This is so true. My tastes are incredibly middle-to-lowbrow by commenting-on-a-film-critics'-Substack standards---"the low-hanging-fruit cable dramas everyone watches". My sister is into the kind of "because he's MYYYY butler!" network TV that is just downright alien to me.
This is so true. My tastes are incredibly middle-to-lowbrow by commenting-on-a-film-critics'-Substack standards---"the low-hanging-fruit cable dramas everyone watches". My sister is into the kind of "because he's MYYYY butler!" network TV that is just downright alien to me.
Mama Cookie is obsessed with Young Sheldon for some reason, and me get that occasional reminder that, oh right, this show me have almost zero awareness of (and its predecessor) is hugely popular with Mr. & Mrs. America and ships at sea.
Side story: when Cookie Jr. was 5 or 6, he kept seeing ads for Big Bang Theory, and said he wanted to watch it, and turned it off after ten minutes because he was angry it not was about actual Big Bang. We ended up binge-watching Cosmos instead.
I've watched a lot of Big Bang Theory, and find it funny 10% of the time, dreary 80% of the time, and morally reprehensible 10% of the time. I mean, it's a Chuck Lorre sitcom. The first couple of seasons have an energy to them and the sitcom-vet cast is sitcom-vet funny. I've watched a little of Young Sheldon and don't find there to be much to it - it's just bland - almost like a Simpsons episode from the '10s. My concern isn't that it's not funny---my concern is that I'm not sure there was anything in there that was *meant* to be funny.
But, yes, the divide is a real thing. My sister recently branched out and tried a new-to-her show that is, by her standards, incredibly postmodern and adventurous: "The Office". And, honestly, I think that's really cool. We only broaden our horizons by broadening them.
> I'm not sure there was anything in there that was *meant* to be funny.
And me think that part of appeal to Mama Cookie. It just heartwarming slice of life with occasional joke. But she more invested in characters than show being funny. And that pretty easy trap for ostensible comedy show to fall into — past two seasons of Bob's Burgers have gone down that road.
And me agree that broadening horizons little by little always good thing. Me worked in bookstore years ago, and there was one very popular title in romance section that was straight-up porn. (Me not can remember actual title) It was hard to keep on shelf, because people bought it and people stole it. So when people ask for it, me would redirect them to romance author that was salacious, but not straight-up porn.
Then when people would ask for romance recommendations, me would steer them towards "chick-lit" type women's fiction. If me had been in that job long enough, me was confident me could get at least one customer from porn up to Toni Morrison given enough upward moves.
And US Office was postmodern and adventurous compared to American sitcoms that came before. That show debuted in Two and Half Men era, and it was very adventurous by comparison. It only seem watered-down and lowest-common-denominator because we all watched high wire act that was UK Office first.
This is so true. My tastes are incredibly middle-to-lowbrow by commenting-on-a-film-critics'-Substack standards---"the low-hanging-fruit cable dramas everyone watches". My sister is into the kind of "because he's MYYYY butler!" network TV that is just downright alien to me.
Mama Cookie is obsessed with Young Sheldon for some reason, and me get that occasional reminder that, oh right, this show me have almost zero awareness of (and its predecessor) is hugely popular with Mr. & Mrs. America and ships at sea.
Side story: when Cookie Jr. was 5 or 6, he kept seeing ads for Big Bang Theory, and said he wanted to watch it, and turned it off after ten minutes because he was angry it not was about actual Big Bang. We ended up binge-watching Cosmos instead.
Excellent kid.
I've watched a lot of Big Bang Theory, and find it funny 10% of the time, dreary 80% of the time, and morally reprehensible 10% of the time. I mean, it's a Chuck Lorre sitcom. The first couple of seasons have an energy to them and the sitcom-vet cast is sitcom-vet funny. I've watched a little of Young Sheldon and don't find there to be much to it - it's just bland - almost like a Simpsons episode from the '10s. My concern isn't that it's not funny---my concern is that I'm not sure there was anything in there that was *meant* to be funny.
But, yes, the divide is a real thing. My sister recently branched out and tried a new-to-her show that is, by her standards, incredibly postmodern and adventurous: "The Office". And, honestly, I think that's really cool. We only broaden our horizons by broadening them.
> I'm not sure there was anything in there that was *meant* to be funny.
And me think that part of appeal to Mama Cookie. It just heartwarming slice of life with occasional joke. But she more invested in characters than show being funny. And that pretty easy trap for ostensible comedy show to fall into — past two seasons of Bob's Burgers have gone down that road.
And me agree that broadening horizons little by little always good thing. Me worked in bookstore years ago, and there was one very popular title in romance section that was straight-up porn. (Me not can remember actual title) It was hard to keep on shelf, because people bought it and people stole it. So when people ask for it, me would redirect them to romance author that was salacious, but not straight-up porn.
Then when people would ask for romance recommendations, me would steer them towards "chick-lit" type women's fiction. If me had been in that job long enough, me was confident me could get at least one customer from porn up to Toni Morrison given enough upward moves.
And US Office was postmodern and adventurous compared to American sitcoms that came before. That show debuted in Two and Half Men era, and it was very adventurous by comparison. It only seem watered-down and lowest-common-denominator because we all watched high wire act that was UK Office first.