Bully TV

[Bubbler]

I've been with my wife forever. Love her. We are opposites who attracted. Much of what we are opposite on I live with as a variety-is-the-spice-of-life kind of thing.

But one thing she watches that I will never, ever understand is what I'll call Bully TV.

Think Judge Judy. Gordon Ramsey. That dickhead from "Bar Rescue". Back in the day, she used to watch "Dance Moms", which was basically televised child abuse.

I don't understand the appeal of these shows ... at all. I give my wife **** about it all the time. Why do you like this? She says it's mindless TV. I counter with the fact that there are plenty of mindless TV shows that don't involve someone being an asshole. Do like I do and watch some old ass "Barnaby Jones" episode or something.

For those of you who do like these shows? Why? I seriously want to understand. Because I don't get why someone being a **** is entertaining in any way.

And I don't want to hear that this is some Trump thing. These shows were going great guns long before Trump.

 

[FileNotFound]

We are absolutely in an era where being an asshole is not only tolerated, it’s celebrated. I blame Bobby Knight.

 

[Gym Beam]

Same with the ridiculous slew of Fake Housewags of Whereverwearethisweek shows. Why would anyone watch those?

 

[mpcincal]

I'm with you on the whole genre. I've never watched any of the Ramsay shows, and the only reason I watched Judge Judy is because my mom liked it, and sometimes I would walk in when it was on. I always liked to tell Mom, Judge Judy must love being on that show because she can dish out her own brand of "justice" without actually having to, you know, follow the law.
I have to confess, though, to enjoying "Bar Rescue." Tapper is way overbearing, but he does give me a little bit of insight as to how bars and to a lesser extent restaurants are run. And, I just marvel about how some of these places are staying in business while being so poorly run.

 

[ChrisLong]

assholes = annoying
Urkel, Sheldon, Kramer, .....

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

My wife and daughter went through a long Dance Moms phase, which thankfully seems to be over. Of course, that's probably b/c the show is over. But yeah, that woman was a nasty piece of work. I never got why they liked it, especially since my daughter takes dance three nights a week.

The weird schism for me and my wife, as I think I've mentioned here before, is music videos. She can't take them being on as background noise. So she'll put on Paradise, about a dystopia I don't want to think about because *waves hands at everything* or The Pitt, which is just ****ing morbid and gross and bleak (but surely well-done). Somehow, that is more relaxing than a 40,000th viewing of Take on Me or I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Fortunately, we can usually agree to disagree and just put on Big Bang Theory or Friends reruns.

 

[DanOregon]

Did anybody miss the cancelled season of The Bachelorette? I hate being manipulated. And that's what most reality TV is, trying to make you feel something - doesn't have to be good.
I enjoyed Survivor before it became full of very special episodes, I thought Simon Cowell actually said what everyone was thinking, but didn't want to admit out loud about most contestants on Idol, but the way they manufacture "moments" on America's Got Talent" these days makes it look like AI slop. Seeing cooks "talk smack" before some cooking show? Give me a break.

 

[MisterCreosote]

This is why God invented second televisions. We could not have more different taste when it comes to stuff like that

My wife watches all that “reality” bull****. Alone in the living room.

I watch my **** alone in our bedroom.

Problem solved.

Good thing we don’t have a ton of time to watch TV anyway.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

For my wife, it's the true crime documentaries that seem to have their own dedicated channels, showing 24/7. Interviews with family members of murder victims, investigators, and examinations of "it was ruled a suicide, but was it murder?" cases and so forth. Sticking a camera in these people's faces as they revisit some of the worst moments that anyone will ever experience.

There was one a few months ago where the grizzled old officers couldn't even speak without sobbing, and kept saying, "It's the worst thing I've ever seen, and to imagine what these poor young girls went through in the final moments of their lives is something that keeps me up at night and will haunt me until the day I die."

How the absolute **** can any sane person watch this and consider it entertainment? If she's watching some of that and I'm doing something in the kitchen, which overlooks our family room, I'll throw in some earbuds and either listen to music or throw on a Netflix show on my phone.

