Does anyone miss lighter TV fare like ABC's "Once Upon A Time"?

[KnightInShiningArmorDis92]

I have just discovered "Once Upon A Time" on Disney+ and a few episodes in and I must say I am really enjoying it.

I say that as someone who enjoys "Darker and Grittier" TV like "Game of Thrones" and "The Expanse"..

Does anyone here miss TV like that?

Or does anyone prefer HBO level stuff nowadays?

I can't believe there was a time when OUAT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Once_Upon_a_Time_episodes

had many more viewers than GOT?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_of_Thrones_episodes

Should TV producers think of making lighter but quality TV again or should they keep following the trends set by GOT?

I wouldn't mind if they made something fun and whimsical like OUAT but set in a sci fi world.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds is the closet to this but unlike OUAT it is a planet of the week episodic format rather than the serialized storytelling of OUAT and GOT.

 

[OKW8297]

I am a huge OUAT fan and really miss it.

 

[jimmytammy]

I miss it as well

 

[nw6675]

It was good...until it wasn't. Won't spoil it, but like many shows it seemed to go downhill after a season or two. But, I still watched til the end

 

[princesscinderella]

It was good...until it wasn't. Won't spoil it, but like many shows it seemed to go downhill after a season or two. But, I still watched til the end

Totally agree it got to be too much, I stopped watching it. The first few seasons were great though.

 

[BrianL]

There is a place for the lighthearted, episodic network show. Everything treis to emulate streaming type shows now. Those are good too, but not everything needs to be that.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm not into the really bloody & violent stuff like GOT at all, so yes, I would definitely welcome lighter shows!

I enjoyed OUAT.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I miss OUAT (except for season 7). I pray if Disney ever does a reboot or sequel series that they will continue the stories of the characters years later (and maybe ignore season 7 like how the Dallas show did way back when).

 

[pinkxray]

Dh and I watched OUAT for the first 2 seasons back when it originally aired. Not sure why but we lost interest. Recently we have been watching it all over on Disney plus. We are on season 5 now and will just watch it through. I think back when it was on we were thinking it was a little repetitive since they were constantly getting cursed, but now it’s just like whatever just go with it. It is entertaining.

I miss having a show to watch with DH. It’s nice when we both like a show and look forward to watching an episode together. Not sure what to pick once we finish this. I feel like there is such a lack of good shows that hold my interest.

 

[Moliphino]

It was good...until it wasn't. Won't spoil it, but like many shows it seemed to go downhill after a season or two. But, I still watched til the end

I gave up on it somewhere around season 5, I think. The first season was great, then it went downhill pretty fast.

 

[CynBeth]

I am a huge OUAT fan and really miss it.

Me too.

 

[georgina]

Never watched OUAT so no, don't miss it at all. I do not watch violent shows like GOT. For lighter fare I watch PBS stuff. Midsomer Murders is a favorite, silly police drama

 

[brockash]

I have just discovered "Once Upon A Time" on Disney+ and a few episodes in and I must say I am really enjoying it.

I say that as someone who enjoys "Darker and Grittier" TV like "Game of Thrones" and "The Expanse"..

Does anyone here miss TV like that?

Or does anyone prefer HBO level stuff nowadays?

I can't believe there was a time when OUAT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Once_Upon_a_Time_episodes

had many more viewers than GOT?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_of_Thrones_episodes

Should TV producers think of making lighter but quality TV again or should they keep following the trends set by GOT?

I wouldn't mind if they made something fun and whimsical like OUAT but set in a sci fi world.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds is the closet to this but unlike OUAT it is a planet of the week episodic format rather than the serialized storytelling of OUAT and GOT.

I wish there were more sitcoms. That's really what I prefer, but there seem to be less and less each yr.

 

[slo]

Yes - I definitely miss, what is in my opinion, family friendly shows. I say, in my opinion, because there are many shows today that others are ok with their kids watching, or being in the same room with when they are watching. I’ve always been very particular with what my kids could watch when they were young - I called them “safe shows”.

