1. Friends. 6 hours a day on TBS, yet its spoiled rotten fans complained when Young Sheldon came to Nick at Nite and slightly scaled back Friends there. And a big deal was made about this mediocre show leaving Netflix. The under the radar sitcom Friends was spun off from, Mad About You, is 100 times better.
2. The Office. Single camera mockumentary crap like this becoming popular is what forever ruined NBC's comedies, also paving the way for other horribly unfunny shows like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family which is further down on this list. All the characters are annoying, especially Dwight. And the shaky camera job is terrible. That type of shooting is understandable for someone like Michael J. Fox who can't help his condition. But not for the whole show of The Office. And like Friends, a way too big of deal was made out of this dreck leaving Netflix. Peacock has advertised its exclusivity a lot knowing this show's popularity won't die, even though it deserves to. Also, the TNT era of Leverage starring Timothy Hutton is one of the best shows ever made, with the quality usually being top notch. But Leverage's episode spoofing The Office was awful, terribly boring and not worth continued viewing like most of the show.
3. The Golden Girls- While the acting on this is better than Friends and The Office, The Golden Tramps is easily the most overrated pre-90s show. Betty White is placed way too high on a pedestal by her fans, she is nothing special. And Bea Arthur is so repulsive.
4. All in the Family- what a nasty, mean-spirited show. Archie Bunker and Meathead are both horrible, unlikable characters. The constant politics is a turn-off too.
5. Three's Company- easily the most overrated 70s sitcom that didn't come from Norman Lear. While John Ritter is a very good actor, the writing on this is horribly sleazy.
6. Married with Children- total garbage that signifies the lowest common denominator crude humor FOX has been known for.
7. The Simpsons- While garbage like Family Guy that started the Seth McFarlane empire is worse, its success would not have been possible without The Simpsons becoming a pop culture explosion in the 90s. Even many Simpsons fans who really liked the 90s era would agree it has long overstayed its welcome and is well past its prime, needing put out of its misery.
8. Modern Family- easily the most overrated sitcom from the 2010s decade. Unlike Frasier, MF did not deserve both its popularity and Emmy success at all. The Middle which premiered the same year and also had a long run is 1000 times better a show than Modern Family. Yet the snobbish, stuck-up critics refused to recognize The Middle's brilliance at all.
9. Two and a Half Men- Chuck Lorre is very hit and miss. Shows like Young Sheldon and Grace Under Fire can be really good. The Big Bang Theory has some good moments but is really inconsistent. But Two and a Half Men is total garbage, the CBS version of Married with Children but you would expect better from CBS.
10. The King of Queens- This show is average at best to mediocre. Kevin James and Leah Remini are so-so actors. It is sad KOQ has been consistently popular in syndication. But DAG, the best one season sitcom of all time that kicked off the 2000s decade, was cut short way too soon. And the much superior Corner Gas to KOQ from the same time period was a big hit in Canada, but sadly most US residents don't know about it. WGN treated Corner Gas like crap and no other cable network will even touch it.

Dishonorable mentions go to Roseanne, Good Times and The Honeymooners. I thought Roseanne was a despicable person and unlikable character on her 90s hit long before it became popular to think that way a few years ago. Dinobarf! Maybe Good Times would have been watchable without JJ. But as it is, only good part of Good Times was the theme song. While The Honeymooners is better than a lot of modern sitcoms, it is very overrated by pre-70s standards. Ralph Kramden is a horrible person who was awful to his wife.

These shows are not overrated; they're just shows you didn't personally like.

These shows are not overrated; they're just shows you didn't personally like.

:yeahthat

Personal opinions do not equal how everybody else views things.

:rolleyes: Yes they are overrated. Anything that is popular or critically acclaimed can qualify for it. Duh, it's my personal opinion. But everyone will have opinions on what they think is overrated. Snarky responses like yours are not necessary. :rolleyes:

1-9 The Office
10. Seinfeld

I used to like The Office but between all of the michael scott memes and everyone deciding to binge watch the office in 2020 and now, the hype's a bit much.

If anything stands out to me (yes, personal opinions) as overrated, it's The Office. And the ratings on the original run prove it. Overrated by NBC and the elite critics, evidently, bu not by Nielsen.

Its first season (6 episodes) was #102 in overall, and #82 in 18-49. OK, somebody at NBC liked it. So the second season saw an improvement in 18-49, to #34, but overall was the pits at #67.

So, somebody or somebodies at NBC REALLY liked it. Third season, #68 overall, and #28 in 18-49. Now they have something to go on, it's on a definite upward trend in 18-49. Fourth season, #77 overall AND in 18-49. No excuse, it needs to be cancelled, but no. #52 in both in the next season. Egad. Well, eventually in seasons 6 and 7 it goes to #11 in 18-49, the ONLY good ratings. For the final 2 seasons it plunged again.

IIRC it was on TBS for awhile, but quietly withdrawn.

Overrated, with proof. Had I been an NBC stockholder I would have wanted answers. Also, you mentioned 30 Rock and Parks and Rec. Both were rating disasters--by comparison, The Office looks good.
------
With regard to Two and a Half Men, it started out to be quite viewable and funny for the first four or five seasons--particularly the first 3 seasons were very funny. Then they really took it into the gutter, and it got worse in the Kutcher years.

Modern Family did well in ratings in its 3rd thru 6th seasons (better in 18-49 earlier), and plunged into the gutter in seasons 9 thru 11. In fairness by then some of that could be due to cord-cutting and streaming. It came from the creators of Back to You, a Patricia Heaton/Kelsey Grammar sitcom that got a raw deal from Fox (it really didn't belong on Fox because it wasn't the normal Fox garbage). I can't criticize MF too much because I never tried it, but I do agree that The Middle was a great show that was underrated, and kudos to ABC for keeping it 9 seasons.

It came from the creators of Back to You, a Patricia Heaton/Kelsey Grammar sitcom that got a raw deal from Fox (it really didn't belong on Fox because it wasn't the normal Fox garbage).Back to You was definitely better than the normal FOX garbage, maybe the best sitcom they ever aired. At the time I was not happy with its premature cancellation. However, that ended up being a good thing. Otherwise The Middle wouldn't have existed at all, or if it did with a lesser actress playing Frankie Heck and a lot shorter run.

FWIW, I agree with you completely, except for the following changes:

1. Friends. 6 hours a day on TBS, yet its spoiled rotten fans complained when Young Sheldon came to Nick at Nite and slightly scaled back Friends there. And a big deal was made about this mediocre show leaving Netflix. The under the radar sitcom Friends was spun off from, Mad About You, is 100 times better.
2. The Office. Single camera mockumentary crap like this becoming popular is what forever ruined NBC's comedies, also paving the way for other horribly unfunny shows like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family which is further down on this list. All the characters are annoying, especially Dwight. And the shaky camera job is terrible. That type of shooting is understandable for someone like Michael J. Fox who can't help his condition. But not for the whole show of The Office. And like Friends, a way too big of deal was made out of this dreck leaving Netflix. Peacock has advertised its exclusivity a lot knowing this show's popularity won't die, even though it deserves to. Also, the TNT era of Leverage starring Timothy Hutton is one of the best shows ever made, with the quality usually being top notch. But Leverage's episode spoofing The Office was awful, terribly boring and not worth continued viewing like most of the show.
3. The Golden Girls- While the acting on this is better than Friends and The Office, The Golden Tramps is easily the most overrated pre-90s show. Betty White is placed way too high on a pedestal by her fans, she is nothing special. And Bea Arthur is so repulsive.
4. All in the Family- what a nasty, mean-spirited show. Archie Bunker and Meathead are both horrible, unlikable characters. The constant politics is a turn-off too.
5. Three's Company- easily the most overrated 70s sitcom that didn't come from Norman Lear. While John Ritter is a very good actor, the writing on this is horribly ditzy.
6. Roseanne- Roseanne was a despicable person and unlikable character on her 90s hit long before it became popular to think that way a few years ago.She reminds me of every obnoxious, fat, drunken woman I've ever met in a bar.
7. Modern Family- easily the most overrated sitcom from the 2010s decade. Unlike Frasier, MF did not deserve both its popularity and Emmy success at all. I can't believe that Ed O'neill has sold out like this
8. Good Times-Maybe Good Times would have been watchable without JJ. But as it is, only good part of Good Times was..???
9. Two and a Half Men- Chuck Lorre is very hit and miss. Shows like Young Sheldon and Grace Under Fire can be really good. The Big Bang Theory has some good moments but is really inconsistent. But Two and a Half Men is total garbage.
10. The King of Queens- This show is average at best to mediocre. Kevin James and Leah Remini are so-so actors. It is sad KOQ has been consistently popular in syndication. But DAG, the best one season sitcom of all time that kicked off the 2000s decade, was cut short way too soon. And the much superior Corner Gas to KOQ from the same time period was a big hit in Canada, but sadly most US residents don't know about it. WGN treated Corner Gas like crap and no other cable network will even touch it.

