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Why Don't We Care About The Rotten Tomatoes Scores Of TV Shows? (digg.com)
Why do we never utter sentences like "'Cobra Kai' has been certified 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes?" or "'Stranger Things'" was rated 8.9 out of 10 on IMDb"? It's not because the reviews of TV shows aren't aggregated by these websites -- they are. Contrary to what you might think of IMDb, given that its name is Internet Movie Database, TV shows also occupy an essential, if relatively smaller, place than movies there. And the same thing goes for Rotten Tomatoes. An exploration: So if the lack of availability of TV rating sites isn't the issue, why is it that we hardly use critical or audience scores as a way to measure the quality of a TV show to our peers? Here are a few of my theories:
There Are Too Many Good Shows Out There
It's an odd dilemma to have, but it's true that when it comes to TV shows, there are so many high-quality programs for us to consume. People have been talking about Peak TV for a few years now, and a quick scroll through Rotten Tomatoes' website would seem to confirm that we've been offered an embarrassment of riches. [...]
The Price Of Admission Is Higher For Movies
Another reason why viewers might care less about a TV show's critical scores than a film's might be the high price of moviegoing. Tickets in metropolitan areas in the US can be extremely expensive, costing up to $25.49 if you're going for an IMAX screening in New York City unless you're subscribed to a service like Moviepass or AMC's new subscription program.
Networks And Platforms Market Emmys More Than Critical Scores Compared to critical scores on review websites, networks and platforms seem to place more stock on the Emmys when it comes to the marketing of TV shows. Despite the fact that the Emmy, arguably the best TV award, might not offer shows as big of a ratings boost as it did decades ago, the awards still play a crucial part in helping create social buzz around television shows, especially for shows with smaller audiences.
There Are Too Many Good Shows Out There
It's an odd dilemma to have, but it's true that when it comes to TV shows, there are so many high-quality programs for us to consume. People have been talking about Peak TV for a few years now, and a quick scroll through Rotten Tomatoes' website would seem to confirm that we've been offered an embarrassment of riches. [...]
The Price Of Admission Is Higher For Movies
Another reason why viewers might care less about a TV show's critical scores than a film's might be the high price of moviegoing. Tickets in metropolitan areas in the US can be extremely expensive, costing up to $25.49 if you're going for an IMAX screening in New York City unless you're subscribed to a service like Moviepass or AMC's new subscription program.
Networks And Platforms Market Emmys More Than Critical Scores Compared to critical scores on review websites, networks and platforms seem to place more stock on the Emmys when it comes to the marketing of TV shows. Despite the fact that the Emmy, arguably the best TV award, might not offer shows as big of a ratings boost as it did decades ago, the awards still play a crucial part in helping create social buzz around television shows, especially for shows with smaller audiences.
This is true on Metacritic at least: check out critic reviews for any given weekly-broadcast TV show, and invariably you'll find that the review covers the first 1 or 2 episodes. In other words, they're judging the entire show based on just seeing one or two episodes. If it's a serial, that means not all of the main characters have likely been introduced, the premise hasn't even been fully revealed, and the story arc is just starting to develop and who knows where it's going or if it'll ever pay off.
Notice that the second season of a TV show will usually have a far higher critical review score than the first, simply because those reviewing the second season are actually reviewing the entirety of the first. If you want more accurate reviews of these shows (particularly the first season), wait until the season is done and then read user reviews.
The reason it is done this way is obvious: new stuff gets reader attention, since it's being currently heavily marketed; the reviewer doesn't have access to later episodes; people want to know if something is any good before they start watching it; and lack of reruns of weeks-old-episodes means you have to jump on board within a week or so of the show first airing.
Of course, with the Netflix-style releasing of a whole season at once, this upends the above, and makes critical reviews more useful.
Personally I rely on word of mouth, then research something I hear about. Read a variety of reviews -- for the worst drek imaginable, someone somewhere will say it's a masterpiece, just as surely as someone will say something is drek even if it's my favorite.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
Most online ratings a skewed because only people with strong reactions to products/movies will bother to go online and post.
No sig today...