Yeah, I know. There is plenty of TV to watch, so just pick something else. Which we probably will do. But my wife and I were looking for just a pleasant “dramedy” series with several eps, and were hoping this would fit the bill.
4 eps in, we are. both finding the 2 main characters - especially the mom - unbearable. We might give the daughter a pass as a teen, but the mom is just unceasingly immature and irresponsible, yet gives the impression she feels she ought to be considered excusably adorable. In the 4 eps, 3 major plot points have involved oversleeping (twice) and lacking any clean laundry.
The pilot seemed to have potential enough; we figured/hoped the lead characters would develop over time. But, instead, they seem to be doubling down on the, “isn’t my incompetence and immaturity cute!” We’re probably going to just pull the plug, but I’m tossing this out as a hail Mary…
If they’re annoying you now, it isn’t going to get much better for you. At some point it gets worse for while.
My wife liked the show, I never loved it but found it watchable. But Lorelai remains immature-like (or a free-spirit to be kinder) for a good portion of the run.
Oh you are not going to like the show…If “the mom is just unceasingly immature and irresponsible,” which is a central premise of the show, is a problem…best to move on.
I haven’t watched it in years, but my impression was that the actors all talk unnaturally fast, as if they need to cram 90 minutes of dialog into a 60 minute show.
It’s a strange show in that you really have to kind of… slip into the rhythms of how everyone talks and interacts. I hated it at first and then once I made peace with the “style” of the show, enjoyed it enough to watch the whole thing (I never bothered with the brief revival, though…)
Yeah, if you don’t like her now, you’re probably not going to like her later.
Every character on the show is supposed to be quirkily adorable in their own way. Lorelei was my least favorite character, but I really liked the show and enjoyed all the other characters. It’s where Melissa McCarthy got her start, and she does a wonderful job with her character (as they all do). If I hadn’t seen MM in this before I saw some of her other movies, idk if I would have gotten the love for her. I miss seeing Kirk, Michel, and the town troubadour.
I don’t think I have the mental stamina to rewatch the show, though.
Mrs Mouse loved the show (I can’t believe it’s been over 20 years!) and I had to watch it with her. Well I guess twenty years ago I wanted to spend time with her :-). I would complain about both the characters being incredibly self absorbed, and the mother being immature in the extreme. She did not appreciate this critique and I learned to shut up and watch. At some point even she got tired of the characters.
Good practice for when I would later endure Kipper the Dog, KC Undercover and MacGyver with Mini Mouse.
I was trying to think of a way to explain what bothered me about that show. You nailed it! I didn’t watch it when it first came out. About a year ago, I was looking for a series to watch and thought I’d try Gilmore Girls. I had always thought it might be something I’d like. I watched 2, maybe 3 episodes and gave it up. I could not stand the way they talked. It was like fast, one-liners.
If memory serves, the average tv script at the time was about 55-60 pages…GmoreG scripts were average 70 pages. (I wrote spec scripts for it back when I was trying to be a tv writer in LA 20 years ago)
The pace of their talking never bothered me. We’ve always liked “talky” TV a la Sorkin. But neither of us care for characters who fuck up yet deny any responsibility. Especially when they are living in a manner well beyond their obvious means/effort, and have some source of endless wealth.
Really typical was the 4th ep. Rory was supposedly studying for a test, so she stayed up late, and Lorolei crouched next to her covering both with a blanket. Well, you KNEW she was going to oversleep. So the kid is driving to school - late - but on the phone to ask a friend about something in her notes that she wants to check WHILE LATE AND DRIVING TO SCHOOL! She gets to school late and is not allowed to take the test. When her mom is defending her, the dean says something like “fucking up has repercussions.” Lorolei says, “That’s not who she is!”
Well, yeah it is. She (and you) fucked up by not setting an alarm. And then, of course, the school gives her extra credit or something, so there ARE no real repercussions. There are way too many fuck-ups denying personal responsibility IRL. We have zero interest in such people being presented as heroes in our entertainment.
We knew it was a bad sign when we realized the character we felt most empathy for was the grandmother - whom Lorolei presented as some unreasonable bitch!
I had hoped it would be a nice character rich cast - a la Northern Exposure. But I can’t commit to a show if I’m going to keep hating the main characters.
