TV, series, and more... let's discuss!

I think I’ve managed to lose my bearings again regarding what we’re actually supposed to be posting in the "Series" subreddit.

There’s this one thread about the series "black and white world," and honestly, at least half of the comments there are just people hunting down historical inaccuracies in how they portrayed the 1980s. Even the moderators are getting sucked into this deep dive into history, which makes the whole thing feel more like a history lecture than a discussion about a TV show.

But then you look at the thread for "viking," which—let’s face it—is way more historically focused than the dramedy vibe of "black and white world," and the moderator (lie) went ahead and nuked about ten posts where a buddy and I were trying to add some actual historical context to the conversation. And if that wasn't frustrating enough, she also wiped out posts that had nothing to do with history at all, like stuff about the main characters or the overall concept of the show.

So, I guess I’m wondering, will those posts be politely restored? Or is it going to be the case that those 150-ish posts over in "black and white world" get deleted too, simply because they’re deemed "off-topic" or "too much like a history lesson"?

I mean, what does "discussing a TV series" actually entail here?

Thanks in advance.

Rockefeller!

The situation unfolding in the CBS thread is unique, primarily because of the specific way the participants have approached this show. Beyond that, since this is an American production, everything is under a microscope. The sheer volume of posts generated here daily rivals everything else on this entire PDF combined; trying to compare the CBS discussion to the Minnesota Vikings thread is simply an impossible task.

Since you’re active in the CBS thread yourself, you know that almost every tiny detail gets dissected, scrutinized, and corrected. It isn't your standard style of debate, but as long as the conversation stays tethered to the show, it remains permitted.

It isn't problematic that you brought historical context into the mix; the issue is that you used the title "Minnesota Vikings" merely as a springboard to discuss Vikings and broader historical or political matters that have nothing to do with the actual series. If I recall correctly, someone on the first page responded to your first or second post, claiming you were overgeneralizing. That is precisely where the trouble lies and why those posts were removed—it became an overly broad discussion that failed to remain focused on the show as required.

You can't really "accuse" me of deleting comments regarding characters or concepts if your posts only touch upon them briefly before veering off course. If my memory serves, there were mentions of Ragnar’s blue eyes or how the actors look like fashion models, followed by a tangent about when we might see a version featuring Islamist characters or dark-skinned Arabic models instead. I’m sorry, but if you write two sentences about the series and then follow them with twenty sentences about Viking history or irrelevant theories about distant peoples, I have to either leave it alone and issue a warning or delete it and ask you to get back on track.

As far as I'm concerned, the deleted posts from the Vikings thread aren't coming back, unless the supermoderator or the admins decide otherwise.

The CBS thread is moderated on a daily basis. A lot of unnecessary filler gets wiped away, and out of those 150 comments you mentioned, any that the moderators deem irrelevant will be removed.

What actually constitutes a "discussion about a TV series"?

Analysis, impressions, opinions, etc., regarding what was shown in an episode, season, or the series as a whole. A discussion rooted in specific examples. In short.

We also have the Vikings thread over at Unseen US/UK (also on the television pdf). Out of 472 comments, not a single one has been deleted, and we are only halfway through Season 3.

There, I hope that clears things up for you. 😉

I have a complaint, but I don't want an answer because it’ll just piss me off 😬
That’s exactly what silentridge3 wrote above. Exactly.

The way they cut every single breath of air out of American TV and shows lately is ridiculous 🤷 Why can't you explain to those precious pioneers that the old era is dead, the baton isn't being passed anymore, and there's no point in acting like we're still honoring relics of the past? It’s useless—this constant slicing away of every bit of humor, every slight digression, every shadow of an off-topic thought!

Judolino, if I had known I’d be an accomplice to your ban, I wouldn't have typed a word 😢 And please, don't try to tell me a colleague was banned due to "accumulated" points. At the rate you hand them out, you collect them in the blink of an eye. Today, I get a message in my inbox saying I earned another 30 points (not for a DM) simply because—in my ignorance—I commented on a post that was flagged with a red card!!! (silentridge3, your 👍) make it unavowable then, you little devil! What is wrong with you people? Not to mention why that post was even flagged in the first place.

I hate having to bring up how many years I've been here, but I don't remember such a massacre of posts. This is how they decapitate people in Game of Thrones; so if this is a tribute to that show, fine, whatever 👏

To top it all off, today the MODERATOR tomi responds to my post with—and I am quoting from memory since the post was deleted and I wasn't busy taking screenshots like those diligent pioneers 🤣—something like, "It's so lovely that you shared that with us." Are you kidding me? That’s your moderator! 🤣 Okay, I get it; my post might have raised doubts that I totally misread Ray Donovan, but really? If anyone else—let alone a forum moderator—says, "It's so lovely that you shared that with us..."

This is the caliber of people dispensing justice here. Get it together.
And someone please take the chainsaw out of the hands of silentmaker51 before they get hurt.

