I feel so bad for Amy. I can't imagine having 80% of a TV show done and it all gets taken away like that.

If you want a story about a female musician struggling with her mental health and it's portrayed in a sensitive and sympathetic way, I recommend The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes. The book is about Cassidy Holmes, a former member of Gloss, a late 90s-early 2000s girl group based on the Spice Girls. She commits suicide and the other Gloss members who haven't spoken to her after they disbanded process the loss and thought of what they could have done to help her. It's a way more interesting story than The Idol.

I hate-watch, but I will never understand why anyone ever hate-watches ON the original streaming service. We already KNOW this is how they gauge audience interest

Do regular film people know Perfect Blue exists? It’s an absolutely amazing movie that tackles everything The Idol pretends to know about. From the manipulation to the rise fall and rise of a star to the grapery and grossness rampant in show business. If you’re craving a story that the idol is pretending to tell I highly recommend it.

I refuse to hate watch. There are a lot of shows i have refused to watch - Euphoria - The Idol - Velma - Riverdale etc Because I know that if i watch it, they will make more of it…. and we deserve better.

The amount of lost potential in this show makes me feel sad. It would have been far more compelling had it centred around Jocelyn trying to reclaim her agency back from the agency who cruelly took it from her.

this whole show was a r*** fantasy. i vividly remember an interaction between jocelyn and her bestie/assistant. Jocelyn voices the need to see Tedros again, and her bestie says 'i don't like his vibe, he's kinda rapey' to which Jocelyn replies 'yeah i like that about him'. those 'scrapped scenes you mentioned at the begging of the video would have 100% been put in had HBO or whomever greenlit them. LEvinson and Abel are 100% to be held responsible. So gross and blatanlty rapey.

I really like how Kat Blaque expressed opinions on how the portrayal of bdsm in The Idol was harmful to kink representation.

There's this pretty dark and unsettling animated movie called "Perfect Blue". It's about a pop idol who gets exploited by her studio/management while she also has to deal with an anonymous stalker and blogs violating her privacy. I think it's a much better watch and representation of the dangers of being a female celebrity, parasocial relationships, manipulation, and obsession.

shaniya: i dont know the first thing about film-making also shaniya: regularly researching for, writing, shooting, and editing full hour-long multi-camera, artistic, and thoughtful productions with a point of view, message, costumes, hair, and makeup.

Thank god you’re covering this 😭 A couple other people I watch did videos, but they’re more “comedy” than “thorough breakdown”. I’m not giving the show a single view lol, but I trust you to give me something to think about.

When you pulled out that CVS receipt of hatred I died

Ok now that I've finished the video, I'll say I don't really hate watch things (I do have some guilty pleasure shows that I feel like are objectively pretty bad, but I still enjoy watching those), but I AM super guilty of watching yt videos ABOUT those super messy shows😭 I honestly just enjoy the drama of it sometimes, and yeah I've also thought about the implications of that before hh

As a creative myself, I find the act of engaging with media you not only hate but find actively harmful is a little heartbreaking. I sometimes wonder if I try too hard in creating work that I want (and can only hope) people can enjoy. Especially in the wake of AI art, it feels like you have to write something outrageous and lazy (like the Idol) to get any sort of attention. On principle, I don't hatewatch because that would be detrimental to my delicate mental health. But, if I was curious and self-destructive that day, I'd want to stream it on the High Seas, if you catch my drift. I refuse to give exploitative artists any representation and, if we want better media like, I don't know, lesbian vampires, we should think critically on HOW we hatewatch "bad" media. All the while, we should support the media we deserve by paying for it (if and when we can), promoting it, and engaging with it.

I can honestly say that I have not watched this show but I have been following this series of events ever since the Rolling Stones article.

Although the scenes described in the Rolling stones article weren't in the final episodes, there's still apart of me that is disgusted considering scenes of similar themes were kept in. (Tedros beating Jocelyn with a hairbrush in a weirdly sexual way) which makes me feel that the other scenes were not taken out because of a genuine understanding of how terrible they were.

Excited to watch the video! The hate watching of this show is something I’ve thought about a lot. There’s really just a side of us that can’t resist watching an absolute train wreck that we know will crash over and over again.

