Hate-watching
Hate-watching is the activity of watching a television show (or a film[1][2][3]) while simultaneously hating its content or subject.[4][5][6]
History
The New Yorker described the short-lived Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as a show people loved to hate-watch, as "it was bad in a truly spectacular way—you could learn something from it, about self-righteous TV speechifying and failed satire and the dangers of letting a brilliant showrunner like [Aaron] Sorkin run loose to settle all his grudges in fictional form".[7]
Entertainment Weekly and other publications noted the difference between hate-watching and watching as a guilty pleasure.[8] "You wouldn't tune in every week to hate-watch a really "bad" reality show — that’s a guilty pleasure. Generally speaking, hate-watching requires a TV series with high ambitions and features a certain amount of aesthetic perfection".[9]
In a Los Angeles Times article describing the complexity of effects of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's appearance on Saturday Night Live as host, writer Mary McNamara references the hate-watching phenomenon as a reason that ratings alone are not an indication of support.[10]
On a February 2020 article, Spanish television reviewer Borja Terán described the concept of hate-watching as "audience enjoying watching shows to be able to criticize them", citing it as part of the reason behind the success of Telecinco and its reality show-based lineup (specifically mentioning Supervivientes, the nineteenth season of which had premiered the night prior to the post): "the viewer feels superior to the guinea pigs taking part in the televised competition. They feel better with themselves and evade from personal problems by spending energy torpedoing a mere entertainment they follow through a screen."[11]
Shows listed as "hate-watching"
- Smash[12][13]
- The Newsroom[14][15][16]
- Girls[17]
- Say Yes to the Dress[18]
- Vinyl[18]
- Keeping Up with the Kardashians[18]
- Pretty Little Liars[18]
- Eggheads
- House Hunters[19]
- True Blood[20]
- Supervivientes[11]
- Singapore Social[21]
- Love Island[22]
See also
- Anti-fan
- List of television shows considered the worst
- Quality television
- Binge watching
- Golden Age of Television (2000s-present)-where the term originated
References
- In praise of the hate-watch - Little White Lies
- 'Midnight in Paris' and the Art of Hate Watching|Film School Rejects
- The Return of "The Oscar," an Unseeable, Unwatchable Flop|The New Yorker
- BBC - Culture - The joy of hate-watching
- 'Hate Watching' Is Mostly Just Being Embarrassed by Your Own Tastes|Jezebel
- Hate-watching, explained - Vox
- Nussbaum, Emily. "Hate-Watching "Smash"". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
- Are You Hurting Your Brain By "Hate-Watching" Bad Television? - GIZMODO
- Franich, Darren (August 16, 2012). "The Rise of Hate-Watching: Which TV shows do you love to despise?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- McNamara, Mary (November 27, 2015). "Why huge 'SNL' ratings won't help Donald Trump become president". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- Terán, Borja (21 February 2020). "'Hate-watching', el odio que ayuda a perpetuar éxitos televisivos". lainformacion.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Goodman, Tim (February 5, 2013). "Tim Goodman on TV's Newest Trend: 'Hate Watching'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- Nussbaum, Emily (April 27, 2012). "Hate-Watching "Smash"". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- What does hate-watching mean? - Chicago Tribune
- Spangler, Todd (June 29, 2016). "Data Science Proves We Love to Hate-Watch TV". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- Haglund, David (December 28, 2012). "Why the Word of the Year Is Hate-Watching". Slate Magazine. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- Borrelli, Christopher (February 24, 2013). "What does hate-watching mean?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- 10 TV Shows You Love To Hate Watch, If You're Anything Like Us|HuffPost
- HGTV House Hunters Hate-Watching Studies|Apartment Therapy
- How to Hate Watch True Blood - Hate Watching True Blood|Esquire
- ‘Soooo trashy,’ say the many hate-watching Netflix’s ‘Singapore Social’|Coconuts Singapore
- Love Island: Why it's time to stop hate-watching the ITV2 show|The Independent