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Is TA one of the most tired shows on TV?


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Old 28-10-2016, 12:46
lammtarra
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I agree that the link between the tasks and the outcome has been rendered pointless by the business investment. It's basically down to the last two shows and whether Shugs likes the business idea or not - whether he has any interest in the individual is almost irrelevant. We've seen him favour people who, on paper have been weaker candidates simply because Shugs feels like their business proposition is a 'goer'.
Other way round. It's not whether Lord Sugar likes the business plan (and he tells us he's seen them so there is no hidden conspiracy there). Rather, it is whether he assesses the candidate is capable of carrying out the plan. That is what he learns through the process.

Well, that and whether he can stand being in the same room as them, and the due diligence that makes the interview round such fun.

Look at the winners so far: there's nothing especially innovative there, with the possible exception of Tom's nail file and clippers. Are we supposed to believe Lord Sugar could not have set up yet another recruitment agency or clinic without the benefit of a half-baked business plan from an Apprentice candidate?

As (iirc) Deborah Meaden said on Dragon's Den: anyone can have an idea, it's the execution that matters.
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Old 28-10-2016, 12:50
John Dough
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It's well past its best days but nobody is compelled to watch. It's not yet as stale as X Factor or the ITV 'jungle' tripe though.
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Old 28-10-2016, 12:56
lammtarra
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One thing lost since the earlier series that's not been mentioned so far, is that now we are rarely told how the teams should have approached the tasks. We used to have more analysis from Lord Sugar (someone said the boardrooms were like a business masterclass) and from the expert guest on You're Fired. Now the boardroom is a bear-pit and YF is just another comedy panel show.

It is all of a piece with the Big Brother-isantion of the show.
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Old 28-10-2016, 12:58
lloys-strachan
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Last evenings program was just dull and this series bunch of contestants are nothing to shout about.
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Old 28-10-2016, 13:10
lammtarra
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The oversized teams do not help. If they must have so many candidates at the start then there should be more complex tasks or three teams. How many people does it take to be a personal shopper to a single customer?
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Old 29-10-2016, 01:00
JohnStannard
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still going strong IMO
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Old 29-10-2016, 03:01
Johnr
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I think my biggest problem is they're now focusing on the 'drama' too much, and the budget for the tasks seems to be about 1p these days despite the show having moved from BBC2 to BBC1! I was watching the Series 2 episode the other day where they had the cruise ship task, flown out to Istanbul and challenged to come up with a service for the passengers on board, slightly more interesting than 'turn up at Wimbledon car boot sale'!

To answer the original question, it feels about as tired as Dragons Den, a shame the BBC don't seem to ever want Sugar to have a say in things (He was against them axing Young Apprentice which was a breath of fresh air and also wanted to do a few shows on the successful candidates / businesses from previous series, also rejected)
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Old 29-10-2016, 12:25
Kirsty_Jones90
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This series is extremely poor. And the department store episode from Thursday was one of the dullest episodes ever.
We are now in week 4 and there are still candidates I have no idea about who they are.

For me it is lost in edited and scripted stuff. My favourite years were the ones with Pantsman and the year with Stuart Baggs, since then it has gone downhill quick.

However, Rhod Gilbert has saved YF for me
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Old 29-10-2016, 12:49
Steve9214
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I don't quite understand how the Dept store thing was going to work.

One team chose scarves - the other handbags.
If they had both chosen scarves - one of them would have ended up with handbags anyway.

There are way less "games" between the two teams now - trying to "one-up each other".
In series one the male team hid all the food in the house when they left for one task, so the females had nothing to take with them to eat.
In series one Paul and Tim pretended to want the same items as Saira and James in the Shopping channel task - just to spoil the other team's pitch and make them give up items they wanted.

Last big battle was Stuart Baggs (IIRC) trying to take over the other team's sales territory in the Coach trip task.

Now they just seem to be just set on making themselves look good for the Boardroom - and not focussing on winning at all costs to avoid the boardroom in the first place.

I seem to recall that none of the underhanded tactics ever really got punished by Lord Shugs - he just says "business is business".
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Old 29-10-2016, 13:21
Sherlock_Holmes
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The glory days of Series 1-5 are never coming back, I think I just need to accept that. Series 6 didn't really grab my attention: it was quite formulaic in a similar to way it is now. Series 7 was good. Series 8 was dull and tired in hindsight. Series 9 was fantastic - a true return to form, with amazing characters, show firsts and some great candidates. Series 10 was like Series 9, but watered down with too many candidates and also too many annoying ones IMO. Last year was enjoyable, but somewhat dull and extremely gimmicky. This year is the same to be honest except it all just feels so forgettable.
Series 4 was a real low point, and to those depths the series will hopefully never go again.

And Series 9 only had Luisa as a real character (at a push Zeeshah and Alex), unless you want to count the likes of Miles, Neil, Dr. Leah, Kurt or Francesca (lol).

