Arrested Development

[Angle-plex 0]

I thought the acting for a few of the main characters SUCKED.

 

All right, that's just wrong. The cast has terrific comic timing and chemistry, and some great physical comedians. And they're by and large good actors, and the characters are well-developed for a sitcom. You can dislike the comedy, but the cast is through-and-through superb. Especially George Michael.

 

I like David Cross and love Jeffrey Tambor and a couple of the other ones weren't bad either, but some of them were awful. I can't remember who but I do remember being unimpressed with a few of them.

[Special K 0]

Well, Charlize Theron and Martin Short and some others are bad. The only cast member who's unimpressive is Portia Di Rossi, and she's actually pretty good, her character just doesn't get many good lines. The kid, Michael Cera (AKA George Michael) is a little tough to get a handle on, but once you recognize that he's been parented to death, his nervous, shy act, (and best comic timing on the show) grows on you very quickly. Especially when he's trying to act cool.

[bob_barron 0]

Charlize Theron was pretty good but yea, Martin Short sure sucked.

 

A lot of people don't like Maggie Lizer, but those episodes got me into the show and I love the dog walking into the garbage can.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Maggie Lizer was hilarious. The dog in the garbage can actually made me spit beverage everywhere. Foolish me for drinking. I was high as balls too, but I bet it would have happened anyway.

[SuperJerk 0]

This is the most overrated sitcom in the history of western civilization.

I didn't see anyone talking about "Friends".

[Brush with Greatness 0]

I just watched Episode 2 of Season 2 Again. I totally missed the "Seaward" joke the first time around.

 

Michael: Get rid of the Seaward.

Lucille: I'll leave when I'm good and ready.

 

Fuck did that kill me. I can't believe I missed it the first time around.

[SuperJerk 0]

Steve Holt!

[starvenger 0]

All I heard for a week was how I wasn't "smart enough" to like the show, which lead to me hating it more.

Yeah, I'd probably do that too. I can be a stubborn bastard.

 

I didn't see anyone talking about "Friends".

That's because it isn't the most overrated sitcom. But it's almost a requirement for the online community to bash it.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Let's all welcome the Fox network to TSM, everybody! Hey, Fox!

 

 

btw David Cross might be the best one on AD, but I've been watching a lot of Mr. Show since I got it on Sunday. If you have season 1-2 on DVD, check out the episode where Senator Tankerbell is at the folk arts festival talking to David Cross's character who is playing with the wobbly-leg guy, and listen to the song he sings. Conceptual continuity. There's another one I caught somewhere, but I forgot.

[C Dubya 04 0]

Actually, I think that Friends is rather underrated by people (particularly those who are trying to be cool).

 

The first couple seasons of Friends were great. They were 6 New Yorkers who didn't have a lot of money (most of them) and there were some great real scenes in the show. Then, it went way down hill (particularly when Chandler and Monica got together and he had his balls cut off), but the first few seasons were truely great.

[Special K 0]

Seinfeld was great. And AD is better.

[Placebo Effect 0]

I posted this in the other thread, but I might as well put it here.

 

Only Arrested Development could make jokes with the Blue Man Group as the launching pad for more than half a season and have nearly every single one be funny.

 

I watched the first five episodes of season two last night and was reminded how much I LOVE the show.

[SuperJerk 0]

I didn't see anyone talking about "Friends".

That's because it isn't the most overrated sitcom. But it's almost a requirement for the online community to bash it.

 

"Friends" was overrated not by the online community, but by the people who actually matter, i.e. the entertainment media as a whole (especially during its final season) and the viewing public (which continued to make it a top ten show for years after its expiration date)...both of which are considerably bigger and more influential than the online community. So, YES, "Friends" was the most overrated sitcom of all time.

[starvenger 0]

I didn't see anyone talking about "Friends".

That's because it isn't the most overrated sitcom. But it's almost a requirement for the online community to bash it.

 

"Friends" was overrated not by the online community, but by the people who actually matter, i.e. the entertainment media as a whole (especially during its final season) and the viewing public (which continued to make it a top ten show for years after its expiration date)...both of which are considerably bigger and more influential than the online community. So, YES, "Friends" was the most overrated sitcom of all time.

