Topic: What would you do with the Simpsons?

[NWR_insanolord]

maybe i should of just said sitcoms aren't funny. big bang theory, 2 and 1/2 men (with or without charlie) are two really popular sitcoms people tell me i need to watch, and I've tried, but I can't. too , if anything.

The problem there is that basically every show on CBS is awful. Now I know TJ Spyke is going to want to rush in and point out that CBS is the most watched network in America, so clearly everything on it is fantastic, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

[TJ Spyke]

The only show I watch on CBS is Big Bang Theory (well, Price Is Right and Jeopardy air on my local CBS affiliate), which IS one of the best and funniest shows on TV.

[EasyCure]

i don't think I've ever watched anything on cbs  not willfully anyway. maybe when i was younger and my family didn't have cable tv yet.. but once i started watching my own programming, nothing on cbs appealed to me. honestly, most network tv never appealed to me with the exception of fox..

they got me young with the simpsons and married with children, and later futurama and family guy.

speaking of married.. that's probably the only sitcom that has the same mold as 99% out those before and after it that I enjoy, simply because it was the first to feature a crude, dysfunctional family. It got hammered by the press and civil or religious groups for its content which by todays standards is very tame, meanwhile shows like roseanne who, I believe came out after and had a similar formula, was praised for its originality. I had no idea about the controversy back then, but now it makes me appreciate the show that much more

[UncleBob]

If you want a good sitcom... Raising Hope.  It's amazing.

[ThePerm]

i think we've had this conversation before. I hated Big Bang Theory when i first watched it, and occasionally there will be a terrible episode where the laugh track is put up full blast during unfunny scenes. There was a recent one where the B plotline with Howard just wasn't funny. The amy/sheldon plotline was very funny though. Pretty much any Sheldon bit is funny. I would put Big Bang Theory in about the same rank as That 70s show(maybe taxi). It is really exactly the same sort of humor. The characters a quirky and weird and thats where the comedy comes from. It relies on a lot of in jokes. Some people would call BBT nerdface, but they really only rely on pop culture jokes occasionally.

That being said i'm more a fan of Curb your Enthusiasm or It's always Sunny in Philidelphia. I'm more into the humor that a bunch of opinionated assholes can provide. Another show I started to like is Peep Show, its British and a bit twisted.

[UncleBob]

[lolmonade]

The only people I know who watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men are over 50 years old.

CBS is a channel that has older age demographics.

The elderly/baby boomer generation comprises a large percentage of people who still watch television at times the show actually airs, and don't use internet streaming or DVR as consistently to watch television.

Therefore, TJ Spyke is old enough to receive social security benefits.

Seriously though, The Big Bang Theory is the Diet 7UP of sitcoms: Inoffensive but not particularly satisfying.

Also, why the hell does every thread in the non-gaming forums degenerate into a BBT bitchfest?

[NWR_insanolord]

That's the problem for a show like Community, whose target demographic is one that doesn't really want to sit down and watch a show when it airs. It's one of the best rated shows in certain demographics, but those demographics don't watch that much broadcast TV in general.

[Khushrenada]

CBS shows I watch: The Price is Right, Jeopardy, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Mentalist, and Elementary. Although I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to keep watching Elementary or not. And yes, I've seen all episodes of the BBC Sherlock and I know it is way superior. I don't care if you don't like my viewing habits. If I did, I wouldn't post them. These shows appeal to me and I'm going to keep watching.

Frankly, I'm a huge fan of game shows (GSN from 1998-2003 was awesome) and for me, a lot of reality TV belongs in that genre. There's a lot that doesn't also but generally, if it has a bit of a large cash prize involved, I've checked it out. And I've been big mystery fan ever all my life starting with when I cracked open a Hardy Boys book as a boy and continuing on into Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. That said, I don't watch too many mystery shows on TV but The Mentalist appeals to me because I do like the tone of the show and the main character and all the secondary characters also. I would rate Veronica Mars higher than The Mentalist but both series live in their own worlds/hieghtened reality so while I sometimes roll my eyes about how convienient a character can get out of a situation, I'm willing to forgive it and keep going but your mileage may vary. The sad thing is, I find The Mentalist to be a better imitation of Sherlock Holmes than Sherlock Holmes in Elementary.

My point is, CBS is the network I watch the most shows from and I know plenty of people that watch other shows on it, including friends younger than myself who watch NCIS and NCIS:LA. As much as I don't care for The Big Bang Theory, I'll watch it over those two shows anywhere, anyday and anytime. I've also watched the occasional episode of How I Met Your Mother and Rules of Engagement also. While they never wowed me to the point where I felt the need to tune in week after week and keep watching, I did enjoy the time I spent with them and am welcome to seeing another epsiode or two of them.

CBS: They've got a little something for everyone.

[lolmonade]

CBS shows I watch: The Price is Right, Jeopardy, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Mentalist, and Elementary. Although I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to keep watching Elementary or not. And yes, I've seen all episodes of the BBC Sherlock and I know it is way superior. I don't care if you don't like my viewing habits. If I did, I wouldn't post them. These shows appeal to me and I'm going to keep watching.

Frankly, I'm a huge fan of game shows (GSN from 1998-2003 was awesome) and for me, a lot of reality TV belongs in that genre. There's a lot that doesn't also but generally, if it has a bit of a large cash prize involved, I've checked it out. And I've been big mystery fan ever all my life starting with when I cracked open a Hardy Boys book as a boy and continuing on into Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. That said, I don't watch too many mystery shows on TV but The Mentalist appeals to me because I do like the tone of the show and the main character and all the secondary characters also. I would rate Veronica Mars higher than The Mentalist but both series live in their own worlds/hieghtened reality so while I sometimes roll my eyes about how convienient a character can get out of a situation, I'm willing to forgive it and keep going but your mileage may vary. The sad thing is, I find The Mentalist to be a better imitation of Sherlock Holmes than Sherlock Holmes in Elementary.

