Why Are Depressing Shows So Popular?

[Starbird]

Seriously. Just for example...(longrunning shows that I've been watching recently, not necessarily new)

Breaking Bad: A good show with a great concept but wow...that had to be the biggest bummer of a series ever. Nothing good happens to anyone. Just an endless pit of bad people doing bad things and good people becoming bad people. Ugh.

Game Of Thrones: Not a bad show (highly overrated in my book) but it just seems to push the 'how much squicky stuff can we get on screen' button. Sometimes this show feels like something between torture porn, actual porn and a need to watch something happier.

Oz: Great acting, cool stories but another show in which nothing good ever happens to anyone.

Am I crazy in being really really bummed out by all of the above?

 

[smithy_2045]

I've only seen Game of Thrones, but I find it entertaining because there are no good guys. Everyone is a different shade of arsehole, so no one is off limits to be killed. One of my major problems with most stories is that you know the "good guy" is going to survive until the end, so there's no suspense. The fact that Game of Thrones can tip that on its head from the first episode, and then develop those arsehole characters to still be interesting rather than a dull stereotype really appeals to me. They probably could cut some pointless nudity out, but generally I don't feel as though I'm watching something that isn't integral to the story either in terms of the plot or character development.

 

[Mezahmay]

I wouldn't say you're crazy. My guess would be your preference in television entertainment does not include shows that have a darker, more dramatic tone. You seem to be okay with the acting and the writing.

Spoiler: I feel The Dude put it best:

If I actually had the time and a way to watch Breaking Bad, I'd probably dig myself so deeply into that I couldn't see sunlight. I enjoy the chemistry bits when they come up since I actually understand it for the most part, I really like Bryan Cranston as an actor, and I enjoy the cynical, depressing view of their world. Couldn't tell you why exactly. Could be because it aligns better with my personal outlook on life than an optimist perspective does.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, people confuse making something "dark and edgy" with making it good. Not to say that something can't be dark and edgy and also good, but most people do for very crude darkness and edginess.

Possibly it's people jumping away from one cliche straight into another.

Cap: for whom does the bell toll?

Um, ok.

 

[Saetha]

A lot of people seem to think that being dark and depressing is "realer" or "more mature" than any other type of fiction they could make. While I am one to appreciate some moral ambiguity myself, when it gets to the point where everyone's an asshole and you don't see a way of making anything better, that's where I start to tune out and get bored. For that reason, I tend to enjoy fiction that A) Has more drama than comedic, light-hearted moments, but is never entirely without humor, and B) Shows that there's at least some hope for improvement, even if the hero isn't necessarily a "hero," strictly speaking.

Ironically, though, as I understand it, places outside of America tend to have even darker stories than what would be considered grim by our standards. I've heard it derisively said that "Americans always want a happy ending." Apparently they aren't as popular outside of the US.

 

[seris]

im surprised you didnt list the walking dead in your list of depressing dark shows. My biggest bet is that people love watching them for their dark and edgey atmosphere, as well as the drama that surrounds the shows stories. One of the main reasons i keep watching the walking dead is because of how dramatic the story gets at times, the zombies are not the main part of the show, the characters are

 

[TheRiddler]

Just to be clear, these are the most popular shows from 2013-14.

1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 23.1 million

2. NCIS (CBS) 22.4 million

3. Sunday Night Football (NBC) 21.7 million

4. The Walking Dead (AMC) 18.3 million

5. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) 17.9 million

6. The Blacklist (NBC) 16.9 million

7. Person of Interest (CBS) 16.2 million

8. Dancing With the Stars (ABC) 15.5 million

9. Blue Bloods (CBS) 15.2 million

10. The Voice (Monday) (NBC) 14.7 million

Source: TV Guide

It's fair to say that they're by no means exclusively grim/dark.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Just to be clear, these are the most popular shows from 2013-14.

1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 23.1 million

2. NCIS (CBS) 22.4 million

3. Sunday Night Football (NBC) 21.7 million

4. The Walking Dead (AMC) 18.3 million

5. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) 17.9 million

6. The Blacklist (NBC) 16.9 million

7. Person of Interest (CBS) 16.2 million

8. Dancing With the Stars (ABC) 15.5 million

9. Blue Bloods (CBS) 15.2 million

10. The Voice (Monday) (NBC) 14.7 million

Source: TV Guide

It's fair to say that they're by no means exclusively grim/dark.

Nonsense. Is there a grimmer show on television today than Big Bang Theory? Just five minutes of it is enough to provoke incoherent rage.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Because hard times allow you to build interesting characters over an arc rather well. Breaking Bad and Walking Dead are perfect examples.

 

[Fox12]

I've only seen Game of Thrones, but I find it entertaining because there are no good guys. Everyone is a different shade of arsehole, so no one is off limits to be killed. One of my major problems with most stories is that you know the "good guy" is going to survive until the end, so there's no suspense. The fact that Game of Thrones can tip that on its head from the first episode, and then develop those arsehole characters to still be interesting rather than a dull stereotype really appeals to me. They probably could cut some pointless nudity out, but generally I don't feel as though I'm watching something that isn't integral to the story either in terms of the plot or character development.

You know, I'm glad you brought this up, because it highlights something important.

The stories success doesn't hinge on it being dark. It hinges on it being well written. The lack of a "good guy" isn't really anything new. It's not that everyone is bad. It's that they're well rounded, as opposed to being Mary Sues or Complete Monsters. It's not a story about heroes vs villains. It's a story about people vs people.

