Many of the computer science students actually find joy in some TV shows. While not all TV shows are universal, and amazingly, we haven't really been stereotypical when it comes to choosing these shows, but nevertheless, they are great shows.
Specifically speaking, I'm referring to Community. Not everyone watches this show, but it is, without a doubt one of the more popular shows among the computer science group. Community is essentially about a college study group comprising of 7 students and several characters who interact with this group. The story's concept is pretty simple, where character chemistry is easy to concoct because of their various personalities. Most of the show's jokes actually comes from cultural references and meta-humour, which too people like our computer science class is a big deal.
As most people within the program are slightly introverted, it is with great ease that I can make the claim that most of us have not bothered to fit in with mainstream. When I say that, I mean yes, computer science students still have Facebook and Twitter accounts, but they don't generally buy in to mass media, like listening to music broadcast on the radio, or watch Glee (some people in the class do, but they're a small minority). It's without a doubt, that when we watch a TV show that speaks to our hearts, and helps us to use humour to explain why we don't buy in to the mainstream, we'd instantly be hooked.
Community has faced an unfair yet inevitable predicament as of late. Poor ratings combined with flattening character plots are really turning off most of the viewers. Computer science students are not the only ones watching the show, as many people have similar mindsets to computer science students. Therefore, if the episodes start losing the original charisma, it's hard to win the audience. That was what led to Community's hiatus. It was unfortunate, because Community was up against The Big Bang Theory every Thursday. Ratings will definitely fall, when a show of such high calibre, is the rival, and the show is lacking any sign of livelihood.
So, what am I going on about today? It's true that Community has lost its touch from the beginning, and they've gone on hiatus, but ever since last week, they've returned. Unfortunately, they've also lost their touch. The episodes aired are no longer the same joyful meta-humour with references to pop culture. It's become generic, and it's greatly lacking in the same substance from before. Most importantly, it's also lost the elements that made it funny.
Are the writers really to blame again? In a way, yes. A story is only as good as someone willing to tell it. The writers have essentially run out of material to write about. They have to bypass the FCC, they have to be able to appeal to audiences, etc. This has led to Shirley's character being absolutely unbearable, Britta's character being slightly annoying, and Jeff's strange relationship with Annie being overly milked. It has reached the point where characters are just difficult to live with.
However, while I think writers have some room for improvement, I also think that viewers are very odd and fickle people lately. Often times, they criticize a show for not being funny, but I always find these reasons to be rather unfair. They compare it to the previous season sometimes, claiming that the current season isn't as good. Of course, in the case of shows like The Office, the critique is : that it's the same every season. The jokes are similar in nature so that it's consistently funny, but the fact that people are being obtuse about what it's like compared to the previous season isn't fair. In the event of a new show, they claim that it's "too forced", when genuinely it can still merit a few chuckles. I think it's alright to be analytical about a comedy at times, but I feel that most viewers are critical of comedies for all the wrong reasons. A comedy is not meant for you to use it for a novel study (though I wouldn't mind), because the sole purpose is to tickle your funny bone. It's not going to be consistent, because there are times when you aren't feeling in the mood for that specific joke, or you've been too familiar with a specific joke. I think a comedy is meant for laughs only. Either you get the joke or you don't. You shouldn't compare it to what it's like compared to the last time you heard the joke, or compare it to how the content isn't as funny as last season. It should be a brainless matter, and if it doesn't tickle your funny bone, then just stop there, and don't give some convoluted reasoning as to why one shouldn't watch this show.
The airwaves is full of terrible TV shows as is already, so why complicate it? I think new shows should be given a chance, and if it really doesn't suit your tastes, then just ignore it and cut out the ridiculous judgment about how your life didn't benefit from watching it. Life is rarely benefited from watching dramas/sitcoms anyway. Live with it.
