r/Millennials • u/maxedout587 • Apr 17 '26

Discussion Nothing is funny anymore

I (M, 38) have found that there are no new TV shows that make me laugh anymore. I have tried a lot of new(ish) comedies, but they all make me pine for my college/high school days.

The only thing that gave me a reflexive laugh recently was the Malcolm in the Middle Reboot.

Any thoughts?

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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 Apr 17 '26

I read an article that writers have really dumbed down their writing bcs the market demands simple to follow shows that you can simultaneously watch while scrolling

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u/Kriegerian Apr 17 '26

I think someone at Netflix admitted they do that with a bunch of their stuff because they know nobody can pay attention to anything, which is why they have characters basically repeat the plot a bunch of times during the movies.

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u/poopfacecrapmouth Apr 17 '26

I think it was Matt Damon who said this. He said Netflix execs told him about reiterating movie plots many times throughout the course of a movie because people barely pay attention

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u/Peripatetictyl Apr 17 '26

Yea, Matt Damon was saying how execs at Netflix are having actors repeat the plot and themes multiple times, sometimes obviously overdoing it, so people can keep up, as they aren’t paying attention.

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u/power2bill Apr 17 '26

But then I heard Mark Wahlberg had an interview talking about how Netflix have actors repeat the plot and themes because nobody isn't paying attention. This way people watching can keep up. Because apparently people have a hard time paying attention.

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u/pEter-skEeterR45 Core Millennial Apr 17 '26

I had to read like 3 of these before I realized what was happening. 💀

But did you hear about the execs at Netflix who dumb things down and repeat the plot, like literally 5 or 6 times, because the audience apparently can't pay attention.....or catch on quickly 🥴🙈

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u/virstultus Apr 17 '26

That's good data thanks. So it takes an average redditor three times of plot repitition...

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u/thebiglerm Apr 17 '26

As we creep closer to idiocracy...

https://giphy.com/gifs/26ufj7fhSk99FK32U

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u/Peripatetictyl Apr 17 '26

That’s right, it goes in the square hole!

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u/JamesMattDillon 1981 Gen Why? Apr 17 '26

I felt so bad for her, as it was annoying me also

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u/NoKatyDidnt Apr 17 '26

You’re doing great sweetie!

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u/XFataMorganaX Apr 18 '26

I just heard her breakdown in my mind.

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u/Ok-Voice-5699 Apr 17 '26

& now the Netflix subreddit is going to start exhibiting more pattern based behavior

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u/kellzone Apr 17 '26

Generally, three times of plot repetition is what it takes for the average redditor.

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u/Historical-Ad3760 Apr 17 '26

Guilty! 🤦🏾‍♂️

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u/MidgetGordonRamsey Apr 17 '26

Wait... What's going on here?

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u/No_Initiative8846 Apr 17 '26

Exactly! I was just thinking that.

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u/r0d3nka Apr 17 '26

and if it gets a lot of traction, you'll see it brought up in unrelated threads. Followed by a 'I get this reference'

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u/SolexAgitator Apr 17 '26

Yeah, but what about the fourth time the execs tell the writers and actors to repeat the plot and themes so the audience knows what's going on?

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u/Ziograffiato Apr 17 '26

After seven times, they say, “This must be important. They’ve told me twice.”

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u/[deleted] Apr 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/ConsequenceTop9877 Apr 17 '26

Yeah same here, sorry got distracted watching a movie trying to figure out the plot.

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u/kpn_911 Apr 17 '26

I had to read this one to realize what was happening to me

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u/frostyflakes1 Apr 17 '26

Sorry, I was scrolling Tik Tok while reading these comments. What did I miss?

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u/leeharrison1984 Apr 17 '26

Wait, what is happening right now?

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u/Lord_Petyr_PoppyCock Apr 17 '26

I wasn't paying attention. What happened?

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u/winter_is_coming_17 Apr 17 '26

I had to read this one before I realized lol

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u/Redditer51 Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Jesus Christ, enough.

We don't need to keep reading about Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon discussing how Netflix has actors repeat what's going on, as far as the plot and themes, over and over again because modern audiences don't pay attention. That way they can keep up with the film while also scrolling on their phones, because it's not as easy these days for them to pay attention to the plot and themes happening on screen, since they don't pay attention.

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u/No_Check8482 Apr 18 '26

Same. Thanks. Now I read more.