Don't bother responding to me, please 🙂 You know there's no point in wasting time explaining how I'm wrong and you're right.
I know this post won't change a thing, but I just had to vent. You guys seem to enjoy venting anyway by mindlessly nuking posts.

Go ahead, let someone else lock the thread so we can all be happy and satisfied 🤣

silentridge3 said:On the flip side, regarding the "Vikings" series—which is way more historical than a show like "black and white world"—the mod, silentmaker51, wiped out about 10 posts where me and another user were just trying to add some actual history to the thread. To make matters worse, she even deleted posts that had nothing to do with history, like stuff about the main characters or the show's concept and all that.

Listing buildings that stood in Miami 500 years ago (among other things) definitely counts as adding history. 😳 Deleting them was totally justified.

@Karen Diaz32/">@@Karen Diaz32 - quoting off-topic posts has always been considered off-topic, and deleting off-topic content is always the first move made—it actually happens way more often than people getting officially warned for being off-topic.

Nathan Turner3 said:Listing buildings that stood in Miami 500 years ago (among other things) isn't exactly a deep historical treatise. 😳 Deleting it was totally justified.

I mean, do you even realize WHICH ten or so posts actually got nuked? In one specific post, there was this whole breakdown of the culture, science, and architecture that existed in our neck of the woods back when the Vikings were living almost at a Neolithic level of existence.

And the other nine posts didn't even have that kind of stuff in them.

I suppose all of it was wiped out just because I happened to poke at someone’s complex—you know, that weird obsession people have with Vikings, Scandinavians, Thor, Freya, Valhalla, or just anything that feels foreign. Trying to look at this TV series outside of that context seems pretty pointless to me. This is a ROMANTICIZED (distorted) take on ACTUAL HISTORY.

So, you basically erased the historical context of the discussion about the show, you erased the jokes about the gorgeous actors playing Vikings (and the incredibly unattractive ones playing the Viking victims), and you even wiped out my comparison to the TV series "Rescue Service" and the movie "The Hunger Games," which, if you think about it, directly describes Stockholm syndrome—even looking at the poster for this show...

What's left to talk about now? Is it just going to be stuff like:

"Man, I can't wait for the last episode!"
"Yessss! They're filming a new season!!!"

Would it really be such a disaster if some fifteen-year-olds read something a bit more substantial, so that maybe, through a discussion about a TV series (a HISTORICAL one, featuring REAL people), they could grasp a little bit of historical context, myths, human psychology, and things like that?

Is the "television pdf" subforum really intended to be nothing more than a place for promoting specific shows and teenage chatter?

So, since I can't seem to get a straight answer on what actually counts as acceptable content for the "TV series" sub-forum, this is the official response I got from the moderation team:

silentmaker51 said:Analysis, impressions, opinions, etc., regarding what was shown in an episode, season, or series. Discussions should be based on specific examples. In short.

Analysis of... what, exactly?

Impressions... about what?

Opinions... on what?

I should probably point out that most of my own deep dives, my impressions of certain shows, and my general takes have already been wiped away. For instance, they deleted my comparison to other shows where I was trying to explain how a series draws viewers in through character aesthetics—like focusing on the lead actor's blue eyes and all that.

If I’m forced to conclude that we aren't actually allowed to provide analysis, impressions, or opinions (unless they happen to align perfectly with the moderator's whims), and since talking about the actual plot is forbidden because it's considered "spoiling"...

...then I guess the only thing left permitted is some sort of superficial teenage chatter like, "Omg, the last episode was so good!" or "Cool show, I'll keep watching." In any somewhat sane environment, the leadership of this forum should probably be thrilled that someone (in this case, Electric Rabbit and myself) is actually putting effort into writing something more substantial than that. I mean, it shouldn't really be a bad thing if teenagers end up picking up a few extra insights along the way, right?

I’m all for taking a stand against this senseless post deletion. Honestly, there’s barely anything worth reading here anyway, just endless loops of "great show" or "moving on" 😍 (who cares?)

Lay out your arguments.

Posts like those should be nuked because they're nothing more than pure spam.

Let people actually talk, even if the conversation drifts a bit into weird territory through various associations.

For the folks who only want to read stuff like "That was a killer episode" 😍 , it isn't exactly rocket science to just skip over any discussions they aren't interested in. But for those of us who actually enjoy a deep dive, it's a total slap in the face when you wake up ready to keep the debate going, only to find it's been wiped out. Just gone.

Just censor the heavy insults and the massive spoilers, and call it a day. That's plenty. If someone goes full off-topic—like when someone starts rambling about The Sopranos in a thread dedicated to the Minnesota Vikings—then deal with that.

Give me a break.

Thanks.

I'm all for it. Let's stop being so obsessed with sanitizing everything on TV.

I should also mention—I’ve been following the discussions over on the Knight forums, and honestly? Those threads included clips from the show that were way more entertaining and actually informative than the series itself.👍