If I may put on my curmudgeon hat for a second... ahem...Dammit! I can't deal with this crap anymore! Here is what the entertainment press seems to consist of these days:
Sopranos! Lost! American Idol! More American Idol! More Sopranos! More Lost! Lost Idol! American Sopranos! SoIdol! Lopranos!
ENOUGH! I'm getting tired of the entertainment press overhyping certain shows to the point where I don't even have to watch them to know exactly what's happening on them.
(Just ask me the names of all the previous Idol winners. I know 'em like I know who won the last four Super Bowls. And I haven't watched more than five seconds of the show since it began. That's the power of media saturation, folks.)
Yes, I understand that The Sopranos and Lost are quality shows with big fan bases. And yes, I'm pretty sure that if I actually saw them, I'd like them (I don't have HBO and don't intend on giving my life away to Sopranos DVDs, and I've already expressed my reasons why I don't watch Lost). As for Idol, well, I just won't touch that show with a sterilized 20-foot pole. I just don't want to have the minutae of each show shoved down my throat on a daily basis by the print and electronic media.
You know what set me off? The endless coverage that the just-started season of The Sopranos received in my -- and the show's, considering we're both based in New Jersey -- hometown paper, The Star-Ledger. For the last two weeks, I couldn't open the damn paper without seeing a shot of the mugs of either James Gandolfini or David Chase. Episode breakdowns; profiles of every two-bit mobster character actor on the show; previews of previews; and finally, the review of the show itself today. Critic Alan Sepinwall, who wrote most of the material about the show, details the extent of his exhaustive coverage on his blog. The show was in my face so much, I spit out my coffee in anger every time I saw yet another new article.
I couldn't escape the show by picking up another paper, though; there was extensive coverage in every damn paper, from the tabloids to The New York Times, often interviewing the same players over and over. Heck, even my favorite fake news shows were caught in the Sopranos vortex; Stephen Colbert had Lorraine Bracco on his show last week.
This is all just a little insane, don't you think? There are plenty of other quality shows on TV, as we all know. But it seems like the press coverage of them is ridiculously uneven. First Desperate Housewives is the media darling, geting story after story, then Grey's Anatomy comes along and blows it out of the media watercooler. Arrested Development gets blanket coverage until the last episodes run, then everyone forgets about it when The Sopranos comes back after two years. Survivor gets boring and Idol takes its place. Meanwhile, other good shows, like Monk and Two and a Half Men get little or no press attention (especially Men; even though it's the highest-rated comedy on TV, it doesn't even exist to the critics... it's too bad; it's a pretty funny show).
Wouldn't it be better and more interesting if some of the redundant Sopranos or Idol coverage could be given over to other worthy programs (do I really need to read about David Chase in the Ledger, the Times, and TV Guide)? Or in this vast nation of TV watchers are we truly just interested in three shows? Let me know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-13-2006 @ 8:11PM
100 ipod movies said...
Yeah, I personally dont watch all 4 shows but I know quite a lot about them.
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3-13-2006 @ 8:18PM
Jason said...
My girlfriend and I are making our way through the Sopranos DVDs since she hadn't seen the show before. Each season is only 13 episodes, and with 5 seasons on DVD, it's really not the big of deal to watch that way compared to 24 for example.
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3-13-2006 @ 8:56PM
Dorv said...
Ok... Won't watch Lost or the Sopranos... Staying away Idol with a ten foot pole.
Just because you are a Blogger here, and you're arguement is so, strong... I feel the strong desire to ask: What is it that you watch?
I mean, I like Lost (quite a bit, actually), I don't like Idol much (I love the performances and the competition, but the stalling and the repetiveness drives me up the wall); my feelings on the Soprano's are a mixed bag... In my mind, is it one of the best shows on television? Yes. Is it one of my favorites? No. Do I like it enough to have added HBO to my DirecTV subscription at least through the run? Yes.
But seriously... What do you watch if you won't even give two of these a shot?
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3-13-2006 @ 9:46PM
Samsara said...
Not sure if Joel likes anything..
Although for the first time, I agree with you. Whenever something gets overexposed, I get leary about it. Look at Desperate Housewives, it was a great show for a few episodes and now I don't even know what I'm watching when I turn it on.
Some shows are media darlings for a bit and then the bricks start to get thrown.
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3-13-2006 @ 10:13PM
Joel Keller said...
I do seem to have the most "Things I hate" posts, don't I?
Well, call me the "Andy Rooney" of the group, then.
I like plenty of shows... Scrubs, Arrested Development, Gilmore Girls (which I recap every week!), Grey's Anatomy, Two and a Half Men, pretty much any game show ever made, How I Met Your Mother, SNL (when it's good), ER (when it WAS good), CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, The Office, Sons & Daughters, Earl, This Old House, Ask This Old House ...