.


Sorry, but I can't agree with you about MWC or The Simpsons, those two shows, IMO, hold parts of American Culture up for scrutiny that very much deserve to be scrutinized in a light different from the status quo

I agree with you, except for All in the Family; one of the best sitcoms of the 1970s, The show is entertaining today.

Three's Company is another great sitcom.

MWC is a standout example of total gutter garbage, IMO. It certainly fit right in on Fox.

Re the Simpsons, check the ratings over the later years. Nothing warrants its continuation, other than that it's gotta be cheap to produce. Major cost would probably be the voice actors, certainly not the animation.

3. The Golden Girls- While the acting on this is better than Friends and The Office, The Golden Tramps is easily the most overrated pre-90s show. Betty White is placed way too high on a pedestal by her fans, she is nothing special. And Bea Arthur is so repulsive.

I agree so much with this. The Golden Girls did nothing but rip off other shows. They took the premise of The Facts of Life and altered their core 4 to be older using the same character attributes. Not only that but they also use the business angle The Facts of Life introduced in 1983 in their spin off for The Golden Palace. They also use the same score music that Soap uses in the episodes. Was there supposed to be anything original about this show or was it to focus on the big name actresses of Bea and Betty? I love Bea as Maude but I can't stand her as Dorothy. I try but I can't rewatch The Golden Girls like I can with other shows. I don't understand the appeal of it.

^I forgot to vent on GG too. Agree totally with the above!

1. Friends. 6 hours a day on TBS, yet its spoiled rotten fans complained when Young Sheldon came to Nick at Nite and slightly scaled back Friends there. And a big deal was made about this mediocre show leaving Netflix. The under the radar sitcom Friends was spun off from, Mad About You, is 100 times better.
2. The Office. Single camera mockumentary crap like this becoming popular is what forever ruined NBC's comedies, also paving the way for other horribly unfunny shows like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family which is further down on this list. All the characters are annoying, especially Dwight. And the shaky camera job is terrible. That type of shooting is understandable for someone like Michael J. Fox who can't help his condition. But not for the whole show of The Office. And like Friends, a way too big of deal was made out of this dreck leaving Netflix. Peacock has advertised its exclusivity a lot knowing this show's popularity won't die, even though it deserves to. Also, the TNT era of Leverage starring Timothy Hutton is one of the best shows ever made, with the quality usually being top notch. But Leverage's episode spoofing The Office was awful, terribly boring and not worth continued viewing like most of the show.
3. The Golden Girls- While the acting on this is better than Friends and The Office, The Golden Tramps is easily the most overrated pre-90s show. Betty White is placed way too high on a pedestal by her fans, she is nothing special. And Bea Arthur is so repulsive.
4. All in the Family- what a nasty, mean-spirited show. Archie Bunker and Meathead are both horrible, unlikable characters. The constant politics is a turn-off too.
5. Three's Company- easily the most overrated 70s sitcom that didn't come from Norman Lear. While John Ritter is a very good actor, the writing on this is horribly sleazy.
6. Married with Children- total garbage that signifies the lowest common denominator crude humor FOX has been known for.
7. The Simpsons- While garbage like Family Guy that started the Seth McFarlane empire is worse, its success would not have been possible without The Simpsons becoming a pop culture explosion in the 90s. Even many Simpsons fans who really liked the 90s era would agree it has long overstayed its welcome and is well past its prime, needing put out of its misery.
8. Modern Family- easily the most overrated sitcom from the 2010s decade. Unlike Frasier, MF did not deserve both its popularity and Emmy success at all. The Middle which premiered the same year and also had a long run is 1000 times better a show than Modern Family. Yet the snobbish, stuck-up critics refused to recognize The Middle's brilliance at all.
9. Two and a Half Men- Chuck Lorre is very hit and miss. Shows like Young Sheldon and Grace Under Fire can be really good. The Big Bang Theory has some good moments but is really inconsistent. But Two and a Half Men is total garbage, the CBS version of Married with Children but you would expect better from CBS.
10. The King of Queens- This show is average at best to mediocre. Kevin James and Leah Remini are so-so actors. It is sad KOQ has been consistently popular in syndication. But DAG, the best one season sitcom of all time that kicked off the 2000s decade, was cut short way too soon. And the much superior Corner Gas to KOQ from the same time period was a big hit in Canada, but sadly most US residents don't know about it. WGN treated Corner Gas like crap and no other cable network will even touch it.

Dishonorable mentions go to Roseanne, Good Times and The Honeymooners. I thought Roseanne was a despicable person and unlikable character on her 90s hit long before it became popular to think that way a few years ago. Dinobarf! Maybe Good Times would have been watchable without JJ. But as it is, only good part of Good Times was the theme song. While The Honeymooners is better than a lot of modern sitcoms, it is very overrated by pre-70s standards. Ralph Kramden is a horrible person who was awful to his wife.
The only shows I agree with are

Friends
The Office
Modern Family
Two and A Half Men

Re AITF, while I agree the early episodes were loaded with shouted arguments, they toned it down over the years, probably recognizing that would probably grow tiresome. The same thing happened with the Jeffersons.

Back to You was definitely better than the normal FOX garbage, maybe the best sitcom they ever aired. At the time I was not happy with its premature cancellation. However, that ended up being a good thing. Otherwise The Middle wouldn't have existed at all, or if it did with a lesser actress playing Frankie Heck and a lot shorter run.

Good point. The creators would have sold The Middle with a different lead. Can't imagine anyone other than Patty Heaton as Frankie.

Re the Simpsons, check the ratings over the later years. Nothing warrants its continuation, other than that it's gotta be cheap to produce. .

I'll concede that the first 10 years +/- were the best, but even some episodes in the years after have high points.


Such as the episode where it is discovered that Homer has a crayon stuck into his brain, making him an oaf. After they remove it, he wises up, but then no one likes him anymore.

The part where he has Moe put the crayon back in, IMO, is particularly clever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ZwqPa9mnU

And, I've always liked the bit where George Bush moves into the neighborhood, and then he and Flanders become best buds...."Frankely-dankely?".."oakely-dokely!"... I was literally rolling on the floor the first time I saw that

They were all on for a long time and (aside from King of Queens) extremely popular in the ratings or with critics, but even the ones that started well got pretty tedious after a few seasons.

If longevity is justification alone for scrutiny, I'd have to give "Mom" a strong vote for this list.

Granted, I had never seen even a single episode until just this season, and trying to give it a fair hearing have watched perhaps 5 more...but the overwhelming thought that comes to mind every time I have watched is "this series has been on HOW long?"

Seven years seems like an awfully long time to cook this plot.

:rolleyes: Yes they are overrated. Anything that is popular or critically acclaimed can qualify for it. Duh, it's my personal opinion. But everyone will have opinions on what they think is overrated. Snarky responses like yours are not necessary. :rolleyes:

I didn't post a snarky response. I posted a very direct, matter of fact response.

Once upon a time, when people used the term, "overrated," it actually meant something. It meant something that was overly praised. For example, one year the critics called Citizen Kane "the best movie of all time." After tons of people saw the movie, most of them said it was overrated, because while it was a very good film, it wasn't impressive enough to be considered the best of all time.