 

[Gym Beam]

For my wife, it's the true crime documentaries that seem to have their own dedicated channels, showing 24/7. Interviews with family members of murder victims, investigators, and examinations of "it was ruled a suicide, but was it murder?" cases and so forth. Sticking a camera in these people's faces as they revisit some of the worst moments that anyone will ever experience.

There was one a few months ago where the grizzled old officers couldn't even speak without sobbing, and kept saying, "It's the worst thing I've ever seen, and to imagine what these poor young girls went through in the final moments of their lives is something that keeps me up at night and will haunt me until the day I die."

How the absolute **** can any sane person watch this and consider it entertainment? If she's watching some of that and I'm doing something in the kitchen, which overlooks our family room, I'll throw in some earbuds and either listen to music or throw on a Netflix show on my phone.

Hate those shows with a red-hot passion. Years ago I was passing on some info to a homicide detective (don't ask) and before the interview he asked if I would mind being included in one of those shows that he was featured on. I ripped into him and told him how appalled I was by those kind of shows.

 

[Bubbler]

Those shows embellish and exaggerate facts too. Shocker of shockers, I know.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

I have a friend who is a former anchor who frequently shows up on those true-crime docs as a talking head, where she is identified as a journalist and shares facts in the case.

She didn't cover the cases. She's reciting facts they have handed her.

 

[spikechiquet]

I have a friend who is a former anchor who frequently shows up on those true-crime docs as a talking head, where she is identified as a journalist and shares facts in the case.

She didn't cover the cases. She's reciting facts they have handed her.

So you are saying I have a chance to get back into TV as a fake journalist?! Awesome!

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I have a friend who is a former anchor who frequently shows up on those true-crime docs as a talking head, where she is identified as a journalist and shares facts in the case.

She didn't cover the cases. She's reciting facts they have handed her.

This reminds me of watching the Billionaire Boys Club doc on CNN last summer. I stumbled on to it b/c it followed the excellent Live Aid doc, but I was fairly interested b/c I watched the TV movie w/my Dad way back in the day and I was curious what kind of new info they'd uncovered. They uncovered so much new info that the most prominent person on the doc was..........Judd ****ing Nelson, who played Joe Hunt, the ringleader of the Billionaire Boys Club, in the Billionaire Boys Club movie. Most of the doc was wretched "recreations." I watched it like I'd watch a car wreck.

 

[spikechiquet]

There are so many docs and TV shows I have yet to watch so I never watch that crap.
The closest to "reality" TV would be Food Network shows. My wife watches way more than I, but I do like Tournament of Champions, Guys Grocery Games and 24 in 24. I typically try to visit the places that those chefs run if I'm in their town. Same with any of the travel shows for food, like Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.
But things like Top Chef where it's basically Real World with cooking or anything Gordan Ramsey? Nah.

Watching Mad Men right now with the wife and The Americans after she goes to bed.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I've become completely hooked on YouTube police bodycam videos. But I only watch the ones from Wisconsin because, who knows? Maybe I'll see a familiar face.

 

[Gym Beam]

I've become completely hooked on YouTube police bodycam videos. But I only watch the ones from Wisconsin because, who knows? Maybe I'll see a familiar face.

You should pal up with my brother. He's a responsible adult, but hooked on those and videos of airport security guys picking on drunks.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

You should pal up with my brother. He's a responsible adult, but hooked on those and videos of airport security guys picking on drunks.

A lot of those come out of Florida, to which I can relate. I remember some trauma trying to leave Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

 

[dixiehack]

I thought Simon Cowell actually said what everyone was thinking, but didn't want to admit out loud

I think this is the answer for all the shows from the original post. People crave “telling it like it is” because they can’t do so in real life. Really we do a lot of it here, cursing a blue streak, ripping politicians and mocking dimwits on the phone.

 

[FileNotFound]

I've become completely hooked on YouTube police bodycam videos. But I only watch the ones from Wisconsin because, who knows? Maybe I'll see a familiar face.

Hours. I spend literal HOURS watching these. There apparently is a high-speed pursuit in Arkansas every damn day. I know the street layout in Little Rock (a city I have visited once) at least as well as my current hometown.