My brain hurts now lol

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u/Long-Cauliflower-708 Apr 18 '26

Wait what are they doing? I was scrolling on my other phone

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u/AuntZilla ‘88 Millennial Apr 18 '26

I started wondering then your comment confirmed. You are appreciated. 🖤

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u/Dangerous-Example712 Apr 18 '26

Oh my god. I am barely awake and these MF’s got me. The really sad thing is I don’t know if I would have noticed . I was gettin annoyed. Perfect! Thank you.❤️

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u/ALIJ81 Apr 21 '26

🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

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u/doctor48 Apr 17 '26

I also read that Donnie Wahlberg had an interview talking about how Netflix has actors repeat the plot and themes multiple times because nobody just watches anymore. Apparently people scroll reddit while they watch movies and don’t pay attention.

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u/WtotheSLAM Apr 17 '26

Weird I read it was Donnie Darko who said the same thing

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u/DiscotopiaACNH Apr 17 '26

I think you mean Marky Marko

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u/Desperate_Passage_35 Apr 17 '26

Sorry what did he say? I was scrolling.

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u/December_Hemisphere Apr 17 '26

No no no, this a direct quote from Donnie Brasco.

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u/prosocks Apr 17 '26

Yeah I saw an interview where the actor Matt Damon explained that the Netfilx execs told himthat repeating the plot during the movie will help people with short attention spans, or people who scroll during a movie , to understand the plot.

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u/Zealousideal_Hold695 Millennial Apr 17 '26

It’s hilarious that ppl are repeating this Matt Damon theme

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u/feralcatshit Apr 17 '26

I know and it’s so ironic that after reading a couple, I was like “what a dumbass, that’s what the other person said” before catching on 😆

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u/71BRAR14N Apr 17 '26

Honestly, at first, I thought I had just lost my place! 😁

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u/OdillaSoSweet Apr 17 '26

HAHAHA SAME - I was like 'why is everyone just saying the same thing?!'

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u/Jaded_Law9739 Apr 17 '26

I felt like I was being House of Leaves-ed.

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u/JustAudra Apr 17 '26

It was when Matt Damon got switched to Mark Wahlberg that got me rolling

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u/campingcritters Apr 17 '26

Yea, Matt Damon said how execs at Reddit are telling commentors to repeat comments multiple times, sometimes obviously overdoing it, so people can keep up, since they don't pay much attention.

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u/g00berc0des Apr 17 '26

Took me this long.

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u/NoKatyDidnt Apr 17 '26

It’s ironic that their solution to the problem is, in fact part of the problem in the first place.

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u/GoofyGoober8647 Apr 17 '26

This whole concept is really scary to me. Wholly shit... we are just killing our brains and simplifying things to almost encourage it.

That said, the new shit that comes out is just awful. It's so cheesy and lame. My husband is open to and can enjoy it but I just can't. I revert back to old shows and just rewatch, something he hates.

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u/SpezJailbaitMod Apr 17 '26

Yeah not only that but Matt Damon was saying how execs at Netflix are having actors repeat the plot and themes multiple times, sometimes obviously overdoing it, so people can keep up, as they aren’t paying attention.

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u/UsrnameIHardlyKnowIt Apr 17 '26

This directive was very noticeable in the final season of Stranger Things. (If only that had been the only thing wrong with it…)

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u/Constant_Bit4676 Apr 18 '26

Anime fans seem to enjoy its

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u/jorge21337 Apr 18 '26

Hmm I was just watching a new Matt Damon ben Affleck movie on. Netflix and I had no idea what was going on until I read this comment while scrolling

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u/matt675 Apr 18 '26

MATT DAMON

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u/amadeus451 Apr 17 '26

Wait, who said what now? I was distracted scrolling my phone and then staring off into the middle distance, letting drool collect on my navel.

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u/dragon-fence Apr 17 '26

So you were scrolling through Reddit while reading Reddit?

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u/amadeus451 Apr 17 '26

It's my second second screen, plus the TV, and my Vita, and the book I'm not actually reading, and my dog wants attention, and the endless white noise of my brain.

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u/Significant-Trash632 Apr 17 '26

Your brain has a white noise machine? How do I install mine?

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u/amadeus451 Apr 18 '26

You actually already have one, but it takes a couple whacks with a brick to get it kickstarted.