Out of the new format, I have actually enjoyed last series the most I think. S8 was dull, can't remember much about S10, and S7 had great moments but was heavily tainted by the result.

Obviously people get tired of the concept, but that is with anything show where some of the audience get bored and want to move on to a new toy.

By the way, series 1 and Series 2 might have been the most serious series, but also the two most dullest series compared to the rest (except series 8). So, some of the same arguments can be levelled at the glory days. Heck, it spawned the creature known as Katie Hopkins!
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Old 29-10-2016, 14:10
hownwbrowncow
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Series 4 was a real low point, and to those depths the series will hopefully never go again.

And Series 9 only had Luisa as a real character (at a push Zeeshah and Alex), unless you want to count the likes of Miles, Neil, Dr. Leah, Kurt or Francesca (lol).

Out of the new format, I have actually enjoyed last series the most I think. S8 was dull, can't remember much about S10, and S7 had great moments but was heavily tainted by the result.

Obviously people get tired of the concept, but that is with anything show where some of the audience get bored and want to move on to a new toy.

By the way, series 1 and Series 2 might have been the most serious series, but also the two most dullest series compared to the rest (except series 8). So, some of the same arguments can be levelled at the glory days. Heck, it spawned the creature known as Katie Hopkins!
I really liked Series 4, I found it pretty compelling and I'm not sure why it's quite as negatively received as it is on here.

I think in Series 9, Jaz, Tim, Zee, Natalie, Jason, Alex, Jordan, Neil, Luisa and Leah were all great characters.

And I would highly disagree that Series 1 and 2 were dull. In fact Episodes 2-4 of Series 2 is probably one of the craziest run of episodes in Apprentice history.
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Old 29-10-2016, 18:43
Jane_Lee3
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Yep I feel it's had its day. Me and hubby have found it more exciting discussing how much a few of them look like famous people......

Jessica looks like Michelle Keegan's older sister, Dillon looks like Alan Rickman, Alana looks like a younger, less minging version of Tina Malone, Grainne looks like Posh Spice, Courtney looks like an estate agent, JD looks like an MP, Frances looks like a human mouse, and you could land a plane on Rebecca's chin.
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Old 29-10-2016, 19:18
davads
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I have loved the Apprentice since the very first series when it was on a quiet graveyard slot on BBC 2 and the lovely Tim won.
It was hardly in a "graveyard slot". OK, it didn't have the big publicity it does nowadays, obviously, being a new thing (I watched it because I'd seen and enjoyed the Trump version while in the US a year earlier), but it was still at the peak time of 9:00pm:

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f5abcc3db...7a97c6d2bbf829

No full You're Fired series, mind (I think that kicked off from Series 2), just a single You're Hired at the end - for which I was in the audience
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Old 29-10-2016, 19:59
Kirsty_Jones90
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Series 4 was a real low point, and to those depths the series will hopefully never go again.

And Series 9 only had Luisa as a real character (at a push Zeeshah and Alex), unless you want to count the likes of Miles, Neil, Dr. Leah, Kurt or Francesca (lol).

Out of the new format, I have actually enjoyed last series the most I think. S8 was dull, can't remember much about S10, and S7 had great moments but was heavily tainted by the result.

Obviously people get tired of the concept, but that is with anything show where some of the audience get bored and want to move on to a new toy.

By the way, series 1 and Series 2 might have been the most serious series, but also the two most dullest series compared to the rest (except series 8). So, some of the same arguments can be levelled at the glory days. Heck, it spawned the creature known as Katie Hopkins!
ouch Series 4 with the most awful people ever to be on TA:
Helene, slimey Alex and the lying bitch Jenny, who should all have been left in Marrakesh at the time, i think that was a real lowpoint of how vile some people on the Apprentice behaved

Now that Sherlock Holmes explained more, I remember Series 9 being the first real dull series where i could not be bothered who would win, Francesca one of those where you do not understand why they got to the interviews
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Old 29-10-2016, 20:49
hownwbrowncow
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ouch Series 4 with the most awful people ever to be on TA:
Helene, slimey Alex and the lying bitch Jenny, who should all have been left in Marrakesh at the time, i think that was a real lowpoint of how vile some people on the Apprentice behaved

Now that Sherlock Holmes explained more, I remember Series 9 being the first real dull series where i could not be bothered who would win, Francesca one of those where you do not understand why they got to the interviews
The only morally questionable things in Series 4 were Jenny breaking Lucinda down, everyone going at Sara in Week 6 and then the lying Jenny carried out in Marrakech. All of these were largely Jenny C, who got her comeuppance in Marrakech, and Alex and Jennifer M were involved in Sara-gate and they too were dealt their cards.