Used to tell myself i was ironically watching riverdale until i accepted that something can only be ironic for so long until it isnt. I love that show, it's stupid and fun and those are my favorite parts about it.

i barely have the mental energy to sit down and watch shows i know i’ll love so it’s near impossible for me to hate watch something. but indeed i will play allllll the commentaries about it while i do my little crafts because i still want the tea 😂

As always, the amount of effort you put into your sets and looks is amazing!

A lot of people watched it for Blackpink's Jennie which is also weird as it shows the length they will go to "support" their idols and while defending her they forget all their morals, the funniest thing being she herself signed with sam levinson knowing full well what type of show this is and claimed to be a fan of his works. The major part of the engagement this show got online came cause of her fans

when you mentioned riverdale, it reminded me of the channels who make ‘cringe’ compilations. those same channels who make videos mocking the show’s dialogue also make video edits of those same characters being in love. and [those ‘cringe compilation videos] actually work in the favor of riverdale, taking how now they promote the show as ‘camp entertainment’, and invite old watchers of the show to give another go

Every Shanspeare's production is so visually eye-candy, litterarly most top-notch 💙✨️

its just raunchy to be raunchy which isn't a problem at all, but don't market it as if it's something brilliant and subversive. the show doesn't even have anything to really say about the industry and it's so exaggerated that it makes everything look funny. nothing about it is actually horrifying, just uncomfortable and full of bad acting. they didn't intend it, but i laughed everytime i saw the weeknd act on twitter because nothing he said sounded sexy or intimidating. this is the psychopath? even though he's not a compelling character at all? yeah this show was a bunch of sex just for a bunch of sex without having anything to critque about the industry.

I can't believe "don't waste your time on garbage" even needed to be said, but it really did, and it's so true.

I care way too much for my mental health to watch something willingly outta spite. I wish we as a general public didn’t give attention to things we don’t support. Cause at the end of the day a view is a view, execs could care less how that view is garnered.

“The ethics of hate-watching” Me, who dabbles in miraculous ladybug: go on

i think people also hatewatch things to come up with more reasons they dont like it, to justify why they dont like it i agree we shouldnt give attention to media we hate. i think currently, a show’s worst fear isnt making a bad/horrible show- its worst fear is making a mediocre one. because people will still talk about it & watch it if it’s bad.

If you want to “hate watch” a show without giving your time and energy: try watching just the full first episode of each season available. Then watch the finale. The first episode of each show should have a summary of the last season, and watching it the whole way through gives you a good idea of how the production/writing have evolved. Watching the last episode is just for closure and to see how the show decided to go out. This has saved me so much time. Like reading the back cover of a tv show.

i have to comment solely on that meme of euphoria being like “you think you’re better than me” with degrassi responding “i am better than you” because its true whoever made that meme is absolutely right and should say it

My girlfriend and I love to watch "bad" moves and TV together. One of our favorite TV shows of this kind was Riverdale. The insanity of it all gave us so much joy, so I never really categorized it as a hate watch. The way we engaged with it was different than the way we engaged with a show that was actually "good" - like we'd talk through it with our commentary and we were pretty detached from the plot/characters, the only thing we were rooting for was for more insane shit to happen. Similarly we've also enjoyed cult classic movies like The Room, the Neil Breen Cinematic Universe, Birdemic, Show Girls, Troll 2, Samurai Cop, Cats (2019) etc. We tried to watch The Idol but found it lacked in entertainment, so we just gave up on it. However I've very much enjoyed watching reviews and commentary about it, because I also love a good internet firestorm. I don't know what this all says about the ethics of my TV watching habits, but this video definitely convinced me to start to think about that.

This is so true of Velma. As crappy as it was, it still got renewed. Why? Because people still watched it, even out of hate. I'm convinced producers make bad shows because they know people will watch it anyway. I also for the same about And Just Like That. Of course, some believe that watching a show while giving criticism constructively can help a show improve over time. However, while this works some of the time, a lot of the time not much changes when the base of a story is trash to begin with.

the scene where Tedros badmouths Rolling Stone wasn't even in the final cut of the show. i guess he WAS scared to make them mad

I didn’t hate watch the idol so much as curiosity watch it. All the discourse around it made me interested in seeing if it was that bad. It was.