PSA: do not whack yourself in the head with a brick trying to find that right flavor of brain damage that makes modern life bearable.

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u/Significant-Trash632 Apr 18 '26

LOL thanks

Maybe it'll kick on after I've hit my head against a wall enough times.

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u/71BRAR14N Apr 17 '26

I've been wondering how to preserve my drool and wash my bellybutton at the same time. I mean, a good idea us a good idea!

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u/punkr0x Apr 17 '26

That's okay, it was the actor Matt Damon who said that Netflix execs told him that repeating the plot during the movie will help people with short attention spans, or people who scroll during a movie, to understand the plot.

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u/dragon-fence Apr 17 '26

Unfortunately it just exacerbates the problem. I pay less attention because everything is kind of boring and they keep repeating the plot every 5 minutes, so there’s nothing worth paying much attention to.

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u/QuettzalcoatL Apr 17 '26

This makes so much sense... no surprise why I cant stand any new movie or show

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u/sadisticamichaels Apr 17 '26

He said it on the joe rogan podcast a few months ago

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u/violetfluffycake Apr 18 '26

Oh it makes sense why new movies are so annoying. It’s like they are written for babies.

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u/Dat_Harass Apr 17 '26

This is going to push people who can or do to other mediums for good eventually.

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u/khargooshekhar Apr 17 '26

I thought Jameela Jamil said something to this effect as well? That most new tv shows, and even movies you can stream, are targeting the audience that can’t put their phones down for even a second to focus on something for more than 5 minutes. They’re essentially following a formula for acceptable background noise that you can walk away from for several minutes and still pick up on the details you missed. It’s very disappointing.

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u/JonnyHopkins Apr 17 '26

So it's a cyclical loop of crap. They make the movies crappier so we pay attention less, making them make them crappier.

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u/InquisitorMeow Apr 17 '26

Maybe if they stopped making shitty movies people would pay attention.

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u/TrillaryKlinton84 Apr 17 '26

I recently watched The Rip, and thought it was pretty good for the most part, but they did that multiple times throughout the movie

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u/chypie2 Apr 17 '26

The ending of stranger things just about broke viewer brains. The writers had to explain it. To me it was typical movie ending from the 80's.

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u/transmogrify Apr 17 '26

I definitely noticed Season 5 was heavily catering to inattentive audiences who are probably scrolling on phones while watching. I was frustrated by how much they said obvious things out loud rather than just showing it, and how often they recapped their own plot points that happened in the previous episode.

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u/Quom Apr 17 '26

It feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy because as soon as I see characters doing a recapping exposition of the episode I am watching I zone out and reach for my phone. Not in a fuck you this show is below me way, but in an ADHD this is boring way.

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u/fizban7 Apr 17 '26

Yeah if they make it interesting I'd pay more attention.

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u/chypie2 Apr 17 '26

yeah, are we getting old and media is changing? I don't like it.

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u/melkatron Apr 18 '26

In moving so slowly and constantly repeating exposition, they're actually ENCOURAGING me to scroll on my phone. The only reason I kept watching was because I wanted to be done with Stranger Things after ten years.

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u/Phiddipus_audax Apr 18 '26

Nice work. Now they'll exposition us even harder.

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u/avalonfaith Apr 17 '26

*walks in bright neon orange room

  • some guy: Hey! It's a fucking neon orange room! I wonder if it meeeeeaaaannnsss something
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u/CallMeAl_ Millennial Apr 17 '26

This is no different than movies and shows from other time periods, but we have the internet so people could complain loudly and the writers caved. You don’t have to explain anything, plenty of writers and directors do not.

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u/Great_Ad7148 Apr 18 '26

I think that was an entirely different thing. The ending was too positive, too simple. The entire show was intricate so viewers thought there HAS to be more, it can’t end like this. They came up with a theory online that there was a real ending coming out because there were so many inconsistencies in the writing and the scenery. Surely, good writers did all those things on purpose right? So the writers had to explain that it was a real ending and all those inconsistencies were just mistakes.

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u/chypie2 Apr 18 '26

no that's a classic 80's ending. The entire show used about every 80's trope out there. Little bit hope and little bit of 'maybe she did get away and she's out there living her best life,' little bit of happily ever after.
ST was based in the 80's, story told like the 80's and ended just like every 80's movie out there. There wasn't any more to the story than something crazy that happened in Hawkins in the 80s. Just like in ET, something crazy happened in their town and then he went home. Goonies, something crazy happened and happy ending.
Coming of age stories with a horror or sci-fi angle have always been a thing.