As I said, Series 4 was compelling viewing in a kind of sadistic way
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Old 29-10-2016, 21:35
Dan R
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No.

It is pulling in way over 7m consolidated, by its standards, solid. It's such an exciting show every week. Sad to see all these 'regulars' on here turning on it, it's really the same as it's been for years, the format works.
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Old 29-10-2016, 21:54
djfunnyman
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I've only watched since season 5. 5 and 6 were classic, very competitive with great characters such a Pantsman Phillip, Sandhurst Ben and James in season 5 and the late Stuart Baggs in season 6. 7 and 8 were decent but not quite as classic, though season 8 in particular had very competent candidates. Season 9 was a return to top form with Jason and Alex who was tactically taken out the process by the rest of the boys. Jordan's football hooligan celebration and interview with Claude were all time great moments. Season 10 was ruined by having too many candidates though the Daniel v Mark feud was an interesting storyline and James provided many great moments. Selina was the most memorable thing about season 11 and season 12 has potential but hasn't quite got going yet. Karthik is fun to watch though
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Old 29-10-2016, 21:57
Oliver_Tomlinso
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How have you managed to watch every episode anyway? I can't seem to be able to get anything from series 3 onwards
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Old 29-10-2016, 22:24
roger_50
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My general view is that it's still pretty decent television, even if it is a little too familiar these days.

The first 2 or 3 seasons were genuinely great though. Proper top television. It was fresh, the candidates generally came across as being more capable than now (in my opinion) and the basic premise of employment fitted the format better than the current partnership deal.

It's still better than 90% of other current TV though, so I don't complain about it's decline too much tbh.
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Old 29-10-2016, 22:52
Arthur_B
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I've watched The Apprentice since Series 4, yet it still hasn't got old for me. Infact, it's by far the least stale reality show there is for me.
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Old 29-10-2016, 23:00
ShotDownInFlame
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Honestly if you had asked between Series 7 - 9 I probably would have said yes, but I feel last year and this year seem to have gotten some sort of spark into it again.

HOWEVER

It goes without saying that the differences between Series 1 and 2, and Series 7 and onwards is like night and day. Series 1 and 2 (particularly the former) were actually what it said on the tin, genuinely bright and creative people rivalling each other for a job for Alan Sugar, with only Matthew being the old ball of the group, and even he was by no means a walking bag of drama.

But in recent days, the show has *totally* been stripped of it's ability to seriously suggest these are the brightest our country has to offer, because now it really is all about TV personalities and creating friction and drama and seeing how each "candidate" deals with that. Which isn't what the old show was about at all. So I could understand why someone who'd started at Series 1 or 2 would think "This just isn't what it was", because that's basically a fact at this point, the show is a totally different beast.

But that having been said, different does not necessarily equate to "tired". Lord Sugar might be tired of it by now (though even that is highly debateable imo) and the concept of the business plan certainly goes a fair way to making it ultimately pointless and somewhat tired, but I still think there's enough "character" to some of the candidates to the point where it's still good entertainment.
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Old 30-10-2016, 18:04
nattoyaki
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I follow less than ten current UK TV shows, and yes I think The Apprentice is one of the most tired without question, and has been for years. You can watch it for the 'laughs' if that's all you want, but I think I'm at the end of that road personally. Life's too short to watch such poorly produced, self-parodying crap, for me.

The latest episode may well be my last (I think my first was series 2). I was rolling around (not always in a good way that's for sure) in disbelief at the inanity of it, from start to finish. It was like the ultimate Comic Relief spoof of what The Apprentice used to be.

Ridiculous, manipulative, lying television and the only other UK flagship shows I've seen falling so far are BB and Dragons Den.
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Old 30-10-2016, 18:31
Sherlock_Holmes
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I follow less than ten current UK TV shows, and yes I think The Apprentice is one of the most tired without question, and has been for years. You can watch it for the 'laughs' if that's all you want, but I think I'm at the end of that road personally. Life's too short to watch such poorly produced, self-parodying crap, for me.

The latest episode may well be my last (I think my first was series 2). I was rolling around (not always in a good way that's for sure) in disbelief at the inanity of it, from start to finish. It was like the ultimate Comic Relief spoof of what The Apprentice used to be.

Ridiculous, manipulative, lying television and the only other UK flagship shows I've seen falling so far are BB and Dragons Den.
How can something like BB possibly fall

It was poor to begin with and I am from the country that spawned the whole thing
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Old 30-10-2016, 18:36
computermaster
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Well there are quite a few tired UK TV shows in my opinion (Eastenders, Jeremy Kyle Show, X-Factor, Big Brother). It's pretty bold to say that Apprentice is thee most tired show but it's probably up there for a lot of people.
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Old 03-11-2016, 20:28
hownwbrowncow
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This is so disconcerting... why am I simply not excited for the show that I found so throughly compelling as little as two years ago?
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