The first half of the first season was so good. The second half was ok. Every subsequent season gave the impression that it was handed off to a different writer every week, and that those writers hated each other.

They changed the rules constantly, except when they just ignored the rules.

The main character collects new powers as the show goes on, but he never uses them. He just completely forgets that he has them. Kind of like the time he completely forgets he has a girlfriend and never mourns her, mentions her, or even acknowledges that he lost her somewhere in an alternate timeline or something.

That's not much better than the villain. The entire first season is about stopping him from doing a specific thing, because a time traveler has foreseen that it'll result in the world ending. Season two opens with him doing that thing, and everything is fine. He has at least three heel-face turns, which are immediately undone when the next writer is up to bat.

One good character undergoes a terrible transformation and murders a bunch of people, but the next season he's suddenly good and everyone forgot. Again.

Constant retcons. This character is actually that character's secret brother! This one lady who died was actually triplets! It adds nothing to the story and makes no sense, but there it is!

(I'm not joking either. Secret triplets.)

They did a reboot of the show a few years later and did the exact same thing.

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Yeah, this show had potential, some cool ideas, but just couldn't figure out what the fuck it was doing. No consistency or direction. I think a big part of what really sent it off the rails was the Writer's strike in 2007. But it was already seeing plot issues well before that.

Feels like there were a lot of shows in the mid 2000s that were sold to the public entirely on The Hook™, a clear target or mystery that got you watching it. "Save the cheerleader, save the world." "How I met your mother". "What the fuck is going on this island? Is this like Purgatory or something?" "Guy gets terminal cancer, and decides to cook meth to make money for his family before he dies". Some managed to pivot from that hook into a new hook or a compelling narrative. Some just kept moving the goal post or compounding the mystery. And some just got really boring or contrived after the initial stuggle resolved or the mysteries just never panned out to anything.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

They did a reboot of the show a few years later and did the exact same thing.

I don't think I've heard of this. wild googling

All I'm finding is an up and coming remake.

'Heroes' Reboot in Development From Creator Tim Kring - IMDb. A new “Heroes” reboot series is in development from creator Tim Kring, Variety has confirmed. The reboot, titled “Heroes: Eclipsed,” is set years after the events of the original superhero series, as new evolved humans are discovering their powers

[–] moakley@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

"Heroes Reborn"

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Heroes Reborn, 2015.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Cheers

[–] emrys21@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I remember season 1 having a lot of potential, then there was a writer's strike that impacted season 2. Must have been piece mealed together from non union writers, and it showed.

[–] Makeitstop@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

My understanding is that the creator wanted each season to follow a new set of characters, with season 2 being the previous generation that founded the organization that horn rimmed glasses guy worked for. But the network said no, and made him slap together a direct follow up. That was already an uphill battle before the writer's strike.

Kind of unrelated, but season 1 was also supposed to end with all the various characters converging in an epic battle avengers style, but they were over budget and the network weren't willing to give them more, so instead we got the poochy ending.

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[–] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 36 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Homer Simpson has forgotten he knows music at least 2 times.

Other than that, I’ve heard Lost is bad, very bad.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Wait, what? I know that Lost's ending was controversial, but this is the first time I've heard that it's not internally consistent. It's whacky, but it's SciFi. Do you know any examples of what isn't internally consistent?

[–] moakley@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

You're correct. There are things that don't connect, but there's not like a ton of internal contradictions.

[–] twinnie@feddit.uk 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I watched the whole show. I didn’t notice any glaring issues. It’s confusing but it’s supposed to be.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they actually manage to get off the island, back into the real world, only to have something "calling" them back and they need to go back?

If that was so and they were actually in an afterlife, was that real world not real or did they resurrect themselves for a while?

I've never rewatched it so I might be misremembering idk

[–] Poik@pawb.social 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The "official" answer I keep hearing is they're only actually dead in the last episode, which makes everything about it cheap and tacky, so I reject that.

But there's an alternate timeline shown where they never were on the island as well, iirc. And it's all just weird. You can't be internally inconsistent if there's never any established consistency.