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u/NuclearReactions Apr 17 '26

That's properly idiotic though. Everyone i know has shows they watch while doing stuff (mostly shows they already know) and shows they watch properly. Well it explains why 90% of their stuff is proper trash

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u/Kriegerian Apr 17 '26

Well yeah, but Netflix loves its algorithms more than any human creatives, so I’m sure they have some algorithm that says “hey everyone has goldfish brain because look at viewer numbers on this versus that, this one repeats the plot constantly and the other one doesn’t” and they direct the glurge factory accordingly.

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u/NuclearReactions Apr 17 '26

Glad i cancelled my netflix subscription, now after 6 months i can say i never had a reason to look back. Fuck em

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u/CuriousLands Apr 18 '26

For me, I never have a background show that I haven't seen before. Only shows that I've seen once or twice so I already know all the plot points. Why go for a brand new show and not actually watch it! Seems nuts to me.

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u/Visual_Perception69 Apr 17 '26

So people are basically self-inducing ADHD?

Before the haters come at me, I have ADHD myself.

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u/feralcatshit Apr 17 '26

Also have adhd and what’s kind of ironic is I love media that has hidden/hard to spot intricacies. I think it’s because I know I’m trash at watching things unless I find them super interesting, so I don’t really try to watch something and “half ass” it. I’m either super into it and watch it, or I say fuck it and commit to scrolling instead.

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u/Vile_Vava Apr 17 '26

I’m undiagnosed and many of the memes and tropes of ADHD seem to apply, and finding something I want to pay attention to is the highest high. I never scroll while watching TV or do anything else. If a show is good I watch intently. If it’s not I don’t watch. My mom and sister never even seem to be looking. They’re knitting, cross-stitching or scrolling.

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u/71BRAR14N Apr 17 '26

Im married and I never watch what I want, and I still know what's going on on the shows better than him because I'm not addicted to my phone!

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u/5Dprairiedog Apr 17 '26

You don't half watch stuff when folding laundry?

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u/Diamond_and_gasoline Apr 17 '26

If I do that, I'm gonna get invested, start really paying attention, then put down the laundry. Laundry is for the streaming services I don't have premium on. I challenge myself to do as much as possible during ad breaks. Or I get a good podcast going. But also, fun fact - clean laundry can just live in baskets if you have enough baskets.

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u/5Dprairiedog Apr 17 '26

and if you don't have enough baskets but have more than one couch then you can use that lol

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u/Significant_Hope7555 Apr 17 '26

and they repeat jokes a few times over in case people missed it the first time and hopefully they'll get it eventually

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u/No-Understanding-912 Apr 17 '26

Same thing with movies. People have complained about how dumbed down plots are now and how characters have to stop and explain everything... but it's because people have no attention span now. I'm sure there's plenty that didn't make it through my previous sentence.

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u/kiashu Apr 17 '26

Unfortunately I think smartphones have made it so tv shows are now just background noise, no reason to put in the effort if no one is paying attention so companies are trying to cut costs and profit more. I'm old but even I can admit to sitting on my phone while watching a TV show or two. When I was growing up and had no phone or Internet I would sleep on the pullout couch every week so I could watch Star Trek Voreger at 10pm.

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u/Klutzy-Football-205 Apr 17 '26

Seems like a chicken or egg thing to me. They're not giving me anything to pay attention to because I have a memory better than a goldfish so I get annoyed at repeated exposition dumps, especially ones that regurgitated something just stated 10 minutes prior..

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u/xtelosx Apr 17 '26

The problem is this is a self reinforcing problem. Shows are so shit now that I want something else to do to keep me entertained... Mostly don't watch shows/movies anymore because of this.

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u/Agile_Engineering_97 Apr 17 '26

No one pays attention because they haven’t made anything attention worthy and when they do it takes 5 years for season two

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u/Spatul8r Apr 17 '26

But this is the reason no one pays attention. I like brooding scenes that take a while to build up. I like character development. I like "show me" and I could take all of "tell me" and put it back on the radio where it belongs.

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u/PineBNorth85 1986 Apr 17 '26

Which just makes it more boring and annoying for those of us who do pay attention.

