a downward spiral and even my (then) teenage kids stopped, but I'm not its target audience, so I doubt they care.


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## Khuratokh (Sep 23, 2016)

Dave said:


> But my life is way too short to watch things that (i) I'm never going to like, or (ii) It's so poor that it won't get any better.
> _
> Exactly how long is it reasonable to continue watching something before giving up on it?_
> 
> ...


It was but an example. I could have said the "the Phantom Menace" for Star Wars or Voyager's "threshhold" for the entirety of Star Trek.

Perhaps consult a fan if you're not sure if it's worth investing in?
Agents of Shield gets good about 3/4 through the first season with it's big twist. and then keeps getting better each season it's on air.


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## Dave (Sep 23, 2016)

Khuratokh said:


> Perhaps consult a fan if you're not sure if it's worth investing in?


I usually read what has been posted here first and they are never wrong.


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## JunkMonkey (Sep 23, 2016)

Dave said:


> But my life is way too short to watch things that (i) I'm never going to like, or (ii) It's so poor that it won't get any better.
> _
> Exactly how long is it reasonable to continue watching something before giving up on it?_
> 
> ...




Who _is_ the target audience for _Dr Who_ these days?

I just nearly gave up on _Cleopatra 2525 _which my kids just bought me for my birthday. Gina Torres in hot pants, people! (My kids know me so well.) But it was awful!  The first two episodes left me with that sinking, 'oh dear' feeling. Then...  Episode 3 has Gina's character losing the other two of the Charlie's Angels type hot babe team in a game of Kerplunk played in a fetish bar that makes _Farscape's Scratch 'N Sniff _episode look like _Voyager's_ commissary.  I think I may just make it to the end of the season.


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