But the darkness or lightness of a story has nothing to do with it's quality. Miyazaki and Martin are both great story tellers, and they both usurp the viewers expectations. The difference is that Miyazaki typically sets up negative archetypes, like witches, then undermines your expectations by revealing the character to be more gentle and open minded. Martin takes a symbol of goodness, like a night in shining armor, and undermines the viewers expectations by making them a cruel traitor. Are either of these views invalid? Is either artist necessarily better then the other? Their very different writers, so it's difficult to compare, but I would say no. The issue isn't light or dark. It's complexity of character. I would argue that most of the stories the OP listed had that, even if they had other flaws (I haven't seen oz).

When most peope say something is realistic, it's because it's complex. Not because it's dark. I think these things are sometimes confused. But it's possible to have a dark story that's far worse then a light hearted counter part, and it's possible to have a deconstruction that's poorly made and not realistic at all. Go watch school days (but don't, really). Dark stories can be just as unrealistic as light ones. The truth is that there have always been dark stories. But for every dark knight there are three guardians of the galaxies, so I think it's pretty even.

 

[Steve Waltz]

I don?t know about TV shows, but I know depressing video games give me a kind of high that hurts so much that it feels good. Which is why I keep going back to Telltale like an abused wife. And I?m not trying to make light of domestic violence with that, but I was shattered like a stain-glass mirror at the end of The Wolf Among Us Ep.1, and yet couldn?t wait for the next episode--expecting it to be just as brutal. After my favorite character?s death during the season 2 finale of The Walking Dead video game, my stomach twisted into a knot and I couldn?t get it out until well after an hour I finished the game. And when trying to go to sleep an hour later, that?s all I could think about.

Then I was just about ready to buy another new copy of Spec Ops: The Line, just so I could frame it. With Spec Ops, I?m trying to do the thing I do with the Phoenix Wright games by playing it once every 4 years or so after I?ve forgotten everything, but even 2 years later I still remember everything from Spec Ops clear as day. That game burned so deep into my memory that I think I?m scarred.

Both Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 2 also have a moment each which really hurt me and made me love them so much. In fact, I really disliked the anime drama theme of the second one and was never planning on touching it again. And then that one moment... I never thought I care, but that game somehow made me character about someone I really didn?t like by ANIME DRAMA-STYLE no less! Yea, I cried during both of those games, too.

And, of course, my first: Dreamfall. 14 years old. The ending of that game left me curled in a ball on my bedroom floor, crying, with snot dripping out of my nose while the credits rolled. I bought that game on a whim and ended up developing a taste for emotional torment.





I guess, overall, I just get a high from being emotionally hurt. Maybe that?s why these shows are so popular?

 

[RedDeadFred]

I dunno, I'd say Breaking Bad can be pretty upbeat. Yes, the ending is obviously going to be tragic, but there were a lot of light-hearted and funny moments along the way. Definitely not as grim as it could be.

As far as depressing shows being popular... Have you seen how successful TBBT is?

 

[RandV80]

With Game of Thrones you gotta keep a big picture view. Some people get upset because they got behind Ned and they 'bad guys' killed them, then they got behind Robb and the 'bad guys' killed them again, and they think it's all a shit show where the scumbags always win. But there are always 'good' characters left, and as we saw at the end of season 4 the bad guys lose too.

George R.R. Martin is actually very much a romantic, just one that infuses the cruelty of reality into his writing. As far as fiction goes I've never complained about his writing pace, last thing I'd want him to do is feel the pressure and rush it or contemplate his mortality and give up, but because of the slow speed I've picked up Brandon Sanderson as my new favourite author. For me he takes the Tolkien inspired cliche camp fantasy and the GRRM inspired dark & gritty fantasy and finds a happy medium somewhere in between.

Can't comment on breaking bad because I've never seen it. Not sure if it would really be for me, I know it's not quite the same but I've never been a fan of the 'mob' genre where the protagonists are engaging in deplorable & illegal activities.

 

[Vault101]

I thought you might have meant stuff like the walking dead or whatever

for the difference between BB and GOT is that these a self contained storys, the world of westeros might be brutish and dark but thats just the way it was in a pre-technological world, BB is a microcosm of the "real" world which is nice and terrible in every way imaginable

but post apocalyptic is a different kind of depressing, its depressing because its not just our characters who are in trouble but everywhere, they are the ones who are "better off" so to speak, no matter how bad BB or GOT gets I know that there is somone somewhere who isn't having a bad time, which makes it easier to digest

there's been a lot of speculation over the popularity of PA genre, from feeling smothered by a faceless bureaucratic society to being uncertain about the future

the fact that I am uncertain about the future is the reason PA hits too close

 

[geK0]

I think people are all just a little sadistic and teak pleasure in seeing fictional characters suffer. I mean, there was a certain wedding scene in a certain show (two wedding scenes actually) where my reaction was an excited "OOOOOOOHHHHHH SHIT SON!".

Then there's those scenes that just give you all the feels and you just want to see the characters pull through.

 

[DANEgerous]

On the not of Game of Thrones it feels like it (Just as Lord of the Rings)is an allegory to war, like literally a war that happened in real life. I do not know the life of George R. R. Martin but if you told me he was a war vet I would likely kind of just accept that he was as a lot of his work is kind of a more modern Tolkien (More so the books for both authors). The books are full of death and betrayal and depression because... that is war and that is what they portray. Still even if Martin never knew of combat he is simply a poet speaking of war or at least he feels like he is to me.