So, that's what overrated meant. It meant something that was praised so highly that it didn't live up to its reputation, as in, "Well, it was good, but the most amazing thing ever? The best ever? Nah." Now people are just throwing the term "overrated" around to mean "really popular thing that I don't like."

On top of overusing the term, another pet peeve I have is when people seem to be using it to downplay the impact or influence that something had. For example, everyone knows how influential musicians like Elvis Presley and The Beatles were. But people will start calling them overrated because for whatever reason, they resented how influential they were (maybe they liked The Beach Boys or The Rolling Stones instead?) an will start saying stuff like, "Oh, they weren't that good. They were so overrated."

It's the same with these types of discussions when it comes to TV shows. Many of the shows on your list were groundbreaking or influential, so I find it suspicious that you're singling them out as being overrated.

For example, The Simpsons. I don't like the show anymore and haven't watched it in years. However, that was the show that put the adult animated sitcom on the map. Before The Simpsons, you couldn't really watch cartoon shows as an adult except maybe old reruns of The Flintstones, and still after awhile, it was beginning to be seen as more or less a kids show. The Simpsons changed all that. So, how could a show that blazed such a trail be overrated? We wouldn't have had great animated series like Futurama, King of the Hill or Bob's Burgers without it, but it's "overrated"?

. Many of the shows on your list were groundbreaking or influential, so I find it suspicious that you're singling them out as being overrated.



But, don't you see? You are simply countering her opinion with your own. For you to claim that her motives "make you suspicious" implies that you believe that your opinion has more validation than hers...and even that is NO MORE THAN JUST YOUR OPINION.

Just as my preferences are just my own opinion.

Similarly, I believe the band Queen is one of the most over rated rock bands of all time....their first album was fairly good, and they have enjoyed stratospheric success ever since. But that does nothing to change my opinion.

For years whenever I have heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio, I've almost wretched, and now that they have coined a movie by the same name, I only find validation in that long held reaction. YMMV

What one-season sitcom had the initials “DAG”?

What one-season sitcom had the initials “DAG”?2000-2001 on NBC. It starred David Alan Grier as a Secret Service agent who got demoted to the first lady (Delta Burke).

But, don't you see? You are simply countering her opinion with your own. For you to claim that her motives "make you suspicious" implies that you believe that your opinion has more validation than hers...and even that is NO MORE THAN JUST YOUR OPINION.

Just as my preferences are just my own opinion.

Similarly, I believe the band Queen is one of the most over rated rock bands of all time....their first album was fairly good, and they have enjoyed stratospheric success ever since. But that does nothing to change my opinion.

For years whenever I have heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio, I've almost wretched, and now that they have coined a movie by the same name, I only find validation in that long held reaction. YMMV

dee2364 is right. The term overrated means something different than, in my opinion these are 10 popular shows that aren't very good. It has to or the term "overrated" has no meaning. Who is doing the overrating? For example, can you find some third party arguing that The King Of Queens is the best this, that or the other thing? If people like it and watch it, what argument are you supporting, they shouldn't like it or watch it!

You mentioned music so I'll conclude with this example, If I say my favorite song of all time is Disco Duck, that's my right, in fact, what do you care. On the other hand, if I say, Disco Duck is the most underrated song of all time, I'm going to have to make a case which involves some objective criteria beyond my own likes and dislikes.

dee2364 is right. The term overrated means something different than, in my opinion these are 10 popular shows that aren't very good. It has to or the term "overrated" has no meaning. Who is doing the overrating? For example, can you find some third party arguing that The King Of Queens is the best this, that or the other thing? If people like it and watch it, what argument are you supporting, they shouldn't like it or watch it!

Yeah, that too. I mean, I don't recall some of the shows on the OP's list being critically acclaimed or regarded as the best that TV had to offer. All in the Family, The Office and The Simpsons, definitely, but others were just really popular shows.

Worst yet, some of the other shows weren't even really that well regarded or respected. For example, Married with Children was hated throughout its entire run (there was even a campaign to get it off the air!), and no one ever really took Three's Company seriously; to this day, it keeps being made fun of as "the show with the misunderstanding."

For years whenever I have heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio, I've almost wretched, and now that they have coined a movie by the same name, I only find validation in that long held reaction. YMMV

Bohemian Rhapsody is a melodic rock classic and I don't understand how anyone can dislike that song but on the other hand there are songs I dislike that others rave about.

dee2364 is right. The term overrated means something different than, in my opinion these are 10 popular shows that aren't very good.

I really think you should consider that the very term "over rated" contains an inherent acknowledgement that the shows were vastly popular among many. Just that the poster believes that enthusiasm was misspent. It's her opinion, she is entitled to it, and this is a fan site where people ostensibly are invited to express same.

Catsrule is a poster who I normally do not agree with in most areas, but this is one where I believe she has nailed it (except as noted earlier)

Further, editorializing on what her apparent motive might be .....in the absence of first asking why she feels the way she does (about a particular show)....appears to me to be just as "suspicion worthy".

Personally I suspect current network practices to be more a root cause of why some shows grow annoying, all too soon.

In small doses, I can endure almost anything. But with the "binge" style of program scheduling popular today, it doesn't take long to get over-full of a show that you never particularly cared for in the first place. I think that "bingeworthy vs cringeworthy" pretty well sums it up.

And, especially when a show preaches a particular message, I think the enthusiasm of the fans is highly polarized, based upon whether the fan believes they have already heard enough, or if the fan believes the "message" can never be amplified too much. I believe such dipoles are PARTICULARLY prone to being deemed "over rated" or not.

. On the other hand, if I say, Disco Duck is the most underrated song of all time, I'm going to have to make a case which involves some objective criteria beyond my own likes and dislikes.

Personally, I thought that Zappa's"Dancing Fool" did a better job of lampooning the disco mentality.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a melodic rock classic and I don't understand how anyone can dislike that song but on the other hand there are songs I dislike that others rave about.

The "Walt Disney Cartoonlike" vocal harmonies accompanied by orchestral "hits" (Bis-mill-ah! We will not let you go - let him go....etc) were what initially annoyed me, and my contempt just sort of took root in the song, and spread throughout.

Never been a big fan of opera. In fairness to Queen, I really started liking Black Sabbath a lot less when they started experimenting with boys choir background vocals, too.

Repeating what I said earlier, I enjoyed Queen's first album...but as their popularity grew, my ears started to detect a certain arrogance where I started to suspect they felt that they could fart into the microphone, and people would buy it.

I eventually had the same suspicion about Paul McCartney

If people like it and watch it, what argument are you supporting, they shouldn't like it or watch it!



Personally, I believe that love and hate are the same emotion, just polar-opposite end points.

If Catsrule was actually going into those show's individual forums and starting incendiary threads just to antagonize the show's loyal following, then I would agree with you folks. But she didn't do that, She came over into an agnostic venue, and expressed her dislike for shows that are wildly popular among others. I just don't see the "foul" in that.

Perhaps some of us have overly thin skin, where we perceive threat from anyone not like minded to ourselves? (just a thought)

Me personally? I don't care if anyone hates the Simpsons or MWC, in fact the knowledge that they do makes the show more enjoyable to me.

The "Walt Disney Cartoonlike" vocal harmonies (Bismillah! We will not let you go - let him go....etc) were what initially annoyed me, and my contempt just sort of took root in the song, and spread throughout.

Never been a big fan of opera. In fairness to Queen, I really started liking Black Sabbath a lot less when they started experimenting with boys choir background vocals, too.

Repeating what I said earlier, I enjoyed Queen's first album...but as their popularity grew, my ears started to detect a certain arrogance where I started to suspect they felt that they could fart into the microphone, and people would buy it.

I eventually had the same suspicion about Paul McCartney

I'm not really a Queen fan either, I like a few of their hits but that's about it.

Same with McCartney although he had a string of decent hit songs in the 1970's. Band On The Run, Jet, Junior's Farm, Listen To What The Man Said, all good tunes.

City Boy was a good British band that was compared to Queen and 10cc but chart success in the USA eluded them.

The German metal band Accept has released a string of good albums with their new lead singer Mark Tornillo. They just recently released a new album and it's a winner.

