Shows you once loved, but found painful on rewatch

[Anonymous]

Friends
Gilmore Girls
How I Met Your Mother
Scrubs
Ally McBeal - this was my favorite when it first aired but upon rewatching, I was horrified at all the transphobia and victim shaving

[Anonymous]

Cheers

[Anonymous]

Community. Thought it was a riot the first time, now I can't stand anything Chevy Chase says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friends
Gilmore Girls
How I Met Your Mother
Scrubs
Ally McBeal - this was my favorite when it first aired but upon rewatching, I was horrified at all the transphobia and victim shaving

Re: transphobia - I think they used certain characters apt to be judgmental/phobic to demonstrate how ridiculous/wrong it is to judge others. Those same characters seemingly learned that “everyone is basically the same..:even transpeople (who I believe they refer to as cross-dressers or something else rather than trans).

They did multiple episodes about transpeople, and that in and of itself was way ahead of its time in the late 90s.

One episode in season 1 featured the Latino actor from my so called life. They were fabulous! The episode is heartbreaking. But it wasn’t transphobic. It was groundbreaking for the 90s and they navigated it as you might suspect given the era.

Having said that, I am all for calling out the obvious anorexia on Ally McBeal. And I found her to be exhausting in a late season 4 episode where she whines about her BF Robert Downy Jr ignoring her on her birthday. She spends the bulk of the show sulking at home in her jammies. Meanwhile, he’s in trial. Literally. What did she expect? This is the episode with Sting, Paul Reubens, and Sherry Oteri/snl.

Overall, Ally McBeal is fun to rewatch. Different, but fun. I enjoy the Fishisms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buffy, Firefly, Friends, and Seinfeld all hold up for me. I can watch them endlessly (but still silently cursing Whedon while watching).

I tried to rewatch Felicity and didn’t make it very far. It was so, so boring. Probably less noticeable to me back when I had to wait a week between episodes.

Same on Felicity! I was surprised by that one. I LOVED it when it came out (I was in college), but it wasn't cring-y or offensive on a rewatch...just really, really boring. Your point about having to wait a week between episodes mitigating the dullness is well-taken, but I really think I just needed to be in a college-drama space to enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Felicity was cringe!

She is an embarrassment to women everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Friends and SATC are both awful now, but I watched them both religiously in high school.

Seinfeld definitely holds up well! So does The Office (first few seasons…. Late seasons were always bad)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:National Lampoon's Vacation.

Which one?

I still find them all hilarious.

When Clark's car broke down and the African American negative stereotypes showed up and stole his hubcaps. That was sooooo awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:24.

This is a great answer. I enjoyed the show a lot during the original run, but now see how problematic “the ends justify the means” aspect is regarding policing and homeland security.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I was disappointed with Felicity on attempting to rewatch. I have a 14 year old, and was thinking she might like it, but it was both risque -- mostly a problem for me) but also a bit slow (she wasnt into it).

I always hated Friends and Ally McBeal.

The Office holds up, despite humor that would get it canceled today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sopranos

Seems sooooo cheesy when you rewatch it. Especially season 1.

Cheesy? Meaning, you now find that you dislike Jersey New Money 1990s style? nail tips, bang, peplum jackets ...

Or cheesy as in, this is so hokey and theatrical! Why, nobody could ever be THIS over the top!

Because you'd be wrong about about the latter. They got an awful lot correct about my extended NJ family

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:National Lampoon's Vacation.

Which one?

I still find them all hilarious.

When Clark's car broke down and the African American negative stereotypes showed up and stole his hubcaps. That was sooooo awful.

You've posted a lot. I think your ooooooooooooooooooo key is probably broken.

I also think you're too young to have watched any of these shooooooooooooows the first time they aired in the 80s/early 90s. More likely you're a GenZ kid who's a real big fan of presentism like the rest of your cohort.

[Anonymous]

"Sex and the City" - still entertaining, but also so cringe at times. I remember thinking how revelatory some of Carrie's musings were at the time. I was 20. Now it's like: Oh, dear. But still a fun-enough watch.

I also recently re-watched Friends and it was pretty corny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24.

This is a great answer. I enjoyed the show a lot during the original run, but now see how problematic “the ends justify the means” aspect is regarding policing and homeland security.

Yes, when pursuing proven terrorists living in the US who are thisclose to taking out the government, your counterintelligence covert operatives *definitely* want to play it by the book to stop them before they strike. Wait for that magistrate's warrant and all that.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I'm a nerd. All the Star Treks, especially TNG, seem so painfully idealistic about how doing what's right triumphs in the end. It's like watching a live action version of Paw Patrol. I tried to watch Picard, but couldn't get over how he always saves the universe through the power of his integrity.