I see that a few threads up above, Arrowverse material has entered the conversation. And it's systemic of why I don't like a shared universe approach unless it actually feels like the same universe (Star Trek, Stargate, the "Whoinverse", etc., to use TV series that have done this effectively).
So, take the first two seasons of Arrow. I liked them, even if I liked season 1 more. I liked how down to earth they felt, I liked the protagonists, I liked the antagonists (actual understandable motives...how quaint). Sure, season 2 seemed to be going down a bit more of a 'comic booky' road as it introduced stuff like the mirakuru, but I was onboard. Even if stuff like the Suicide Squad and ARGUS have their roots in comics, it still felt like something that could exist in the real world.
So then you have The Flash, which is where things start going awry for me. Taking The Flash in isolation from anything else, I'd probably enjoy it. The characters are decent, the music is pretty good, action and effects are much better than what you'd get a decade or so ago, and if looked at in through the lens of 20th century pulp sci-fi, comic or otherwise, then yes, it's a fun romp. However, I have to wrap my head around the fact that this is in the same setting as Arrow which is completely different in every regard. To me, it diminishes Arrow because suddenly Starling City feels provincial. Suddenly Ollie's efforts feel meaningless (he's never had to deal with wormholes or time travellers), and he feels redundant in terms of ability as a result. Likewise, this bleeds over into The Flash for me, because keeping Arrow in mind, Barry suddenly feels overpowered, the villains feel less 'real' (with the exception of Wells/Thawne), and I can't shake the feeling that time travel just feels...wrong, for the overall setting (time travel by its nature opens a can of worms if introduced into a fictional universe). Arrow, by itself, was enjoyable to me. The Flash, by itself, is also enjoyable. Trying to wrap my head around them being in the same universe however, and to me, both suffer because of the tonal dissonance. And then apparently you have the confirmation that demons exist in the setting (Constantine), and time police of some kind exist (Legends of Tomorrow), and there's a multiverse with flying girls (Supergirl) and...yeah.
Or, if you want a Marvel example, it's part of the reason why I was invested in Spectacular Spider-Man, but not Ultimate Spider-Man. The former is focused on one character and introduces villains at a steady state. The latter throws an entire plenthora of villains and heroes into the mix in its very first episode, and I'm under the impression that I'm meant to know who they all are beforehand. The cringeworthy humour doesn't help either, but Ultimate feels systemic of the shared universe approach, while Spectacular feels more akin to traditional storytelling. Guess which one I find more effective.
So, take the first two seasons of Arrow. I liked them, even if I liked season 1 more. I liked how down to earth they felt, I liked the protagonists, I liked the antagonists (actual understandable motives...how quaint). Sure, season 2 seemed to be going down a bit more of a 'comic booky' road as it introduced stuff like the mirakuru, but I was onboard. Even if stuff like the Suicide Squad and ARGUS have their roots in comics, it still felt like something that could exist in the real world.
So then you have The Flash, which is where things start going awry for me. Taking The Flash in isolation from anything else, I'd probably enjoy it. The characters are decent, the music is pretty good, action and effects are much better than what you'd get a decade or so ago, and if looked at in through the lens of 20th century pulp sci-fi, comic or otherwise, then yes, it's a fun romp. However, I have to wrap my head around the fact that this is in the same setting as Arrow which is completely different in every regard. To me, it diminishes Arrow because suddenly Starling City feels provincial. Suddenly Ollie's efforts feel meaningless (he's never had to deal with wormholes or time travellers), and he feels redundant in terms of ability as a result. Likewise, this bleeds over into The Flash for me, because keeping Arrow in mind, Barry suddenly feels overpowered, the villains feel less 'real' (with the exception of Wells/Thawne), and I can't shake the feeling that time travel just feels...wrong, for the overall setting (time travel by its nature opens a can of worms if introduced into a fictional universe). Arrow, by itself, was enjoyable to me. The Flash, by itself, is also enjoyable. Trying to wrap my head around them being in the same universe however, and to me, both suffer because of the tonal dissonance. And then apparently you have the confirmation that demons exist in the setting (Constantine), and time police of some kind exist (Legends of Tomorrow), and there's a multiverse with flying girls (Supergirl) and...yeah.
Or, if you want a Marvel example, it's part of the reason why I was invested in Spectacular Spider-Man, but not Ultimate Spider-Man. The former is focused on one character and introduces villains at a steady state. The latter throws an entire plenthora of villains and heroes into the mix in its very first episode, and I'm under the impression that I'm meant to know who they all are beforehand. The cringeworthy humour doesn't help either, but Ultimate feels systemic of the shared universe approach, while Spectacular feels more akin to traditional storytelling. Guess which one I find more effective.