I suppose at the core of this little peccadillo, some are wondering if Catsrule's intent of the term "over rated" is to be critical of the show, or it's viewers? I immediately took it to be the former. I suppose if someone insisted upon construing the later, they might infer a degree of offense from that?. (*sigh*)

I guess EVERYBODY is a victim these days?

Same with McCartney although he had a string of decent hit songs in the 1970's. Band On The Run, Jet, Junior's Farm, Listen To What The Man Said, all good tunes.



I had a girlfriend at the time who worshiped the Beatles, .. so paying service to Paul McCartney was part of the ground rules of the "playing field" for me. He was talented. It would be interesting (IMO) to see what kind of career he would have had, if the Beatles had never come about. In one sense, it was key to his making, but in another, it was a shadow that he never could quite get out from under.

As far as my earlier assessment, he is on record for acknowledging as much. The song "Someone's knocking at the door" stems from a boast that was made that he could sing about the everyday tedium of his life, and it would be a hit. The "visits" coming to the door were genuine. "Phil and Don" were the Everly brothers....just for example. I guess he won that bet.

It's her opinion, she is entitled to it, and this is a fan site where people ostensibly are invited to express same. FYI I am a man. :)

FYI I am a man. :)

Sorry about the mix up, no offense intended.

Personally, I believe that love and hate are the same emotion, just polar-opposite end points.

If Catsrule was actually going into those show's individual forums and starting incendiary threads just to antagonize the show's loyal following, then I would agree with you folks. But she didn't do that, She came over into an agnostic venue, and expressed her dislike for shows that are wildly popular among others. I just don't see the "foul" in that.

Perhaps some of us have overly thin skin, where we perceive threat from anyone not like minded to ourselves? (just a thought)

Me personally? I don't care if anyone hates the Simpsons or MWC, in fact the knowledge that they do makes the show more enjoyable to me.

Let's start here:

"expressed her dislike for shows that are wildly popular among others".

If the title of this thread was, here are 10 wildly popular shows that I dislike, we wouldn't be having this discussion, the shows were referred to as overrated:

Let's define "to rate something":

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance.

So exactly who overrated these shows, the programmer placing them on their respective networks, well those decisions are driven by hard data and evaluated on hard data, if the shows are getting an audience then the programmer has done their job.

Has the viewer overrated the show? If they enjoy the program then they are not overrating the program. This of course assumes people watch shows that entertain them.

You noted MWC, I don't remember that series being critically acclaimed, it drew enough of an audience for it to last 11 seasons (it spent only 2 seasons in the top 40), it has not been a big hit in reruns and its history in reruns reflects that. King of Queens was a run of the mill sitcom, I don't remember any critic overly praising the series, so exactly who is doing the overrating?

My point, with respect to Catsrule's list it should have been titled 10 popular shows I don't like, the title given by Catsrule required a more thoughtful narrative.

Geez, he put "My Picks" in the title. Is his usage of the word overrated really that big a deal?

Maybe the word "overrated" is overrated. This is probably the most times that word has ever been used in one thread. :lol:

In my opinion an individual calling a work overrated at a fundamental level implies that the perceived public perception of that work is at a higher level than that individual believes the work should earn based on its own merits. In simplest terms, overrated = rated over what it "should" be. I believe that's the rationale behind the use of that word in the title, and as has been discussed, it is extremely subjective.

I sure enjoyed reading Catsrule's list, and am glad he made it. I love discussions like this, and people, please keep them coming!

I never thought Friends was overrated once I started watching it; I feel the first four seasons are what most sitcoms should aspire to. BUT I sure gotta respect Catsrule's opinion anyway!

I love The Golden Girls, but I do feel as though Christopher is right: the premise of a Core Four with four women had already been done before on The Facts of Life.

I loved the first eight seasons of The Simpsons, but the show became a parody of itself after that.

I enjoyed The King of Queens, but can see how many people might not care for it. I find Carrie/Doug hilarious. Spence I could live without.

Let's start here:

"expressed her dislike for shows that are wildly popular among others".

If the title of this thread was, here are 10 wildly popular shows that I dislike, we wouldn't be having this discussion, the shows were referred to as overrated:

Let's define "to rate something":

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance.

So exactly who overrated these shows, the programmer placing them on their respective networks, well those decisions are driven by hard data and evaluated on hard data, if the shows are getting an audience then the programmer has done their job.

Has the viewer overrated the show? If they enjoy the program then they are not overrating the program. This of course assumes people watch shows that entertain them.

You noted MWC, I don't remember that series being critically acclaimed, it drew enough of an audience for it to last 11 seasons (it spent only 2 seasons in the top 40), it has not been a big hit in reruns and its history in reruns reflects that. King of Queens was a run of the mill sitcom, I don't remember any critic overly praising the series, so exactly who is doing the overrating?

My point, with respect to Catsrule's list it should have been titled 10 popular shows I don't like, the title given by Catsrule required a more thoughtful narrative.You clearly do NOT have any respect for my list. As it clearly stated in the title which anyone with reading comprehension can understand, I put MY PICKS for the 10 most overrated, NOT yours. And it was a detailed first post I put a lot of thought into which you don't even care about anyway, just troll like nitpicking on overrated shouldn't have been in the title. Overrated can refer to many aspects which you are too narrow minded to get. Critical acclaim is not the only thing. The King of Queens has been very popular in syndication and played on many stations while more deserving shows don't get that kind of popularity. So yes, it is my position that KOQ has been overrated by so many ratings and networks. The total garbage in Married with Children made FOX largely a sleazy trash network for comedies a large portion of its schedule copied, because of its popularity. This thread was intended to be a discussion on what individual posters regard as overrated, which you and the other debi downers here torpedoed excessively nitpicking that overrated shouldn't be used. News flash: just because you don't agree on something being overrated does not make you right. It is a highly subjective term which you don't define. :rolleyes:

I sure enjoyed reading Catsrule's list, and am glad he made it. I love discussions like this, and people, please keep them coming!

I never thought Friends was overrated once I started watching it; I feel the first four seasons are what most sitcoms should aspire to. BUT I sure gotta respect Catsrule's opinion anyway!

I love The Golden Girls, but I do feel as though Christopher is right: the premise of a Core Four with four women had already been done before on The Facts of Life.

I loved the first eight seasons of The Simpsons, but the show became a parody of itself after that.

I enjoyed The King of Queens, but can see how many people might not care for it. I find Carrie/Doug hilarious. Spence I could live without.I am glad you like it! :)

Geez, he put "My Picks" in the title. Is his usage of the word overrated really that big a deal?I didn't dream some nitpickers would make it that big of a deal, it shouldn't have been. :crazy:

Maybe the word "overrated" is overrated. This is probably the most times that word has ever been used in one thread. :lol:

In my opinion an individual calling a work overrated at a fundamental level implies that the perceived public perception of that work is at a higher level than that individual believes the work should earn based on its own merits. In simplest terms, overrated = rated over what it "should" be. I believe that's the rationale behind the use of that word in the title, and as has been discussed, it is extremely subjective.Exactly! Some people just don't get it. :grr:

Exactly! Some people just don't get it. :grr:

I found your list intriguing and thought provoking and totally agree with you about Friends, Simpsons and Modern Family.

Let me see if I can shed greater light on the issue:

A very important life skill to have is what's known as "social awareness", especially when it comes to interacting with people. Social awareness involves being aware of how what you say or do might be perceived by others. The reason why social awareness is important is that if you use words that have a negative connotation or are heavily loaded, people will tend to ascribe negative intent behind them or have a negative reaction to what you're saying.

