Less Than the Best

In my recent post about great but cancelled one-season TV shows, Snarky Smurf asked me of Freaks and Geeks if it got better later on in the season.

It's funny, because just the day before, in a conversation at work, one person had sampled her first episode of a particular television show, and was expressing quiet interest, though not unbridled enthusiasm. In response, someone else piped in quick with, "well, you watched those episodes? Yeah, those weren't really very good."

And it suddenly occured to me that you hear this sort of thing with recommendations all the time. And not just with television, either.

"Of, you read that Stephen King book? You should have read this other book. That one really does kind of suck."

"You went to see that movie? Geez, that actor is so much better in this other movie."

And sure, it's possible that any given example could be true. Writers with long careers inevitably have some great books and some terrible ones. Many TV series go through dry spells, or take a while to find their feet. Many brilliant actors have sucked out loud in certain parts.

But it kind of seems to me that to hear this sort of excuse as often as I know I do, it has to be just that... an excuse. Sometimes, sadly, people just don't see the same things in a creative work that you do.

Oh, and to Snarky -- I think those first few Freaks and Geeks episodes are as representative of the show as any others.