# What shows do you hate but still watch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257 "2007-02-07T20:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/21 "2007-02-08T20:54:21Z")
Oh yes- forgot SNL. Watching this every week I know how Charlie Brown feels when Lucy pulls the football away- excited at first, then humiliation. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/22 "2007-02-08T21:09:09Z")
> [@](#): > > **myskepticsight** : I hate it and I watch it too. Don’t know why. Those snotty, spoiled kids piss me off to no end. They bitch about getting a one year old mint condition Range Rover and I’m here driving a ten year old Eclipse that was bought used and driven by ‘speed racer’ aka mom. And their parties are often tacky and look boring in the abscence of booze. The trainwreck quality of it…much like MTV’s True Life. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/23 "2007-02-08T21:17:26Z")
_Lost_ ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/24 "2007-02-09T03:38:47Z")
Snl. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/25 "2007-02-09T03:53:52Z")
**Beauty and the Geek** is mildly offensive, but it’s on right after some other show I watch. **The War At Home**. I know. Kill me now. They couldn’t even make it work with Seth McFarlane as a guest (though that was supposedly just a favor he did to a cast member he was schtupping). But again, on in between two great shows. Damn line-up. **SNL**. Like a car crash, and every week they mightmightmight make it out alive. Must start reading more. ---
**Author:** ![jacob\_wrestling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@jacob\_wrestling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacob_wrestling)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/26 "2007-02-09T04:12:16Z")
_Grey’s Anatomy_, goshdarnit. I’ve been trying to kick the habit, but all my friends are enablers, man. I watch _The Office_ and can’t extract myself from in front of the TV before Grey’s is on. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/27 "2007-02-09T05:47:04Z")
Every now and again, flipping through the channels, I come across **Saved by the Bell** or **Full House**. I can’t stand them, and I hate myself afterwards, but it’s like rubbernecking by a car wreck; I just have to watch, despite my efforts not to. I watched them both a lot as a kid and I think that is the source of their weird spell over me. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/28 "2007-02-09T05:57:04Z")
**Ready, Steady, Cook** here in Australia. It’s a competitive cooking show where contestants bring $20 worth of ingredients and two chefs help them make a meal in under 20 minutes. The host is incredibly annoying, seems to know very little about cooking, and the fun part is watching how the chefs react - you can tell some can barely stand him. When I was watching the other day, there was an exchange that went roughly like this: **French chef** : _says something that I can’t remember_ **Host** : I can’t understand you, your accent is too thick. **French chef** : _looks somewhat peeved_ **Host** : _thinking there was a misunderstanding_ I said your _accent_ was thick, not that you were thick. _gives the somewhat stocky chef a once-over_ Although you _are_ a bit thick. **French chef** : :eek: :mad: Australian television gold! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/29 "2007-02-09T06:25:51Z")
I don’t watch shows that I genuinely hate. But I do watch shows that will disappoint me overall because I find some aspect of them enjoyable or because I hope the current run of bad episodes is not indicative of the overall run of the series. _Lost_ and _Studio 60_ are two current examples of this. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/30 "2007-02-09T06:30:09Z")
Throwdown With Bobby Flay. I don’t like Flay, and I really don’t know why I watch it, except that the few times I’ve seen it Flay has lost so that’s makes it worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/31 "2007-02-09T06:36:35Z")
> [@](#): > > **Dooku** wrote: > Last night she was in St. Louis, my hometown, and pronounced it “Saint Lou-ee” each and every time until I was ready to beat her to death with my Ted Drewes. You’re a better soul than I am. I hate Hate HATE Rachael Ray with a passion that cannot be underestimated. I don’t usually watch her show, but Dad had it on one night while I was cruising the Straight Dope (the St. Louis ep, as a matter of fact) and it took all of my willpower not to reach through the screen and throttle her with my bare hands. Damn her vapid smile on my box of Sociables! So as not to make this a total hijack, I watched \*The \* X-Files right up to the bitter end, when it had become a hollow mockery of itself. And I still catch the re-runs. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/32 "2007-02-09T13:35:17Z")
**Smallville.** It’s awful, absolutely fucking awful. I suspect they write all the dialogue by rearranging magnetic phrases on a refrigerator. The characterization is so flat that it could be improved by importing porno writers. It only has an incidental resemblance to a superhero show most of the time. And yet, just when I’m about to give up on it, there’s a scene or episode that vaguely resembles something worthwhile and…I wind up trudging on for another episodes. Fucking Smallville. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/33 "2007-02-09T13:41:48Z")
**ER**. **ER** , and **ER**. **Studio 60**. and **ER**. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/34 "2007-02-09T13:47:35Z")
I’ll occasionally tune in to ER to see what new depths in inanity it has sunk to. ---