In the case of the word, "overrated", this is one of the most maligned terms on the web and has been for a very long time. There are countless threads about it going back to the earliest days of the interwebs. Case in point--

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/20hp8a/overrated_is_the_term_overused/

Resetera: Posting URL as hyperlink because it contains swear word (https://www.resetera.com/threads/overrated-is-the-most-bull****-word.76396/)

Quora: https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-the-word-overrated-is-overused

The Escapist: https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.832353-Ok-seriously-can-we-please-stop-endlessly-spouting-the-word-overrated-please

MLP Forums: https://mlpforums.com/topic/108759-who-hates-the-word-overrated/

Indiewire: https://www.indiewire.com/2014/11/why-overrated-is-a-garbage-word-125426/

My Anime List: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1422396

The consensus about this term is as follows:

1. It's a lazy way of saying, "I personally don't like this."

2. It's usually said as a badge of honor by people who pride themselves on not liking something popular, to imply that they're being rebels and independent thinkers, as opposed to everyone else, who are just mindless sheeple or not as "discerning" as the person who says they're overrated.

3. It's completely overused or misused to the point of being meaningless.

4. It's a favorite term used by people who like to be contrarian about popular or critically acclaimed music, TV shows, movies, etc. for whatever reason. In other words, "The Beatles/Stones were popular, so I will call them overrated. The Wizard of Oz and The Maltese Falcon were popular, so I will call them overrated."

5. It's a way of stating an opinion as fact. It's one thing to say, "These are popular shows I don't like/never got their appeal." But when you say, "That show is overrated, you're not stating an opinion anymore. You're stating that your disenchantment with a show is a statement of fact about the show itself. In other words, "I don't see what was so special about this show; therefore, the show was not all that special and deserving of being popular and is therefore overrated."

6. It's usually said by people who have an ulterior motive in diminishing something's legacy or cultural impact.

7. It's tiresome, because it's sometimes so dismissive of something's cultural impact or importance that people feel they have to bend over backwards to defend it, usually by explaining the obvious, as in, "Do I really have to explain why Star Wars is so popular? It had iconic sequences, special effects and music. It defined people's childhoods. People fell in love with the characters and storyline, etc."

In all of this, I hope I conveyed what the issue is. The term, "overrated" has a lot of baggage attached to it. Of course, everyone is free to use whatever words they want in discussing something. However, it really doesn't do anyone any favors to use ones that tend to rub people the wrong way.

Knock it off already dee! You sure don't have any "social awareness" for how unwanted your nitpicking is in this thread. You and Duster are the ones being contrarian and picking a needless fight, just because the word overrated offends you. :rolleyes: STAY OUT of this thread if all you are going to do is moan and whine that I should have used another term. :mad:

Knock it off already dee! You sure don't have any "social awareness" for how unwanted your nitpicking is in this thread. You and Duster are the ones being contrarian and picking a needless fight, just because the word overrated offends you. :rolleyes: STAY OUT of this thread if all you are going to do is moan and whine that I should have used another term. :mad:

Agreed. It really seems in this thread people are intentionally picking fights for no good reason.

The google definition of that word is "rated or valued too highly." Sometimes it really is that simple. Using that word is a way of expressing opinion. In my eyes it's being used in an appropriate context.

Knock it off already dee! You sure don't have any "social awareness" for how unwanted your nitpicking is in this thread. You and Dusty are the ones being contrarian and picking a needless fight, just because the word overrated offends you. :rolleyes: STAY OUT of this thread if all you are going to do is moan and whine that I should have used another term. :mad:

Again, this is what I mean about social awareness or, in your case, lack of it.

Go back and read this entire thread again from the very beginning. I made a simple comment stating in so many words that not liking a show doesn't mean it's overrated. You blew a gasket, accusing me of being sarcastic (when that's not what I was doing). So I had to come back and explain that I wasn't being sarcastic; I was being direct about my feelings.

Then Gentleman Jim joined in as instigator, making additional snide comments about me and others being "victims", denying you the right to an opinion and saying that our opinions were more right than yours. Again, this is is not what we were saying. The point, once again, is that everyone is entitled to like or dislike a show, movie, song, etc.; the problem is when they use a loaded term like "overrated". This is a word that comes with tons of baggage and casts aspersions on the person using it.

So this is why I came back to respond for a third time. I had to explain the context behind why people find the term, "overrated" an issue, as well as address the nonsense that Gentleman Jim was spewing.

Okay? That's how we got to the point we're at now. But apparently, if you and Gentlemen Jim keep making unsubstantiated claims (about how we're playing victims, attacking people or not understanding what you meant), it's "moaning and whining" to respond to those claims? I'm just supposed to sit here and not say anything as a response to this nonsense?

But whatever. I get it now. Next time we talk about anything else on this forum (if there is a next time), I won't give you so much credit and respond. I'll just let you have your petulant meltdown and walk away like I would to a kid having a temper tantrum.

And don't worry about me continuing to post in this thread. I'll STAY OUT (love your usage of caps, BTW). I mean, why would I continue wasting my time? I thought I was having a conversation with a mature adult, but apparently I wasn't. *shrugs, walks away*

No you don't get it. Your 2nd to last paragraph in what you just posted is a heinous attack on me, shame on you. You were the one who kept causing problems with Duster complaining about a word you don't like, anyone with reading comprehension can see I clearly had MY PICKS to start it off, which obviously is subjective. Your conduct in this thread has been troll like, very unnecessary nitpicking, that was NOT what my thread was intended for. There is always someone who has to ruin it. Social awareness you keep bringing up is something you are sorely lacking in for how you torpedoed what was not meant to be a hostile thread. Overrated is not a word you get to act as hostile word police for putting a lot of baggage on it, see the simple definition PhoenixAcres posted above. :rolleyes:

King of Queens was actually underrated when it originally aired. It didn't get the accolades that say Will & Grace got, with each character of W&G hosting SNL more than once.

But look at Will & Grace now. Isn't it dumped in the super late hours of Cozi, while Roseanne and The Nanny are given better time slots? And CBSViacom runs it on Logo than one of its more visible networks, as Logo which isn't picked up by half of the carriers, and the other half put that channel on the expensive tier.

Meanwhile King of Queens is picked up by Lifetime of all cable networks. A network that was supposed to appeal to women now deciding this show a blue collar guy Doug as the lead of the show is a fit for the network.

I fully expect catsrule now to refute my statement, on why her opinion of it makes it the case that it is overrated. Even though it's what people want to watch - and it runs on syndication, years after the show has finished.

If anything stands out to me (yes, personal opinions) as overrated, it's The Office. And the ratings on the original run prove it. Overrated by NBC and the elite critics, evidently, bu not by Nielsen.

Its first season (6 episodes) was #102 in overall, and #82 in 18-49. OK, somebody at NBC liked it. So the second season saw an improvement in 18-49, to #34, but overall was the pits at #67.

So, somebody or somebodies at NBC REALLY liked it. Third season, #68 overall, and #28 in 18-49. Now they have something to go on, it's on a definite upward trend in 18-49. Fourth season, #77 overall AND in 18-49. No excuse, it needs to be cancelled, but no. #52 in both in the next season. Egad. Well, eventually in seasons 6 and 7 it goes to #11 in 18-49, the ONLY good ratings. For the final 2 seasons it plunged again.

IIRC it was on TBS for awhile, but quietly withdrawn.

Overrated, with proof. Had I been an NBC stockholder I would have wanted answers. Also, you mentioned 30 Rock and Parks and Rec. Both were rating disasters--by comparison, The Office looks good.
------
With regard to Two and a Half Men, it started out to be quite viewable and funny for the first four or five seasons--particularly the first 3 seasons were very funny. Then they really took it into the gutter, and it got worse in the Kutcher years.

From that angle, I agree that NBC had a special spot for The Office. They let that show run way too long, and provided favored treatment over other sitcoms.

However, from what I read, it did well on Netflix's streaming. I read it was the most streamed show on Netflix for awhile. So, the show does have a strong fan base, and it might help now with Peacock subscriptions for NBCUniversal.

However, the tables have turned on a similar work place sitcom without the laugh track. They dumped Superstore, after America Ferrera left. I have watched the post America episodes, and they aren't good, but that show should be been re-tooled for Peacock, and a new lead brought in. I'm not sure why NBC didn't consider that for Peacock.

King of Queens was actually underrated when it originally aired. It didn't get the accolades that say Will & Grace got, with each character of W&G hosting SNL more than once.

But look at Will & Grace now. Isn't it dumped in the super late hours of Cozi, while Roseanne and The Nanny are given better time slots? And CBSViacom runs it on Logo than one of its more visible networks, as Logo which isn't picked up by half of the carriers, and the other half put that channel on the expensive tier.

