Watch or not to Watch?

[GateMan2000]

I have been reading a lot of comments over the past months with people complaining to high heaven that they hate SG1 and the direction it is going. While people are entitled to their opinion, do they really think TPTB are going to take it into consideration? LoL...come on now! I myself, like how season 9 is going more so than a few episodes in season 1. Season 2 is actually what got me hooked into SG1. I have even done a little research and it seems like the same people, for the most part, have been complaining since season 8. I guess I am curious why, if people have hated SG1 since season 8, continue to hate it and why the heck they are still watching? If they see a pattern, chance of it changing are slim to none. My question is, why do people still watch even though they haven’t' enjoyed SG1 for a few years now?

[MartoufMarty]

I watch it still because I don't completely hate it. It has alot of good moments. And I'm very hopeful. Still like it, it's just somethings aren't as good anymore.

[Commander Ivanova]

somethings aren't as good anymore.

such as what? I have watched SG1 since day one because I loved the film and picked up a video of the pilot episode in the shop thinking James Spader would be in it. Imagine my disappointment... no just kidding, MS IS Daniel Jackson. The show stays fresh precisely because it moves on, characters come and go, the bad guys get beat then a new set of bad guys come along.
Interested to know what you think lets it down.

[ToasterOnFire]

I have been reading a lot of comments over the past months with people complaining to high heaven that they hate SG1 and the direction it is going. While people are entitled to their opinion, do they really think TPTB are going to take it into consideration? LoL...come on now!

Nah, I think most people that have a problem with SG1 are speaking out more to express their frustrations and concerns about the show rather than trying to influence TPTB. TPTB will do what it wants to do as long as the ratings stay up, positive or negative fan influence be damned.

My question is, why do people still watch even though they haven’t' enjoyed SG1 for a few years now?

Obviously I can't speak for everyone in that situation, but there are lots of potential answers:

- They're hoping things are going to get better?
- Even though they dislike the overall direction of the show there are still plots or characters that they do like to watch?
- It's a habit?
- It keeps them in touch with the internet fanbase?

There is a catch-22 with speaking out against the show, however. If you talk about SG1's problems but still watch the show people will want to know why you're still watching it. If you talk about the problems but don't watch the show people will think you don't know what you're talking about. It's a no-win situation, and I can see why some "anti" people get frustrated. Sometimes I get the vibe from fandom that anyone who has a problem with SG1 should just take their ball and go home rather than talk about it.

[TechnoWraith]

I think the issue with Season 9 is the drastic changes SG-1 underwent. RDA left. There's new faces in the regular cast. A new enemy. The changes are a double edged sword: die-hard fans don't want the old, familiar faces to leave, nor do they want things to change. Or the changes could send the show into a whole new realm and direction. It will probably take quite some time for people to warm up completely to the changes in SG-1. In my opinion, Season 9 is all right. Mitchell and gang are getting better at their roles, and the Ori are just as annoying as the Gao'uld (though i prefer the gao'uld more - they seem to have more personality than the Ori).

[Seshat]

"Watch or not to Watch?" is actually a very interesting question to me, precisely because I used to feel exactly the way that you do once upon a time! I couldn't understand why people would continue to watch a show that they said they disliked. Hey, I was happy with it for six or seven seasons or so...so, what's not to love?

Then, somewhere in the midst of watching Season 8 I found my opinions changing. I saw a shift in quality, in scripts and acting and production, and all, to my eyes, for the worse. Slowly I grew to dislike the very show I had so enjoyed, not because of "changes in direction" so often touted here, but because the overall experience was becoming no longer enjoyable. What had changed was the FOCUS of show had gone missing somehow. And I don't mean RDA leaving, either. I mean the cohesive effort to create quality TV was slipping away. And this was painful to watch happening. S9 continues to be a huge disappointment to me, because I see the show slipping downhill in almost every conceivable area. Of course, others have different opinions, I can only speak for myself.

So, back to your question: "why do I still watch?" Because, despite everything, I still hold out hope that the writers and producers and actors and the network will wake up and start giving the show 100% again. That the fire and excitement and fascination I used to feel about watching the episodes will return. Not because they owe me anything, but because I know what they CAN do, and are NO LONGER doing, and it saddens me tremendously.

In other words, do you just wash your hands and walk away from something you have once loved because it starts to disappoint you? Or do you give it some time to see if it gets better? I am just waiting for the "gets better" part. Yes, I doubt this will ever happen, but I can still hope, can't I?

[weejim]

whats wrong with season 9 i think its outstanding so far so good.

[weejim]

whats wrong with season 9 i think its outstanding so far so good.

[kirmit]

I say judge for urself, I personally am loving S9, I've accepted that changed have to happen and am open to the new ideas and new characters

[Samuel J. Tilden]

The show stays fresh precisely because it moves on, characters come and go, the bad guys get beat then a new set of bad guys come along.
Interested to know what you think lets it down.