The scream I let out when you mentioned the fever dream that was the show “Twisted”. Only the baddest of bitches remember that cringey gem😭 I need to go and re-watch it Thank you for sharing yet another gem, the effort you put into these productions does not go unnoticed!

I'm not a hate watcher, but God sometimes do I feel like we need to bring back the old KZfaq adage of "Don't like don't watch" bc people have forgotten, apparently. Loved the 2 cameras, and the edit was fantastic!! Ty Shanspeare!!! 💜

LOL the Kennie J.D. cameo! You both are such insightful and entertaining content creators!

Sam Levinson opened a floodgate of clinically-insane k-pop fans when he allowed Jennie be part of the show.

I actually hate hatewatchers because they tend to spam my feed with how much they hate a show that I would look at for one second and go "I don't want to watch this" and then I still get recommended people complaining about them.

I thınk at this point nobody is trying to make "good" art. Viewers like us are constantly tired, sad and just want a show they can watch without using their brain (which I don't judge life is tiring) So studios do that. There is no incentive to do better. I think people need to be on some level of mental wellbeing to want something more than a distraction

I think I was in middle school when Twisted came out. My mom was obsessed with it and it was a really confusing experience for me because, at that point, the only thing I associated Avan Jogia with was being Beck from Victorious, so imagine my shock when I sat down to watch an episode with my mom and she explains to me that Danny went to juvie for murder. 💀

can't wait to watch

Thank you for this! This video was really inside full for me because I could find myself in some aspects. It really made me rethink some reactions I had towards media. For me I realised later that I hate watched the drama my favourite idol group… honestly I hated it. But due to fandom pressure I watched it. Now I check the plots they are staring beforehand and well… I liked none of them so I try to block the related keywords on twitter despite it making me somewhat the fandom freak for not supporting “actor era” of them. So yes I feel too that fomo and peer pressure really plays a huge part in hate watching

As someone who was initially very excited about The Idol & one of the few people willing to give it the benefit of the doubt even after all the backlash before it aired, this show’s lost potential is more disappointing for me than I expected :( Like i’m genuinely bummed out. because it seems like at the beginning this whole project had the potential to be a literal masterpiece. Plus, the acting is very impressive-Especially Lily-Rose Depp’s performance. This show deserved so much better. it really had no business being this much of a trainwreck :/ But I guess men like Sam & Abel never fail to ruin things.. lol…

one piece of media i'm currently if not hate-watching critical-disappointment-reading is a webtoon called "reporting for duty, duchess!". it started off with such a good genre defying premise only to slowly but surely reveal that it was all to impress when they want to end up satisfying all the superficially (not so) shock value codes... basically idk if you're familiar with the genre but it's a woman getting reincarnated/transported into her best friend's nobility (romance) novel. twist is, she's a respected military general, very strong headed, intimidating. and she gets reincarnated as the novel's mc's best friend who's a meek duchess bullied by her step-mother and in the novel gets saved by the mc. but with her military knowledge and knowledge of the book's story, she starts planning to strengthen and develop her territory and she takes back control of the dukedom(?) from her step-mum. interesting premise.... until the crowned prince shows up, start thinking she's "interesting" (iykyk) and her initially warm and kind best friend (the novel's mc) starts showing signs of being 2 faced manipulative and jealous...

A few minutes in and love this video already!! Entertaining and intriguing as always

During lockdowns I watched all of GLEE with my wife since we both missed it when it was current. I don't know if it counts fully as a "hate watch" but we were both disappointed that certain characters lived where other much better characters died IRL.

Also, it sucks that the plot was so interesting but the execution was in line with the nonsense levinson has been on in terms of women who are fucked up just because wanting to be with a man who is fucked up just because. Things are always filmed beautifully, but aside from Euphoria Season 1, I haven't seen depth of character. If the show included the scrapped scenes with context, reflection, and a path to healing for Lily Rose-Depp's character, it would have been dark but at least would have been her story and path to healing. Without context, it's more of the Levinson's bs

really appreciate the production of your videos. I cited you for a paper I wrote for my class. soooo insightful and I absolutely love you, your style, and your videos!