My point is, CBS is the network I watch the most shows from and I know plenty of people that watch other shows on it, including friends younger than myself who watch NCIS and NCIS:LA. As much as I don't care for The Big Bang Theory, I'll watch it over those two shows anywhere, anyday and anytime. I've also watched the occasional episode of How I Met Your Mother and Rules of Engagement also. While they never wowed me to the point where I felt the need to tune in week after week and keep watching, I did enjoy the time I spent with them and am welcome to seeing another epsiode or two of them.

CBS: They've got a little something for everyone.

I was just poking fun at TJ Spyke.      I haven't watched much live television lately, but I can at least admit to enjoying one CBS show for quite a while (Criminal Minds).

[TJ Spyke]

The only people I know who watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men are over 50 years old.

CBS is a channel that has older age demographics.

I know you are joking, but CBS is almost always 1st or 2nd in the ratings among those 18-49. Want to know how popular BBT is? For the week ending December 30, a re-run of the show was the 4th most watched show among 18-49 year olds (the top 3 were the Sunday Night Football game, the OT on Fox, and Football Night in America). New episodes are ALWAYS in the top 5 among the coveted 18-49 demographic, and the last new episode (December 13) was #2 (behind the Sunday Night Football game).

Among the big 4 (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX), ABC and FOX are usually at the bottom in total viewers 18-49. If you count The CW (which only airs shows from 8pm-10pm Mon-Fri), CW is last.


Yes, I actually wasted time looking this up and typing it all out when I know you were just joking.

[EasyCure]

at least you're living up to your title..

[TJ Spyke]

I didn't go to Wikipedia. And I wanted to make sure my info was correct so I wouldn't look like an ass by spouting wrong info.

[EasyCure]

I didn't take your title as you citing wikipedia, just that you're a source for random information.. can we get a title change to "defensive wikipedia lite"

[lolmonade]

The only people I know who watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men are over 50 years old.

CBS is a channel that has older age demographics.

I know you are joking, but CBS is almost always 1st or 2nd in the ratings among those 18-49. Want to know how popular BBT is? For the week ending December 30, a re-run of the show was the 4th most watched show among 18-49 year olds (the top 3 were the Sunday Night Football game, the OT on Fox, and Football Night in America). New episodes are ALWAYS in the top 5 among the coveted 18-49 demographic, and the last new episode (December 13) was #2 (behind the Sunday Night Football game).

Among the big 4 (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX), ABC and FOX are usually at the bottom in total viewers 18-49. If you count The CW (which only airs shows from 8pm-10pm Mon-Fri), CW is last.


Yes, I actually wasted time looking this up and typing it all out when I know you were just joking.

I fully admit to using anecdotal evidence to make my claims.  I take your wasting time to look up actual statistics as a win on my part.

[TJ Spyke]

LOL, to be fair, I am watching TV while I reply. So I would just be sitting here doing nothing important.

[EasyCure]

LOL, to be fair, I am watching TV while I reply. So I would just be sitting here doing nothing important.

well.. why don't you do something important? or at least more productive. Ever thought of learning a new language?

[TJ Spyke]

LOL, I work fast. So that didn't take long to find.

[Plugabugz]

Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.

Both Sherlock and Downton Abbey both use wit and smart writing over comedic moments.

Plus Maggie Smith can act anyone into dust with those cold harsh put downs of hers.

[lolmonade]

Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.

Both Sherlock and Downton Abbey both use wit and smart writing over comedic moments.

Plus Maggie Smith can act anyone into dust with those cold harsh put downs of hers.

Downton Abby is a show that I grew to appreciate and enjoy the more I watch.  I'm not a fan of the period-piece type shows, but once you get well aquainted with the characters and the premise, the show can actually be pretty enjoyable to follow (and as you said, has a handful of pretty funny moments).

[Ian Sane]

The only time I watch CBS is for football.  Most of my broadcast TV has been NBC and FOX pretty much since I was old enough to operate the TV myself.  Though the only non-sports shows I watch regularly these days are Raising Hope and Parks & Recreation.  I typically only have a small amount of shows I'm following because there are just other things I'd rather be doing.  It's quite different from my teen years where I would watch at least two hours of TV a day.  I isn't like I think TV is worse now than it was then or anything.  I've just changed where TV is not as interesting to me.

[TJ Spyke]

Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.

Both Sherlock and Downton Abbey both use wit and smart writing over comedic moments.

Plus Maggie Smith can act anyone into dust with those cold harsh put downs of hers.

I never said good humor can't be clever, I was just correcting Plug by letting him know something doesn't have to be "clever" to be funny. Nor does it have to be a joke you never heard before.

[Khushrenada]

At least someone else is watching Parks and Recreation. I keep telling everyone I can that it is the best comedy on TV right now. Now granted, I haven't watched Modern Family which is the only other comedy I see people really praising these days but Parks and Recreation is just fantastic television. I use to love the office and especially the first 3 seasons but by the 4th, I could tell it was just not the same level anymore. But Parks just keeps getting better and better. However, I will concede that so far this year, it just seems to be on an even keel and has been as good as the 4th season but hasn't risen above it. Hasn't fallen below either but for awhile, each year just seemed to be better than the last.

[EasyCure]

The Office (US) made me want to vomit when I spent 2 weeks in a cheap hotel in Albany for work and that was the only show I was somewhat familiar with that was airing..

[nickmitch]

I don't like The Office.