I need to word my sentences better or something, because I look at this and realize the two aren't really related. That second sentence should probably be a standalone comment that says "It IS, however, almost a requirement for the online community to bash it." Whether it's actually overrated or not is irrelevant. Saying "Friends sucks" is one of those things that people say in order to fit in on message boards.

 

Now, about the overrated part...

 

I grant you the final season hoopla, because the media does love them some "final season of <insert show here>" hype. 'Friends' wasn't the first to get this treatment, nor was it the last - 'Raymond' got the same thing last year. Can we then say that all sitcoms are overrated because of overhype in the final season? Or had they all simply overstayed their welcome? Certainly this seems to be a trend with hit sitcoms, as nowadays they rarely seem to go out at the top of their game.

 

As for the enterainment media, they've been pretty big fans of AD and Family Guy, so are we to say that the media overrates them?

 

As for the viewing public... I think that what the ratings families will give a "yay" or "nay" to is a real mystery to everyone. But the popularity of some shows seems to endure because the families got on board at the beginning. And for about seven years, 'Friends' was pretty damn good. But the last three? Not so much. So did the viewing public overrate the show? It all depends on your point of view, I guess.

[SuperJerk 0]

I wasn't counting magazines like Entertainment Weekly or internet sites which probably do like AD better.

 

This is just my take on it, but the hype NBC gave "Friends" (plus the "pull-at-your-heart-strings" ad campaign, coverage on the Today Show, fucking Oprah, etc.) exceeded the hype "Raymond" got from CBS (which was more along the lines of "hey, this is the last chance to see a new episode of this funny show" rather than "spend one last evening for the 6 people who've been such a big part of your life for the last 10 years and you'll miss them so much...pass me a tissue"), or "Fraiser" got from NBC this past year. NBC was acting like the last episode of "Friends" was the most important event in the history of television, and it got quite sickening. I was also basing that on a random sampling of people I know who ALL just thought "Friends" was so goddamn funny (my parents, wife, wife's family, kids at school, co-workers, etc.).

[Placebo Effect 0]

NBC treated it like a huge event because it could. No matter how much publicity was given to Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier's finales, they would never seem "cool" to the same huge of people that loved Friends. Both had their audiences and there was very little chance of expanding them at those points. While most critics said that ELR was same old same old, and Frasier had dipped considerably, critics were saying that Friends was hitting creative peaks.

 

Plus, Frasier's finale was happening because NBC didn't want the show anymore. When you're paying $5 million an episode, ratings that were reguarly between 8.0 and 10.0 don't cut it.

 

Personally, I'll never sit down and watch a Friends episode by myself, but if the significant other puts one on, I don't bitch. It's one thing to dislike it, but most people who hate the show hate it because it's the cool thing to do.

[SuperJerk 0]

NBC treated it like a huge event because it could. No matter how much publicity was given to Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier's finales, they would never seem "cool" to the same huge of people that loved Friends. Both had their audiences and there was very little chance of expanding them at those points. While most critics said that ELR was same old same old, and Frasier had dipped considerably, critics were saying that Friends was hitting creative peaks.

 

Plus, Frasier's finale was happening because NBC didn't want the show anymore. When you're paying $5 million an episode, ratings that were reguarly between 8.0 and 10.0 don't cut it.

 

Personally, I'll never sit down and watch a Friends episode by myself, but if the significant other puts one on, I don't bitch. It's one thing to dislike it, but most people who hate the show hate it because it's the cool thing to do.

 

You're really not saying anything that contradicts my point. "Friends" was overrated.

[Placebo Effect 0]

NBC treated it like a huge event because it could. No matter how much publicity was given to Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier's finales, they would never seem "cool" to the same huge of people that loved Friends. Both had their audiences and there was very little chance of expanding them at those points. While most critics said that ELR was same old same old, and Frasier had dipped considerably, critics were saying that Friends was hitting creative peaks.

 

Plus, Frasier's finale was happening because NBC didn't want the show anymore. When you're paying $5 million an episode, ratings that were reguarly between 8.0 and 10.0 don't cut it.

 

Personally, I'll never sit down and watch a Friends episode by myself, but if the significant other puts one on, I don't bitch. It's one thing to dislike it, but most people who hate the show hate it because it's the cool thing to do.

