Supernatural
I don't like this show. Granted, I've only seen the pilot, and it probably gets better, but it's cheesier the Tom Baker Doctor Who episodes!
Allow me to explain:
1st. Cheesiest subject matter ever. Supernatural is about two brothers who travel around the country investigating supernatural activity. The concept for this show sounds like a parody of the horror genre instead of an actual example of said genre. I wouldn't mind it so much if the show was intended to be a comedy, but it just takes itself too seriously, and the tone of the show is way too inconsistent. It hops from dramatic, to funny, to relaxed, to scary, to dramatic, it's all over the place! This technique works well on a show like The West Wing, where there are multiple sub-plots that all have their own tone, but Supernatural tone-hops within the single narrative of the episode, which is confusing to the audience because they don't know how to react.
2nd. I don't like the characters. They aren't morally sound people, which wouldn't be a bad thing, except they have no other likable traits. The characters just aren't relateable or likable enough for me to feel sympathy towards them. A character doesn't have to be morally sound in order for them to be enjoyable, but they do have to have other likable traits. The Joker is a good example of this, he isn't a good guy, but he has a really good personality and is accordingly a good and enjoyable character.
The brothers from supernatural have good intentions, but use morally corrupt methods to achieve their goals. One of the brothers is very reluctant, worries and is indirect, while the other is very precise but care-free. The problem with this dynamic is that one brother is a jerk, and the other comes off as a coward. While said dynamic can lead to some interesting comedic moments, it makes the characters bland and unlikable.
3rd. It just isn't written well. The pilot episode gets all 3 strikes within the 1st 5 minutes!
1: In Horror, it is important to show the normal world as the viewer knows it before you turn it on it's head, but the way Supernatural does this looks like a Snuggie commercial.
2: It is unclear what happened for good reason, but the way it plays is too confusing. There are too many twists and they tempt death too many times for me to care about the conflict. Which is bad because it's apparently the conflict that drives the series. If I don't care about the conflict, I don't care about the story and accordingly the show.
3: I know it sucks when someone dies, but I can deduce when to feel sad about something under my own power. Music helps, but, I don't feel sad because I know nothing about any of these characters. This opening relies too heavily on musical accompaniment.
3/3... ouch.
I say it's cheesier than the original Doctor Who because of its writing. Doctor Who had really good and engaging stories, and then special effects that they got at the dollar store. With Supernatural it's the other way around, and it really suffers for it. They put all their time and cash resources into making it look good, and a dollar store clerk wrote the script. I watched this purely for the sake of argument, and while it was legitimately scary there were too many things that came off as logically idiotic and removed me from the experience. Overall, it isn't a bad show because it has good entertainment value. I can see why the show is popular, and I hear it gets better, I just personally don't wish to continue with it.
6/10
Allow me to explain:
1st. Cheesiest subject matter ever. Supernatural is about two brothers who travel around the country investigating supernatural activity. The concept for this show sounds like a parody of the horror genre instead of an actual example of said genre. I wouldn't mind it so much if the show was intended to be a comedy, but it just takes itself too seriously, and the tone of the show is way too inconsistent. It hops from dramatic, to funny, to relaxed, to scary, to dramatic, it's all over the place! This technique works well on a show like The West Wing, where there are multiple sub-plots that all have their own tone, but Supernatural tone-hops within the single narrative of the episode, which is confusing to the audience because they don't know how to react.
2nd. I don't like the characters. They aren't morally sound people, which wouldn't be a bad thing, except they have no other likable traits. The characters just aren't relateable or likable enough for me to feel sympathy towards them. A character doesn't have to be morally sound in order for them to be enjoyable, but they do have to have other likable traits. The Joker is a good example of this, he isn't a good guy, but he has a really good personality and is accordingly a good and enjoyable character.
The brothers from supernatural have good intentions, but use morally corrupt methods to achieve their goals. One of the brothers is very reluctant, worries and is indirect, while the other is very precise but care-free. The problem with this dynamic is that one brother is a jerk, and the other comes off as a coward. While said dynamic can lead to some interesting comedic moments, it makes the characters bland and unlikable.
3rd. It just isn't written well. The pilot episode gets all 3 strikes within the 1st 5 minutes!
1: In Horror, it is important to show the normal world as the viewer knows it before you turn it on it's head, but the way Supernatural does this looks like a Snuggie commercial.
2: It is unclear what happened for good reason, but the way it plays is too confusing. There are too many twists and they tempt death too many times for me to care about the conflict. Which is bad because it's apparently the conflict that drives the series. If I don't care about the conflict, I don't care about the story and accordingly the show.
3: I know it sucks when someone dies, but I can deduce when to feel sad about something under my own power. Music helps, but, I don't feel sad because I know nothing about any of these characters. This opening relies too heavily on musical accompaniment.
3/3... ouch.
I say it's cheesier than the original Doctor Who because of its writing. Doctor Who had really good and engaging stories, and then special effects that they got at the dollar store. With Supernatural it's the other way around, and it really suffers for it. They put all their time and cash resources into making it look good, and a dollar store clerk wrote the script. I watched this purely for the sake of argument, and while it was legitimately scary there were too many things that came off as logically idiotic and removed me from the experience. Overall, it isn't a bad show because it has good entertainment value. I can see why the show is popular, and I hear it gets better, I just personally don't wish to continue with it.
6/10