"we accept the love[/media] we think we deserve" - perks of being a gd wallflower circa 2012

I love this laid back style you have! It feels like a true sleepover! I hate watched the ANime Diabolik Lovers and Brothers Conflict lol

That moment when you realize may you have accidentally hate-watched Euphoria. In fairness, I did like the stories, although at times I felt I was missing the “deeper meaning”, overthinking that it was smarter than it was, or storylines were never finished. But the constant (to me) sex scenes of adults portraying teens made me feel icky and the crazy shit they were all dealing with left me with heavy, negative feelings at the end of each episode and I had to stop after S2E2. Beautiful aesthetics my gosh, my Libra heart is PLEASED! As for The Idol, the description turned me off immediately and have no interest in watching it. I have, however, been consuming all the YT vids on it 😅 TLDR: Sam Levinson’s content ain’t for me and that’s okay. Catch me re-watching OFMD for the millionth time.

i love you shanspeare! your videos are so good! can’t wait to watch

Great video Shann I actually just put out down a video idea on hate watching a few days before this came out I still may do that video

Ah thank you for covering this, I seriously couldn’t be bothered to watch it but kept hearing about this show so definitely needed a nice breakdown 😩

A quote that has settled in my brain recently is from Elie Wiesel: "The opposite of love is indifference..." Your point on hatewatching and passion really encapsulates that.

I don't think I've ever hate-watched anything. My attention span isn't good enough, I need something interesting even if it's just half watching/listening in the background lol. The closest I've been to hate watching was watching things like trashy reality TV, but I enjoyed it for the trashiness and contrived drama. But watching the bits with your least favorite character that you only want to see so you can read gossip forums about their trashiness is kind of like hate watching. But that's what those kinds of shows are made for, and I enjoy them sometimes. I tried watching both Euphoria and Riverdale and stopped watching when I couldn't get into them. I do think I've hate-read things. Like forums or comment chains that I knew were only making me angry or sad to read, but I kept going anyways. So I think I understand where hate-watching comes from. It's hard to stop even when you know you're only gaining negatives from it and you could easily stop and find something that you enjoy. I have listened to several youtubers tearing apart these kinds of shows and I do enjoy that :P

i love that you kept mentioning first kill, i also wanted to continue watching vampire/hunter lesbians kissing! but instead we got renews of multiple other shows that were a waste of time. regarding the idol, it had a lot of potential specially when i saw the leaked pics from the part Amy directed, it looked soooo good! if they went with a story similar to perfect blue for example (and they had the budget and everything), since sam and abel wanted something dark it would have been good too but instead they did their weird torture p*rn thing

I tend to feel so terrible when a creative thing is made and its considered so bad, it gets shat on so much. And people know who were part of the creation, or channels they can go to to yell at the employees. The examples that I'm thinking of aren't even badly made, but were considered so because of..tastes maybe? The video games fore-spoken and DMC: Devil May Cry. Forespoken got treated so terribly, and there was so much content made about it. I hadn't even played it myself but still felt so bad for the developers. But I don't feel that way with The Idol as the flaws that are talked about are so blunt and problematic.

This is now the best video on antifandom I have ever seen and you _laser focused_ on the part where hate watching *enriches* the people making the thing.

the entire decade of The We*knd spent on building his "sex god" persona thru his music instantly VANISHED into thin air. this is a fact coz my friends who absolutely salivates to him and his music ultimately deleted his songs from their playlists coz all they could think about was him talking about "choking Joss with his c*ck"

Love the video!! I’m also glad I can relate to you on our love for avan jogia 😍

I already watched D'Angelo Wallace's video and nickisnotgreen's, but I'm going to eat this video up

This phenomenon is fascinating to me as I don’t hate watch anything

who else here gets super excited when Shanspeare posts?! I feel like whenever i see the notification that they’ve posted a new video my day immediately gets better 💖💖 Their videos are just so high quality yet relatable & comforting. even the aesthetics are always so visually stunning!!! 🌸🌸

omg i'm so early. i love you shanspeare!!! great video!!

mang’s colors match shan’s indieglam purple pink backdrop. mang will be the next main character of euphoria. im calling it now

That scene in twisted where the principal begged to brush denise richards hair is haunting me to this day

Thanks for all the links with information about the strikes

Love the video. Jsyk I am seeing some other KZfaqrs post saying SAG AFTRA is asking people to halt movie reviews and analysis and stuff in solidarity with their strike. In the last day or so. Not your fault if you didn’t know but just wanted to let you know that’s what I’ve been seeing. Maybe better to focus on other types of videos for a bit?