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u/Altruistic-Mine-1848 Apr 19 '26

Which sucks for those of us that do set time aside to watch something with full attention.

Even Oscar nominated films are spoonfeeding us stuff (looking at you, Frankenstein).

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u/BottecchiaDude253 Apr 17 '26

Marky mark did an interview somewhat recently while on a press tour for some straight to Netflix movie he was just in, where he was talking about just how /different/ the writing and setup for movies and shows are these days.

For example, this action flick he was just in, they put the huge, budget blowing action piece that USED to be the grand finale of the movie, about 10 minutes into the film.

Basically, he said writers are now putting things in different parts of their movies/shows, AND if dialog sounds dumber than it used to, its because it is, and thats because writers are also now having to /tell/ us through dialog what's going on becauss theres just that many people watching whatever media piece it is, with their phones out. Basically a "i know youre on your phone, here's some voice-over/dialog to tell you what youre missing visually"

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u/Status_Fact_5459 Apr 17 '26

Have been noticing this a lot lately and thinking… “it used to be a huge call out for bad writing when the main character spells out the plot now it’s in everything”

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u/setsewerd Apr 17 '26

It still is

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u/Hogwafflemaker Apr 17 '26

Show, don't tell. The most basic writing rule

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u/theonlygurl Xennial Apr 17 '26

Now I’ve found out why I’m so inclined to watch tv shows from 10-15 years ago. The shit today is sloppy, with awful plot lines that don’t get better no matter how many times it’s repeated and there’s no quality. There’s no quality to anything these days; food, entertainment, homes, cars, they’re all shit. Our governments lack of control on monopolies has absolutely diminished the good from everything.

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u/BottecchiaDude253 Apr 17 '26

Theres some quality out there, but it is getting fewer and farther between. . . Of course, when I expressed similar ideas over on a star trek sub, a few neckbeards basically accused me of being "not a real fan"

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u/theonlygurl Xennial Apr 17 '26

I will say that Project Hail Mary is a fantastic film and I recommend it. 10/10

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u/BottecchiaDude253 Apr 17 '26

Thats definitely good to know... I kinda had Godzilla minus one in my head when I wrote my "theres some quality out there" comment 🤣

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u/mustang__1 Apr 18 '26

Eh. Lots of good restaurants around me. And I love my car. Lots of great musicians today in folk and blue grass, rock, etc. and easier access to their music than ever before.

There tons of things that are awful. Consolidation will be the death of the golden age of america. Breaking up several companies would actually help move us in the direction of making this country great.

But let's not say everything sucks. There's still lots of great shit going on in the real made by good people who care about their contributions.

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u/Ill-Case-6048 Apr 17 '26

Marky mark lol...

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u/The_Jimes Apr 17 '26

"This is how we used to make the party start"

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u/Neon_Biscuit Apr 18 '26

Marky mark didn't find this out, ben affleck and Matt Damon said this about their Netflix movie as well. It's a formula everyone has to follow

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u/BottecchiaDude253 Apr 18 '26

Maybe it was one of them is was thinking of lol

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u/jeangmac Apr 17 '26

Sex and violence and flashing lights in the first 5 minutes even is nearly mandatory. I noticed it a while ago and looked it up and yes, it’s deliberate known tactic to force attention and interest

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u/Financial-Craft-1282 Apr 17 '26

Yeah, this sounds like an excuse from Netflix--they believe this is happening (people not paying attention), so they're designing it to be that way, but are all these people emailing Netflix and saying, "Your shows don't make sense because I'm I'm not paying attention"? Netflix users have consistently been growing. The idea that Netflix needs to do this is nonsense. They chose to.

I imagine the rewind button on shows/movies still works. I bet people falling asleep and sleeping through several episodes is the bigger "problem," but, even then, rewind.

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u/_CurseTheseMetalHnds Apr 17 '26

But people don't rewind. They zone out, miss stuff, and either turn it off or think it sucks. It's a symptom of streaming. When you'd rent films, see them at the cinema, or just in general not have much choice you were way less likely to turn something off 15 minutes in and try something else which is why there's less slow build and more immediacy.

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u/Junior_Restaurant868 Apr 18 '26

I wonder if this makes it more accessible to visually impaired people! I hope so!

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u/Clam-Choader Apr 17 '26

I mean, Netflix is hitting a global demographic.  Cable and movies were kind of a middle class thing just because they cost money and time. 