I feel much the same way as MartoufMarty (love that name, BTW) so I'll take a crack at it. RDA's reduced role in Seasons 7 and 8 was a major drag on the show. The gimmicks used to explain away his absense were horribly transparent and his cameo appearances usually amounted to a couple of lame (and unenthusiastically delivered) one-liners. In the past, RDA was one of the show's strengths but by Season 9, I was glad to see him go.

The intrigues of the NID/Trust/evil humans have always plagued SG-1, but it wasn't until the 5th season that the horribly conceived Adrian Conrad arc was introduced, launching a whole new era of uninteresting Earth-based conspiracy stories. The NID was fine when it only showed up once every season (Touchstone, Shades of Grey) but since season 5 or so it has produced some of the worst episodes in Stargate history (Desperate Measures, Prometheus, Resurrection, Endgame).

The Asgard have been reduced from awe-inspiring, god-like beings (Thor's Hammer, Thor's Chariot) to wise-cracking muppets, completely subservient to the Tau'ri (Revelations, Fragile Balance, that Asgard on Atlantis).

Ship was a driving force behind seasons 7 and 8 (thankfully absent so far in Season 9) as opposed to earlier seasons when it did not exist (or wasn't pronounced enough for me to acknowledge its existence).

Why do I still watch? Well, first of all Season 9 has been much better than the previous two years so far. I don't think that Stargate will ever fully recover its past glory, but the show has been able to pull itself out of slumps in the past so I'm hopeful.

Right now, I think that Atlantis is producing a more compelling product which I enjoy watching quite a bit. It makes sense to sit down and watch both SG-1 and Atlantis together even if Atlantis is the star attraction for me.

Finally, I've invested so much time into the show already that it makes sense to stick around and see how it all ends. Even if SG-1 is a mere shadow of its former greatness, some good stuff still shines through. I'd rather watch SG-1 than most of the dreck currently on TV these days.

[MartoufMarty]

such as what? I have watched SG1 since day one because I loved the film and picked up a video of the pilot episode in the shop thinking James Spader would be in it. Imagine my disappointment... no just kidding, MS IS Daniel Jackson. The show stays fresh precisely because it moves on, characters come and go, the bad guys get beat then a new set of bad guys come along.
Interested to know what you think lets it down.

I don't like the Ori, the storylines are slow, there's a pointless episode, and form some reason the humor seems way different from before.

[kirmit]

as much as I've liked S9 I gotta admit it has bin pretty slow, not a whole lotta action but I think that's wot the second half is for, the storylines seem to be a lot better and alot more action goin on.

[jazz!]

I don't like the Ori, the storylines are slow, there's a pointless episode, and form some reason the humor seems way different from before.

The humor was driven directly by RDA...( others are now taking on this job tho)

and the reason storylines may appear slow is only beacause new faces, races, friends and enemies have had to be introduced..........

...it is understandable the way you guys feel tho..

[ellenrose]

Any show that has Ben Browder and Claudia Black on every week is my kind of show. I will be watching for sure. I guess you all know now that I am one of the many Farscape fans crossing over or continuing to watch Stargate SG1 because of the new cast.

I do find it odd that there are so many complaints about the show in general by those who seem to watch it regularly. I think those who complain a lot should be glad that TPTB don't take the complaints too seriously. Do you want your show to be cancelled?

[esoap524]

Any show that has Ben Browder and Claudia Black on every week is my kind of show. I will be watching for sure. I guess you all know now that I am one of the many Farscape fans crossing over or continuing to watch Stargate SG1 because of the new cast.

I do find it odd that there are so many complaints about the show in general by those who seem to watch it regularly. I think those who complain a lot should be glad that TPTB don't take the complaints too seriously. Do you want your show to be cancelled?

LOL--I'm in the same boat as you are, ellenrose, a crossover fan watching for the first time because of B/C. Without their presence, I know I wouldn't be giving the show a look. I tried it back in season 6 when it was paired with Farscape and didn't care for it much. I thought it was way too talky and slow moving.

I think a lot of the folks complaining see a change in the show they knew and loved. I can't address the quality because I didn't watch the show early on so I have no basis for comparison but, certainly, people have the right to voice their concerns and opinions. Maybe it's the way The Xfiles went after Mulder left. It really wasn't a bad show, it was just a much different show; some of what made it one of my favorites, such as the Scully character, had changed and I didn't like the changes. I did watch all the way to the end, though, not so much hoping it would get better, but hoping for a payoff that never really came.

As far as cancellation is concerned, I've heard that only about 1% of a show's viewership actually makes itself known on the 'net. If this is a random sampling of people, it seems like there are still more people watching than not watching.