Do You Like Knowing Behind the Scenes Dramas of Your Favorite Shows?

[Adamantium]

My dad was telling me today how he hates knowing that Vivian Vance and William Frawley hated each other. He said he'd rather not know about that kind of stuff. I, however, am the opposite. Sure I'd like for the cast mates to all get along but if they don't, I like knowing about it. I just like knowing all the behind the scenes gossip there is to know, haha. It mat affect my viewing somewhat but not to the point that I can't enjoy the show anymore. Heck, I can still watch Bill Cosby shows. If I can do that, I can get over any bad blood between cast members.

[lakesgirl]

Yea, I like to know. I don't like when I find out castmates didn't get along but I still like to know.

[KatieAnn]

Yes, I like to know, but I do think that knowing there is friction behind the scenes does make me watch a show differently sometimes and then again, sometimes I forget about it and don't think about it.

[JJM]

It depends on the show and what happened behind the scenes, Some shows, as much as I enjoy the show, the behind the scenes drama is just as or even more entertaining. An example is three's company, it is a funny show but the mess behind the scenes makes it more interesting, like when Jack or Janet are suppose to worry about Chrissy in one eps in late season 4 where she slipped in the shower or something (been awhile since seeing that one I might not be remembering that one correctly), even though in real life they were feuding. On the other hand on Golden Girls there is something I don't like about hearing how Bea Auther and Betty White didn't get along.

[JamesG]

I guess it shows how good they are as actors if they act like they all love each other, but in real life can't stand the person.

[broadmoor]

An interesting question, and I'd generally say no, I'd rather not know anything about unpleasant conflicts, scandals, and production backstory. Probably because it can sometimes get so overwhelming (filling tabloid-style documentaries), that it eventually gnaws away at the primary 'escapist' element of a series, which is where I derive its greatest value. It becomes more and more of a self-conscious distraction, when you know two actors playing friends hate each others guts, or a regular on a series was heavy on dope and you find yourself unintentionally detecting little visual cues of it. Or even when there's a romantic scene with a guest-star and you know an actor is gay. All those extra bits of knowledge and awareness hamper the suspension of disbelief, and tend to undermine the entertainment potential (at least, for me).

Yet in a way, I also contradict myself, because over the years I've also enjoyed going to nostalgia-oriented shows and conventions, and getting to meet many tv-actors and hearing about fun little anecdotes they tell about the shows they appeared in, and the people they worked with. I guess it's all just a delicate balance in the end. A little info is fun, but a lot of info can be ruinous? Maybe that's it. I just don't know.

[lakesgirl]

I think for me as well, finding out that the actors are really not like the characters is hard. If I love a character, I want the actor to be just like them. But often they are not - they are just really good actors. So, I just immerse myself in the show and try to forget about the real-life actor.

[DJM77]

As long as it's the truth then I'd like to know as much behind the scenes dirt as possible. I will say that if I had known about what went down behind the scenes of certain shows when I was a kid then there is no way that I would've been able to watch them. Sanford & Son and Diff'rent Strokes both come to mind. These days the only two shows that I have a hard time with in that regard are What's Happening (endless fat jokes at Fred Berry's expense which contributed to his drug habit) and Growing Pains (fat jokes at Tracy Gold's expense which were responsible for her anorexia).