TV programmes giving everything away at the start

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

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I'm so sick of this format that every factual TV show (documentary, gardening, science, money, cars, etc), uses as standard.

"We'll be showing you how to do this..., then we'll fly to [insert country] to see.. and later we'll be going behind the scenes to.. and then we'll speak to the people who.. and we'll be giving you our top tips on how to make a..."

During this overly long preview/trailer at the start of any given documentary, they of course also show various scenes from the documentary, be it an argument, someone getting fired, someone winning money, just whatever it is that effectively takes away any element of surprise or excitement right from the start before they actually start the programme properly.

I know there's trailers for movies, but you don't have to watch them. But you can't get away from them on these TV shows. Why can't they just start a documentary without all the spoilers. Do they think people will turn off if they don't know virtually all the content beforehand?

Anyone agree?
 
Any streamed/downloaded videos I've taken to clicking to around 1 minute 20 or so before starting to watch for quite a lot of stuff :S
 
Try watching Battlestar Galactica. I understand a show doing the whole "next time on..." thing, but BSG did it in the intro, before the episode. Great, I'm sitting down to watch this episode and now you're showing me flashes of all the important action parts, and now I know who falls out with who, whether big stuff goes down in this episode... Ruins it all! I just ended up closing my eyes for it.
 
Dexter did that as well. had to dive to hit spacebar as soon as the credits hit as "the next week" bit ruined the whole suspense of the episode you've just watched!
 
Zefan said:
Try watching Battlestar Galactica. I understand a show doing the whole "next time on..." thing, but BSG did it in the intro, before the episode. Great, I'm sitting down to watch this episode and now you're showing me flashes of all the important action parts, and now I know who falls out with who, whether big stuff goes down in this episode... Ruins it all! I just ended up closing my eyes for it.
Click to expand...

Nailed it. That's exactly what I mean. We don't want to know any of those things beforetime. Allow us to see what happens as it unfolds, don't just spill the beans!
 
Too many shows take on this format:

On this episode of [insert name here]: things happen [1m 30s]
Stuff [2m]
Here's what's coming up next [1m]
Ad break [4m]
Here's what's happened so far [1m]
Stuff [4m]
Here's what's coming up next [1m]
Ad break [4m]
Here's what's happened so far [1m 30s]
Stuff [3m 30s]
Next episode of [insert name here]: these things will happen [1m]
Adverts [4m]


And that's it, a "half hour" show... with only about 10 minutes of actual footage.
 
Zefan said:
Try watching Battlestar Galactica. I understand a show doing the whole "next time on..." thing, but BSG did it in the intro, before the episode. Great, I'm sitting down to watch this episode and now you're showing me flashes of all the important action parts, and now I know who falls out with who, whether big stuff goes down in this episode... Ruins it all! I just ended up closing my eyes for it.
Click to expand...

I never understood this at all. I think I remember reading that the creators fully intended for it to be that way (i.e. it wasn't the TV network pressuring them or anything), but it still seems baffling. Fortunately I was watching on Blu-ray so I'd just skip the first chapter of each episode which would usually take you to immediately after the intro.
 
Regarding Op yeah drives me nuts seems to be happening with nearly every program I forcefully record stuff now just so I can skip intro spoilers and of course adverts ,no idea who or what thought this was a great format for programs but id wish they would just stop it!!! (could think of harsher words but not worth getting banned for lol)
 
I always closed my eyes during the "what happens tonight in far too much detail" start of each Battlestar Galactica episode.

I assume it was in far too much detail as, previously stated, I never watched those bits.
 
Confused said:
Too many shows take on this format:

On this episode of [insert name here]: things happen [1m 30s]
Stuff [2m]
Here's what's coming up next [1m]
Ad break [4m]
Here's what's happened so far [1m]
Stuff [4m]
Here's what's coming up next [1m]
Ad break [4m]
Here's what's happened so far [1m 30s]
Stuff [3m 30s]
Next episode of [insert name here]: these things will happen [1m]
Adverts [4m]


And that's it, a "half hour" show... with only about 10 minutes of actual footage.
Click to expand...

You forgot the 5 mins at the start of "previously on this show" :p
 
Rroff said:
Any streamed/downloaded videos I've taken to clicking to around 1 minute 20 or so before starting to watch for quite a lot of stuff :S
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I watch all programs via PVR, without exception. That way I can fast-forward to the end of the credits, and not put up with the précis at the beginning. This can up to five minutes of a one hour documentary.
 
Walking dead does this. At the end of each show it has a massive 'neeeeeext weeeek on the waaaalkimg deeeeeaaad' then goes on to ruin the next episode. I honestly don't understand why idiots in the tv industry have started to do this to such a stupid extreme level. I have to make sure I've got the remote in hand ready to pause or fast forward through it. :(
 
one of the reasons i hardly ever watch tv
personaly i blame the stupid american networks
perhaps the reason they do it is for channel surfers so they can see the best bits of the show in 5 min and move on to the next channel
 
Heh.

You guys might have grown more used to it, if you'd grown up on 70's 80's shows.

Kinda hard to think of anything I didn't watch that didn't do it. All those favourites, buck rogers, battlestar, the ateam, knight rider, airwolf, ect ect....

Never used to bother me back then... spose in this day and age it's a little dated.
 
This is another American import. It is due to how their TV networks operate and is far far worse out there. An entire "hour" long episode of a documentary in the states has approx 15-20mins new footage in with each episode. Before AND after each advert break (of which there are many) there is a "coming up!" and "previously on!".

It is all down to the constant chase of ratings, they need to be able to hook in higher audience numbers and sustain them in order to continue driving ad revenue. So it isn't about making good TV it is about just getting people to watch it by any means.
 
It is really annoying and we turn off as a show ends. The recap at the beginning and during shows is just as bad. I guess many of the people watching must have Alzheimer's or are practically brain dead.
 
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