I enjoyed it like watching a train wreck in slow motion and getting to discuss it with people as it developed. But it clearly didn't have enough of an impact on me to remember anything worth remembering except "Don't tell me what I can't do" and "You all everybody."

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

so I reject that.

I mean yeah, cause it's not consistent whatsoever, right?

That was my main issue with it iirc. That the major reveal at the end wasn't internally consistent with the 7 seasons we had had. Especially because at that point, it was quite a significant portion of my actually independent thinking (as in you're not a kid anymore just watching what's on but actually choosing and watching whatever you like) life, so like you say, it felt cheap and tacky.

I don't even remember those lines to be honest. I just remember the names of a few main characters like Locke and Sawyer, Jack and... the woman uhhh... I wanna say Kate? Spot on damn my memory isn't as bad as I thought.

You can't be internally inconsistent if there's never any established consistency.

No but like we were led to believers there would be some consistency, and we just don't know it yet. That was kinda the mystery that hooked people, no? Like pressing random numbers every now and then so... something doesn't happen? I don't even remember if that was ever properly explained.

It's so intriguing but then they just pull the mat out from under you by saying "lol it wasn't even a thing actually".

I guess Lost just suffered from getting founded after it should've been cut. Let's face it there's several shows that I would've rather have be finished than Lost. Although if they never finished lost, I might feel differently, as then I'd think there was still a possibility of them making dense somehow.

[–] Poik@pawb.social 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

"Don't tell me what I can't do" is Locke's catchline. "You All Everybody" is the song that Pippin (whatever his name is in Lost, I don't know) sings with his band. (Whose lyrical inspiration was from someone shouting word salad at the cast of Lost before shooting started and was ad libbed when Pippin was trying to get Jack to recognize him as the lead singer.)

Maybe I remember more than I thought.

Also. I think not pressing the numbers caused a (apparently reversible) meltdown that resulted in a huge magnetic field like the one that pulled down the plane. Or something like that.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

“You All Everybody” is the song that Pippin (whatever his name is in Lost, I don’t know) sings with his band

I had completely forgot that, but yeah, I did a bit of checking and while it's a very understandable mistake, you actually mean Merry, not Pippin. Pippin is played by Billy Boyd, who did not star in Lost, but Merry is played by Dominic Monaghan, who very much did, a character called "Charlie Pace". I sort of remembered a hobbit's face in there as soon as I read your comment, but yeah, wrong hobbit. :D

Also. I think not pressing the numbers caused a (apparently reversible) meltdown that resulted in a huge magnetic field like the one that pulled down the plane. Or something like that.

Pulled the plane down... to the netherworld? See, it's just not internally consistent, imo. Or was there like a gate to hell in a specific airspace if you flew through it you'd crash on the island or what the hell. It just doesn't really work. Also I think I remember that Locke line, or at least context. Wasn't he like paralysed before they crashed, or something, and he didn't like people telling him what he's capable of because of that or smth.

[–] Poik@pawb.social 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh right.

It's only the netherworld after they get back to the island or something. IDK and IDC honestly. I never liked the afterlife author theory.

And yeah.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

IDK and IDC honestly.

Same here, man. I'm just pointing out that the reason for my not caring or knowing is that I felt like it was not internally consistent. They promised shit and let us down.

Almost as disappointing as GOT s08.

[–] Poik@pawb.social 1 points 5 days ago

Never got into GoT but I getcha.

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[–] GiveOver@feddit.uk 11 points 1 week ago

In recent episodes, the middle aged adults are all millennials but the old folks all fought in WWII. There's apparently no in between.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Oh phuck, I wanted to say Lost, but I figured nobody would get it..

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 9 points 1 week ago

Homer should never have been written to have the ability to play an instrument. It doesn't fit with his character at all. Like, not at all at all.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Far from the worst but my funniest example comes from my favourite show. In the first season of Stargate SG-1, they introduced an alien weapon which would go on to become a staple of the series, the Zat Gun. One shot stuns, two shots kill, and three shots... Disintegrates?!

