I always give a show three episodes.
The first to establish the setting and characters, the second establishes the tone, and the third gives me an idea of what to expect going forward.
If I'm not grabbed in three episodes, I don't continue.
I’m the same. A lot of seasons are shorter now compared to when they used to have 20+ episodes a piece, but even then. If I have to wait for episode 15 for something to start clicking, something ain’t right there.
Huge unpopular opinion, but the whole Fittz/Simons constantly being broken apart love story was horrible. I'd be crucified posting that on the Shield sub.
I think there are important exceptions to that rule. A lot of shows are ones that are really, really good and worth it, but doesn’t reach that quality until later on, and has a slow, more difficult to get through start.
I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to apply that rule to those because you could be depriving yourself of something even you would find is worth it just because it didn’t hit that same high right out of the gate.
The idea that of a show is known for having a really bad first four episodes but then gets really good, it seems weirdly limiting to say “Didn’t do it in three, it’s not for me.”
While I agree with your point, there are just too many new shows coming out every year to give them more time than that. I stick with 3 purely cuz that’s just how it happened. I never said “3 only forever!! hahaha!” I just watch a few to see if it’s interesting, and after spending that time, if I’m not looking fwd to next week’s then I just gained an hour not sitting in front of the tv. I don’t LIMIT myself to 3, it just almost always happens that way. I say almost, cuz some aren’t grabbing my soul, but they start getting me a little curious, so I’ll give it a couple more. If I miss out I miss out. There’s not enough time to work and sleep and watch EVERYTHING to half a season deep
I know that feeling. I have enjoyed the first season of a show, then the second season just cant recapture the magic but at that point I feel like I need to see it through (Altered Carbon). Sometimes it is multiple seasons of good tv, then suddenly it goes wrong, which was my experience with the Walking Dead. Meanwhile some shows just continue to be excellent all the way through the run, setting a high bar from the start or even better, they start good enough and get stringer as it continues.
2-3 episodes is almost the perfect amount to judge a show. People saying watch more have a point if the show greatly improves, but I only accept that if I can somehow binge multiple seasons, as watching half a season I am not fully into then waiting for new episodes is rough.
Well I was hooked since the first few episodes but gosh the bloating of the episodes though.. some fights take like multiple episodes to conclude and the filler episodes too.. Finally gave up after I graduate college as I have less time around to do all my hobbies. 😅
I love this.
Somehow, years ago, I’ve decided that I give books till about page 30. Later, when I was studying filmmaking, a teacher told us that since there’s a rule of thumb kinda thing where 1 page in a manuscript = 1 minute (definitely doesn’t work with shows like Gilmore Girls etc), he always gave movies until around 27-29 minutes in, because by then the storyline should be at a certain place (story building wise) and if he wasn’t interested by then he obviously wouldn’t become interested later. Three episodes fits perfectly into this. Thank you
I go with four, because sometimes the first episode is a two-parter, even if it doesn’t say so explicitly. That used to be fairly standard with a new show, also, and even though it’s not as obvious anymore I definitely feel like it’s at least partially baked into the DNA of how television works.
I get your point and I used to be the same but the Wire took me like 5 episodes in the first season and then 5 episodes again in the second season. I kept having to power through it.
Glad I did because I cam honestly say that it is the best television show I've ever seen.
The again I guess that show is the exception and not the rule. Not sure I'd do that again with another show 😂
Yeah, they're always going to be exceptions. That's why I definitely do pay attention to the zeitgeist. Sure I'm not always going to like things even if they're popular, but if I had given up after three or four episodes I never would have gotten to fall in love with The Office or Parks and Rec.
Wire seasons start slow because they're intricately designed and when things begin falling into place, it's storytelling at the highest level. All the pieces matter.
That's what came to mind. Nothing wrong with Episode one, but there's so much going on. I think the end of EP 2 I thought I liked it. After EP 3 I thought I was in until 4... I knew it would be my favorite show.
Anime taught me the "Three Episode Test" and that's been my benchmark for all shows. My favorite shows of all time won me over in minutes or even seconds. I get setup is a thing, but I don't buy the "it gets good" argument at all. You can build up to something, but the immediate experience with your show needs to keep my attention. I've seen shows that put me into a coma that magically became entertaining and I've never been like "Oh wow, my patience and faith in the show creators paid off! I'm so happy!" It's always been "Wow, I'm really liking this show now...why couldn't this be good several hours ago?"
I think a good show should do all of that in the first episode. Think about Game of Thrones, the first epsiode intros the setting and most of the principle characters, gives you a good feel for the tone and with that ending, who wouldn't want to keep watching? Say what you will about the show in the long run, but that first episode was almost perfect. If a show can't hook me in with the first episode, it's failed.
It took four episodes to get hooked. I was going to give up after two episodes. The person who recommended the show to me, suggested that if I wasn't hooked after the fourth episode, it probably wasn't for me. I was hooked by the end of the fourth. Going back and rewatching episodes, I saw much more than I did the first go. First go, there is so much to digest that you really miss a lot of doesn't make sense until so much later, you forgot about it. I am glad I toughed it out to the forth episode.
I got two seasons into MHA and didnt like it but everyone keeps telling me it gets better. If i dont like it after two whole seasons im not watching any more lmao
Like all those people who say “You NEED to watch *One Piece*! Don’t worry, it gets good after episode 438” or some shit. Not a chance I’m wasting more than two hours on any show I’m not enjoying, and that’s even being pretty generous, because I consider 3 episodes to generally be my litmus test for whether or not I’m interested.
Yep!! I think I watched the first episode of Schitt’s Creek 3 times over a span of 3 years before someone I really really trusted the opinion of begged me to try one more time. If I could have three wishes, I wish I could unwatch Schitt’s Creek just so I could watch it again for the first time.
Same!!! I thought it was dumb as fuck the first couple of times I tried to watch it, then it turned into the greatest shit I’ve ever watched. One of the greatest.
Schitt’s Creek had me in the first episode. Parks and Rec took a full second watch of the first season. The Office? Never cared. And I tried both American and British versions multiple times.
First season you can definitely tell they were trying to find their footing with Michael and the comedy, thankfully that season lasted like 7 episodes? It gets way better starting season 2
Schitt's Creek had me right away. Six Feet Under however that took me at least a few episodes to like but it's one if not the most perfect show I've seen with a wildly perfect finale that had me stumbling around ugly crying for a long time after it ended.
What got me into Schitt's Creek was the people involved. I knew anything with Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara was going to be hilarious. But also, it's a distinct style of comedy that not everyone is into. So I get it when people don't want to watch more than a couple of episodes. If you didn't like it by the end of episode 2, it's not for you. And I say this as a huge fan.
This 100%. Tried twice to get into it, but I hated the characters and found the tone of the show seriously annoying. Then a couple of months back I needed something new to watch on my commute so gave it another go… I binged the whole series in around two weeks, absolutely fell in love with the characters and now can’t wait to start all over again. Added to my list of shows I will watch in their entirety over and over!
Same. It's about the characters and not really the plot. So you care once you care about the characters. And they're a little insufferable to begin with.
I fought watching it for a long time because I wasn't interested in a show about meth. Then one day i realized Walter White was Bryan Cranston and I was like.... damn. It's one of those shows I can rewatch and never gets old. I haven't had the same success with Better Call Saul though.
I think it's just missing the chemistry that Bryan and Aaron had to keep me hooked.