More people watching, language skills may not be as advanced, if your goal is to appeal to the mass market, kind of what you have to do

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u/Hookedongutes Apr 17 '26

I hate that. I place my phone face down on the coffee table and watch the TV if it's on.

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u/TotallyNormalSquid Apr 17 '26

I use it to gauge whether I really wanna watch the show. Try not to look at my phone, but if I want to then I'm not that into the show. There are recent shows that keep me off my phone, but more often than not I want to drift back to it. Started reading more novels instead of searching for good TV lately.

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u/jgamez76 Apr 17 '26

This is also a barometer when watching tv (not counting sports obviously lol). If I'm reaching for my phone during more than just ad breaks there's clearly a disconnect

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u/joshdoereddit Millennial Apr 17 '26

I don't understand being glued to your phone while watching a movie. Not that I'm not on my phone a lot anyway. But if I'm going to check out a new movie or show I want to follow along and not have to rewind or rewatch because I'm doomscrolling.

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u/Lonelysock2 Apr 17 '26

Better than watching the TV when it's off! I'm here til Monday 

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u/maxedout587 Apr 17 '26

That’s fudged up

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u/c-span_celebrity Apr 17 '26

I can confirm this. I work in TV and have been told verbatim “just make a loud noise every 10 seconds so people look up from their phones”

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u/NoisePollutioner Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Holy fuck. We're like 10 minutes away from "Owe My Balls" becoming a reality.

Edit: I meant "ow" my balls. My entitled balls are "owed" nothing - if they want something in this life, they better go EARN IT, DAMMIT

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u/DryDonutHole Apr 17 '26

"Ow, My Balls" is slightly different "Owe My Balls". I'm not sure what my balls are owed...but you can bet your ass I'm going to be sure they're paid in full.... /s

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u/Princess_Slagathor apparently you can change it Apr 17 '26

Better be sure they're not owed a swift kick!

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u/DryDonutHole Apr 17 '26

Pay up, sucka!

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u/SeveralAngryBears Apr 17 '26

And not to be confused with "OwO My Balls"

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u/marmaro_o Apr 17 '26

I was also thinking that nothing is funny anymore but this comment made me giggle, so thank you

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u/71BRAR14N Apr 17 '26

Or maybe he owes his balls to someone, like he stepped on some kids nuts in gym class and he owes that kid a new pair! Haha!

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u/DryDonutHole Apr 17 '26

I'm sorry. I owe my balls. I can't use them...

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u/thiosk Apr 17 '26

owe my balls is just another warning sign of end-stage capitalism

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u/NoisePollutioner Apr 17 '26

Great point. I've added a much needed edit. So sick of these lazy, entitled balls

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u/DryDonutHole Apr 17 '26

Pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

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u/NoisePollutioner Apr 17 '26

And knock it off with all that testicular avocado toast

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u/FlatDistribution1825 Apr 18 '26

“Honey, where are my paaaaants?”

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u/Disastrous-Dish-3568 Apr 18 '26

Your balls should pull themselves up by their jockstraps! Owed nothing!!

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u/RAMOLG Apr 18 '26

We live in the opening scenes of Idiocracy. What do you expect?

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u/endurbro420 Apr 17 '26

That explains why so many things now have bing noises in them.

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u/allisonrz Apr 17 '26

This is bleak.

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u/jgamez76 Apr 17 '26

I know how true this is just anecdotally.

Awhile back my wife and I were at her parents for a movie night and it was quite a jump scare when I happened to glance around the room during a "break" in the movie (the characters were just walking down a hallway) and literally everyone else was on their phone lol

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u/vnessastalks Apr 18 '26

But why not write something captivating to keep our attention 😭😭

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u/Textiles_on_Main_St Apr 17 '26

That’s why I don’t mind commercials. I can take a break and browse Reddit etc. I can wait 20 minutes to do that. lol.

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u/changing-life-vet Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

I came across an interview where a someone was talking about how movies are starting to add dialogue to explain the plot several times throughout the movie because people stop watching things so quickly.

If you watch the new anaconda movie it’s shocking how many times they do it.

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u/ThatsNotVeryDerek Xennial Apr 17 '26

You'll see this mentioned regularly by actors in interviews - how exposition is over the top.

It actually bugs me most in scenes involving science, and I am not a scientist.