Meanwhile King of Queens is picked up by Lifetime of all cable networks. A network that was supposed to appeal to women now deciding this show a blue collar guy Doug as the lead of the show is a fit for the network.

I fully expect catsrule now to refute my statement, on why her opinion of it makes it the case that it is overrated. Even though it's what people want to watch - and it runs on syndication, years after the show has finished.I have already said once in this thread I am a male. And if you had bothered to read previous posts in here, syndication popularity which King of Queens has had way too much of is precisely something that qualifies it for overrated status, it's not just what happens in first run. Mediocre KOQ does not deserve its syndication popularity airing on tons of stations throughout the years while better shows have disappeared. Although Lifetime is already thankfully done with it. They made a major improvement to their schedule replacing the king of mediocre with Major Crimes.

From that angle, I agree that NBC had a special spot for The Office. They let that show run way too long, and provided favored treatment over other sitcoms.

However, from what I read, it did well on Netflix's streaming. I read it was the most streamed show on Netflix for awhile. So, the show does have a strong fan base, and it might help now with Peacock subscriptions for NBCUniversal.

However, the tables have turned on a similar work place sitcom without the laugh track. They dumped Superstore, after America Ferrera left. I have watched the post America episodes, and they aren't good, but that show should be been re-tooled for Peacock, and a new lead brought in. I'm not sure why NBC didn't consider that for Peacock.Because it is a lousy idea. That would be a good way to tick off Superstore fans replacing America Ferrera as the lead. They saw when she left it was time to end the show. A lot of Office fans hated what became of it when Steve Carell left.

Then Gentleman Jim joined in as instigator, making additional snide comments about me and others being "victims",

HEY,...I was just being direct about my feelings :nod:

Agreed. It really seems in this thread people are intentionally picking fights for no good reason.

Again, read the thread. This started when I said that the OP just doesn't like the shows in question, not a case of the shows being overrated. It was ONE SENTENCE I posted. One sentence, WITHOUT attitude, WITHOUT malice, WITHOUT anger or snarkiness, WITHOUT anything.

The OP then came back with both guns blazing, accusing me of being snarky, when I wasn't doing that at all.

Then another instigating poster came to start saying that people like me were denying the OP her opinion, that we were victims because we were offended, etc.

And I came back and was trying to explain very calmly that I meant no offense. The whole point was to explain why people might not like the term, overrated because now InstigatorJim was twisting my words around to make it seem as if I was angry and offended by OP (which I wasn't). I didn't want OP to think that so I came back to explain the whole backstory behind why the word gets a negative response.

So, now when I'm only just responding to what people have said (I'm allowed to respond, right?) I get accused of picking fights. Picking fights with who? Who was I angry at? I haven't been angry this entire time until today when I came back, read the comments and saw snide comments about me being thin-skinned and feeling victimized. Again, I'm supposed to just sit back and let people talk crap and not respond?

In any event, this is the LAST TIME I post on this forum. As soon as posters start playing games, that's when I know the community is toxic. Again, this started because I disagreed with this idea of things being "overrated". Instead of OP just ignoring my post, what he did was escalate things by accusing me of being sarcastic towards him so that I'm forced to explain myself. Then another poster jumped in, ascribing feelings I never had (feeling that I'm a victim, feeling threatened, etc.) And the more I tried to counter this nonsense, the more this started getting spun as me being angry, offended, attacking, picking fights, etc.

This is classic "junior high school" type stuff--initiate a hostile response and when the other person responds (because who wouldn't), accuse that person of picking a fight.

So, I'm gone--I left my junior high school days decades ago. OP, feel free to rant freely about how overrated every popular TV show is now, without my input. The world is your oyster now. :lol:

Everyone else, stay safe and here's hoping for a better 2021. :wave:

Knock it off already dee! You sure don't have any "social awareness" for how unwanted your nitpicking is in this thread. You and Duster are the ones being contrarian and picking a needless fight, just because the word overrated offends you. :rolleyes: STAY OUT of this thread if all you are going to do is moan and whine that I should have used another term. :mad:

You're making a fool out of yourself. Your posting publicly pal, not everyone is going to agree with you. If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. You incorrectly used the term overrated, for something to be overrated it has to be highly rated in the first place, don't you get that. Who is highly rating some of these shows, Married With Children, King of Queens for example. I certainly don't remember critics being overly fond of Married With Children, it was on for 11 year and was in the top 40 ratings wise for two of those years, its afterlife has been mixed at best, it shows up from time to time but hasn't been a big hit rerun wise. King of Queens is a middle of the pack show, it spent two year in the top 25 but was never a top 10 show (not even close). Critics gave it mixed reviews. So exactly what source is overrating the show?

All In The Family was a top 10 show, was a critical hit, but instead of thoughtful presentation you went off the rails. The same thing with The Golden Girls comments. I think a thoughtful case could be made against All In The Family (I might not agree with it but it would have been interesting to read). I think making a case against the Golden Girls would have been more challenging but again it would have made for an interesting read. Instead what did you resort to, nastiness as in "Bea Arthur is repulsive". This is a public forum, I think we all like to exchange ideas, maybe debate an issue, think before posting.

From your list (and liked your list, you are a poster after my own heart)

Friends. I have never seen this show, except for one episode years and years ago (they were playing touch football). Sometimes I judge a show like a child who has never eaten a certain food but knows they won’t like it if they did. To me, it just looked vapid, with a bunch of “beautiful people” who will eventually bed each other, or worse fight with each other, or something. I know some of the names of the characters because the show was so popular and so part of the culture; but since I don’t really like the dominant culture, this reinforced me never really wanting to see the series.

I liked The Office except for the episodes where Charles Minor took over in the fifth season and it was sad for awhile. I liked some of e episodes more than others and there are some absolute favorites and others I will skip. Usually the show was funny, I liked the characters, but sometimes it ventured into uncomfortable territory. I don’t like “cringe” humor.

The Golden Girls was one of the most hilarious shows of all time. Most all the episodes were excellent, and this comes from someone who detests Betty White. Betty White was the drummer of the band anyway and she could have left the show. But enough Betty White hate. Also props to Herb Edelman who played Stan. All in all a great and classic series.

I love All in the Family and have watched this show now for fifty years and I still watch it on YouTube. I get why people disliked it and sure many did. Yes, the show was political and in your face and sometimes broached uncomfortable subjects, and I hated the “Edith almost gets raped by a mutant” which should have never been aired. But mostly it was to me an excellent series, and most viewers agreed since it was basically on from 1971 to 1983 (Archie Bunker’s Place)

Thank you about Three’s Company, I never liked that show ever. It was a lame show where each week was “a misunderstanding” or something. I tried to watch it as an adult and gave up. However, I did like the actors on the show. John Ritter was a great actor and it was a tragedy what happened to him. Norman Fell was hilarious. I will applaud the show for giving Don Knotts a role in the twilight of his career (from many videos, Knotts seemed to be a very nice man who loved his fans.) Lastly, Joyce DeWitt was the best looking woman on the show. But I like dark haired women.

Never ever seen Two and a Half Men. Sort of figured it would be a crap show, and not interested in Charlie Sheen, crude sex humor, the lame actor who played the brother, and no. Again, this was a show I have never seen and maybe have wrongly judged it, but since it was popular, maybe not.

I loved Roseanne the original show and the cast of characters and to me it was very real life. Again, I think for some Roseanne Barr was an acquired taste and can easily see some not liking her. She also somewhat screwed up the series later on and got a “big head”. Tom Arnold didn’t help either, and I like Tom Arnold, but this was fked up, coked out Tom Arnold. Plus, find someone who hates John Goodman. Go ahead, you’ll find a winning Powerball ticket first.

I used to watch Modern Family when it was first on but gave up on it after three or four years. Basically it was a bunch of snarky rich people. And these people were rich and obnoxious. Oddly, I liked most of the actors on the show and in some instances, a show can suck but have great actors. But it took about three years to come to the realization that I can spend my time more constructively than watch California millionaires and their petty problems.