Yeah, it's so stupidly powerful that the writers pretty much immediately realized the mistake and the show kinda just conveniently forgets that was established in the first season, except for like three other times in the entire ten season run.

Even the first two shots became very nebulous over time.

Edited to add, the disintegration effect is even mocked in-world in a very meta way in later seasons.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

the disintegration effect is even mocked in-world in a very meta way in later seasons.

Their meta mocking themselves is where I learned the phrase "hang a lantern on it" exactly because the writers "hung a lantern" on how silly the zat was.

Also several of the actors talk about how they're clearly penises. Like the first time they got their hand on one they went:

Also also, like 24 hours or so ago confirmed that new Stargate is being developed.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I won't be giving Amazon a cent though.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Neither will I.

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They wanted a phaser but couldn't call it a vaporize setting.

But they didn't completely abandon it. Disintegration gets used a handful more times when they remember it and it helps them wave away plot holes. Like in the episode where they end up in the 60s they disintegrate a box. A box!

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Two boxes stacked against each other, in fact. Sitting in a truck.

The truck does not disintigrate.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Well, not quite. Iirc the disintegration effect came about last minute when the director decided he needed a way to remove the bodies, to explain why other jaffa wouldn't see them and get suspicious.

It's why in the Wormhole Xtreme episode, they mock that exact premise when ~~O'Neill~~ Marty suggests it.

Edited, corrected below!

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

he needed a way to remove the bodies, to explain why other jaffa wouldn't see them and get suspicious.

Wasn't it just about the practicality of having bodies laying around the set? That makes sense in-universe though, but at least in the mockumentary meta episode (200th?) they give that reason, to clear the extras to make room essentially.

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[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (4 children)

If I’m being honest with myself, Star Trek.

All of it.

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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Baywatch, especially when you take into account Baywatch: Nights where Hasslehoff works as a private eye and solves x-files.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Baywatch: Nights where Hasslehoff works as a private eye and solves x-files.

Really?

Oh shit, you're not kidding.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0111892/plotsummary/

Baywatch veteran Mitch Buchannon moonlights as a P.I. with his two friends Garner and Ryan. In season 2, Diamont replaces Garner, and Mitch's cases suddenly take a hard turn towards supernatural horror

[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 2 points 2 days ago

Very much in the so bad it's good category

[–] Seaguy05@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Ok but keep in mind I'm speaking to the televised order of release.

Firefly.

They released the series out of order so the very first episode already had you deep into the story without establishing anything or anyone. Once you streamed it or watched it on dvd it made more sense. Plus the choose not to air some episodes at all which also introduced plot points and by not airing those you ruin consistency.

And I'll add, the series is fantastic and serenity was a very nice bow to the short lived series. Highly recommend if you haven't seen it.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago

"They", here, is fox, and not the show's creators.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 9 points 1 week ago

I could say the same for Babylon 5. The original airing of the show was entirely out of order. One of the common things you'd notice is how every othet episode, the crew had different uniforms. They were only supposed to change uniforms once per season.

[–] hactar42@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

I won't say it's the worst, but King of the Hill had a habit of contracting itself. Especially when it came to Peggy's family.

[–] cheeseburger@piefed.ca 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Days of Our Lives

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

Lol my mom used to watched Days of Our Lives religiously. The funniest part to me was when people had kids. There was never much of a story in people raising babies, so they would age kids really rapidly. Like, someone had a baby. Next season the baby is 5 years old, next season they were 12, next season they'd be an older teen and then soon they'd be adults having kids of their own.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Supernatural eventually just made it a running gag that things changed when they felt like it.

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[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Transformers. Is "energon" a crystal, a liquid, or something more nebulous? Are Primus and Unicron one being? Did the Quintessons create the Transformers? Where do the Go-Bots fit in?

And don't get me started on the Allspark vs. Vector Sigma...

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[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Futurama freely makes shit up. They'll invent new math theorems to make a body-swap episode work, but if their cool new backstory for Bender contradicts canon, they do not give a dang.

It's not the worst plot hole, because it doesn't affect the extremely episodic show. They're just willfully apathetic toward consistency.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

"I'm 40% consistency!"

-Bender

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