My DH do enjoy both types of shows and watch them both equally - depends on our mood. Our favorite current family friendly show is Heartland on Netflix. We just started season 15 and I don’t know what we’ll do when it’s over - we’ve been taking our time watching it for about 4 years now. When we’re done with this season, we’ll definitely seek out another show similar to this one

 

[AaronB]

There are still lots of fun shows out there; with so many different TV and streaming services now everything can feel dilluted. Over the last several years some fun stuff I have enjoyed:
Ted Lasso
The Good Place
Abbott Elementary
The Office
Parks and Recreation
What We Do in the Shadows
Tacoma FD
Schmigadoon
Schitt's Creek
Letterkenny
Ghosts (both British and American versions are great)
Mythic Quest

Oddly, I never found Once Upon a Time all that uplifting. It was certainly not Game of Thrones level dark, but the writers always seemed to yank the rug pretty quickly when something positive would happen. They would prevail over a threat or villian and then in the same scene go "nevermind now this bad thing is happening". I mean couldn't they give at least a few minutes of calm to the heroes?

 

[starry_solo]

It was good...until it wasn't. Won't spoil it, but like many shows it seemed to go downhill after a season or two. But, I still watched til the end

Agreed! I didn't give up until the end, even though it went downhill after season 2 or 3.

 

[starry_solo]

Plus, it also got kind of dark too.
Obviously not as gory as GoT, lol

 

[NotUrsula]

I wish there were more sitcoms. That's really what I prefer, but there seem to be less and less each yr.

Abbot Elementary is probably the best one on broadcast TV. If you haven't discovered it, give it a try.

I also really liked Rutherford Falls (which was an original on Peacock, and sadly only lasted 2 seasons; it's available for streaming on several platforms.) RF revolves around 2 characters in a fictional small town in New England who have been friends since childhood; one is the wealthy white trust-fund baby descendant of the Pilgrim-era town founder, and the other is a Native American historian who runs a cultural center for her tribe. The 3rd key character is an ambitious Native American businessman who is determined to bring financial prosperity to the local reservation. Much of the plot revolves around issues of the importance of history and tradition, local economic development, and the difficulty of staying close with your childhood friends. RF was written by a Native American showrunner, and one of the things I really love about it was how it showed that arguments over cultural issues didn't have to devolve into hatred; these characters have lots of petty disagreements over who owns what, about past behaviors influencing the present, etc., but they handle it like grownups (well, after a minor hiccup or two, which is, of course, where the comedy comes from.)

 

[brockash]

Abbot Elementary is probably the best one on broadcast TV. If you haven't discovered it, give it a try.

I also really liked Rutherford Falls (which was an original on Peacock, and sadly only lasted 2 seasons; it's available for streaming on several platforms.) RF revolves around 2 characters in a fictional small town in New England who have been friends since childhood; one is the wealthy white trust-fund baby descendant of the Pilgrim-era town founder, and the other is a Native American historian who runs a cultural center for her tribe. The 3rd key character is an ambitious Native American businessman who is determined to bring financial prosperity to the local reservation. Much of the plot revolves around issues of the importance of history and tradition, local economic development, and the difficulty of staying close with your childhood friends. RF was written by a Native American showrunner, and one of the things I really love about it was how it showed that arguments over cultural issues didn't have to devolve into hatred; these characters have lots of petty disagreements over who owns what, about past behaviors influencing the present, etc., but they handle it like grownups (well, after a minor hiccup or two, which is, of course, where the comedy comes from.)

Thanks. I do like Abbot Elementary. I'll have to try the other...thx!

 

[greeneyedchick]

I miss those types of shows. My son and I enjoyed watching Smallville together. I recently watched Manifest. A little darker but still more lighthearted than HBO stuff. Lost is a classic too.