The King of Queens was crap except for Jerry Stiller. Stiller was hilarious in this. Plus Leah Remini kept me interested because she was gorgeous. But other than that, didn’t like it because I didn’t like the other actors, the best friend and especially Patton fking Oswalt. Pardon the obscenity but Oswalt being successful and rich is proof that there is no God, or God is punishing us.

To end, I agree about Married with Children. To say I hated this show is an understatement. This show was crude, unfunny, lacked any warmth or empathy whatsoever, obnoxious, stupid, how many negative adjectives can I attach to this horrid show? I was mostly in college when it was on and was forced sometimes to watch it because I was with guys who loved the show. But again, I liked most of the players. The actors weren’t crap, the show was.

This was a great list. If you pick 10 more, you could put Family Guy and Cheers on the list. They deserve to be on it.

In a very serious light, subjective preference is a big part of who we are. Ford vs Chevy, Pepsi vs Coke, Windows vs Linux, even Tide vs Oxydol.......we are all programmed from an early age to have a preference, and seldom give a damn when the "fools" from the over-rated contenders grouse about preeminence vs preference.

I look forward to more of Catsrule's lists. I may not agree with them all, but his ability to provoke a response is very impressive.

Know what killed "All in the Family" for me? Sally Struthers' late night bawling for the starving children.

I had so much warmth and empathy that I'd either change the channel (thank god for remote controls) or go to bed.

And I think it soon became a conditioned reflex of sorts, anytime I saw Sally Struthers I'd find myself reaching for the remote. Bea Arthur provoked the same reaction.

duplicate post

Friends. I have never seen this show, except for one episode years and years ago (they were playing touch football). Sometimes I judge a show like a child who has never eaten a certain food but knows they won’t like it if they did. To me, it just looked vapid, with a bunch of “beautiful people” who will eventually bed each other, or worse fight with each other, or something. I know some of the names of the characters because the show was so popular and so part of the culture; but since I don’t really like the dominant culture, this reinforced me never really wanting to see the series.

I never found Friends vapid. In fact, there are some recurring themes throughout the first six seasons that actually made it one of the smartest shows on 1990s television: Ross' controlling nature and Rachel's selfishness and tendency to sabotage Ross' relationships with other women, for example. These characters had more depth to them than your average sitcom character, and the flaws of these characters were used just as much as any other character trait. In other words, we see not only how characters bond (something we see on any sitcom) but how friendships can be damaged by character flaws, and how relationships can end because of fear, jealousy, and irrationality, a theme rarely tackled on network TV in the 1990s.

There's no doubt the cast was picked in part because they were photogenic, but I think that's true of most sitcom casts.


The Golden Girls was one of the most hilarious shows of all time. Most all the episodes were excellent, and this comes from someone who detests Betty White. Betty White was the drummer of the band anyway and she could have left the show. But enough Betty White hate. Also props to Herb Edelman who played Stan. All in all a great and classic series.

Woah, I don't get the Betty White hate (what's to hate? Caring for animals?), but I realize to each his/her own!

I loved The Golden Girls, but I can see why people might feel it was overrated: it wasn't the most original series, and it had a formula. Still, I like that formula, and it feels like comfort food, now.


Thank you about Three’s Company, I never liked that show ever. It was a lame show where each week was “a misunderstanding” or something. I tried to watch it as an adult and gave up. However, I did like the actors on the show. John Ritter was a great actor and it was a tragedy what happened to him. Norman Fell was hilarious. I will applaud the show for giving Don Knotts a role in the twilight of his career (from many videos, Knotts seemed to be a very nice man who loved his fans.) Lastly, Joyce DeWitt was the best looking woman on the show. But I like dark haired women.

Three's Company was one of the dumbest sitcoms of all time. It's a series that almost always relied on a stupid misunderstanding ("But I thought... but you said... Oh, that's why you..."). It was a farce. At the same time, it was one of my grandfather's favorite shows, we watched it every week, and so it has a fond place in my heart. Yes, overrated. But still beloved by millions.


I loved Roseanne the original show and the cast of characters and to me it was very real life. Again, I think for some Roseanne Barr was an acquired taste and can easily see some not liking her. She also somewhat screwed up the series later on and got a “big head”. Tom Arnold didn’t help either, and I like Tom Arnold, but this was fked up, coked out Tom Arnold. Plus, find someone who hates John Goodman. Go ahead, you’ll find a winning Powerball ticket first.

The original series was more realistic than any TV sitcom of the era. As you say, once Roseanne got a big head, the show began to suffer, and by the end it was a trainwreck, but the first (around) seven seasons was some of the best writing on TV.


To end, I agree about Married with Children. To say I hated this show is an understatement. This show was crude, unfunny, lacked any warmth or empathy whatsoever, obnoxious, stupid, how many negative adjectives can I attach to this horrid show? I was mostly in college when it was on and was forced sometimes to watch it because I was with guys who loved the show. But again, I liked most of the players. The actors weren’t crap, the show was.

Yes, the show was obnoxious, in your face, and crude. They were going for the anti-Cosby, and that's exactly what they delivered. I watched the first few seasons, but eventually tuned out. They went so OTT it wasn't worth me watching anymore. There's an audience for that, and I'm glad it's not me.

Woah, I don't get the Betty White hate (what's to hate? Caring for animals?), but I realize to each his/her own!

Maybe he associates her with Sue Ann Nivens from MTM???

Maybe he associates her with Sue Ann Nivens from MTM???

Well, that was a horrible character...

Well, that was a horrible character...
Always preferred the cunning and devious Sue Ann character on MTM over the naive Rose on GG.

Friends is for sure very overrated. That doesn't mean I hate it, but it's nothing more than a show I put on in the background while doing something else. I much prefer Mad About You, Wings, Frasier, and Seinfeld

On the other hand, I don't think shows 3-6 are overrated at all. You might not like them, but I think they are all very funny shows that you just so happen to not like

I have always loved All in the Family, especially the first 5 seasons. Same goes for Three's Company. The other shows on only the top ten list, I either never saw( too modern) or I basically agree with. An example would be Freinds, annoying and very over rated. In defense of Three's Company, a few people are putting it down, but I think it is one of the best feel good shows ever made. It also set out just to make people laugh and feel good, kind of like I Love Lucy did, and did it brilliantly.

Let me see if I can shed greater light on the issue:

A very important life skill to have is what's known as "social awareness", especially when it comes to interacting with people. Social awareness involves being aware of how what you say or do might be perceived by others. The reason why social awareness is important is that if you use words that have a negative connotation or are heavily loaded, people will tend to ascribe negative intent behind them or have a negative reaction to what you're saying.

In the case of the word, "overrated", this is one of the most maligned terms on the web and has been for a very long time. There are countless threads about it going back to the earliest days of the interwebs. Case in point--

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/20hp8a/overrated_is_the_term_overused/

Resetera: Posting URL as hyperlink because it contains swear word (https://www.resetera.com/threads/overrated-is-the-most-bull****-word.76396/)

Quora: https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-the-word-overrated-is-overused

The Escapist: https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.832353-Ok-seriously-can-we-please-stop-endlessly-spouting-the-word-overrated-please

MLP Forums: https://mlpforums.com/topic/108759-who-hates-the-word-overrated/

Indiewire: https://www.indiewire.com/2014/11/why-overrated-is-a-garbage-word-125426/

My Anime List: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1422396

The consensus about this term is as follows:

1. It's a lazy way of saying, "I personally don't like this."

2. It's usually said as a badge of honor by people who pride themselves on not liking something popular, to imply that they're being rebels and independent thinkers, as opposed to everyone else, who are just mindless sheeple or not as "discerning" as the person who says they're overrated.

3. It's completely overused or misused to the point of being meaningless.

4. It's a favorite term used by people who like to be contrarian about popular or critically acclaimed music, TV shows, movies, etc. for whatever reason. In other words, "The Beatles/Stones were popular, so I will call them overrated. The Wizard of Oz and The Maltese Falcon were popular, so I will call them overrated."

