Earlier this week, when I used the "I think this line’s mostly filler" lyric from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode in the headline for a recap of a boring Brothers & Sisters, a quarter of the comments on the post were from fellow Buffy fans appreciating the reference. That made one reader, named Shannon, issue a smackdown: "Good grief people…get over Buffy…she is gone…the actress hasapparently disappeared too….it was a good show…but good god!! getover it!! Brothers and Sisters is sooooo much better…that is if youare over the age of 18…mentally that is."
Reading that got me thinking about how Shannon obviously didn’t get the show how you can appreciate a show and yet, kinda hate its fans. So ‘fess up: Which TV show’s fans annoy you? I trust we’ll all be respectful (because on some level, you have to appreciate anyone who’s as passionate about TV as you are). If I had to choose a show, it would be Lost. Before you crucify me: It’s not that I dislike its fans as much as it is that I dislike the feeling that if I want to be a fan, I can’t just watch an hour of quality TV; I have to start decoding Sprite commercials and go see Cloverfield. I know that intricate, never-ending web of clues is precisely the reason why so many of you love the show, but I just don’t have it in me to care that much over multiple platforms.* (Also, I used to fact-check Doc Jensen’s Lost features for EW and lived in fear that I would let a mistake slip through: You know you would have sent a letter, which, again, is why I respect and fear you.)
Your turn. Play nicely.
* If you think that makes me inferior to you, instead of just different, then I do dislike you. But just a bit.
More blasphemy:
Which seminal band makes you seminauseated?
Your pop-culture relationship deal breakers?
Twilight: A hater’s guide
I get annoyed with “24″ fans.
Newsflash: Jack Bauer is NOT A REAL PERSON.
I agree…. I love LOST and watch it religiously, but all the decoding makes my head hurt. The lady that writes my newspaper’s blog will write a 10000 wors diatribe with like, biblical and mythological research EVERY WEEK! And during the off-season, instead of blogging current shows, we get new blogs about the seasons 1-3 (well, now 4) dvd’s. Good Lord. Get enough already!!!
The Office…I’ve watched it several times and never really enjoyed it all that much, found much of the humor to be just uncomfortable exchanges between the characters and the unseen camera guy. But the worst part is when I tell people I don’t like the show, and they look at me like I have something wrong with me, or that I’m missing out on something the likes of Seinfeld. I don’t think so!
I Seriously can’t stand Whedonites. So much reverence for a moderately (at best) talented guy.
I loved Buffy and any show Joss Whedon does is instantly my new favorite show. The Dollhouse fans on the other hand. PANIC, WORRY & FRET has become their mantra. This show is the first show where the fans have jumped the shark before the show has.
Veronica Mars Fans
Star Wars fans (at least the hardcore ones) – they can be really arrogant at times, especially regarding Star Trek. George Lucas himself admits Trek inspired SW, but try to tell that to the uber-SW-geeks. Sheesh.
It has to be fans of 24! How unrealistic of a show that these crazy things happen to one man and that magically they all resolve in exactly 24 hours! I appreciate diehard fans of anything, but that show is beyond belief!
Star Trek fans (original series, next generation, all the other spinoffs). The die hard fans are really scary.
American Idol. I watched it for the first time last season to fast forward and gaze upon Michael Johns. But I don’t get why people get so worked up about it. Bad selection of songs, mostly bad singing, and boring. Not watching this year.
Fans of the Sopranos are pathetic. That was probably one of the worst shows – ever. But, fans talked about it like it was gospel. Glorifying a mobster? Get Real.
That’s a load of crock. First of all, you don’t need to do anything but watch the show to be a fan of Lost. All of the extracurricular stuff is just a bonus for the people who want dig a little deeper. You aren’t really missing anything if your don’t participate (I love lost, but I’ve never gotten into the online scavenger hunts).
Second, You say you don’t like the fans of Lost, but then you complain about something that the fans have nothing to do with: the alternate reality games. All that stuff is from the creative minds of the…um, creators. Give a real reason if you’re going to flame the fans of a show, besides being afraid of making mistakes.
I’m getting annoyed with “Heroes” fans. I mean, I watch the show every week, but there’s no denying that the show has lost its thunder. I really get annoyed by the super fans who can’t admit that “Heroes” is currently in the crapper.
I guess I hate the fans of anything in general who always make it a pissing contest or make it out to be the end of creation, but sound so stupid.
As an avid Lost fan, I can say that I can’t stand it when someone dismisses my fandom when they haven’t even seen the show…but I can understand why our intense dissection of the show can be a little obnoxious.
That said, I really get annoyed by American Idol fans (which I’m am absolutely not a fan of). When I was chastised by a fan for voting for Sanjaya years ago, I almost had an all out brawl with her. In my opinion, most of the contestants are carbon copies of the year before. So, when a standout like Sanjaya comes along to make the show a little more entertaining, don’t curse me out because you think I’m ruining your show. Its not YOUR show, its America’s. It says so in the title.