RIP Cory Monteith

[Frogpuppeteer]

Not to derail the conversation about poor Cory and his family, but I have to ask:

If MUPPET fans are not watching Glee (a show about singing and dancing and a huge cast of witty, brightly coloured characters). Who IS?

from what i understand alot of teens watch it...and it actually gets into some deep high school esq problems....but ive heard it got really repetitive recently

 

[Beauregard]

from what i understand alot of teens watch it...and it actually gets into some deep high school esq problems....but ive heard it got really repetitive recently

Hmm...For me, its not repetitive -- its referential jokes. I usually spend more of it nodding and going, "Well crafted joke, guys" more than I actually laugh out loud, but I enjoy it for what it is. I am actually surprised more Muppet fans aren't fans though, genuinely, because although it lacks the HEART of the Muppets -- much of the irreverence is there.

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

Hmm...For me, its not repetitive -- its referential jokes. I usually spend more of it nodding and going, "Well crafted joke, guys" more than I actually laugh out loud, but I enjoy it for what it is. I am actually surprised more Muppet fans aren't fans though, genuinely, because although it lacks the HEART of the Muppets -- much of the irreverence is there.

while i can not speak for everyone, for me at least even though in a way Glee is muppety, it just isnt for me, and in a way its the characters..not that they are bad, what i saw of the show i enjoyed. but i cant relate with anyone. they are all high schoolers. with the Muppets i grew up on them so any age they may portray i go back to what i remember.

what i meant from repetitive is that i have read many reviews that after season one they follow the same lose one competition win another scenerio

 

[misspiggy5260]

Not to derail the conversation about poor Cory and his family, but I have to ask:

If MUPPET fans are not watching Glee (a show about singing and dancing and a huge cast of witty, brightly coloured characters). Who IS?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Princeton]

Here's my journey with Glee: I watched it loyally from the very first episode, survived Season Two and brought new meaning to the word 'tolerance' with Season Three (the only saving grace with S3 was that Quinn actually became an active character again after little to no story arc in S2). Then Season Four happened and I swear I didn't even make it six episodes in. The dealbreaker for me was Marley. The fact that she had no flaws deeply bothered me because I firmly believe there should be very few perfect characters on this show (up to this point, the closest they came was Sam). Anyway, Marley demanded respect for her mom, who was the lunch lady at McKinley High and was subject to a lot of abuse from the students*. But then when Marley falls in love with Puck's brother and gets nothing back, she's all passive and is like "ohthat'skewlaslongasyou'rehappy". And as a feminist and Glee purist, a character like that was a little more for me to handle.
*:Okay, about the lunch lady thing. I know for a fact that lunch ladies don't make good wages. If you're a grown woman and high school kids are picking on you and you have to resort to your teenage daughter to defend you, QUIT YOUR JOB! NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO BE A LUNCH LADY!

 

[mr3urious]

I wonder if his death will be worked into the show a la Mr. Hooper (but in a tasteful way)?

 

[Drtooth]

Here's my journey with Glee: I watched it loyally from the very first episode, survived Season Two and brought new meaning to the word 'tolerance' with Season Three (the only saving grace with S3 was that Quinn actually became an active character again after little to no story arc in S2). Then Season Four happened and I swear I didn't even make it six episodes in.

Shows that are initially popular have a hard time keeping up quality, and have a difficult time trying to recapture the spark that made them popular in the first place. Look at Heroes. Even the writers didn't know what to do with the show after season 1.

I just could never get into Glee. I watched 2 full episodes, and I just didn't dig them at all. It's trying to be serious and cartoony at the same time, and they just could never find a good enough balance. At first I really thought Sue was an over the top mean character that should be concerned more about collecting a bunch of Dalmatians to make a coat than to close down the Glee Club to get more money. And I'd believe the whole budget cuts that put them at each others throats better if A) it wasn't an upper middle class district school and B) if Sue didn't have a freaking point, considering the budget they have for just practicing! Not to mention how smug Lea Michelle's character is. I want Sue to shut them the frag down, just to shut her up.