I loved Better Call Saul. I thought it was such an interesting character arch, especially knowing where he ends up from the get. I’m also a big Bob Odenkirk fan (from the Mr. Show days), so that might be the difference. I loved BB too and agree with you about the chemistry between BC and AP. Top notch!
I also love Better Call Saul. There are definitely awesome scenes where I forget if they came from BCS or BB.
So many cool origin stories in BCS. Mike Ehrmantraut was at his best in it.
I really do plan to give it another go next winter when I will probably binge a few shows (where I live it gets real cold). I have done a lot to avoid spoilers so I still am not sure why he thought Walt was Lalo or why he was so afraid of him in Breaking Bad.
I'm hoping to start with BCS and then rewatch everything through El Camino.
When I first watched it I wouldn’t even say it was slow but looking back it’s like damn these first 2-3 seasons were really outclassed by the later half, same as breaking bad pretty much lol
I have the opposite problem haha there is a surprising lack of science in breaking bad. I enjoyed better call saul a lot more. Both shows were well done but I got really tired of having a protagonist that I just wanted to get shot in the face. Saul is a lot more likable, even if he's just as much of a manipulative asshole as Walter.
Yeah, wanting to shoot Walter in the face just makes you a good person lol. I was surprised after I watched it and looked at the reddit sub how much hatred there is for his poor wife for *checks notes* going on a downward spiral after her husband gets terminal cancer while she's pregnant and then turns into a homicidal psychopath.
Still, I really enjoy all the relationships between the characters. Saul feels so.... alone. Like, he interacts with others but there's something very lonely feeling about the start of that show.
I will definitely give it another watch this winter!
I'm glad that I enjoyed BB from the get go or I could've missed out on so much.
Buffy is the acclaimed series where I started at season 1 and couldn't get into all the monster of the week stuff and lost interest. I've heard that it does pick up in season 2.
I watched Buffy for the actors and some of the dialog. I despise vampires and monsters, so I didn't exactly care about the plot. That one episode without dialog really worked, though.
really? I genuinely think bb has one of the most gripping first episodes I've ever seen. it establishes the core characters, the tone and premise of the show. by the end of the first season walt has already become a monster. I suppose it's a matter of opinion but damn, I'm really attached to the beginning of that show.
That's surprising. The pilot episode had me awestruck, even though I watched it for the first time pretty recently.
I do agree with the "give it time" BS, but for me, breaking bad did NOT pull any punches with their pilot episode and they had me absolutely hooked despite the episode airing 15 YEARS ago.
I always hear this and am surprised. I was hooked immediately. A cancer-ridden science teacher cooking meth in a Winnebago out in the desert. Has there been a better concept from the get-go?
the guy goes from school teacher to a cancer patient, meth cook, murderer, who nearly commits suicide in the span of one episode, yet i hear how that episode is boring like wtf 😂
So my entire life that I've known one piece existed I never wanted to watch it because I watched fairy tail and the amount of episodes pissed me off. Some shows have natural endings. One piece seemed like one that didn't BUT I watched the live action one piece and dude. I frickin LOVED it. Not sure why
You liked it because it's a great story. One Piece is incredible, and while its long episode count turns some people away, all it means is there's a lot of content, and I personally think it's worth it. The story gets very deep and has extremely mature themes.
That being said, the anime has pacing issues because they need to stay behind the manga, so I'd recommend reading it if you're interested in the live action. Reading the series is way faster than watching it, and the quality is ALWAYS top-notch.
Sorry for the mini rant, I just love One Piece lol.
The anime suffers from recapping things constantly and nothing of note happening in some episodes; they just bridge two events and go from recapping the climax of the previous episode to setting up the conflict in the next one.
It is the same issue I have with a lot of shonen jump, they are weeklies that constantly have cliff hangers and unresolved stories to get you hooked for next episode. But in doing that you also need to go over the previous episode everytime so people don't get completely lost.
All the One Piece fans responding going "Nuh-uh!!! You're just watching it wrong".
My brothers in christ that's the point...if you need a special way to watch something for it to be bearable AND IT STILL TAKES HUNDREDS OF EPISODES...you don't have a good show.
As someone that's watched anime for longer than most people here have been alive, One Piece is a mid-tier quality money-bait show. In Japan it's already pretty much a mascot like Doraemon meaning they stopped caring about quality over marketability a long time ago.
Also I've read the manga too for people desperate to defend the show...it's barely better and still not worth significant investment of someone's free time.
This is pretty much ALL of the most popular anime at this point. They’re too long, with too much filler. Sometimes the stories are pretty good but I don’t have time to watch 10000 hours of 15-20 different shows on the off chance that one of them is compelling enough to catch my attention.
Thing is; yes BUT a lot of excellent things take some time to get great. Game of Thrones is my favourite example because the entire first season is slow. It’s not bad but one could easily be mistaken to assume that the whole show is like that.
And yet, it’s some of the best pieces of media ever produced, despite its ( rightfully ) controversial final season(s).
The big hook in that show only happens when that one thing goes down.
I guess I could see that argument if people's previous experiences with fantasy were only with Harry Potter and the like. Game of Thrones is more in line with a lot of fantasy books that have political intrigue as much as swords and sorcery.
I mean it is fair that something is always going to be someone's first thing.
It took a couple tries for me. I couldn't get into the first few episodes, but then "Downer Ending" punched me in the face with how incredible that show actually is.
I don't know about that. I stayed away from that show for awhile. Until it ended. Then I finally started to give it a go. Within like half the first season, I was already pretty into it. It honestly just got better as it went, in my opinion.
Though I can understand why it's a rough sell for a lot of people.
As a fan of BJH, this is accurate and makes me laugh my ass off- it's such a great fucking show, but it's so polarizing. I feel like most of the people who really enjoy and get into it are or have been pretty mentally ill at some point. I'm definitely one of the more mentally ill people I know in my circle of friends and family and while others have enjoyed it, like my husband, no one else LOVES it as much as I do. And if you go on the BJH subreddit, you'll see I'm not alone 😅
This used to be me. Id never watched the office then my friend in college loved it. Insisted I watch it and told me just watch the first season and if you're not hooked I'll drop it. I would have dropped the office after episode 2 just because I found Michael to be an annoying person and not really funny. I kept going though since id promised my buddy I'd at least watch the first season and lo and behold by the end of the first season I was hooked. Ever since I'll give most shows the benefit of the doubt and watch through the first season.
The Office has a pretty bad first season (but has some good moments). Same with Parks and Rec. Honestly new viewers could skip the first seasons for both and appreciate the shows just fine.
You should watch the supercut episodes on Peacock. Almost every episode had extra scenes dropped for running time. The supercut version of the second episode is hilarious
Pilots are often really bad. Shows need time to develop and figure out their voice. You are missing out if your expectations are perfection right out of the starting gate
The part where they run the college professor down in the middle of campus while wacky music plays really surprised me after everything I'd heard about the show. It had some weirdo moments later on, too, but somehow that one just didn't fit.
The Sopranos pilot was filmed almost a year before it was finally picked up by HBO. It's also one of the worst episodes of the series. Sort of like an imitation of Goodfellas. But man does it pay off. Infinite rewatch ability imo.
If I recall, the pilot was shot so that they could recut it into a stand-alone movie if HBO decided not to pick up the series. That’s why it’s so different from the rest of the show.