Yeah I think ironically, in an effort to be critical (which we should be) a lot of us have fallen into the schadenfreude trap of “all press is good press”. I think the next step we have to take is, as you discussed, welcoming new art, ranging from mid to mind blowing. We do deserve better, but to some degree we have to do some work in expanding our OWN expectations as patrons.

UR EDITING!! You have gotten so much better you can really notice the difference

Thank you so much for this! I think many people are aware now of companies making ads designed to be hate watched and talked about so that there’s backlash, counter backlash, and incalculable amounts of free advertising in the form of public engagement. But the idea that networks would either create or adapt an entire show to fit that model? I think you’re absolutely right! I feel foolish-tricked even! 😅. It’s a good thing to keep in mind.

The set is so cosy this time! I had to make my own little pillow fort to watch this in

hey shan :3 id like to take this opportunity to say how much i love your work and im really sad i cant support you monetarily, but i learn so much from you and appreciate you

What she describes after her content warning at 12:12 shocked me so deeply that my family literally thought I was having a stroke for a moment lmfao so prepare yourself, holy shit

Wow what a throwback, i remember starting twister. Glad i stopped. You look so pretty and it feels like youre enjoying yourself in this video which feels so nice!! Love your topics always and the ways you choose to present it. I believe in hate watching shitty but not high problematic things. I couldnt hate watch something thatd make me feel uncomfortable and sick like euphoria or the idol 😷

Being angry tires me out so I’ve never understood hate watching or just hating things that don’t really matter to me in general. But I love watching people’s reactions/commentary(?) to things, i think that’s what eases my fomo and my need to understand

This video is necessary, you brought great points about this whole thing of hate-watching. I loved your fort, by the way ❤

THE KENNIE JD BROODING HOT 25 YEAR OLD TEENAGER~~~~~ cameo really had me smiling bc we love a crossover

Great video. I haven’t watched the idol and don’t feel the need to really. I used to be in the habit of hate-watching all the shows on Zeus Network. It made me feel good to talk down on the people in the shows but then I realized that they are making money and I was contributing to their sustainability. I now just divest from watching stuff that triggers negative emotions And I feel less stressed about the media being made

I don't have the phase of watching related to what I hate. But if something is against the ethical standard, I watch video essays about it. Then after a few videos, I'm done with that phase. My main purpose in watching is out of curiosity or to find valid points that will benefit the good.

I'm always so impressed with your content. You've never disappointed and make some INCREDIBLE work (granted you could make a vid of you just breathing and I'd love it).

I think as much as people can have their own opinion, I myself genuinely cannot stand behind any message that can set us back/glamorize SA/Phys. A. I watched youtube analysis of the show, because some of my favorite reactors posted about them, and from what I saw, it really was horrendous. A scene where Tedros beats Jocelyn with a hairbrush her abusive mother used to beat her with and then she thanks him is absolutely disturbing and to me doesn't seem to make sense at all. As someone who was Phys abused it logically does not make sense to me why anyone would want that (granted, I am only one person). And its not like I'm a prude either, I enjoy s*xual liberation. But when it turns into objectification, thats when I start to have issues. And the problem with the idol is that it would be so easy to say, "Oh this show is no big deal" / "it can coexist as a piece of media that is made to be talked about/hated/outlandish etc." if society wasn't the way it was. If I didn't have to worry about men being influenced by violent s*xual scenes, and talk about wanting to R-Word, in a world where Andrew Tate and his goons have destroyed the minds of young men, I would be all for a show like the idol. If the show was objectively about making people talk/have commentary, I'd be fine. But it really does seem like 2 men were given an unlimited budget while the female director was thrown out, wanting to live out their fantasies, treating their workers like crap, and hearing stuff about what happened behind the scenes such as Lily saying The Weeknd was always "method acting" (something losers who can't act always say), I'd rather just leave it behind. (these are just my own thoughts though) In general I'm not really a hate watcher (mainly because I can't afford subscriptions anyways and I don't want to catch a virus). I will say that maybe there's conversation about watching reactors in order to feel as if ethically we're not supporting someone's media. I like knowing everything before I form an opinion regardless of whatever bias I have going in. And in general I just like drama and mess so I will always be tuned in somehow 😭

omg i watched twisted!! i also felt the same way about avan jogia, but i honestly don’t remember anything from that show i just remember it came on after pretty little liars in tuesdays

