Tone is super important to me in a show. I didn’t needn’t to be Ted Lasso cherry but mean spiritedness is something I hate watching. It’s not entertaining to me. No VEEP for me. The Chair had a mean spirited vibe that I abhor. Nor do I want to is watch people who seem fundamentally miserable in circumstances that don’t require it. I mean it’s one thing for people to convey unhappiness when something truly terrible has happened. It’s another when it’s just they are unhappy in their marriage. Can not stand to watch the latter which I consider wallowing in misery.
I too disliked Bill. But, they played it both ways because Ji-Yoon is the center of the story, and I liked her, but even though they had her lecture him about his toxic privilege, they also made it clear she liked him, was considering a relationship with him. So which is it–annoying clueless colleague, or potential partner?
But I did like Ji-Yoon, and found her interestingly complex. I liked Joan but I also think they cartooned her sometimes. The students were ridiculous.
I do feel like it was written by committee, and not much interested in any kind of internal consistency.
I may be talking myself out of it!
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I’m still watching but I just look at The Chair as a rom-com-dra. As long as I don’t hold it too high in expectations it’s fine to watch and enjou
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Spoiler possibly: While Bill is largely pitiful, he does show some redeeming qualities in how he interacts with Ju-Ju, IMO. I liked that he started moving in the direction of owning his flaws and correcting a few of them like through the letter he writes for his grad assistant. It’s like he hit bottom and decided to crawl out of the hole instead of staying there. If they do another season, I will be interested to see if he shows more growth. There certainly is plenty of room for growth!
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I am almost the complete opposite. I love stories that focus on the human condition rather than big, external events. While I can’t say I "like’ unhappy characters, IMO they do make for some good watching (e.g., Tony Soprano, Saul Goodman, Aunt Lydia…).
It’s not about the “ human condition “ vs “ big external events”. Ted Lasso is about “ the human condition
…very much so. It’s characters are sometimes unhappy. But the overall tone is optimistic about the human condition and the characters don’t tend to wallow. And it’s the opposite of mean spirited. That’s the difference to me than a show like The Chair. It seems to think the worst of people as it’s world view. No thanks. Not Interested in watching that.
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I agree. I watched a few episodes of Mad Men, but I just hated all the characters and didn’t want to spend time with them. I did like Killing Eve which is pretty on the edge as far as likable characters go. It’s the one reason, why I may try The Chair, because Sandra Oh is pretty wonderful.
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Agree. I was not a fan of Mad Men, and quit after a couple of episodes. But I did like The Chair overall. Sandra Oh and Holland Taylor are fabulous. And really, it’s only 6 episodes. 
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I liked the first season or so of Mad Men because I thought the advertising stuff was so interesting. But as that stuff receded I lost interest.
I’m glad other people admit to not liking Mad Men. But I admit I only watched a few episodes when it first came out. It just depressed me so much, and back then I had so little free time, that I didn’t want to spend it being depressed.
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Ok, if we are going to slam Mad Men, I’ll have to leave this thread…. 
(I just recently finished and loved loved loved the series - I was reading everything I could get my hands on about it from when it wrapped up years ago)
IF you watch Mad Men you have to give it more than a couple/few episodes. You also have to make peace that the stereotypes of how women were treated, minorities, etc. - well, they were largely true - but that is part of the story over the course of the series.
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I’d say you’re in the majority with this one. It’s the reality (that once was) that I don’t like. I know it was like that. I don’t need to see it every week. It’s the same with post apoplectic stuff like The Walking Dead. A two hour movie is ok. I can watch and move on. But watching it every week is too depressing for me. I also don’t ever watch videos of bad news items. Reading the headline is enough. I don’t need to see it.
But the rest of the world seems to love it so you’re in great company!
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I had no issue with that - it’s part of the storytelling. I tried it, I didn’t like it. I moved on. I gave it more than a few episodes, but I could not see investing in 92.
There are other series that people have raved about (including on this thread) that I just could not get into. I’m just one of those people that once I get past the first few episodes, I will stick with it until the end of the run with very few exceptions (e.g. Grey’s, although @MYOS1634 convinced me to pick it back up, and I did like last season).
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That’s fair!
I have talked to many who watched like 2 or 3 episodes of MM and said they were too annoyed by how women were betrayed - I get that but sadly it was often true.
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I loved the first couple of seasons of MM, then lost interest. But the first season was ah-mazing. I thought the title was meant to be ironic because the show was way more about women and women’s issues than the men. I thought it was very feminist. The men were portrayed as unidimensional, deeply flawed and selfish, but the women had really interesting undercurrents. The show was set in a time and work culture that catered to men, but the setting weirdly served as a vehicle to tell women’s stories. Joan, Peggy and Betty are archetypes on the surface, the kind of characters that historically exist only in service to men’s narratives. But the script is flipped. The male archetypes help tell the women’s stories.
The farther the show got from that premise, the less interesting I found it.
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I was very late to Mad Men, and started watching right when it was about to be the last season (broadcast). I binged watched the first few seasons on Netflix, and then watched the last season as a marathon and the last show when it was aired. I really liked the first few seasons but lost interest when Draper started dating the much younger woman (I didn’t like her at all).
But I loved the ending.
I loved Mad Men! I guess miserable characters really don’t bother me at all 
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I think that is a great take on Mad Men. Like others here have said, I loved the series but had to slog through a couple of the middle season. For one thing, it’s beautifully filmed! I enjoyed the production design as much as the story - similar to Queens Gambit - I love a design-forward show!
Also, my rule of thumb for trying a new show is watching 3 episodes in one sitting if possible (obviously easier for half-hour shows). It’s like reading the first 50 pages of a book - if it doesn’t take after that, I let it go.
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A rule of thumb that I once read was to read 50 pages of a book… but at older ages less since you know what ya like and have less time left to do more reading. Age 60 / read 40 pages to decide, Age 70 / 30 pages, 80 / 20.
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The title of the show Mad Men is in reference to the ad men of Madison Avenue, thus Mad Men.
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