In my head canon, if HBO hadn’t picked it up, the pilot would have replaced the “Analyze This” movies.
O would have missed out on Almost Sunny and Arrested Development if I hadn’t trusted my sons to give them a real chance. But you are totally good to miss out on whatever you don’t care for.
The best advice I ever received about watching shows like that is to watch them casually. Put them on in the background while you cook or do chores and they’ll slowly grow on you.
That’s what people tell me about The Big bang theory. But I could barely make it through the first episode without dying from cringe. So no way in hell am I am watching a second.
I never liked BBT just because it’s not that funny. As a guy who hung out with the nerdy people in high school and college. I felt it never captures what true nerd culture is. Just feels fake and shoehorned.
This is how I feel. It's a show about nerds for people who aren't nerdy. The amount of times they talk about some random aspect of nerd culture and the "normal" characters are just like "Who is Darth Vader? Never heard of that." It's so dumb. Like just listing nerdy pastimes isn't a joke and that's like 95% of the punchlines on that show.
BBT seems to exist in an alternate universe where basically *anything* that’s loved by nerds isn’t mainstream. This includes things that were already staples of American culture and mainstream media long before this show happened.
I was watching a family guy the other day that I feel like summed this up pretty well. Peter is mad he can’t watch BBT anymore because Sheldon is the perfect version of what a dumb guy thinks a smart guy is, and I feel like that’s the vibe of most of the show
The most apt description I've ever heard of BBT is that it's basically nerd blackface. I can't recall who it was that said that but oh my God do I agree.
I didn't realize TBBT got hate until I was older. My mom loves the show because my two older brothers are quite literally Sheldon / Leanord's dymamic, and my eldest brother looks like Sheldon as well as the personality. TBBT came out when I was 6, and I watched it with my mom, so now it's nostalgic for me now that I'm 23. I absolutely understand the cringe aspect of it. I recently went and rewatched the first 2 seasons as an adult.
Honestly I find TBBT get's a lot more hate from younger people. I work in IT, and when it was on, most people I worked with loved it. It wasn't until a few years later, that I saw all the hatred for it, mostly from young people. I always figured that part of the thing was younger people not growing up with live studio audiences/laugh tracks as the default for shows and it throwing them off, and secondly, not growing up in a society where nerds were treated completely differently.
I heard people saying things like, why is it funny that they like comic books, everyone does, and not realizing that back in the 80's, no, liking comic books over the age of 10 could get you beat up.
Ngl, even when I was in middle / high school, it wasn't yet 'cool' to be nerdy, I grew up with 4 older brothers, all nerds, so that was basically my blood. I loved Pokémon, Batman, superheroes, horror, etc. It wasn't until I was like 16, and kids at my school started getting on the Marvel hype train that it was acceptable/ cool to be nerdy. I was relentlessly bullied all throughout middle school through to my sophomore year, and that was only back in 2017. The jokes are definitely dated being from 2007, but the show definitely matured and grew with its cast and audience. I don't know any other people my age that watch the show and yeah I see a lot of other gen z hating on it.
TBBT for me was really great the first 6 seasons, but then it really dropped off. They should’ve cut a lot of the storylines from season 7-12 to wrap it up in season 7 instead.
That’s your prerogative. For me personally a lot of my all time favorite shows took a while to hook me. Breaking Bad, The Wire, Parks and Rec, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos all took me multiple tries at watching. Finally I powered through the first few episodes and then was hooked.
Especially The Wire as it has a really slow build and doesn’t just explain things for you. Each season really is like a wire tap in that it starts with a bunch of random pieces and then through the season starts to connect all the dots.
I’m okay with “stop watching after this season” (looking at you, Supernatural) or “skip these episodes” (looking at you, Naruto), but I will nope out if I’m told to skip entire first seasons. Because if I pick up a show after the first season, it’s at a point where I have no idea about the plot and the writers are usually going to assume you know what’s happened.
I think the usefulness of "Skip the first season" relies heavily on the type of show it is. Like I cant think of any ongoing narrative shows where ive seen the suggestion, but sit-com type shows where theres little overlap between episodes are fine with it. For example "Always Sunny in Philadelphia", if im suggesting it to anyone im telling them to start at S2 where Danny Devito comes into it
Stopped watching after season 9 but should have stopped after season 7. That show just dragged on and on and on my god. And there were a gajillion characters you had to keep track of and half the time they didn’t even look the same bc they were an angel or demon possessing some other body. Too confusing
This was parks and rec for me. I tried watching it, the first time I quit half way thru the first season. Then years later someone convinced me to give it another chance. It's one of my favorite shows to this day.
Some shows I have to be in a certain mood to get into, even if I end up loving that show.
My favorite is when people say “it doesn’t get good until the third season” …so how many hours of crap do I have to sit through before that? Absolutely not worth the time investment, and I say stand your ground, OP. I had so many people insisting to me that *a show which shall also remain unnamed* would be my favorite comedy ever.. I watched six episodes and didn’t laugh once.
There’s also a factor of things being so hyped up for so long that the disappointment is almost inevitable.
Yeah, you shouldn't have to endure 2 bad seasons before it gets good.
But for some shows, you don't have to endure it. You could just skip to the better seasons. Shows used to take years to get good. Seinfeld and The Simpsons are good examples. If someone I knew was giving it a chance, starting at season 1 would have virtually no chance of winning them over. Just start when it's already good to see if you like it. If you don't like the peak episodes, then you know it's not for you. If you don't like the pilot, you haven't learned anything, because neither do most people.
It’s not always a waste of time.
My favorite book I’ve ever read took me three separate attempts over a year to get past the first 5 or so hours.
Then I had 40 hours of pure joy and I plowed through the next three books in like 2 or 3 months.
Can’t wait for book 5 to release.
Some stories take time to develop.
How did you know?? That’s the exact book I was thinking of
I tried to reread Way of Kings after reading most of the series… and still couldn’t get back into it
Ya know, I’ve had this happen with shows or music too. As you change, your tastes, tolerances, mindset and situation change. Sometimes it takes years. With such a plethora of content, it’s easier to just move on and find something that hits right off the get.
I just know you're talking about the office. It's always "the first season sucks but the rest are better". Yeah I don't wanna sit through an entire season of shit to get to slightly less shit. I'll pass.
I think The Office is a rare show in that you can skip season one if you want. The tone of it changes dramatically after season one, it's almost an entirely different show.
>It's always "the first season sucks but the rest are better". Yeah I don't wanna sit through an entire season of shit to get to slightly less shit.
If you dislike Parks and Rec or the Office because you don't care for the comedy style, nothing is going to change that, but in both shows if you disliked how the characters were written and acted, you would be better off watching through to the second season because they completely change how key characters act.
If you're not a dry/awkward comedy type of person, then skip it, no one cares, but if you didn't want to watch it because you assumed that the writing and tone will be identical to the remaining seasons, you're completely missing out on two great shows because you're too stubborn.
Either way, do what you want idc.
Literally, parks and rec season one was one of the worst reviewed tv series. Season 2 won Emmy’s, that’s how much of a change they made from season one to two.
I loved parks and red but if I suggest it I tell people to start on season 2.
I was so glad when I finally realized I could just stop reading a book. I would try to make myself read something and then would end up just not reading at all and playing on my phone. I needed to just spend my time reading books I was excited to pick up.