 

You're really not saying anything that contradicts my point. "Friends" was overrated.

 

Friends was that kind of show that had what was needed to get that kind of advertising. Neither Frasier nor Everybody Loves Raymond could've succesfully been given the "greatest sitcom of all time" treatment.

 

That's all that I'm saying.

[Damaramu 0]

How is it overrated if all those people like it. Just because YOU personally don't find it funny doesn't mean that other people can't find it funny and like it. Because YOU personally don't think it's entertaining or worthy of any hype doesn't mean that other people don't feel that.

That's the problem it seems when people don't like a TV show. Just because they don't like it then the people that watch it must not know what good TV is or whatever. Get off it.

[Anorak 0]

This is the most overrated sitcom in the history of western civilization.

 

No, that would be Seinfeld. Nothing can be more overrated than that. Nothing.

 

Ok, the two most overrated of all time. I found Seinfeld mildly amusing actually, better than AD anyway.

[Slayer 0]

Speaking of overrated, why is CBS hyping up this new Jenna Elfman sitcom?

 

She's not terribly funny (as proven by her other overrated sitcom) and not that great to look at

[SuperJerk 0]

How is it overrated if all those people like it.

 

Because truth does not rely on the number of believers.

McDonald's is the number one restaraunt in the world, but most of the food tastes like crap.

[Cowboy Battlenuts 0]

Taste and humor are based on individual preference, so if there is to be any true measure of universal quality it could only be based on who's got bigger numbers.

 

In summary, just because it's not funny to you doesn't mean it's not funny.

[SuperJerk 0]

Taste and humor are based on individual preference, so if there is to be any true measure of universal quality it could only be based on who's got bigger numbers.

 

 

"I'm lovin' it."

[Anorak 0]

I've eaten at McDonald's maybe twice in my whole life and i've never watched an episode of Freinds from beginning to end. I wouldn't know universal quality if it bit me on the bum.

 

Taste and humor are based on individual preference, just because it's not funny to you doesn't mean it's not funny to others.

 

True, and thank goodness for that I say.

[SuperJerk 0]

 

Everybody's missing the point.

 

The point of me bringing up McDonald's was to show that majority rule is not a good way to determine quality, since the quality of McDonald's food is clearly subpar.

 

The point of me bringing up the vast popularity of "Friends" was to show that the general consensus of opinion is that is was a really good show. "Friends" was a good show, but not as good as most people act like it was. Hence, it was over-rated.

 

Or, at least, it is far more over-rated than "Arrested Development", which relies on being genuinely clever to be funny, rather than relying on catch-phrases and sarcastic dialogue. The entire strength of "Friends" was its cast, who worked really hard to make mediocre plots and predictable punchlines seem funnier than they actually were.

[starvenger 0]

The point of me bringing up the vast popularity of "Friends" was to show that the general consensus of opinion is that is was a really good show. "Friends" was a good show, but not as good as most people act like it was. Hence, it was over-rated.

And I think from that we get back to "matter of opinion". Because in my opinion, the show was as good as I act like it was. Hence, it was, in my opinion, NOT overrated. Overhyped, definitely. But not overrated.

[Cowboy Battlenuts 0]

Yeah who the hell says a steak prepared by a top chef tastes any better than a burger from McD's, other than the person eating it?

 

It's all preference, there is no "clearly subpar" food, just like there is no "clearly subpar" comedy. If it tastes good you eat it, if it's funny it makes you laugh. There's no table of measurement beyond that.

[Slayer 0]

Friends sucked, and you suck for liking it

 

Take that, you tolerance preachers!

[Special K 0]

So American Idol is clearly the most entertaining thing on the entire planet. And shitty pop stars like Britney Spears are the best musicians of the past 5 years, even though no one listens to their music anymore.

 

And the Nielson's aren't skewed at all, even though they exclude college students.

 

Look at the DVD sales of AD. people who HAVE seen the show despite FOX's shitty marketing obviously feel passionately about the show, and buy the DVD's. I know a number of people (myself included) who think it's really, actually, the funniest show they've ever seen.

 

Trying to turn a discussion into being about Platonic ideals is almost as bad as comparing something to Hitler.