# Critically acclaimed & popular shows you dislike **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2009, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063 "2009-01-13T08:47:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/1 "2009-01-13T08:47:17Z")
Are there any current shows that are both critically acclaimed and popular that you dislike? For me it’s - The Office - 30 Rock ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/2 "2009-01-13T08:48:29Z")
While I don’t dislike them, I think the Sopranos and Seinfeld were overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/3 "2009-01-13T08:58:24Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > While I don’t dislike them, I think the Sopranos and Seinfeld were overrated. I guess “dislike” is too strong a word. I should have phrased the OP as “shows you don’t like”. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/4 "2009-01-13T09:04:03Z")
Battlestar Galactica (the remake, of course). But, to be fair, I’ve only seen the miniseries that launched it, being too turned off to bother moving on to the show proper. Friday Night Lights (is it popular? It’s definitely critically acclaimed). I watched one and a half seasons and still don’t understand why the critics went ga-ga over it. [By which I don’t mean that it’s a _bad_ show, per se, but despite reading what critics say about its sophisticated, nuanced portrayals of whatever and so forth, I’m just not seeing it] In both of these cases, they basically struck me as mired in cliche to an offputting degree, though I’m sure others, of course, disagree (as they must, given the criterion for selection). ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/5 "2009-01-13T09:09:02Z")
I also agree with **madmonk28** about Seinfeld being overrated, even though I enjoy it. The problem, in this case, isn’t so much with the show as with the bombastic levels of praise it receives. But this can’t count from me, I suppose, since I don’t dislike it. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/6 "2009-01-13T09:09:04Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > they basically struck me as mired in cliche to an offputting degree That’s what I thought when I saw 30 Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/7 "2009-01-13T09:12:40Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > I also agree with **madmonk28** about Seinfeld being overrated, even though I enjoy it. I enjoy Seinfeld, and, even though it is not perfect, I wouldn’t consider it overrated because how many other sitcoms spawned so many catchphrases and are still showing on TV after so many years? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/8 "2009-01-13T09:14:13Z")
Well, I would consider judging a show by how many catchphrases it has spawned and for how long it has continued to be shown on TV to be a flawed system of rating, one which can lead to overrating. Of course, everyone is going to disagree about everything in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/9 "2009-01-13T09:16:40Z")
I think \*The Mentalist \*bites. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/10 "2009-01-13T13:51:27Z")
Definitely **Seinfeld**. I actually liked **The Seinfeld Chronicles** quite a bit (the midsummer trial run), but once the series began, I lost interest in quickly. Jason Alexander has a way of destroying everything he’s connected with, and his George was just a complete schmuck who wasn’t funny in the slightest – Woody Allen, only more neurotic and nowhere near as funny. And the characters were always complete idiots for no other reason than to be complete idiots. Further, even the funny ideas were badly handled. I can’t force myself to watch any more than five minutes. **30 Rock** doesn’t work at all for me. The characters are so inconsistent from episode to episode and from scene to scene. There are some very funny ideas, but the execution is scientifically designed to suck all the humor from them. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/11 "2009-01-13T14:08:53Z")
**CSI**. Watched the first season or so and loved it, but once it occurred to me “Hey, crime scene techs don’t question suspects!,” the suspension of my disbelief snapped and I found it unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/12 "2009-01-13T14:33:03Z")
I’ll agree about **30 Rock**. It’s not a bad show it’s just grossly overrated. I may watch it if it’s on but it’s not something I actively seek out to watch. I actually thought all the hype for it was network generated and was puzzled over all the awards it got at the Golden Globes. I don’t really know anyone who considers this a “must see” show or even utters “30 Rock? Oh, I just looove that show!” On the other hand it is a show about the business and people in the business just looove shows about themselves. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/13 "2009-01-13T14:48:53Z")
**Arrested Development** - Never that popular, but I could never see what people and critics were so ga-ga over. It bored me to tears. **Deadwood, The Sopranos** - Just never clicked with me. I tried, but couldn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/14 "2009-01-13T15:18:36Z")
24, because in the first season, the whole thing having been hyped as a one-of-a-kind show with ‘real time’ events and whatnot, and the terrorist woman blows up a plain and jumps out, and alarm sirens ring everywhere, the troops are rallied, so to speak, phonecalls are made, and then we’re treated to a shot of her parachute opening. Just how far up were they supposed to be? However, that’s in itself a minor quibble my suspension of disbelief would have easily absorbed, but the rest of the show just wasn’t very interesting to me. Also, Seinfeld. I blame the show for helping create the delusion that wanton quirkiness makes you an interesting/funny/unique character. It doesn’t. It makes you look like a twat. Also, if any of the protagonists just had overcome even one of their ridiculous hangups even for one moment, most of the episodes wouldn’t have happened, and that’s just a lazy writing contrivance. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/15 "2009-01-13T15:26:31Z")
There’s so many, I hardly know where to start. I’m usually just not on the same page as everyone else & am constantly thinking something must be wrong with me cause I just don’t get it. Limiting this to TV, “The Office”, “Seinfeld”, and “CSI”. But also the original “I Love Lucy”, “The Honeymooners”, “Little House on the Prairie”, “Sopranos”. I’ll stop but I’m sure I could come up with plenty more. (If we did the same thing for books “The Golden Compass” would be at the top of my list.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/16 "2009-01-13T16:24:08Z")
_Curb Your Enthusiasm_ and \* The Wire\* have all been mentioned with some praise either here and by critics, and I just don’t like either. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/17 "2009-01-13T17:43:43Z")
The Daily Show. Just not that funny and I would think it would get boring resorting to your built in live audience to make a joke appear to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/18 "2009-01-13T19:49:36Z")
24 and Lost ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/19 "2009-01-13T19:57:57Z")
The more recent episodes of \*Lost. \*I loved Season 1, almost liked Season 2, barely tolerated Season 3 . . . I don’t even know what season it’s in now; I’ve totally “lost” interest. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063/20 "2009-01-13T20:06:36Z")
I just cannot understand why anybody ever thought Seinfeld was funny. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-popular-shows-you-dislike/481063.md?page=2)