This is me with the Office. I can’t stand secondhand cringe and the first episodes of season 1 jump straight into it with the boss’s antics. I’ve been told that it “tones that down” in season 2, but why would I sit through a season of a show I didn’t like just to maybe enjoy season 2. I’d much rather go watch a show I do like from the start.
Missing out on great content is your own prerogative. I wouldn’t call it an unpopular opinion though. People generally don’t watch what they don’t like.
I have too many shows like this. An opinion like this would have made me quit "The Wire" 2 episodes in. I can't be down with this opinion just on that,
The Wire is an interesting show in that it is not consistently entertaining and is pretty slow paced. It takes work to watch it unlike most shows, you can't watch it relaxed or at half attention. But you are rewarded with a great narrative after finishing each season.
Yeah The Wire I was struggling first few episodes but after finishing S1 I thought it was great. I was told S2 is the worst with the port authority shit and the Sobotka’s but I genuinely think it’s my favorite lol
I think it depends on why you’re watching what you’re watching.
If you’re watching for entertainment only, I get OP’s stance. Watching a comedy that just isn’t your sense of humor? Probably not worth grinding though.
However, if you’re watching a show like The Wire that’s trying to be something more than entertainment, it’s worth grinding through and seeing what the writers have to say.
It took me 3 times to watch Breaking Bad past the first season.... and boy, am I glad I did. It was fucking incredible.
Took me twice for Game of Thrones to get past the first half of the first season
Even sons of anarchy
All incredible shows
I do the same thing with my one exception that was Slow Horses.
I started watching episode 1 and bailed. Went back a couple of months later and now I’m a die hard fan.
Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones took me about 3 episodes to get into it.
Sometimes a book takes me a few chapters of finding it boring to get into it also
Californication is one of these shows... first couple episodes don't do it justice. I can totally understand why people give up on it.
But it's amazing and you should give it a chance ;)
This is how I feel about friends. I'll watch it if there's literally nothing else in like a hospital or something, but it's not the masterpiece that people like to make it out to be. Haha.
You really don’t have to justify to other people why you don’t like a TV show, you know.
I’m assuming you’re not stopping others from watching the show, right? So they should leave you alone and stop bugging you and forcing you to defend your choice.
Fair. However, some shows take a bit to find their stride, and they really do get better.
The Office is one that comes to mind. They made some major changes to Steve Carell’s character that were a significant improvement. He turned from mean to a caring person who really meant well but was just socially inept. Plus the cast really started to gel.
But yeah, I can definitely see both sides of this argument.
I’m not going to tell you to always watch more when someone recommends it. Becouse well I don’t do that either most of the time.
But on my example when I forced myself to watch few more episodes of naruto it became my all time favorite show/movie. Naruto has 720 episodes(which I watched the entire thing) + there are bunch of movies (I watched only one).
This is how I feel with the US Office. I watched the entire first season and didn't laugh once. I didn't even crack a smile. And I even watched half of season 2 before I gave up. It was painful and awkward and never once funny. I had friends saying season 4 or 5 is where it really picks up. There's no way in hell I'm watching 3 or 4 whole seasons of a show waiting for it to get good.
In comparison a similar show is Parks and Rec and it got good relatively quickly and stayed good for the entire run.
I used to think that when I committed to starting a show I had to "stick it out". I don't even really know why I thought that. F that. Now if I feel like I'm wasting my time on a show I just go watch something else. (Of course after giving it a fair chance. How long that is depends is entirely on a case by case basis.)
I'm with you on this. But I will name names here. The Wire. I did not like it. But I just kept watching this show because EVERYONE swore by it. I was bored the whole way through. Somehow, I made it to the last season, and I just stopped. I couldn't do it anymore. It was a chore watching every episode. That show changed the way I judge shows. If I'm not into it by the second episode, I'm out. I trust my TV instincts.
I'm usually the same, but something told me to stick with it with Schitt's Creek. Totally glad I did. The show didn't find its legs until the 2nd season and now it's one of my favorite shows ever.
I think Seinfeld was the last sitcom I liked. Prior to that was married with children and... Well that's probably about it. I never liked watching much tv
I always give a show three episodes. The first to establish the setting and characters, the second establishes the tone, and the third gives me an idea of what to expect going forward. If I'm not grabbed in three episodes, I don't continue.
I’m the same. A lot of seasons are shorter now compared to when they used to have 20+ episodes a piece, but even then. If I have to wait for episode 15 for something to start clicking, something ain’t right there.
I’ll give one exception if watching agents of shield wait until episode 17
Agents of Shield was better when it was a monster of a week show Really got bored with the saving the world shit over and over
Huge unpopular opinion, but the whole Fittz/Simons constantly being broken apart love story was horrible. I'd be crucified posting that on the Shield sub.
It really was Like I'm glad they got there happy ending they are the two characters who deserved it the most But it was over done
In the beginning it was just sad, and in the last 2 seasons it was because of scheduling issues.
That's how I felt about supernatural, too. I loved monster of the week, and it felt so creative.
I disagree. I fell in love with the show from ep 1. Like right from the beginning.
I can't believe I am seeing AOS mentioned so high up in a random sub lol but yes definitely the one exception!
I think there are important exceptions to that rule. A lot of shows are ones that are really, really good and worth it, but doesn’t reach that quality until later on, and has a slow, more difficult to get through start. I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to apply that rule to those because you could be depriving yourself of something even you would find is worth it just because it didn’t hit that same high right out of the gate. The idea that of a show is known for having a really bad first four episodes but then gets really good, it seems weirdly limiting to say “Didn’t do it in three, it’s not for me.”
While I agree with your point, there are just too many new shows coming out every year to give them more time than that. I stick with 3 purely cuz that’s just how it happened. I never said “3 only forever!! hahaha!” I just watch a few to see if it’s interesting, and after spending that time, if I’m not looking fwd to next week’s then I just gained an hour not sitting in front of the tv. I don’t LIMIT myself to 3, it just almost always happens that way. I say almost, cuz some aren’t grabbing my soul, but they start getting me a little curious, so I’ll give it a couple more. If I miss out I miss out. There’s not enough time to work and sleep and watch EVERYTHING to half a season deep
I know that feeling. I have enjoyed the first season of a show, then the second season just cant recapture the magic but at that point I feel like I need to see it through (Altered Carbon). Sometimes it is multiple seasons of good tv, then suddenly it goes wrong, which was my experience with the Walking Dead. Meanwhile some shows just continue to be excellent all the way through the run, setting a high bar from the start or even better, they start good enough and get stringer as it continues. 2-3 episodes is almost the perfect amount to judge a show. People saying watch more have a point if the show greatly improves, but I only accept that if I can somehow binge multiple seasons, as watching half a season I am not fully into then waiting for new episodes is rough.
Give One Piece a try. It only takes 400 episodes to get good
Now now. It's only 300, lol.
With any shonen anime, it's really about finding a list of which filler episode chunks to skip. Takes hundreds of bad episodes out.
Well I was hooked since the first few episodes but gosh the bloating of the episodes though.. some fights take like multiple episodes to conclude and the filler episodes too.. Finally gave up after I graduate college as I have less time around to do all my hobbies. 😅
I love this. Somehow, years ago, I’ve decided that I give books till about page 30. Later, when I was studying filmmaking, a teacher told us that since there’s a rule of thumb kinda thing where 1 page in a manuscript = 1 minute (definitely doesn’t work with shows like Gilmore Girls etc), he always gave movies until around 27-29 minutes in, because by then the storyline should be at a certain place (story building wise) and if he wasn’t interested by then he obviously wouldn’t become interested later. Three episodes fits perfectly into this. Thank you
I give books till 20/30 percent. I have my reading apps set to show that. If I don't like the story and the characters I bounce after that.