I also really hated how the actor that played Kurt (or Curt or Kirt or Kyrrrtt or whatever) got nominated for a comedy Emmy when the character is always melancholy. Even when he's happy, he's depressing. Not to mention the Anviliciousness when they go after a message. Oh, and I hated the Rocky Horror episode. I mean, they have been known to butcher a classic and all, but the Sweet Transvestite cover was freaking terrible because of a plot point. Why they even did that as an episode is beyond me.

 

[D'Snowth]

Shows that are initially popular have a hard time keeping up quality, and have a difficult time trying to recapture the spark that made them popular in the first place. Look at Heroes. Even the writers didn't know what to do with the show after season 1.

It's not so much the writers' fault these days, networks want COMPLETE control over shows in this day and age, and they really crank Executive Meddling up to 11 today; networks think they know what they want, but in the process, they're the reason for a show's demise because their demands go against what the actual writers and producers are trying to capture with a show. Sitcom writer Ken Levine mentions this on his blog quite often, writers ALWAYS get the most ridiculous notes from networks all the time, telling them to change this, change that, get rid of this character, add a hot Mary Sue to the cast, etc.

There's virtually no creative freedom in television anymore - almost everything you see on TV today is the result of network manipulation.

Not to mention how smug Lea Michelle's character is. I want Sue to shut them the frag down, just to shut her up.

I was so afraid she was going to become the female equivilant of Steve Carell, or NPH there for a while, since Mila Kunis's fame seems to have toned down quite a bit... but I think Jennifer Lawrence took that torch and is running with it right now. But Lea Michelle is a little on the smug side herself.

Oh, and I hated the Rocky Horror episode.

Uh huh.

I mean, they have been known to butcher a classic and all

Uh huh! Their cover of "Livin' on a Prayer" is SO grating, I can't even stand to listen to the Bon Jovi original anymore.

but the Sweet Transvestite cover was freaking terrible because of a plot point.

Did I not say that before? I'm pretty sure I've said that before.

 

[Drtooth]

It's not so much the writers' fault these days, networks want COMPLETE control over shows in this day and age, and they really crank Executive Meddling up to 11 today;

Some shows are more hands on than others. But if you have a show that's right out of the box a hit, regardless of executive screw ups, it's tough to keep that spark up. Heroes, Desperate Housewives... there's so many shows that have a strong first season and then just peter out after 2 more. There's no room for shows to be sleeper hits that become huge and improve season after season until it plateaus around season 5 or 6. Glee, like it or not, had a strong start. Now, those fans just stopped caring. Some writers actually don't know what to do when the first season ends. I keep repeating Heroes, because it was exactly what happened with that particular show . They just started borrowing from other Mutant based comic book story lines until the show just disappeared because everyone stopped watching it. And that was the exact point where the show could have been good again.

There's virtually no creative freedom in television anymore - almost everything you see on TV today is the result of network manipulation.

There was always a lack of creative freedom. This isn't new. The Dick Van Dyke show came out of the network not wanting a show just about writing for a show, and they demanded a family element. They forced the 1960's Batman show to get a HUGE budget cut that made the show not campy bad, but actually BAD bad. They wouldn't let the cops from C.H.i.P.S. use their guns. And like I said in another thread, they would not let anything on kid's television that wasn't a Smurf knockoff or some classic cartoon character's lame son. Networks always had their say. Sometimes they were really hands off, sometimes their meddling made the show better.

It seems harsher now because no one really watches TV anymore, but it's always been the same story

 

[D'Snowth]

There was always a lack of creative freedom. This isn't new. The Dick Van Dyke show came out of the network not wanting a show just about writing for a show, and they demanded a family element. They forced the 1960's Batman show to get a HUGE budget cut that made the show not campy bad, but actually BAD bad. They wouldn't let the cops from C.H.i.P.S. use their guns. And like I said in another thread, they would not let anything on kid's television that wasn't a Smurf knockoff or some classic cartoon character's lame son. Networks always had their say. Sometimes they were really hands off, sometimes their meddling made the show better.

It seems harsher now because no one really watches TV anymore, but it's always been the same story

Well, even Marty Krofft has said back then, the interference factor from networks was miniscule compared to interference today.

And it's true. At least back then, the production company, or studio, or creator, or whoever got to actually own what they create; now, networks demand ownership to everything: the show, the characters, the intellectual properties, everything.

And yes, I know Jim Henson didn't get ownership of TMS or any of the movies until Lord Grade went bankrupt.