MovieChat Forums > The Family (2016) Discussion > So glad there is no season 2!

So glad there is no season 2!

posted 8 years ago by tidymuso49
30 replies | jump to latest

This was the hardest TV show to watch ever! I did not like any of the characters except maybe the oldest son and I was so happy he walked away. From the very first episode all I kept saying to myself was...as if? I cannot even explain why I kept watching. All I can imagine is that Adam will go to his family and expose Ben for the little creep that he is, the mum and dad will divorce, mum will end up being shamed in public, Willa will end up in Prison, Ben will end up in a Psych Ward for the term of his natural life! Bridies murder will turn into a cold case because well who even cares? As for the rest of the cast I really don't care, it is what it is!👎

[–] edgeofthorns316 8 years ago

You kept watching because it was good. But congrats on being "that" guy who gotta take it to that level and act like it was pure rubbish but yet lol instead of not watching it you watched it.

Hint, I dont waste time watching shows that are garbage. How bored one must be to watch something they supposedly hate on.

[–] SN51431 8 years ago

Why denigrate the OP? His opinion is not my opinion BUT he is allowed to have his opinion without a debate...

[–] telejunkie 8 years ago

"He's allowed to have an opinion without a debate..."

Ok, this is silly. Sure he can have an opinion but the minute he posted it on a PUBLIC FORUM, it was open to debate. Good Lord, the logic of some people is mystifying.

[–] SkiBumTim 8 years ago

telejunkie 

[–] jpozenel 7 years ago

There is no debate here...his opinion stinks...period!

[–] lcalee 8 years ago

I agree with your title, not necessarily the content of your post. You are clearly entitled to express your opinion. Your feelings are valid and appear sincere.

We all watch TV for our own reasons. I thought the show started with a great deal of promise. I am a fan of Joan Allen, so if she's on a free TV drama I'm there. I also like Alison Pill a great deal. It was around episode five that I started to say "Really?" on a fairly regular basis. That's not good.

I still love Joan and like Alison who were playing the hell out of the quite mediocre material they were given. In my opinion, the show continued to slide in quality, but there were some parts of the plot that retained a bit of my interest and again, the two actresses kept doing great work. Joan's scenes in the bunker are Emmy worthy, though a nomination is doubtful due to the show's poor ratings (few people watch it, few people vote for it). The finale garnered it's usual 0.8 in the 18-49 demo and a little over 3million viewers total. I'd say we aren't the only people who won't miss a season two.

The root of all unhappiness is unmet expectation.

[–] wndycloser 8 years ago

I loved it, sad to see it go. Great finale.

[–] jobla 8 years ago

Another network or cable channel could pick the show up. I'm not saying that will happen, but it has happened before.

[–] eileen-guthrie555 8 years ago

I thought the series had potential and I like most of the cast but the premise for the show, the kidnapping of Adam. I wanted the family to believe he was Adam, but viewers would know he wasn't. I don't understand why they continue to pretend that he is Adam, for Clair's campaign? Politics is dirty and you can bet that the truth will eventually come to he surface, it always does. So why keep the secret? Just come out and say, we thought he was "Our" Adam but he is not, but he is a young man with no family so we are opening up our home to him and welcoming him into our family. Our Adam past away when he was held hostage, this young man, Ben was Adam's friend and only companion during the 10 years they were both held hostage and through him Adam will live in our hearts. Our family will mourn Adam forever. I think the public would understand that more then choosing to keep their family secret. That the voters wouldn't understand. Willa screwed up and she likely will get her butt in prison. She wasn't doing the deception because her family was falling apart, but to get her mother elected. But, that's here nor there since the show was cancelled and there most likely won't be a conclusion to this story.

[–] tidymuso49 8 years ago

Thank you Icalee for respecting my opinion. You expressed yourself very well in your post, I thought Joan Allen was outstanding in her performance. I kept tuning in only because I really waited to see if Claire Warren would reprimand Willa for her incredulous deceit.
What I found frustrating in this story was that Claire put so much energy into running for office and yet when she found out Ben was not Adam she didn't confront Willa, she didn't seem interested in wanting to know who was Ben's real family, she didn't go to the police to demand an investigation into Adam's real circumstances or whereabouts! She kept Ben in the house even when she suspected him of murdering her own child!
This was hard for me to understand how she gave up so easily and resigned herself to think Adam was dead! So that's where I stopped being emotionally invested in the characters. Claire was just greedy to be in the public arena and not sort out her family I kept waiting for her to rise up...I tolerated all the other character's short comings but when the mother kept playing along with Willa it lost me. But I kept watching because I'm an optimist.

[–] boxerrebellion 8 years ago

I thought it was a one-shot, so was surprised that the finale suggested a continuation. I think that it was self-contained, until the phone call.

I can't say I loved it. I found it intriguing, partly because Andrew McCarthy's character was, well, for me, so out of character for him. I guess I associate him with his role from St. Elmo's, so seeing him as a pedophile was disturbing. The character was disturbing enough, but that actor in that role was more disturbing. There are actors who wouldn't have had that extra oomph because I am used to seeing them in disturbing roles.

[–] helengufi 7 years ago

Fully agree with this! I really don't like when good actors play bed roles that don't suit them. but the most awful thing is that there'll still be the second season. I read about that on http://sharingseries.com/the-family-season-1-2016/. Not sure if it is true. Will see.