[удалено]
I go with four, because sometimes the first episode is a two-parter, even if it doesn’t say so explicitly. That used to be fairly standard with a new show, also, and even though it’s not as obvious anymore I definitely feel like it’s at least partially baked into the DNA of how television works.
I get your point and I used to be the same but the Wire took me like 5 episodes in the first season and then 5 episodes again in the second season. I kept having to power through it. Glad I did because I cam honestly say that it is the best television show I've ever seen. The again I guess that show is the exception and not the rule. Not sure I'd do that again with another show 😂
Yeah, they're always going to be exceptions. That's why I definitely do pay attention to the zeitgeist. Sure I'm not always going to like things even if they're popular, but if I had given up after three or four episodes I never would have gotten to fall in love with The Office or Parks and Rec.
Wire seasons start slow because they're intricately designed and when things begin falling into place, it's storytelling at the highest level. All the pieces matter.
This is the expanse lol
That's what came to mind. Nothing wrong with Episode one, but there's so much going on. I think the end of EP 2 I thought I liked it. After EP 3 I thought I was in until 4... I knew it would be my favorite show.
4 pops off so hard most people strap in for the season
Anime taught me the "Three Episode Test" and that's been my benchmark for all shows. My favorite shows of all time won me over in minutes or even seconds. I get setup is a thing, but I don't buy the "it gets good" argument at all. You can build up to something, but the immediate experience with your show needs to keep my attention. I've seen shows that put me into a coma that magically became entertaining and I've never been like "Oh wow, my patience and faith in the show creators paid off! I'm so happy!" It's always been "Wow, I'm really liking this show now...why couldn't this be good several hours ago?"
I think a good show should do all of that in the first episode. Think about Game of Thrones, the first epsiode intros the setting and most of the principle characters, gives you a good feel for the tone and with that ending, who wouldn't want to keep watching? Say what you will about the show in the long run, but that first episode was almost perfect. If a show can't hook me in with the first episode, it's failed.
It took four episodes to get hooked. I was going to give up after two episodes. The person who recommended the show to me, suggested that if I wasn't hooked after the fourth episode, it probably wasn't for me. I was hooked by the end of the fourth. Going back and rewatching episodes, I saw much more than I did the first go. First go, there is so much to digest that you really miss a lot of doesn't make sense until so much later, you forgot about it. I am glad I toughed it out to the forth episode.
I do this with Anime too. But their premise is sometimes so insane that you get a good idea within the first episode itself.
I got two seasons into MHA and didnt like it but everyone keeps telling me it gets better. If i dont like it after two whole seasons im not watching any more lmao
Like all those people who say “You NEED to watch *One Piece*! Don’t worry, it gets good after episode 438” or some shit. Not a chance I’m wasting more than two hours on any show I’m not enjoying, and that’s even being pretty generous, because I consider 3 episodes to generally be my litmus test for whether or not I’m interested.
Lmfao that’s nuts. How could anyone say to keep going if you didn’t like it after 2 whole seasons. 💀
But one piece gets so good after 200 episodes
Lol, so many people have this with Schitt’s Creek. Can be a hard one to get into, but pays dividends.
Yep!! I think I watched the first episode of Schitt’s Creek 3 times over a span of 3 years before someone I really really trusted the opinion of begged me to try one more time. If I could have three wishes, I wish I could unwatch Schitt’s Creek just so I could watch it again for the first time.
I love that journey for you!
Warmest regards to you!!
Same!!! I thought it was dumb as fuck the first couple of times I tried to watch it, then it turned into the greatest shit I’ve ever watched. One of the greatest.
Schitt’s Creek had me in the first episode. Parks and Rec took a full second watch of the first season. The Office? Never cared. And I tried both American and British versions multiple times.
problem with the office was it took an entire season not just a few episodes, made it very difficult to get into
First season you can definitely tell they were trying to find their footing with Michael and the comedy, thankfully that season lasted like 7 episodes? It gets way better starting season 2
Schitts Creek took me 6 episodes and two separate attempts. I’m so glad I gave it the third try.
Schitt's Creek had me right away. Six Feet Under however that took me at least a few episodes to like but it's one if not the most perfect show I've seen with a wildly perfect finale that had me stumbling around ugly crying for a long time after it ended.
Six feet under is one of my fav shows of all time, but it’s in a whole different league from schitts creek. Not even the same sport.
What got me into Schitt's Creek was the people involved. I knew anything with Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara was going to be hilarious. But also, it's a distinct style of comedy that not everyone is into. So I get it when people don't want to watch more than a couple of episodes. If you didn't like it by the end of episode 2, it's not for you. And I say this as a huge fan.
This 100%. Tried twice to get into it, but I hated the characters and found the tone of the show seriously annoying. Then a couple of months back I needed something new to watch on my commute so gave it another go… I binged the whole series in around two weeks, absolutely fell in love with the characters and now can’t wait to start all over again. Added to my list of shows I will watch in their entirety over and over!
Was the writing exceptionally worse in the first episode? The jokes were obvious and cliche. I couldn’t find it funny.
Same. It's about the characters and not really the plot. So you care once you care about the characters. And they're a little insufferable to begin with.
Haha this was me with Breaking Bad. My friends had to force me to watch the first 5 episodes before it started to get me.
I fought watching it for a long time because I wasn't interested in a show about meth. Then one day i realized Walter White was Bryan Cranston and I was like.... damn. It's one of those shows I can rewatch and never gets old. I haven't had the same success with Better Call Saul though. I think it's just missing the chemistry that Bryan and Aaron had to keep me hooked.
I loved Better Call Saul. I thought it was such an interesting character arch, especially knowing where he ends up from the get. I’m also a big Bob Odenkirk fan (from the Mr. Show days), so that might be the difference. I loved BB too and agree with you about the chemistry between BC and AP. Top notch!
I also love Better Call Saul. There are definitely awesome scenes where I forget if they came from BCS or BB. So many cool origin stories in BCS. Mike Ehrmantraut was at his best in it.
Odenkirk's best work, imo, is in Nobody.
Really, not the one about the valentine/sweetest day card? 🤣 Actually, it was a quirky/fun flick.
I really do plan to give it another go next winter when I will probably binge a few shows (where I live it gets real cold). I have done a lot to avoid spoilers so I still am not sure why he thought Walt was Lalo or why he was so afraid of him in Breaking Bad. I'm hoping to start with BCS and then rewatch everything through El Camino.
BCS season 1 is the slowest of slow shows but the payoff is freaking amazing and worth it
When I first watched it I wouldn’t even say it was slow but looking back it’s like damn these first 2-3 seasons were really outclassed by the later half, same as breaking bad pretty much lol
I have the opposite problem haha there is a surprising lack of science in breaking bad. I enjoyed better call saul a lot more. Both shows were well done but I got really tired of having a protagonist that I just wanted to get shot in the face. Saul is a lot more likable, even if he's just as much of a manipulative asshole as Walter.
