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Why are TV characters today often totally nutty psychos?

ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912
in Off-Topic Discussion

I am a fan of detectives ever since I was a kid. Which was in the 70ies and 80ies. (I am 42 now.) So in that genre I saw that especially, but it also seems to be the case in TV series in general.

You see, in the 80ies, we had criminalists like Columbo, Jessica Fletcher, Magnum, Nero Wolfe, in the 90ies Jeremy Brett as Holmes and until recently David Suchet as Poirot (Peter Ustinov before that). Those detective also were sort of weird. But today...

Just take the three new incarnations of Holmes: Downey Jr., Cumberbatch and the dude in "Elementary". (Though one is movie...) All there were entertaining, ok. But... why does Holmes have to be THAT over the top a psycho nut, and absolutely rude and absurd? I mean, yes the original Holmes was weird, but... he still was most of the time a nice, Victorian Gentleman, and as a person who really values manners, it is just a pain to see Holmes so deformed.

 

And that was when I looked at series today, and I see that more and more as a trend, to have protagonists who are so over the top rude, erratic, mental cases. Like there isn't any "normal" person who could be interesting to follow! Do we really need to have weirdness so over the top pushed into our faces that we find a character interesting?

Similar things also happend in Comic superheroes, by the way. Even Superman now is a broken hero with a traumatic childhood.

 

Why?

Do people need that to feel normal again? Like, hey look THAT person is even more nutty than I am? Are normal people with small quircks too timid? Where does this exxageration trend then end? Is the next Holmes in, say 2030 TV series a cannibal who uses to roast children for experiements and makes SM bondage with Watson?

O modi, o tempora!

People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert

Comments

  • GruntyGrunty Member EpicPosts: 8,657
    Sherlock Holmes was no more polite than he thought he had to be.  From his point of view he was surrounded by morons. He at best tolerated people outside his inner circle. I've had this opinion since reading the books 40 years ago.
    "I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone.  It's not.  The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone."  Robin Williams
  • ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912
    Originally posted by Grunty
    Sherlock Holmes was no more polite than he thought he had to be.  From his point of view he was surrounded by morons. He at best tolerated people outside his inner circle. I've had this opinion since reading the books 40 years ago.

    Basil Rathborne, Jeremy Brett?

    Yeah they were a bit cranky, but not outright rude psychos like the Holmses today. They were kinda likable. I can't even remotely imagine to like the modern Holmses

    People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert

  • DolnorDolnor Member UncommonPosts: 32

    OP, have you ever lived in Hollywood or nearby areas?  I have and those crazies in the tv shows are 10% as crazy as the people living there!

     

    Believe me, the tv "reality" shows are pretty close how petty/crazy Hollywood actually exists! -(

     

    TQQdles™

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