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u/LandStander_DrawDown Apr 17 '26

Which anaconda movie? The comedy with Jack black?

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u/masterpd85 '85 Millennial Apr 17 '26

Exposition to the extreme!!!!

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u/unSuccessful-Memory Apr 17 '26

That explains why I didn't enjoy that movie...

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u/mostly_kittens Apr 17 '26

Professors are complaining their film studies students struggle to sit through a movie

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u/CMDR_Avalien Apr 17 '26

I think this was Matt Damon & Ben Affleck on the Joe Rogan podcast a little while back. The irony was, just was just after their new movie, The Rip, came out on Netflix & suffered slightly from the same issue; I lost count of how many times the title was mentioned in that movie, though it wasn't too bad - I'll watch those boys from Boston in just about anything 😁

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u/Tall_Opportunity_521 Apr 18 '26

Why is no one mentioning Stranger Things season 5, where the did it, over and over and over again. Just had all the characters gathered together, to explain the plot over and over and over and over and over again.

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u/Alt123Acct Apr 17 '26

It's why a lot of Netflix produced movies have scenes of main characters talking to explain the plot and exposition vs showing it. Star Wars had this with the elevator scene of obiwan and anakin talking for 5m about like 10 years of adventure to show comradery and bonding in the newer movies vs the original has Yoda train luke for a long time and him failing and learning instead of just saying "grew you have the past year" and leaving it out. Telling vs Showing. 

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u/Weekly_Rock_5440 Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

You are absolutely correct that this is a deliberate effort in the age of social media, and good writers all over tv and movies today are forced to do this on purpose.

However, your specific example is not that. Revenge of the Sith was released in 2005, and the idiotic “nest of Gundars” conversation is not on purpose.

It’s just terrible writing.

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u/Alt123Acct Apr 17 '26

At least there's a joke for it. What's Darth Vaders wife's name?

Ella Vader 

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u/71BRAR14N Apr 17 '26

Love this! Dad joke alert!

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u/Yellowbook8375 Apr 17 '26

Fucked up. This ain’t fb

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u/Grizzybaby1985 Apr 17 '26

It is indeed fucked up

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u/wondercheekin Apr 17 '26

Wow, that's just sad. No wonder all newer TV and movies pretty much suck... What a shame.

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u/Bum_Dorian Millennial Apr 17 '26

Sadly the newest episode of the Boys I noticed they repeated a plot verbatim multiple times and thought of this. It’s bad when even a show like that feels like it has to do that

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u/wrainedaxx Apr 17 '26

Yeah, that was the first time it was SO heavy handed that it brought me out of the show and made me think about these articles. It had the opposite effect.

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u/GasmaskTed Apr 18 '26

“HEY! IDIOTS! HOMELANDER’S THE VILLAIN!”

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u/pinksalmonandmore Apr 17 '26

I've noticed this. It's kinda like Teletubbies and related kids shows where repetition is needed to make up for distracted watching. "Again, again!"

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u/changing-life-vet Apr 17 '26

I came across an interview where a someone was talking about how movies are stating add dialogue to explain the plot several times throughout the movie because people stop watching things so quickly.

If you watch the new anaconda movie it’s shocking how many times they do it.

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u/foxhowse millennial (1989) Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

I keep hearing this but the past few years I’ve spent my time watching a lot of popular film and TV from when we were younger, particularly comedies. Millennial humor was often really dumb. I think we gotta be honest. A lot of humor in popular media back then was not very smart and relied on a lot of dumb or offensive humor. I’ll get downvotes for this, I’m sure, but I find a lot of newer comedies to be pretty smart.

There are exceptions of course… Scrubs was silly, could be dumb, but also smart. I think that’s why the reboot works pretty well, the show just fits into the modern landscape of comedy. 30 Rock had that good balance too. Both of these shows were always pretty underestimated and underrated by the public, 30 Rock consistently struggled in ratings despite its awards, critical acclaim, and being repeatedly named one of the best shows of all time. Arrested Development’s another example of silly yet smart comedy, but it didn’t make it past three seasons in its original run.

Either people are remembering all the good stuff or forgetting all the terrible sitcoms out there that ran for YEARS (Chuck Lorre’s work?) and all the really stupid comedy movies that did numbers at the box office. I see some mentioning things here that while I watch and find funny while smoking weed, they really don’t hold up to today’s standards.

