I keep wondering if it's me who has got oversaturated or if it's really the film characters that keep getting more and more bland...

[ABlueAndWhiteYoungMan]

...and then I watch a show like "Good Omens" or "Monk" (never saw the last season, so catching up now), and I realise: Nope, it really is the characters. The bland, dull, egocentric and underdeveloped characters in today's films and TV shows. We're supposed to be living in TV's golden age, but production values aren't everything, are they?

I know I'm just being mean, and there are other shows with interesting characters, like "Sex Education" or - of course - "The Big Bang Theory", but this is how I feel about most shows I try watching nowadays. But then again, it's possible that I've just forgotten all the unremarkable trash of yore. So, I don't really know.

Any thoughts?

[natedammit]

What shows must you watching where you are holding up The Big Bang Theory as an example of one with good characters?

In conclusion, watch Neighbours.

[Ravogd]

23 minutes ago, natedammit said:

What shows must you watching where you are holding up The Big Bang Theory as an example of one with good characters?

In conclusion, watch Neighbours.

Yup I was right with you right up until TBBT as well. I thought you were going to quote some of the best character driven dramas of recent times like Breaking Bad or Mad Men but that show? Every character is a 2 dimensional walking cliche and stereotype who’s character changes radically at the drop of a hat in order to suit “storyline”. A very bad example. 

[ABlueAndWhiteYoungMan]

I do know TBBT gets a lot of hate, but I love it immensely. Sure thing, "Breaking Bad" would be another example, though I didn't enjoy it even remotely as much as I adore TBBT. Let it be my guilty pleasure, then, though I didn't realise that the show is considered so bad that this status would be justified. I am happy to admit that my taste can be trashy though.
There are actually very few shows that I genuinely enjoy watching and whose demise I mourn. The last one was "Episodes", and now it's TBBT. Really hoping they will make more "Good Omens", though it's probably not going to be quite as good.

Never seen "Neighbours" or "Mad Men", though my mum loves the latter.

"The Expanse" is another one I tried watching at least twice, but only persevered for three or four episodes. Same problem for me, the characters seemed utterly artificial. I know I'll get a beating for that, lol

Edited August 6, 2019 by ABlueAndWhiteYoungMan

[natedammit]

I like Big Bang Theory a lot, I just wouldn't cite it as having well-rounded characters, but then it doesn't have to as it's just supposed to make you laugh.

I really don't know if shows these days have characters that are more bland and underdeveloped than previously. I don't actually watch that much. I watch things with Nathan Fillion in and he plays the same character in everything. 

There does seem to be a lot of shows these days and we have more access to TV shows from around the world than ever. You probably have forgotten crud from years ago. I don't really have a point here.

In conclusion, watch Neighbours.

[Ravogd]

25 minutes ago, ABlueAndWhiteYoungMan said:

I do know TBBT gets a lot of hate, but I love it immensely. Sure thing, "Breaking Bad" would be another example, though I didn't enjoy it even remotely as much as I adore TBBT. Let it be my guilty pleasure, then, though I didn't realise that the show is considered so bad that this status would be justified. I am happy to admit that my taste can be trashy though.
There are actually very few shows that I genuinely enjoy watching and whose demise I mourn. The last one was "Episodes", and now it's TBBT. Really hoping they will make more "Good Omens", though it's probably not going to be quite as good.

Never seen "Neighbours" or "Mad Men", though my mum loves the latter.

"The Expanse" is another one I tried watching at least twice, but only persevered for three or four episodes. Same problem for me, the characters seemed utterly artificial. I know I'll get a beating for that, lol

I wasn’t talking about whether TBBT was good or not, I actually quite enjoy mindless comedies they are perfectly acceptable shows. I was speaking purely about the point you raised in your initial post (and the title) about characters. The characters in TBBT are abysmal and not thought through properly (hence them chopping and changing whenever it suits) and that’s fine for that show. I was meaning you can’t decry the blandness of characters in tv shows then site them as examples of good ones, it just can’t be done. My 2 examples of Breaking Bad and Mad Men were again not about how good or bad those shows were but how good the characters were in them. Mad Men I didn’t like that much to be honest but the characters were so well planned and had so much depth and realism it was worth watching for that alone. Mad Men is the ultimate example of what they call “character drama” as IMO virtually nothing happens in the show, the plots and storylines are methodical and uninteresting but how the characters react to them and to each other is a masterclass of character writing and development.

[HeartDT]

For me one of the best characters ever in tv is Walter from Fringe.  John Noble was absolutely superb.    Fantastic character and John played him amazingly.

[CosmicAvatar]

On ‎8‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 2:49 PM, ABlueAndWhiteYoungMan said:

I do know TBBT gets a lot of hate, but I love it immensely. Sure thing, "Breaking Bad" would be another example, though I didn't enjoy it even remotely as much as I adore TBBT. Let it be my guilty pleasure, then, though I didn't realise that the show is considered so bad that this status would be justified. I am happy to admit that my taste can be trashy though.
There are actually very few shows that I genuinely enjoy watching and whose demise I mourn. The last one was "Episodes", and now it's TBBT. Really hoping they will make more "Good Omens", though it's probably not going to be quite as good.

Never seen "Neighbours" or "Mad Men", though my mum loves the latter.

"The Expanse" is another one I tried watching at least twice, but only persevered for three or four episodes. Same problem for me, the characters seemed utterly artificial. I know I'll get a beating for that, lol

I loved TBBT as well, although I'm well aware of its many faults.

Your comment about The Expanse reminds me of the incredibly long queue for Armin Shimerman's Quark photoshoot at DSTE a while back.  Got chatting with other attendees (as you do), and at least two recommended I watch that show (and some con friends of mine backed them up at subsequent events).  It starts slowly in S1, but keep at it if you can - it starts off as one thing and ends up being something completely different.  I absolutely loved it - one of the best shows I've watched recently (so glad it's survived cancellation and is coming back in December!).

The only other show I've really liked recently is Instinct.  I completely agree with the criticism that Alan Cumming doesn't have the physical presence to convince as the character they originally wanted him to portray, but fortunately they stepped away from that aspect and let him shine in the ways he does best.  And it was shot in New York, one of my favourite places (I've actually walked past the building they used as police HQ, although I remembered it from the remake of The Tomorrow People).

And then of course they cancelled it. *sulks*

I do still love Grey's Anatomy, mind.  It's mindless fluff for most of the time, and then it just sucker-punches you in the gut.  I think I've cried more over that show than any other (including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Joss Whedon knew how to bring The Pain).  Grey's is coming back, right?  I'm too scared to check right now.

Oooh, and I like The Blacklist.  That's still going.  There.  And The Rookie was enjoyable.  Hoping that comes back too (haven't heard anything to the contrary).

Conclusion: I really am not watching a lot of TV these days.  And I used to watch a LOT.  I don't know whether you have a point there, or it's just my advancing age.

 

p.s. do NOT watch Neighbours.  Natedammit is being a bad bear again.

[natedammit]

13 minutes ago, CosmicAvatar said:

p.s. do NOT watch Neighbours.  Natedammit is being a bad bear again.

I'm being an angry bear right now.

Toadie has just started a Class Action Lawsuit against Lassiters at the behest of Kyle. This affects everybody: friends, family, lovers, and, yes, they're all Neighbours. You don't get that kind of drama in poxy Grey's Anatomy.