Every so often, there's a new show put on Netflix that it seems like everyone you know can't get enough of, but you can't stand. It happens to the best of us-- sometimes when everybody around you seems to be obsessing over so-and-so's season finale or anxiously waiting for a new season of something to come out, you just don't get the hype. With that being said, here are just a few Netflix trends that I just never understood the appeal of.
1. Riverdale
When I decided to write this article, Riverdale is the first series that came to mind. I never had any intention of watching it, but it seemed like everybody around me was trying to convince me how great it was so I figured I'd give it a chance before shutting it down. So I watched the pilot, but it just didn't grab me. However, I always hate it when people judge shows I love based solely on the pilot, so I decided to keep at it. By the middle of the third episode, I was asleep... in the middle of the afternoon.
I just didn't get it; Riverdale seemed like every other bad teen drama I've seen with characters having the same names as those from the original Archie gang, without bearing any other passing resemblance past that. I guess if overly dramatic programming with adult actors playing high schoolers is your thing, then it's absolutely perfect... although, I suspect Cole Sprouse's character is the main factor keeping fans from my generation interested.
2. Disjointed
This one I have less to say about because I didn't even finish the pilot. I like stoner comedies as much as the next 20-something; Weeds, Workaholics, and Broad City just to name a few. I just couldn't deal with the show's structure; I felt like the laugh track kept telling me to laugh at things that I just didn't feel were all that funny. I did some research on the show's creation and found out the sit-com was co-created by the guy who's responsible for, in my opinion, one of the worst shows on television to date: The Big Bang Theory. I felt like this explained why I just flat out didn't like it-- it just wasn't my idea of good television.
3. Neo Yokio
I was actually really excited to watch this show when it came out after learning that it was the brainchild of Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig with the main character voiced by Jaden Smith. I also noticed that the two directors working on the show were both Japanese, which I thought was an important and crucial aspect of a white guy creating an anime. However, even though everything was pointing toward me like the show, I was pretty disappointed. I feel like they were trying to do different things with the show, and as a result, ended up doing both of those things poorly instead of taking one direction and running with.
On one hand, it's trying to be this silly feel-good cartoon that you don't really have to put too much thought into to enjoy, yet at the same time, it felt like the writers were constantly tapping me on the shoulder trying to Say Something. Either be that program that's generally easy to consume, or be a social commentary; not both. Especially when you're doing neither exceptionally well and just falling short with each attempt at execution. The jokes weren't funny enough and the characters weren't likable/ believable enough to be that feel-good cartoon, and the "messages" they attempted to present to the audience weren't substantial enough to be dubbed profound. It didn't make me think and didn't make me laugh and I feel like they were trying to achieve both. Ezra should've stuck to one execution; if he did, I feel like I would've enjoyed it a lot more.
Disagree with any of my assessments? Share this article and add your thoughts! Maybe you're catching something that I must've missed.