Just because I don't like the shows everyone else does (although I think Grey's is a fairly popular show, no?) doesn't mean I don't like anything. I just don't like it when anyone or thing is overexposed. Heck, in 1984 I hated Prince because Purple Rain was everywhere, and in 1987 I hated U2 because I couldn't get away from "With or Without You". I was obviously more disgusted with the hype than with the music, since both Prince and U2 are all over my current CD collection...
Oh, and, like I said, I'm sure I'd like The Sopranos or Lost if I started watching them. I just choose to not get invested in either show at this late date.
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3-13-2006 @ 11:31PM
Dorv said...
Pretty good list :)
I found Scrubs recently (Fell in love with ZB after Garden State) and love it. I've tried to like Gilmore, but I only find I like it at times (Can't explain it, I think I should like it, but I just can't get myself that worked up about it). I like Grey's but its funny that the only reason that I started to watch it was the Postal Service song (which was covered by Iron Hand in Garden State). LOVE HIMYM. To death. Alot. Still watch ER, even though I know I shouldn't :).
That's it, as far as common interests. I was more curious than anything else.
Thanks!
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3-14-2006 @ 12:09AM
Dave said...
Joel,
I don't know if you read the Lost posts on this site, but people frequently complain about the pacong of the show.
I am of the opinion that this season started off so slowly intentionally so that people late to the game, such as yourself, could actually get on board.
Now, I'm hoping they stop that nonsense and get on with the story line! But, just know that the writers and programming people were thinkin' of ya!
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3-14-2006 @ 12:26AM
Keith McDuffee said...
Now I'm not saying Joel's like this, but one of my relatives (who'll go unmentioned) hates shows just because they're popular, and I fucking hate that reason. It's an elitist action I can't stand.
If something's enjoyable, and you enjoy it for what it is, why the hell would you not watch it? Because you hate conformity? Oh, go crawl back into your bohemian hole.
I just hope that you (Joel) give shows a fair viewing before tossing them aside, just because your radio, newspaper and computer blare out their names to you. I could say the same thing about all the Arrested Development "please save/watch this show" email, posts and comments I've seen since being on TV Squad, and that's a show I really did try to watch. The begging and whining about the show's demise was unbearable at times.
Sorry -- I'm laying out on you when this is something I should say to this relative of mine, not you. :)
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3-14-2006 @ 12:35AM
Joel Keller said...
You're projecting your distate with your relative onto me, Keith. Like I said, I do like very popular and overhyped shows -- Arrested, Grey's -- I just get pissed at a entertainment media system that doesn't have anything better to do than to beat us over the head with redundant articles about the same three shows. I've stated my reasons why I don't watch those three shows, and none of them have to do with their popularity.
And I know where you're coming from with your relative... I used to hate bands merely because they were popular, as I stated in my last comment. However, after I saw how the music snobs at my college used to love a band then turn around and hate it the minute it got popular (the Nirvana backlash of '92 was especially severe), I decided that it was better to hate the hype than to hate the product.
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3-14-2006 @ 4:09AM
wassily said...
6. Dorv: "the Postal Service song (which was covered by Iron Hand in Garden State)."
I think you mean Iron & Wine. :-)
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3-14-2006 @ 6:56AM
Hugh McCallion said...
Over here in the UK we're still getting stung by the Depserate Housewives bee, repeated five times a week i think. Lost's ratings are slipping because no one cares very much anymore. The Sopranos are still massive, and rightly so methinks, fantastic show although we don't get local papers blanket-coverage of televsion, that's just weird. As for American Idol-which we were more than happy to offload on you lot-get ready for X-Factor. Been on the last two years and ready to start a third in the summer, it's American Idol but the judges pick the acts and then represent them. Honestly, the biggest load of tat ever. Mr. Cowell still involved, and Sharon Osbourne is one of the judges, she makes Paula Abdul look like Quincy Jones.
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3-14-2006 @ 9:52AM
Keith McDuffee said...
Joel -- I was really just using an example of someone who uses your initial complaint as a big reason why they don't watch the show. Just a message to everyone -- please...give a show a chance before sitcking your nose up at the overcommecialization of a show.
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3-14-2006 @ 12:34PM
Dorv said...
Wassily: Yeah, I'm an idiot. I really do know that, and really do love that song :)
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3-15-2006 @ 12:25AM
Al said...
The Sopranos is the best show on T.v
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3-15-2006 @ 2:32AM
Maurice Tift said...
You've never watched LOST!! Well, that's OK. It's natural to resist joining the LOST collective at first. You're probably afraid that you'll watch it and start babbling about it and then you won't be able to watch other TV shows without saying "Hey, not bad for a non-LOST show!" and then you'll go to LOST conventions and all your non-LOST friends will leave you!! :)
.... but watch the DVD anyway - borrow it from someone and watch the pilot episode and in all seriousness, I don't think you'll see it as being overhyped.
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