[–] edgeofthorns316 8 years ago

I just hate when people can't just accept or admit they were into it as if their armchair movie directing would be tarnished if they said "decent show, it had me hooked even tho some things frustrated me".

By also saying you're so glad there's no season 2 is just selfish, not that it matters tho ultimately but on a board where people are pretty bummed it's just a stupid thing to say because in reality just being here signifies people who watched and really enjoyed the show..

I thought secrets and lies sucked.. To where I stopped watched, but never went to that board sayin "damn I watched this show but don't know why, I hope it gets canceled!"... Just is a stupid thing to say about a show I didn't like and try to stir the pot with folks who do enjoy the show

Even if I didn't like the show, if people enjoy it and the show Goes on I'm not gonna wish it to cancel, I'm just moving past it.

People can have their opinions but it's all in how they deliver it

[–] SceneIt22 8 years ago

"People can have their opinions but it's all in how they deliver it."

I agree. It's fine to have and express your opinions on here, but if all you can offer is that you're glad it was canceled or you wish it would be canceled without including any truly constructive criticism, then why bother? Why not just stop watching this show that you can't stand and leave it be for those who either actually enjoy it or who actually have something constructive to say about it?

I don't really get people who invest so much of their time and energy into watching a show they don't even like (and then posting about how much they hate watching it.) Unless someone's pinning you down and forcing you to watch it, why not go and find something else you'd enjoy, instead?

But of course, as you said, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and can post whatever they want. It just gets tiring and slightly insulting to those of us who actually enjoy the show and want to discuss it with like-minded individuals. I'm also open to reading the constructive criticism of those who watch the show, enjoy it, but don't like everything about it, of course. That's fine, too...

[–] TorontoBlueJay 8 years ago

Don't forget that in one scene it was 10 years ago, and the next present day. Too hard to follow, and what would have happened in season 2? Adam would have haunted Ben, and Ben would have found a way to keep him away from the family. Borrrring!

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

I'm glad there wasn't a second season, for many reasons. The main one is the conceit that would have been required for the show to go on. Are we really expected to believe that Adam, upon his escape from Doug, would willingly go to Canada with his captor's girlfriend? And then call his parents on the way and tell Ben "you stole my life?" Gee, how fortunate his family never changed their phone # or dropped their land line, huh? Or that Clements couldn't 'identify' Doug as his captor? Right- this from the guy who willingly lied for Nina about killing an informant the day after he met her. So he couldn't lie and ID Doug? And it was SO unbelievable that Clare, when she found out from Nina that the real Adam was likely buried in Doug's back yard, didn't admit all at the press conference. I mean, she knew that when they dug the body up the truth would come out and she had no reason to think it wasn't Adam's body. A second season would have been nothing but near-misses the whole time.

This would have been great as a 10 episode series, like American Crime or Broadchurch, with a definite beginning, middle, and end, but as a continuing series? No.

[–] puredieselbc 8 years ago

Completely agree with the OP.

When the show dealt with the pain of the family dealing with their loss, wife vs. husband, mother vs. daughter, brother vs. sister it was great.

Others parts were so convoluted and contrived it was a chore to watch.

- The female detective who was too dumb to live (I mean when she had to depend on a discussion on The View to find the FBI agent, that was sad).

- Bridey was just a parasite character; so glad she's gone.

- The foolishness of the cake shop lady hitting on the pedo neighbor.

Stuff like that just killed it for me.

Happiness must be earned.

[–] SceneIt22 8 years ago

Yeah, the Bridey character and storyline was never a very strong one for me. I found that I wasn't really cheering for her to succeed...or to fail. I simply didn't care other than for the fact that her existence grated on my nerves so much, I kind of just tuned her out most of the time.

So for me, her whole storyline was kind of just there. There wasn't anything especially captivating about her storyline/investigations, and to me, it didn't really go anywhere or lead to anything super important, except perhaps, to Ben's true mom. And that didn't really have a chance to go anywhere, either.

[–] LightningBalt 8 years ago

You poor dear! Was someone forcing you to watch against your will?

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

Yes, probably by the same person that forced you to respond to a post you disagreed with instead of simply ignoring it.

[–] hannahbtcgte 8 years ago

By posting online, you open yourself up to people responding and possibly even...disagreeing with you?!

[–] lcalee 8 years ago

I think the title of this thread is self explanatory. People who don't agree with it can easily skip this thread. I know I post a lot, but I skip a lot of threads that I don't feel compelled to contribute to.

I get the impression that sometimes viewers come to IMDB looking for a "fan page" where everyone is very fond of the show, which IMDB does not offer. If all one is looking for is positive comments about a beloved show, this is not the site to find them on. The most surprising thing about this is many of the members who seem to expect that have been members of IMDB for a long time. Is this really the first show page/film page message board they've found people who disliked the project and are candid about their opinions? I've certainly seen a solid mix on the message boards I've visited here over the years.

The root of all unhappiness is unmet expectation.

[–] mullin216 8 years ago

This show took ridiculous to a new level. The cops constantly being dumb, family knowing the kid wasn't Adam and still pretending, seriously? The best reveal was the ending and of course there's no follow up.