Can I just say that your hair in the opening skit was stunning ✨🫣

Ur content is amazing

Wanna hear some anti elitism? I👏🏻genuinely👏🏻enjoy👏🏻the vampire diaries👏🏻Teen Wolf👏🏻and👏🏻Pretty Little Liars (not Ezra)👏🏻 and occasionally even Glee (mainly for gay shit)👏🏻 Because, in the words of Dipper Pines, “top 40 is top 40 for a reason!” I do think it’s important to distinguish between watching to hate on and hate-watching! Just because a movie like Twilight may be something you hate doesn’t mean rewatching it is hatewatching. Sometimes we just get vibes that needs to be clenched, like a pregnant woman accepting her weirdest cravings as totally normal cause in moment it’s what’s needed. I love watching reuploaded videos (occasionally, it’s not really a habit) of people I don’t like just to check in without giving them my view. But it is very apparent to me when something I’m watching as turned into hatewatch because like with Euphoria my mental health plummets and my sunshine dimmers. Something that I am wayyy too protective of to even risk it. I don’t care for most drama after a hot minute, no matter how much new stuff comes out, because I know I’ll be dragged into the rage-hive mind and my Buddhist self will slap me if I allow that to happen.😂

Great video! Love the hair and make-up, always killing it!

Unrelated to the topic but your editing and writing style is so delightful. Instant subscribe

A friend who likes animation asked me if I watched the hated Velma show, and I said, "I don't hatewatch." I've tolerated a show or comic and hated them in hindsight, but I wouldn't waste my time on something I know I will hate, when stuff I like are still on my to-watch list. I'm busy as it is lol.

I can proudly say that I've never hate-watched anything in my life. If thing is shit, STOP giving it money!

So... don't know of this counts, but read Wuthering Heights because I kept hearing it refrenced as super romantic in other media. So I started with a positive expectation. However, I think there was definitely a part when it turned into hate reading. I think I kept reading, angrily, because i was so mad I was lied to, and (related to your point about needing to be better or right) has to fully read the whole dumb thing so I could judge people who think it is romantic, who literally fawn over the failed relationship of 2 unlikable abusive people.... Only book I have suffered through after realizing I didn't like it.

My hate for Levinson started after learning Euphoria's entire artistic concept was stolen from photographer Petra Collins who Sam asked to come and help direct and do the casting for the show after seeing her work, just to get fired by HBO without being paid and find out they went along with her concept anyways. I cant imagine seeing a show become so popular mainly for it's aesthetic value and characters, knowing you casted those actors and that those famous aesthetics and visuals were based on your art and photographs inspired by your own experience of youth...and to top it off seeing it all credited to by a man who was happy to own it as his own creative genius. I'm not sure I would ever get over that, especially when she said people always would point out to her how the show reminded them of her pictures. Also I'm just starting the vid and haven't seen your Euphoria one yet so my bads if you already mentioned this

I don't hatewatch because I simply do not have the time when there's a ton of media out there that never gets watched and/or talked about by talented, deserving creators/directors that I could be watching instead.

In response to the question of if they should be held responsible for things they didn't publish, i think they absolutely should if they made people partake in that and film it. I feel so much for all the actors who got caught up in this. Also this is definitely the best video about this show that I've seen, keep up the good work queen

I Love you Shan thanks for the video as always !

Thank you for sharing

I watch twisted but I remember...liking it? Or maybe I was there just for avan jogia, but either way I remember wanting a second season... Should rewatch I think

As someone who is allergic to hatewatching cuz i'd rather stick with whatever few new shows i actually like, like Akiba Maid War, Trigun Stampede or Gundam Witch (mostly anime cuz i'm a weeb), this is still an interesting analysis on why people like Shan do it, or atleast with some shows considering she hasn't seen Idol yet, which, fair. Also yes First Kill deserves all the backing sam levinson gets. F*ck netflix