List of the Not the Very Best TV Shows

[Harry Black]

Im watching the new Jack Ryan season on Amazon.
Spy/military/police escapist shows are a pleasure of mine. I like to switch my brain off and enjoy and just pretend the world is as simple as presented. This show makes that difficult however because it keeps trying to respond to criticisms of overreaching state security apparatus by having the characters debate politicians or answer strawman versions of the arguments against it. Its really jarring because it makes you go into the next scene in the context of a bullshit argument and suddenly you are doubting the intelligence of everyone involved.
Just say nothing!!
It really seems like it is written for the sensibilities of people who wish to live in a PG-13 version of the world but are also really scared of drug cartels. So...my mother is going to love it.

My other gripe is that they have opted not to use John Clark and instead have put Ding Chavez into a hybrid role of Dings name but Clarks background and personality and cast Michael Pena. I love Pena, and he is good. But he isnt either of these characters in a physical sense. Although he is quite realistic to what older operators do actually look like as opposed to retired operators that now run gyms and a lifestyle brand.
The last little thing they did that bugs me is changed his background from force recon. There is no need for it at all and it just seems kind of disrespectful from a show that seems to be all about unwavering worship of the military and intelligence services.

Plus...its kind of boring and everyone seems like they are written to be a cringey wanker. Which....is very true to Tom Clancy. I remember reading Clear and Present Danger at 14 and thinking- This guy has never met an actual soldier.

[Rai]

Witcher season 3 is not worth the time, at all. Haven't finished the first episode batch yet, and it is not as bad as Season 2 (at least the timeline is not incomprehensible), but still badly written, awfully paced and, by now, also really cheap looking.

It is a shame, because Season 1 had the potential of becoming a stupid and fun show, something akin to a modern Xena, but they decided to do all the wrong things with it.

I would definitely wish they made a spinoff series of just some random witcher doing monster of the week stuff, there is great potential in the world, but that will never happen. I wish we could have low-stakes stories on TV once again.

[werecow]

I seem to be the only one who actually enjoys The Witcher S3.

[arthwollipot]

The Witcher is one of those shows that people who have played the games say that you don't need to have played the games in order to enjoy.

Uh... yeah, I think you kind of do. You always do. I watched a couple of episodes and it really wasn't grabbing me, and it went into the long list of shows that I've seen a couple of episodes of.

[Rai]

The games, especially the third one are a lot better than the show.

The first two, especially the first are REALLY clunky, beware. But the third is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best video games ever made.

[Harry Black]

I havent played the games but I think the show is mostly ok if a bit overwritten.

I dont know how it got a second season after how bad the first was but...meh.

[Belgarath]

The Witcher is one of those shows that people who have played the games say that you don't need to have played the games in order to enjoy.

Uh... yeah, I think you kind of do. You always do. I watched a couple of episodes and it really wasn't grabbing me, and it went into the long list of shows that I've seen a couple of episodes of.

I watched season 1, and kinda started season 2.  I wonder if the new actor will be any better?

[arthwollipot]

The Witcher is one of those shows that people who have played the games say that you don't need to have played the games in order to enjoy.

Uh... yeah, I think you kind of do. You always do. I watched a couple of episodes and it really wasn't grabbing me, and it went into the long list of shows that I've seen a couple of episodes of.

I watched season 1, and kinda started season 2.  I wonder if the new actor will be any better?

I haven't heard great things about the new season, to be honest.

[Belgarath]

Sorry, the new actor, Liam Hemsworth is going to be Season 4.

[Harry Black]

Im working my way through the new season while I happen to be stuck waiting places with my phone.

Its just not very interesting and none of the characters are at all compelling except Ciri.
The monster fights are better at least.
But they cast the worlds ugliest elves (the actors are not ugly people. They just dont look like elves)

[werecow]

Im watching the new Jack Ryan season on Amazon.
Spy/military/police escapist shows are a pleasure of mine. I like to switch my brain off and enjoy and just pretend the world is as simple as presented. This show makes that difficult however because it keeps trying to respond to criticisms of overreaching state security apparatus by having the characters debate politicians or answer strawman versions of the arguments against it. Its really jarring because it makes you go into the next scene in the context of a bullshit argument and suddenly you are doubting the intelligence of everyone involved.
Just say nothing!!
It really seems like it is written for the sensibilities of people who wish to live in a PG-13 version of the world but are also really scared of drug cartels. So...my mother is going to love it.

My other gripe is that they have opted not to use John Clark and instead have put Ding Chavez into a hybrid role of Dings name but Clarks background and personality and cast Michael Pena. I love Pena, and he is good. But he isnt either of these characters in a physical sense. Although he is quite realistic to what older operators do actually look like as opposed to retired operators that now run gyms and a lifestyle brand.
The last little thing they did that bugs me is changed his background from force recon. There is no need for it at all and it just seems kind of disrespectful from a show that seems to be all about unwavering worship of the military and intelligence services.

Plus...its kind of boring and everyone seems like they are written to be a cringey wanker. Which....is very true to Tom Clancy. I remember reading Clear and Present Danger at 14 and thinking- This guy has never met an actual soldier.

It's alright I guess but the thing that trips me up is the nature of the McGuffin... So it's a device that can trigger a specific paired device from anywhere, which can be hooked up to anything. So what you're telling me is it can basically send a signal to a specific IP address over the internet? Well that's certainly very scary and as good a reason as any to murder many people.

[Rai]

Im working my way through the new season while I happen to be stuck waiting places with my phone.

Its just not very interesting and none of the characters are at all compelling except Ciri.
The monster fights are better at least.
But they cast the worlds ugliest elves (the actors are not ugly people. They just dont look like elves)

Finished the season and it was TERRIBLE. The whole thing lead absolutely nowhere.

I know people criticise it for deviating from the source material, which I don't care about, but they clearly also deviated from the practice of having a seasonal arc and a coherent script. Also, it was a bold choice to skimp a budget for costumes and makeup for a fantasy show.

It did make me wish we still had series with 20 episode seasons like in the good old days, which would have the time to breathe and pace themselves properly while also allowing for character development and world building. Plus, they could get away with a couple stinker episodes.

Streaming really was a mistake. 
At

[Harry Black]

I think you hit the nail on the head, there was no real story to speak of.

I also do not find it even slightly interesting when the big jacked gruff guy in a story also has superpowers that mean several local thugs or guards have no chance against him and yet we are asked to be invested in all these minor scuffles.

[werecow]

I know there's a writers' strike and all but just watched the latest episode of futurama and... oof.

[Rai]

Still not the best, but The Foundation is definitely getting better with the second season.

I don't mind that it isn't really a proper adaptation of the books, which would be impossible anyway and after a rather muddled and often uninteresting first season, they really got their act together for the second and made a proper high concept sci-fi series that is almost very good.

I especially enjoyed quite a lot of the acting this season.