5. It's a way of stating an opinion as fact. It's one thing to say, "These are popular shows I don't like/never got their appeal." But when you say, "That show is overrated, you're not stating an opinion anymore. You're stating that your disenchantment with a show is a statement of fact about the show itself. In other words, "I don't see what was so special about this show; therefore, the show was not all that special and deserving of being popular and is therefore overrated."

6. It's usually said by people who have an ulterior motive in diminishing something's legacy or cultural impact.

7. It's tiresome, because it's sometimes so dismissive of something's cultural impact or importance that people feel they have to bend over backwards to defend it, usually by explaining the obvious, as in, "Do I really have to explain why Star Wars is so popular? It had iconic sequences, special effects and music. It defined people's childhoods. People fell in love with the characters and storyline, etc."

In all of this, I hope I conveyed what the issue is. The term, "overrated" has a lot of baggage attached to it. Of course, everyone is free to use whatever words they want in discussing something. However, it really doesn't do anyone any favors to use ones that tend to rub people the wrong way.

Excellent points, and that's why I'm siding with you on this one. I mean, consider-- for instance, I personally prefer Columbia Pictures' Sunburst/Abstract Torch logo of the 70s (Suzanne Ciani's title track of the same contributing mightily to my preference), but many others prefer the current Jenny Joseph 90s Torch Lady that has stood the test of time (and believe it or not, IMO, each one of those logo eras of Columbia Pictures has had at least one great film [the former having The China Syndrome from 1979, the latter having White House Down from 2013]).

Also, where television is concerned, when it comes to a one-case-per-episode crime drama like The Streets of San Francisco, compared to a one-case-per-season series like True Detective, I prefer the one-case-per-episode format of the former, because I know the story's going to end at the close of the hour; others prefer the one-case-per-season format of the latter, because they want to see to what ends the main character(s) will go over the season in solving the crime.

Having said all that, IMO (and in yours as well, it seems), it would not benefit anybody (albeit, like you said, it is our freedom and our right) to use the word "overrated" without good, solid, grounded reasons, because if certain people read such a word in our reviews of certain things, those people might think that we simply hate them for liking what we dislike, instead of disliking the film/studio logo/television series/video game/what have you. Also, that said, I think the better approach by far would be to say (if you dislike something), "I dislike such-and-such-a-thing because of this, that and the other thing"; that wording would invite the person reading your review of whatever it is to consider why and make a carefully-thought-out judgment one way or the other (they might think that you're on to something, and avoid it; or they might still desire to see/read/use the thing that you dislike).

This was a great list. If you pick 10 more, you could put Family Guy and Cheers on the list. They deserve to be on it.I can't stand Family Guy. Really it is worse than The Simpsons, but FG's success would not have been possible without Simpsons paving the way for it. I do like Cheers some, but not nearly as much as its spin-off Frasier or underrated Wings from the same producers.

I would add M*A*S*H to the list, sure its not huge today except for maybe to old folks watching it on MeTV or something.

Just to put in perspective I was born in '76 so obviously I never saw its original run except seeing it in syndication as a kid in the 80's, normally I'd come from school and watch afternoon cartoons but when garbage like this came on I'd switch to something else.

I mean how do you make a sitcom during the Korean war and make light of it? And how it is that so many viewers tuned in to the series finale?

I would add M*A*S*H to the list, sure its not huge today except for maybe to old folks watching it on MeTV or something.

Just to put in perspective I was born in '76 so obviously I never saw its original run except seeing it in syndication as a kid in the 80's, normally I'd come from school and watch afternoon cartoons but when garbage like this came on I'd switch to something else.

I mean how do you make a sitcom during the Korean war and make light of it? And how it is that so many viewers tuned in to the series finale?

The show began as an antiwar satire to some extent. It made it's point through comedy with only occasional moments of drama. But the drama was not melodramatic emotionalism. I transformed into the exact opposite.

The show began as an antiwar satire to some extent. It made it's point through comedy with only occasional moments of drama. But the drama was not melodramatic emotionalism. I[t] transformed into the exact opposite.

That's true. It became this weird melodrama with Hawkeye screaming, yelling, crying, and carrying on in every episode. Shark jump.

That's true. It became this weird melodrama with Hawkeye screaming, yelling, crying, and carrying on in every episode. Shark jump.

It had many shark jumps. But the one for me was an episode called "Bless me, Hawkeye" which displayed Alan Alda's overacting ability to a point it became unintentionally funny.

It had many shark jumps. But the one for me was an episode called "Bless me, Hawkeye" which displayed Alan Alda's overacting ability to a point it became unintentionally funny.

Oh, God. Is that the sneezing episode?

Oh, God. Is that the sneezing episode?

Yep.
I remember my daughter seeing it for the first time (born in 89) and said "what in the hell was that?"

:rolleyes: Yes they are overrated. Anything that is popular or critically acclaimed can qualify for it. Duh, it's my personal opinion. But everyone will have opinions on what they think is overrated. Snarky responses like yours are not necessary. :rolleyes:

And you shouldn't think that your opinion is the only opinion that matters

Knock it off already dee! You sure don't have any "social awareness" for how unwanted your nitpicking is in this thread. You and Duster are the ones being contrarian and picking a needless fight, just because the word overrated offends you. :rolleyes: STAY OUT of this thread if all you are going to do is moan and whine that I should have used another term. :mad:

You need to take a better attitude toward other posters on these boards

The sneezing episode might be the worst. Alan Alda must have been trying for a Emmy nomination there. Horrible. When exactly did Mash jump the shark?

And you shouldn't think that your opinion is the only opinion that matters

History is full of examples where inferior products triumphed over superior competitors simply by capturing the consumer's imagination. Just because Catsrule believes that to be the case for the programs in his list, is no reason for fans of those shows to get all butt-hurt and try to strangle the expression of opinion.

I'm sure that the "book burners" who have already chimed in attempting to do exactly that,...no doubt disagree .....but it's not like catsrule has gone into the respective forums for those shows and proclaimed "boy this show suxx!"....so I really don't see the foul here.

The sneezing episode might be the worst. Alan Alda must have been trying for a Emmy nomination there. Horrible. When exactly did Mash jump the shark?

Maybe when Trapper John and Henry Blake left.

I was gonna say that, too. And I don't know why they felt the need to kill Blake off.

I was gonna say that, too. And I don't know why they felt the need to kill Blake off.

I don't mind him dying (since they were in a war, after all), but the replacements just weren't as good, and the writing started to go downhill. Also, Alan Alda's ego seemed to grow exponentially with each new episode.

The sneezing episode might be the worst. Alan Alda must have been trying for a Emmy nomination there. Horrible. When exactly did Mash jump the shark?

I think it had several.
After the departure of Trapper and Henry the writers didn't seem to know what to do. It turned toward drama and many of the characters changed their personalities as a result.

I agree with everything on catsrule's list except Friends; it's in my top 5 best ever! The Simpsons was one of the funniest things on TV in the 90s, but I stopped watching in the early 2000s because it got boring. I wouldn't say King of Queens is overrated because I don't think anybody would list it on a "best sitcoms ever" list. It was a decent show that came out around the time sitcoms hit the skids so it was a moderate hit.

Gentleman Jim, I too HATE Bohemian Rhapsody! I like most of Queen's other songs, but that one just grates on my nerves.

Friends. I have tried to watch it and have never laughed once. Not once. The same with the Big Bang Theory. The same with Tim Allen's shows.

I agree with everything on catsrule's list except Friends; it's in my top 5 best ever!

It was extremely hyped, so I can see where it might fall into the 'overrated' category. I, however, have always enjoyed it, and did feel many of the episodes were not only funny, the producers did a great job of continuing storylines, developing intricate relationships, and depicting realistic arguments. Of course, in later seasons, Monica and Ross become caricatures of themselves.


The Simpsons was one of the funniest things on TV in the 90s, but I stopped watching in the early 2000s because it got boring.

I think no-one will disagree there.

I wouldn't say King of Queens is overrated because I don't think anybody would list it on a "best sitcoms ever" list. It was a decent show that came out around the time sitcoms hit the skids so it was a moderate hit.

I enjoyed it, but there are also a few things I don't like. Spence, for one.