People are allowed to boycott TAR if they want. I boycotted a season myself once, and I’m an absurdly huge fan with a photographic memory of the series. Let the people show their support/lack of support
Lol-- I can't stop anyone from doing it, and my calling it out should be equally valid as someone saying they want to boycott the show. Is there a problem with me addressing potential consequence to peoples' actions or would we prefer to plug our ears and act surprised if it happens?
Frankly speaking, the 'reality stars'/'TikTok & YouTube stars'/'not enough older people' argument has been done to death on repeat for decades, and it's wild because no one ever has the same complaints about the deluge of sports stars who get cast (footballers, basketballers, NASCAR drivers, hockey players, etc.)-- even when they win. It almost comes across, every time, like an older audience is just frustrated with the way that people are these days. TAR has almost ALWAYS cast people they think will be good TV-- TAR6 had a cast that was half-models/actors; Rob and Amber appeared on two seasons; the Globetrotters appeared on three! Meanwhile, people on this very forum (and the subreddit) complained about the casts for TARAUS5 and 6, claiming that too many of them were uninteresting. It's like people think the past-reality winners aren't deserving; people still express backlash towards Will and James-- they still beat everyone else. Y u mad? A TV show didn't go your way?
What it comes down to is people set themselves for an expectation of the show that they want well before it even airs, they rile themselves up over things they can't possibly know, and come in with the predisposition that they're ready at a moment's notice to pull the plug on it. Like you said-- let people. I can't stop them. By egads I can say that I think it's a really awful way to watch TV, preparing yourself through mere speculation to be disappointed. I had to pull myself away from the TAR Facebook and the TAR subreddit because people couldn't stop moaning about these same things over and over; I've had the same sort of antagonism towards the Bitch and Moan thread here because RFF creates a space that facilitates people building each other up over their dislikes of the show before they even see the content.
And I get if people want something to be angry at, but that really does suck for the people who just want to enjoy it without all the arbitrary negativity. And it is arbitrary. People are threatening to boycott over casting that hasn't been finalized. That's like threatening to cancel your vacation next year because it might rain. And if people like me come into these threads and make the same decision to withdraw because it doesn't feel like an enjoyable place to be, then it's just going to continue to winnow down to people bemoaning stuff which, I have to assume, we really
do like. The space for positivity just won't exist for it. And that's a real shame.
Quite simply-- if people are boycotting the show, it will affect the ratings. If the ratings drop below a threshold they will cancel the show. No one will see reality stars on the show because there will be no show. So...net win?
CBS is going to cast what they think will be good TV, and from TARs past and their other reality shows, they have continued reason to believe they're doing the right thing. The overall health of the show is in their best interest.
I hate to say, but for a lot of hold-outs, maybe this just isn't the show you want to watch anymore. They are not going to go back to the way they were twenty-two years ago, and if you think they are, you are going to continue to be disappointed. Reverting back to the old style does not work for reality TV in this decade.
The entitlement is insane.
