Don't like being preached at in TV shows

[NutellaEllaElla]

Is it just me? Has it always been this way? There seems to be a moral to every story. Try not to judge my TV watching habits but i'm thinking Grey's Anatomy, The Good Doctor, New Amsterdam. There's probably more i'm not thinking of right now. Was it always so heavy handed on social issues?

It also creates this "sameyness" where every film or TV show ends up feeling like every other film or TV show

Lazy production and low cost approach

I love Greys anatomy and I strongly support the principles behind anti racism but I literally can’t watch greys or station 19 anymore. It was over the top preaching to the detriment of all story lines. It’s such a shame.

I guess the telly uses less energy when you put your foot through the fucker after hearing the cast of EastEnders discuss how to reduce their carbon footprint.

So it's just shit writing. Any well written shows around? Fantasy fiction really ain't my thing.

Not to mention your offensive comment about "black street gangs".

I stopped watching Dr Who because of this. The heavy handed way in which they tried to get their messages across via clunky dialogue was farcical.

I went right off doctor who for this.

Me too. The most recent doctor, that is. So bloody tedious. As a pp pointed out upthread, yes sci-fi and fantasy are often designed to mirror things in real society, which is great if it's done in a subtle, intelligent way. But turning a fun sci fi show into a version of the bloody Just So stories or a social justice lecture is bound to turn viewers off.

Highway to Heaven, Littlest Hobo, Quantum Leap anyone remember those.

I remember the Littlest Hobo, and still know all the words to the theme tune

What made Dr Who so very annoying is that there wasn't any other content to it but the preachiness, in the end.

So when it first came back it had all the goodies and baddies like before but it was also emotionally resonant. I mean it engaged you. (Ofc as it turns out now there were other problems with men being pervy and people acting like arseholes generally.) But the last few series it lost all of that and just was like listening to the trendy young vicar giving it "and you know, aliens are like Jesus/climate change/being kind, hey, kids?" for a fucking hour at a time.

@RaskolnikovsGarret

I stopped watching Dr Who because of this. The heavy handed way in which they tried to get their messages across via clunky dialogue was farcical.

I know what you mean.

I did watch last series hoping it would improve as there was odd Peter Capaldi episode that was good and Missy was always worth waiting for not sure I can face wacthing the next series.

Though I think a PP said not liking Yasmin or Ryan is just racist is another issue as completely it ignores Ruth Doctor, Jo Martin, and Sacha Dhawan's master acting the rest of the cast off the screen despite poor writing.

I think the whole moral thing been a trend for a while. I remember Marge Simpson doing and what moral have we learnt thing at end of simpsons few series back bascially taking the piss- I think it's just got worse and even more prevalent.

One would hope things have changed, but going back to Doctor Who, lots of men complaining about Jodie Whittaker and whining about why can't girls look up to male role models and how sexist it is to want a female role model. Funny how that doesn't apply to boys...

Unfortunately, I think lots of women (like me) really wanted to love Jodie Whittaker's Doctor and were vigorously mocking the men who said we couldn't possibly have a female one. Unfortunately, it was a massive disappointment. Probably not Whittaker's fault - I don't know, as I've never seen her in anything else. I didn't like her character, any of the companions, the dialogue or the social justice preachiness. The plots were... ok, I guess.

I think it's a secret plot to make us all turn off TV and social media and make them redundant.

I had seen Jodie Whittaker - in Venus, where she held her own playing opposite Peter O'Toole which was frankly astonishing given that she was around 20 or so at the time I think? - and in Attack The Block, which I thought gave her absolute credentials to be in a sci fi series. I still think she's an incredible actor. But they absolutely wasted her. They dressed her like a four year old boy and I couldn't tell you a single thought or motivation her character had that wasn't out of the Big Book Of Nice Kind Opinions during her entire time as Dr Who.

They dressed her like a four year old boy and I couldn't tell you a single thought or motivation her character had that wasn't out of the Big Book Of Nice Kind Opinions during her entire time as Dr Who.

Bingo. What I liked about Tennant and Smith was that they were flawed geniuses. Their moments of selfishness or recklessness or darkness made them 'human' and likeable. Whittaker's Doctor was like an annoyingly try-hard, slightly zany but jolly nice Head Girl.

Funny how many people have mentioned Dr.Who, it was the first program I thought of when I saw the thread title. I really wanted to enjoy the Jodie Whittaker series but the writing was just so clunky and preachy!

Actually it struck me as pretty sexist. Male Doctors are allowed to be a bit difficult and arrogant and flawed. The female Doctor has to be nice and kind.

lazylinguist - I agree I was looking forward to a female Dr Who and have been massively disappointed.

I did think it was just poor writing but frankly after Ruth Dr I do now wonder if it was Jodie Whittaker's portrayal as well though Peter Capaldi seemed to struggle and I think I've loved him in pretty much everything else I've seen him in.

The female Doctor has to be nice and kind.
I picked that up too with Jodie Whittaker' Dr and hated it and the message behind it - less so with Ruth Dr who seemed to gain gravitas once she knew she was the Dr.

I am surprised I was deleted when I just calmly stated a few facts about some TV shows and also stated how firmly I am behind racial equality. Cancel culture.

Yes they ruined the chance they had with Peter Capaldi too, who is also a fine actor.

Maybe it's just Simon Moffat? It kind of went to shit when he took over. But then he's the one who wrote "Blink" and introduced Carey Mulligan to the world. So he knows how to write and has some cracking ideas. Maybe not so good at doing anything else.

@lazylinguist it is a bit sexist isn't it. Missy is a great female character but Missy is a bad person!

@xenia

You do realise that there were black people in NI in the 60s, right? And what do you mean by black street gangs?

@Xenia

I am surprised I was deleted when I just calmly stated a few facts about some TV shows and also stated how firmly I am behind racial equality. Cancel culture.

What you said was racist, that's why it was deleted.

Yeah it was pretty racist m8. Black people are allowed on the telly now.