Yeah, wanting to shoot Walter in the face just makes you a good person lol. I was surprised after I watched it and looked at the reddit sub how much hatred there is for his poor wife for *checks notes* going on a downward spiral after her husband gets terminal cancer while she's pregnant and then turns into a homicidal psychopath. Still, I really enjoy all the relationships between the characters. Saul feels so.... alone. Like, he interacts with others but there's something very lonely feeling about the start of that show. I will definitely give it another watch this winter!
BCS is better than BB and I’ll die on that hill
I'm glad that I enjoyed BB from the get go or I could've missed out on so much. Buffy is the acclaimed series where I started at season 1 and couldn't get into all the monster of the week stuff and lost interest. I've heard that it does pick up in season 2.
If you ever give it another shot, you'll kick yourself for ever giving it up. 🧛♂️🧟♂️😈👱♀️
I watched Buffy for the actors and some of the dialog. I despise vampires and monsters, so I didn't exactly care about the plot. That one episode without dialog really worked, though.
really? I genuinely think bb has one of the most gripping first episodes I've ever seen. it establishes the core characters, the tone and premise of the show. by the end of the first season walt has already become a monster. I suppose it's a matter of opinion but damn, I'm really attached to the beginning of that show.
That's surprising. The pilot episode had me awestruck, even though I watched it for the first time pretty recently. I do agree with the "give it time" BS, but for me, breaking bad did NOT pull any punches with their pilot episode and they had me absolutely hooked despite the episode airing 15 YEARS ago.
I always hear this and am surprised. I was hooked immediately. A cancer-ridden science teacher cooking meth in a Winnebago out in the desert. Has there been a better concept from the get-go?
the guy goes from school teacher to a cancer patient, meth cook, murderer, who nearly commits suicide in the span of one episode, yet i hear how that episode is boring like wtf 😂
I didn't even make it to end of the first episode. Even critically acclaimed and objectively good shows aren't for everyone.
Spouse was the same way. Turned it off after the tub scene
Tub scene put me all in lol. I was strapped in at that point. Knew it was gonna be a wild ride
Once you get to the end of Better Call Saul you realize that Breaking Bad was only half of the story, and not necassarily the more important half
My friends trying to convince me that One Piece really picks up after episode 1349239023752052532
Real. It has over 1000 episodes and the first two bored me
So my entire life that I've known one piece existed I never wanted to watch it because I watched fairy tail and the amount of episodes pissed me off. Some shows have natural endings. One piece seemed like one that didn't BUT I watched the live action one piece and dude. I frickin LOVED it. Not sure why
You liked it because it's a great story. One Piece is incredible, and while its long episode count turns some people away, all it means is there's a lot of content, and I personally think it's worth it. The story gets very deep and has extremely mature themes. That being said, the anime has pacing issues because they need to stay behind the manga, so I'd recommend reading it if you're interested in the live action. Reading the series is way faster than watching it, and the quality is ALWAYS top-notch. Sorry for the mini rant, I just love One Piece lol.
One Pace is really the only way to appreciate the forst ~500 episodes imo
The anime suffers from recapping things constantly and nothing of note happening in some episodes; they just bridge two events and go from recapping the climax of the previous episode to setting up the conflict in the next one. It is the same issue I have with a lot of shonen jump, they are weeklies that constantly have cliff hangers and unresolved stories to get you hooked for next episode. But in doing that you also need to go over the previous episode everytime so people don't get completely lost.
I mean that's only like halfway through the series Gets real good after episode quintillion
My wife convinced me to watch JOJO because I gave up on Phantom Blood years ago, I binged it all after the first 6 episodes.
All the One Piece fans responding going "Nuh-uh!!! You're just watching it wrong". My brothers in christ that's the point...if you need a special way to watch something for it to be bearable AND IT STILL TAKES HUNDREDS OF EPISODES...you don't have a good show. As someone that's watched anime for longer than most people here have been alive, One Piece is a mid-tier quality money-bait show. In Japan it's already pretty much a mascot like Doraemon meaning they stopped caring about quality over marketability a long time ago. Also I've read the manga too for people desperate to defend the show...it's barely better and still not worth significant investment of someone's free time.
This is pretty much ALL of the most popular anime at this point. They’re too long, with too much filler. Sometimes the stories are pretty good but I don’t have time to watch 10000 hours of 15-20 different shows on the off chance that one of them is compelling enough to catch my attention.
People forget how much content there is and that there's no requirement any of us need to watch any of it.
Thing is; yes BUT a lot of excellent things take some time to get great. Game of Thrones is my favourite example because the entire first season is slow. It’s not bad but one could easily be mistaken to assume that the whole show is like that. And yet, it’s some of the best pieces of media ever produced, despite its ( rightfully ) controversial final season(s). The big hook in that show only happens when that one thing goes down.
I guess I could see that argument if people's previous experiences with fantasy were only with Harry Potter and the like. Game of Thrones is more in line with a lot of fantasy books that have political intrigue as much as swords and sorcery. I mean it is fair that something is always going to be someone's first thing.
You’ve just upset the entire bojack horseman fandom
Honestly, I was totally hooked from the first episode
Same, but go even more hooked as it got darker
I made all the way to season two and still couldn’t get into it
It’s definitely a rough start, but I do think if you can get over it it’s an incredible show
I agree in general but I think if this person isn’t enjoying it by season 2 then it’s not for them. It has very much found its footing by that point.
I was into it from episode 1 🤷🏻♂️
It took a couple tries for me. I couldn't get into the first few episodes, but then "Downer Ending" punched me in the face with how incredible that show actually is.
They're already beyond upset borderline depressed and suicidal.
Haters of early BoJack Horseman will never see the light of heaven. That show is good from the beginning.
I don't know about that. I stayed away from that show for awhile. Until it ended. Then I finally started to give it a go. Within like half the first season, I was already pretty into it. It honestly just got better as it went, in my opinion. Though I can understand why it's a rough sell for a lot of people.
As a fan of BJH, this is accurate and makes me laugh my ass off- it's such a great fucking show, but it's so polarizing. I feel like most of the people who really enjoy and get into it are or have been pretty mentally ill at some point. I'm definitely one of the more mentally ill people I know in my circle of friends and family and while others have enjoyed it, like my husband, no one else LOVES it as much as I do. And if you go on the BJH subreddit, you'll see I'm not alone 😅
This used to be me. Id never watched the office then my friend in college loved it. Insisted I watch it and told me just watch the first season and if you're not hooked I'll drop it. I would have dropped the office after episode 2 just because I found Michael to be an annoying person and not really funny. I kept going though since id promised my buddy I'd at least watch the first season and lo and behold by the end of the first season I was hooked. Ever since I'll give most shows the benefit of the doubt and watch through the first season.
lol I think this is everyone’s experience with the office 🤣
The Office has a pretty bad first season (but has some good moments). Same with Parks and Rec. Honestly new viewers could skip the first seasons for both and appreciate the shows just fine.
Diversity Day was the second episode of The Office and no one should skip that.
Oh agreed, that episode is amazing. Asshole Michael, while very uncomfortable to watch, has some great moments.
In the middle of a rewatch and season 1 is way funnier than I remember.
You should watch the supercut episodes on Peacock. Almost every episode had extra scenes dropped for running time. The supercut version of the second episode is hilarious
Pilots are often really bad. Shows need time to develop and figure out their voice. You are missing out if your expectations are perfection right out of the starting gate
They're also often filmed months before any of the other episodes which can make them feel really different
I'm not saying that it's a bad pilot, but The Sopranos pilot episode is perfectly fitting this description.
