It’s an axiom in TV that people watch shows because they like or otherwise care about the characters. Plot and story and are, in theory, secondary. Today’s House which had very little of the medical mysteries and Doctor banter I watch the show for, got me thinking that as much as I enjoy the show, I couldn’t care less about the characters. I find House entertaining but I can’t be bothered with all the interpersonal stuff (which today’s episode had in spades unfortunately). Anyone else have shows like that? Like watching but couldn’t care less about the characters on them.
Does “reality” count? Because if so I’ll say Pawn Stars. I couldn’t give less of a damn about anything to do with Big Hoss and Chum and Grandpa and the Skipper or whatever, but I like the appraisals and the telling about the items.
For regular TV shows I like Weeds but I’ve never figured out why. There’s not a single likable character on the show- not even the kids- and if they were all were blown up by the Colombian cartel in the series finale it wouldn’t phase me in the least save for the show being over, but again- the show itself I for some reason like.
Seinfeld.
The Office.
Survivor. At least, since I stopped watching it halfway through season 2. Less alliance bickering, more rat eating!
The various iterations of Star Trek and Law & Order are this for me; when I like them (not always), it’s pretty much because of concepts not characters.
Mad Men. I’m only as far as season two, so maybe they characters will grow on me, but so far I watch it for the sets and the nostalgia. There isn’t a character in it I’d cross the street to have a three martini lunch with.
2 1/2 Men. Not ONE redeeming character.
Lost, of course. Screw the characters. I didn’t care if they lived or died. Answer the damn questions you raised! See also the final season of BSG.
Nitpick: Three martinis would be an appetizer.
I’ll admit there are several shows I’ve watched because of the eye candy: later episodes of Saved By the Bell and Dawson’s Creek come to mind.
bolding mine
I would agree with you about Law and Order for almost all the characters. Jerry Orbach’s character of Lenny Brisco is a HUGE exception to this. I still watched, and even enjoyed the show after he passed away but it was never the same.
Moving back a few years, how many people remember L.A. Law? I liked the show. I thought it had a good blend of absurdist comedy and drama. The characters though were basically cookie cutter interchangeable.
As a matter of fact, every time I watch Law & Order and I see Dann Florek, I think of him of the guy who had the hots for whats-her-name (Arnie’s secretary) on L.A. Law.
I was entertained by the first two or three seasons of Weeds, but had no liking at all for any of the characters.
My first thought, upon seeing the OP, was House. I was just telling my sister the other day, that while I don’t TiVo house, I do watch it when it’s on. I probably catch 2-3 episodes a week (reruns) and make a half-assed attempt to watch the new shows on Monday’s. I’ve been doing this for the last 2 or 3 seasons. In all that time, I still don’t know the difference between Chase and Wilson, I have no idea where Thirteen came from or how she got that name…or who she dates or did date or wait, I think she’s a lesbian. I played in a House themed Mafia last year and my character was “Cut-Throat Bitch”, someone I’ve never heard of.
Yup, I’m really just in it for the Patient of the Week. In fact, I think they really do a great job of catering to both the fan and the casual watcher.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
There is a difference between shows where you don’t like the characters, and shows where you don’t care about the characters.
For me, Seinfeld is the best example of the first. I don’t like any of the characters, but I watch the show to see what they do. If you replaced all the characters, it would ruin the show.
Law & Order is what I think about for the second. I like some of the characters, but I really don’t care if they are replaced. In fact, I stopped watching SVU because it became too much about the characters instead of the cases. The whole reason I like the L&O shows was you could watch any episode at any time without having to figure out what was going on in the characters lives that you missed.
I feel this way about most of the iterations of Law & Order, but I will admit that I particularly enjoy the version of Criminal Intent with Vincent D’Onofrio and Katherine Erbe.
Not that I’ve watched it in a couple of seasons but Grey’s Anatomy had a hold on me for a while, yet I didn’t give a crap about any of the characters and had an active dislike for the lead character.
Wasn’t “Thirty Something” the original “hit show in spite of the cast all being a bunch of whiny a-holes”?
I came into the thread to say this.
I don’t know about that. But I will say that Boston Legal has some of the same appeal as L. A. Law, but Boston Legal very much depends on its characters.
This is an excellent point.
Here’s my answer: CSI. (If it matters, I’ve only seen the first season.) Enjoyed the mysteries and crime-solving, wasn’t that interested in the characters and their personal issues.
Yes, and when I wrote the OP I had the latter in mind but all responses are welcome. I don’t dislike the characters on House, I just don’t care about their personal problems but yet still enjoy the show (for the most part).