**Author:** ![Arrimus\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@Arrimus\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrimus_2)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/35 "2007-02-09T16:50:15Z")
'nother vote for Smallville. I’ll add Prison Break. Can’t stand PB, anything about it ('cept Haywire [and he’s dead!]), but I tune in every week. Help me! ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/36 "2007-02-09T16:57:38Z")
[QUOTE=slortar] **Smallville.** It’s awful, absolutely fucking awful. I suspect they write all the dialogue by rearranging magnetic phrases on a refrigerator. The characterization is so flat that it could be improved by importing porno writers. It only has an incidental resemblance to a superhero show most of the time. And yet, just when I’m about to give up on it, there’s a scene or episode that vaguely resembles something worthwhile and…I wind up trudging on for another episodes. Fucking Smallville. [/QUOTE] **slortar** speaks The Truth. _Smallville_ used to be a guilty pleasure that I could forgive myself for watching because I enjoyed the 1/3 of the show I dubbed “The Tragedy of the Luthors.” Now that Lionel Luthor has basically disappeared - is John Glover doing a more interesting gig somewhere? I hope so - and every ember of an interesting story winds up getting snuffed the next week, I no longer enjoy it, and frequently outright hate it. Yet, I continue watching. I’m normally good at jettisoning shows that no longer interest me, but I can’t look away. Also in the “Shows I _Formerly_ Enjoyed But Now Detest” Category are _Grey’s Anatomy_ and _Desperate Housewives_. I keep hoping for the former to redeem itself, and although I’ve mostly weaned myself from the latter I still give it an occasional morbid look. _Studio 60_. This is going to get good some day, right? Right? Because at the moment it’s awful, and the occasional bit that does work (“What do we send in after the coyote?”) is insufficient to excplain why I watch it. Like _Grey’s_, it’s on because housemates turn it on, but somehow I don’t exercise the choice to retreat to another part of the hosue and read a book. If _House_ isn’t careful, it’s going to wind up on this list soon, but thus far, Hugh Laurie manages to keep it interesting. So many bungled opportunities this season, so many “what were they thinking” moments… ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/37 "2007-02-09T17:30:23Z")
**Big Brother**. I’m no fan of reality shows in general. I do watch _Survivor_ , but at least there are some mental and physical skills involved in succeeding at the game. 3 summers ago, I sat down with Mrs. Know and watched _BB_ for the first time. I found the show inane, the contestants spoiled and bitchy, and the host totally insipid. The problem was, I got so caught up in the whole thing that I had to keep watching because, Og help me, I just \*had \* to know what was going to happen next! The next summer, I told my wife, “I’m not watching this again!” That lasted about 15 minutes. And then, of course, last year was the All-Stars, so I had to watch that, too. I give up, _BB_ , you win! ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/38 "2007-02-12T05:30:58Z")
When my channel flipping takes me past **The Girls Next Door** I’m always compelled to stop and watch for a while. I can’t stand it. The girls are vapid and have nothing at all to talk about, and everything’s weird and stupid and overglamourized. God, when I think of the money wasted…but I cannot just surf past it. It’s like my face wants to partake in a good confused cringe every now and then. Luckily for me I don’t really know when it’s on so it doesn’t happen often. Oh, and I guess **Ace of Cakes**. I watch it because I want to like it; it’s the only cake decorating show we’ve got. But they suck at it and everyone thinks they’re awesome, so they’re tiringly arrogant over nothing. I’m still hoping it’ll get good, though. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/39 "2007-02-12T06:24:37Z")
As mentioned earlier, **Studio 60** is one of the shoes I despise, yet I watch. But I want to see how bad it will be. But I finally cut the cord with **ER** this year. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257/40 "2007-02-12T07:12:36Z")
[QUOTE=Dooku] Last night she was in St. Louis, my hometown, and pronounced it “Saint Lou-ee” each and every time until I was ready to beat her to death with my Ted Drewes. [/QUOTE] I hate to bring this one up, but Missouri Dopers, you can fight my ignorance. I have to know… Is it “SAINT LOU-EE” or “SAINT LEWISSS”? My business contacts from the midwest USA have giggled into their hands when I have attempted to pronounce this name. Some have even called me “French” for my pronunciation, which is certainly not the case. I am not a French-Canadian although like most Canadians, I have had to study the language. So, US Dopers, please tell me how to pronounce it properly so that my American associates will not laugh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-do-you-hate-but-still-watch/391257.md?page=3)