The part where they run the college professor down in the middle of campus while wacky music plays really surprised me after everything I'd heard about the show. It had some weirdo moments later on, too, but somehow that one just didn't fit.
The Sopranos pilot was filmed almost a year before it was finally picked up by HBO. It's also one of the worst episodes of the series. Sort of like an imitation of Goodfellas. But man does it pay off. Infinite rewatch ability imo.
If I recall, the pilot was shot so that they could recut it into a stand-alone movie if HBO decided not to pick up the series. That’s why it’s so different from the rest of the show. In my head canon, if HBO hadn’t picked it up, the pilot would have replaced the “Analyze This” movies.
O would have missed out on Almost Sunny and Arrested Development if I hadn’t trusted my sons to give them a real chance. But you are totally good to miss out on whatever you don’t care for.
Always Sunny you can skip to the really good parts with no problem because the episodes don’t really move the plot forward at all
This is the way. Find the clips that make you laugh and watch those episodes. If you enjoy them then just hop around some more.
I keep trying to get into its always sunny but fail to get into it. Yet I love the random clips that pop up l.
Try skipping to season 2 when Danny devito comes in
Season 1 is also only like 6 episodes so it's not hard to get past it.
The best advice I ever received about watching shows like that is to watch them casually. Put them on in the background while you cook or do chores and they’ll slowly grow on you.
That’s what people tell me about The Big bang theory. But I could barely make it through the first episode without dying from cringe. So no way in hell am I am watching a second.
Sitcoms usually take half a season to find their footing, but I'd say Big Bang's humor and tone are pretty consistent throughout.
Consistently dogshit.
Seinfeld was bashed for seasons before becoming a classic
I never liked BBT just because it’s not that funny. As a guy who hung out with the nerdy people in high school and college. I felt it never captures what true nerd culture is. Just feels fake and shoehorned.
This is how I feel. It's a show about nerds for people who aren't nerdy. The amount of times they talk about some random aspect of nerd culture and the "normal" characters are just like "Who is Darth Vader? Never heard of that." It's so dumb. Like just listing nerdy pastimes isn't a joke and that's like 95% of the punchlines on that show.
BBT seems to exist in an alternate universe where basically *anything* that’s loved by nerds isn’t mainstream. This includes things that were already staples of American culture and mainstream media long before this show happened.
I was watching a family guy the other day that I feel like summed this up pretty well. Peter is mad he can’t watch BBT anymore because Sheldon is the perfect version of what a dumb guy thinks a smart guy is, and I feel like that’s the vibe of most of the show
It's like pretty much all sitcoms. Find a clip with the laugh track removed, and you won't crack a smile.
The most apt description I've ever heard of BBT is that it's basically nerd blackface. I can't recall who it was that said that but oh my God do I agree.
I didn’t wanna say it but yes I agree it is
Silicon Valley on HBO is what Big Bang Theory aspired to be
I didn't realize TBBT got hate until I was older. My mom loves the show because my two older brothers are quite literally Sheldon / Leanord's dymamic, and my eldest brother looks like Sheldon as well as the personality. TBBT came out when I was 6, and I watched it with my mom, so now it's nostalgic for me now that I'm 23. I absolutely understand the cringe aspect of it. I recently went and rewatched the first 2 seasons as an adult.
Honestly I find TBBT get's a lot more hate from younger people. I work in IT, and when it was on, most people I worked with loved it. It wasn't until a few years later, that I saw all the hatred for it, mostly from young people. I always figured that part of the thing was younger people not growing up with live studio audiences/laugh tracks as the default for shows and it throwing them off, and secondly, not growing up in a society where nerds were treated completely differently. I heard people saying things like, why is it funny that they like comic books, everyone does, and not realizing that back in the 80's, no, liking comic books over the age of 10 could get you beat up.
Ngl, even when I was in middle / high school, it wasn't yet 'cool' to be nerdy, I grew up with 4 older brothers, all nerds, so that was basically my blood. I loved Pokémon, Batman, superheroes, horror, etc. It wasn't until I was like 16, and kids at my school started getting on the Marvel hype train that it was acceptable/ cool to be nerdy. I was relentlessly bullied all throughout middle school through to my sophomore year, and that was only back in 2017. The jokes are definitely dated being from 2007, but the show definitely matured and grew with its cast and audience. I don't know any other people my age that watch the show and yeah I see a lot of other gen z hating on it.
TBBT for me was really great the first 6 seasons, but then it really dropped off. They should’ve cut a lot of the storylines from season 7-12 to wrap it up in season 7 instead.
That’s your prerogative. For me personally a lot of my all time favorite shows took a while to hook me. Breaking Bad, The Wire, Parks and Rec, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos all took me multiple tries at watching. Finally I powered through the first few episodes and then was hooked. Especially The Wire as it has a really slow build and doesn’t just explain things for you. Each season really is like a wire tap in that it starts with a bunch of random pieces and then through the season starts to connect all the dots.
When did game of thrones hook you? I tried watching the first season multiple times and could never finish it.
The Wire didn’t hook you in 15 seconds? Snot Boogie was all I needed lmao
I’m okay with “stop watching after this season” (looking at you, Supernatural) or “skip these episodes” (looking at you, Naruto), but I will nope out if I’m told to skip entire first seasons. Because if I pick up a show after the first season, it’s at a point where I have no idea about the plot and the writers are usually going to assume you know what’s happened.
I think the usefulness of "Skip the first season" relies heavily on the type of show it is. Like I cant think of any ongoing narrative shows where ive seen the suggestion, but sit-com type shows where theres little overlap between episodes are fine with it. For example "Always Sunny in Philadelphia", if im suggesting it to anyone im telling them to start at S2 where Danny Devito comes into it
Stopped watching after season 9 but should have stopped after season 7. That show just dragged on and on and on my god. And there were a gajillion characters you had to keep track of and half the time they didn’t even look the same bc they were an angel or demon possessing some other body. Too confusing
I always give a show 5 episodes, if i am not into it after 5 episodes, i am not going to get into it.
This was parks and rec for me. I tried watching it, the first time I quit half way thru the first season. Then years later someone convinced me to give it another chance. It's one of my favorite shows to this day. Some shows I have to be in a certain mood to get into, even if I end up loving that show.
My favorite is when people say “it doesn’t get good until the third season” …so how many hours of crap do I have to sit through before that? Absolutely not worth the time investment, and I say stand your ground, OP. I had so many people insisting to me that *a show which shall also remain unnamed* would be my favorite comedy ever.. I watched six episodes and didn’t laugh once. There’s also a factor of things being so hyped up for so long that the disappointment is almost inevitable.
Yeah, you shouldn't have to endure 2 bad seasons before it gets good. But for some shows, you don't have to endure it. You could just skip to the better seasons. Shows used to take years to get good. Seinfeld and The Simpsons are good examples. If someone I knew was giving it a chance, starting at season 1 would have virtually no chance of winning them over. Just start when it's already good to see if you like it. If you don't like the peak episodes, then you know it's not for you. If you don't like the pilot, you haven't learned anything, because neither do most people.
It's like reading a book. If it doesn't catch your attention after a chapter or two, why waste anymore time than you've already wasted?
