Kindle Vella

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Yes, some people want generic stuff, that's why it gets produced.

No they don't. You've just convinced yourself that shows people like that you don't are somehow generic. Rather than simply understanding that your definition of "quality" isn't universal.

"Gee. This show's a bit to good for my tastes. Isn't there something a bit more generic on somewhere?"
(Said no one ever)

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Even the lowest rated programs on TV have someone watching them

And then there's the complete disconnect between television ratings and actual show quality that everyone's aware of.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Yes, some people want generic stuff, that's why it gets produced. Even the lowest rated programs on TV have someone watching them.

I'm sorry, what sort of programs are you referring to as "generic stuff"? I mean, what, sitcoms? The endless parade of "unscripted" TV, aka Reality TV? (I mean, if you want to talk about how networks shot themselves in the foot...) Or...?

If by "generic stuff" you simply mean some categories of shows or entertainment, sure. People like what they like. I've never been a fan of sitcoms. Won't watch something with a laugh track or a howling studio audience and honestly, most of the humor doesn't appeal to me, anyway. [shrug] But there are obviously very large audiences for those. Good on those folks if they enjoy them.

Same with reality shows. I'll never understand the appeal of the 8th-grade 'popularity contest' versions, or the dating things, etc. But obviously, I'm in a minority there. [More shrugging].

Hell, I'd like more quasi-original or somewhat-intelligent content, myself. Who wouldn't? But here's the thing--many people don't really want NEW. They want something that they already know that they like--thus the network and developers' appetites for spin-offs. If you can spin-off 5 successful L&O shows, hey, why not? Make money where you can (e.b., L&O SVU, for example, which, bogglingly, is still running. I'm always amazed when I see episodes on Hulu, for Season 9,000).

The success of episodic TV, whether it's NCIS or Murder She Wrote is evidence of that. People know that the people in the show won't be killed off, so the whole suspense thing is kinda shot, but they like knowing that each week Character X is going to solve a crime, or save a patient, or whatever. It's like going to your favorite restaurant, instead of trying something new every single time you go out--because you like what you like, right?

So...not really sure what you mean by generic. Your use of that word feels more like a derogation than it does descriptive.

Hitch

[ApK]

This is one of the weirder semantic disagreements I've encountered recently.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by ApK

This is one of the weirder semantic disagreements I've encountered recently.

Lockdown boredom, no doubt. Although, given that we're discussing the term "generic," lol...

Hitch

[JSWolf]

What I find is rather ridiculous is the number of shows that are being rebooted. I don't mind when a show comes back and continues on. But I don't like when show is rebooted.

A good example of a rebooted mess (not nearly as good as the original) is Battlestar Galactica. The remake is awful.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ApK

This is one of the weirder semantic disagreements I've encountered recently.

Originally Posted by Hitch

Lockdown boredom, no doubt. Although, given that we're discussing the term "generic," lol...

Hitch

Weird, maybe. But hardly surprising.

My beef was simply:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Some video consumers want new generic stuff, and don't re-watch shows or movies. They want new and original over quality.

Seemed pretty clear to me that pwalker8 was putting whatever he means by "generic" on the opposite side of the equation from quality. And that those who choose new and original (as opposed to rewatching), do so at the expense of quality. It's a crap statement any way you slice it.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Weird, maybe. But hardly surprising.

Agreed.

My beef was simply:


Seemed pretty clear to me that pwalker8 was putting whatever he means by "generic" on the opposite side of the equation from quality. And that those who choose new and original (as opposed to rewatching), do so at the expense of quality. It's a crap statement any way you slice it.

Ditto, that's my take. I rewatch stuff all the time, because it's become increasingly difficult, for us, at least, to find anything "new" that we're willing to suffer through. Too much tripe, too many tropes, too much pandering. I don't choose to be lectured by entertainment or entertainers, either. I want to RELAX, mostly turn my brain off and just enjoy.

But that's harder and harder to come by.

Hitch

[binaryhermit]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Even the lowest rated programs on TV have someone watching them.

Actually...

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

Actually...

This article is from what, 8 years ago? Dang.

Hitch

[binaryhermit]

I did have to google that, but I was aware that nobody watching a show was a thing (albeit not that much of a thing)

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

I did have to google that, but I was aware that nobody watching a show was a thing (albeit not that much of a thing)

If a show falls on the Telly, but nobody is there to see it, is it really dead????

Hitch

[haertig]

I hope Amazon will use this "Vella" branding on ALL their serialized books. That way I know what to avoid. It would be a very welcome "Do not buy this" label attached to the serialized crap.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Weird, maybe. But hardly surprising.

My beef was simply:


Seemed pretty clear to me that pwalker8 was putting whatever he means by "generic" on the opposite side of the equation from quality. And that those who choose new and original (as opposed to rewatching), do so at the expense of quality. It's a crap statement any way you slice it.

It seems to me that you just like snarking because it makes you feel superior.

What does the word generic mean - According to Merriam-Webster one of the definitions of generic is

"having no particularly distinctive quality or application "

Apparently in your experience, you have never seen people channel surf or simply put something on just to have something on. I have. As I pointed out the extraordinarily obvious that fact even the worse rated program on tv has people who watch it. Are you trying to argue that the worse rated program has a particularly distinctive quality or application? For that matter, even the worse YouTube video has someone who will watch it, just because they noticed it. No particularly distinctive quality, they just were browsing and happened to come across it.

Hollywood use to churn out what was called b-grade movies. Many times, it was simply a generic western churned out in less that a week. John Wayne made a lot of this sort of movie before he became a star. Typically, it was just filler to keep the audience occupied before the main feature came on. By most sane definitions, this is generic programming, not that I expect now that you have driven you stake in the ground that you will admit the obvious.

There is a lot of content out there that has no distinctive quality. People still watch it.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

Actually...

You do know how the Nielsen works don't you? They don't actually measure what everyone in the world watches, rather they take a very small sample of people who agree to be monitored and monitor what those people watch, or simply depend on viewers written viewing diaries. While it might make an amusing article to say no one watched a program because the Nielsen rating was 0, that doesn't make it actually true.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

A good example of a rebooted mess (not nearly as good as the original) is Battlestar Galactica. The remake is awful.

Remind me to never trust your opinion again.