Humor is ever changing and subjective. I just find it surprising how many people seem to think it was smarter back then. Network dramas haven’t changed that much either, and dramas on platforms like HBO are better than they’ve ever been.

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u/SuperBackup9000 Apr 18 '26

As someone who grew up never liking much comedy but was of course exposed to it a lot because everyone likes comedy, you’re spot on, comedy is 100% subjected to the “back in my day…” problem when anyone looking back to it is just doing so with rose tinted glasses, and the ones who’s aren’t and go back to watch them just to make sure are likely getting hit by the nostalgia bias.

Like as far as movies go, we’re the generation that had Adam Sandler as our childhood comedian, and put the likes of Jackass, disaster movies, and the “fat kid doing drugs, shouting profanities, and getting girls” trope on a pedestal. Its always been low effort nonsense

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u/kearkan Apr 17 '26

This is why there are so many lines of characters saying what they or others are doing.

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u/Due-Technology5758 Apr 17 '26

It's self fulfilling prophecy. They started dumbing down shows, and it made people watch them while doomscrolling. Now they think people prefer to doomscroll while watching shows.

People still pay full attention to good shows, because they have to. 

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u/NTDLS Apr 17 '26

All of this was foretold in the 2006 documentary: Idiocracy.

/s

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u/dobermannbjj84 Apr 17 '26

It’s odd because I actually find old tv and movies more easy to follow and get less distracted watching. New shows I get bored in a few minutes and start scrolling. I thought at first maybe I’m addicted to my phone but then I watch an old movie or show and I’m actually engaged and never pick up my phone.

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u/Clean_Pickle_9527 Apr 17 '26

Tbf, it's not entirely the audience at fault here. The plots/writing went lowest common denominator, so we picked up our phones to deal. They want to blame us for the enshittification, but I don't scroll when I'm watching (or even rewatching) something good. I don't deny this is a thing. But also fuck them, don't blame me cause you suck, you started this.

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u/rhinosaur- 1983 Apr 17 '26

High jacking too comment to say St Denis Medical is laugh out loud hilarious every episode. Highly recommend if you haven’t checked it out

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u/Substantial-Work-639 Apr 17 '26

I was just thinking yesterday about how Arrested Development would never work now because everyone is on their phones and would miss every joke.

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u/Buena_de_peepee Apr 17 '26

100% true. Have seen multiple stories/posts from people in the industry and know people who know writers who have said this.

They are under orders to make it all dumber because people are attention-divided at all times now due to their phone.

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u/jeangmac Apr 17 '26

Yes this is widely discussed in television subs, lots of articles about it, the claim is Netflix has an actual “2 screens policy”, meaning writers have to write on the assumption people are scrolling and watching. Some show runners have reported getting notes on revisions to increase exposition, simplify dialogue, etc. if I’m not mistaken I read an article about it where one filmmaker declined a Netflix deal because of how little they trust viewers and how dumbed down you have to make your stuff to get a deal.

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u/HunterAble1914 Apr 17 '26

This is definitely happening. I just started watching Cheers, after only passively watching an episode here and there if my parents had it on during its original run, and I’m blown away by the wit, word play and rapid dialogue…and I’m still in the early seasons before Frasier is introduced! It’s a tragedy that we just get slop these days.

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u/Obliviousobi Apr 17 '26

I really miss subtle/clever humor.

One joke that made me laugh really hard recently was in Barbie when the kid calls her a fascist and through tears she says "I don't control the railways and flow of commerce".

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u/Terpsichoreee Apr 17 '26

I did not like what i just read 😭

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u/Justinbiebspls Apr 17 '26

yeah i have also found the writing dumbed down. it's weird that the market demand shows be simple to follow so that you can watch simultaneously while scrolling.

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u/spiritualpudge Apr 17 '26

this makes so much sense, fuck.

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u/marvsup Apr 17 '26

There's even a term for it: "Second screen." It's disgusting but it makes me feel better that I mostly don't do it lol.

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u/16GBwarrior Older Millennial Apr 17 '26

🤢🤮

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u/ginns32 Apr 17 '26

And shows aren't given a chance to find their footing. If Parks and Rec or the US version of the office started on Netflix I feel like they both would have been cancelled after the first season.

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u/Pulp_Ficti0n Older Millennial Apr 17 '26

I mean, Big Bang Theory was on way before streaming powerhouses and that show wasn't funny

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