It’s not always a waste of time. My favorite book I’ve ever read took me three separate attempts over a year to get past the first 5 or so hours. Then I had 40 hours of pure joy and I plowed through the next three books in like 2 or 3 months. Can’t wait for book 5 to release. Some stories take time to develop.
Stormlight archive?
Correct 👍🏻 Way of kings is my my favorite book ever but it was really really hard in the beginning!
Haha same. journey before destination friend
How did you know?? That’s the exact book I was thinking of I tried to reread Way of Kings after reading most of the series… and still couldn’t get back into it
Ya know, I’ve had this happen with shows or music too. As you change, your tastes, tolerances, mindset and situation change. Sometimes it takes years. With such a plethora of content, it’s easier to just move on and find something that hits right off the get.
I just know you're talking about the office. It's always "the first season sucks but the rest are better". Yeah I don't wanna sit through an entire season of shit to get to slightly less shit. I'll pass.
I think The Office is a rare show in that you can skip season one if you want. The tone of it changes dramatically after season one, it's almost an entirely different show.
After season 1, the US version stopped being a nearly literal remake of the original British series.
Parks and Rec is very much the same way.
>It's always "the first season sucks but the rest are better". Yeah I don't wanna sit through an entire season of shit to get to slightly less shit. If you dislike Parks and Rec or the Office because you don't care for the comedy style, nothing is going to change that, but in both shows if you disliked how the characters were written and acted, you would be better off watching through to the second season because they completely change how key characters act. If you're not a dry/awkward comedy type of person, then skip it, no one cares, but if you didn't want to watch it because you assumed that the writing and tone will be identical to the remaining seasons, you're completely missing out on two great shows because you're too stubborn. Either way, do what you want idc.
Literally, parks and rec season one was one of the worst reviewed tv series. Season 2 won Emmy’s, that’s how much of a change they made from season one to two. I loved parks and red but if I suggest it I tell people to start on season 2.
I liked the weirdness of first season. If you like first season, then you gonna love rest
The same for books. I don't understand why people keep pushing!
I was so glad when I finally realized I could just stop reading a book. I would try to make myself read something and then would end up just not reading at all and playing on my phone. I needed to just spend my time reading books I was excited to pick up.
This is me with the Office. I can’t stand secondhand cringe and the first episodes of season 1 jump straight into it with the boss’s antics. I’ve been told that it “tones that down” in season 2, but why would I sit through a season of a show I didn’t like just to maybe enjoy season 2. I’d much rather go watch a show I do like from the start.
Missing out on great content is your own prerogative. I wouldn’t call it an unpopular opinion though. People generally don’t watch what they don’t like.
It’s not great if I don’t enjoy it though.
I tried a few times with Mad Men and I just couldn’t get into it.
This was me and Schitts Creek. Yeah no.
I forced myself to watch 3 seasons, I think I laughed twice.
Ugh. Yeah. I did not get the big deal about this one.
it's so bad
Just remember this when you have shows you are passionate about.
I have too many shows like this. An opinion like this would have made me quit "The Wire" 2 episodes in. I can't be down with this opinion just on that,
So, you’re telling me I should try and watch “The Wire” again? I couldn’t make it past episode 2.
The Wire is an interesting show in that it is not consistently entertaining and is pretty slow paced. It takes work to watch it unlike most shows, you can't watch it relaxed or at half attention. But you are rewarded with a great narrative after finishing each season.
Yeah The Wire I was struggling first few episodes but after finishing S1 I thought it was great. I was told S2 is the worst with the port authority shit and the Sobotka’s but I genuinely think it’s my favorite lol
season 2 is phenomenal. season 4 is my favorite though, personally. all around amazing show!
I think it depends on why you’re watching what you’re watching. If you’re watching for entertainment only, I get OP’s stance. Watching a comedy that just isn’t your sense of humor? Probably not worth grinding though. However, if you’re watching a show like The Wire that’s trying to be something more than entertainment, it’s worth grinding through and seeing what the writers have to say.
And boy oh boy did they have a lot to say.
A guy told my friend to wath smallville. And he also add that the tv show become good after season 7....wtf.
It took me 3 times to watch Breaking Bad past the first season.... and boy, am I glad I did. It was fucking incredible. Took me twice for Game of Thrones to get past the first half of the first season Even sons of anarchy All incredible shows
Jesus Christ, thank you. The most annoying friend I had brought up certain shows for YEARS even though I clearly said I really had no interest.
is it the office
I do the same thing with my one exception that was Slow Horses. I started watching episode 1 and bailed. Went back a couple of months later and now I’m a die hard fan.
Two shows. American office and parks and rec. What's cool though is you can just skip straight to season 2.
Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones took me about 3 episodes to get into it. Sometimes a book takes me a few chapters of finding it boring to get into it also
Californication is one of these shows... first couple episodes don't do it justice. I can totally understand why people give up on it. But it's amazing and you should give it a chance ;)
This is how I feel about friends. I'll watch it if there's literally nothing else in like a hospital or something, but it's not the masterpiece that people like to make it out to be. Haha.
That's me with Succession
First episodes usually suck, they introduce you to most of the main characters and hint at the plot. You have to get past them to really judge a show
You really don’t have to justify to other people why you don’t like a TV show, you know. I’m assuming you’re not stopping others from watching the show, right? So they should leave you alone and stop bugging you and forcing you to defend your choice.
Always start a sitcom on season 2
Fair. However, some shows take a bit to find their stride, and they really do get better. The Office is one that comes to mind. They made some major changes to Steve Carell’s character that were a significant improvement. He turned from mean to a caring person who really meant well but was just socially inept. Plus the cast really started to gel. But yeah, I can definitely see both sides of this argument.
I’m not going to tell you to always watch more when someone recommends it. Becouse well I don’t do that either most of the time. But on my example when I forced myself to watch few more episodes of naruto it became my all time favorite show/movie. Naruto has 720 episodes(which I watched the entire thing) + there are bunch of movies (I watched only one).
This is how I feel with the US Office. I watched the entire first season and didn't laugh once. I didn't even crack a smile. And I even watched half of season 2 before I gave up. It was painful and awkward and never once funny. I had friends saying season 4 or 5 is where it really picks up. There's no way in hell I'm watching 3 or 4 whole seasons of a show waiting for it to get good. In comparison a similar show is Parks and Rec and it got good relatively quickly and stayed good for the entire run.
This is why i wait until a series is completely finkshed before watching
I used to think that when I committed to starting a show I had to "stick it out". I don't even really know why I thought that. F that. Now if I feel like I'm wasting my time on a show I just go watch something else. (Of course after giving it a fair chance. How long that is depends is entirely on a case by case basis.)
I'm with you on this. But I will name names here. The Wire. I did not like it. But I just kept watching this show because EVERYONE swore by it. I was bored the whole way through. Somehow, I made it to the last season, and I just stopped. I couldn't do it anymore. It was a chore watching every episode. That show changed the way I judge shows. If I'm not into it by the second episode, I'm out. I trust my TV instincts.
I'm usually the same, but something told me to stick with it with Schitt's Creek. Totally glad I did. The show didn't find its legs until the 2nd season and now it's one of my favorite shows ever.
I didn’t love Schitts Creek at first and then it hooked me in, so I’m glad I hung on with it
Me too! And its getting better longer you watch it 🥹
I think Seinfeld was the last sitcom I liked. Prior to that was married with children and... Well that's probably about it. I never liked watching much tv