End of an Internet Era: Television WithOut Pity to close

[smashmode]

So many great recaps.

Originally started visiting when it was Mighty Big TV

http://www.thewire.com/entertainmen...elevision-without-pity-gets-shuttered/359733/

It was announced today that NBCUniversal would be closing down two venerable digital properties next week: Daily Candy and Television Without Pity.

In particular, Television Without Pity — TWoP in the parlance of our times, and for brevity's sake, because if today's news has taught us anything, it's that time is fleeting and nothing lasts forever —had a huge impact on the internet landscape and in particular the way that television was covered. Beginning in the late '90s as Dawson's Wrap (making Dawson's Creek the unlikely mother of an entire movement in TV criticism) and later as Mighty Big TV, the TWoP stock in trade was the TV recap, impossibly detailed summaries of individual TV episodes of everything from ER to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Project Runway. Written not only for detail but for humor and fan engagement, they became, for a time, the way we talked about TV on the internet.

 

[Schlosser85]

Their mods are *****es though. They drop into threads just to make insulting comments, and they banned me for no apparent reason.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Yeah it is like being in jail over there at TWOP since they are beyond strict, but Imma miss them! I go there to get my reality tv talk on. But this is what happens when people sell out to big wigs.

 

[Jason Kane]

I popped up there once or twice when I began message boarding in late 2002 but never registered

 

[Specter313]

Their mods are *****es though. They drop into threads just to make insulting comments, and they banned me for no apparent reason.

I rarely set foot in their forums because of that. It's ridiculous in that part of the site.

But this news just about kills me though. It's coming at a not so great time for me with some personal drama, and this site has always been a big source of entertainment with me because of its various humor filled recaps. I didn't read everything and I didn't like all the recappers, but many were great and always could give me a laugh when I needed one. The also fact that the recaps won't be available at all anymore just makes it worse because if there was a rerun of something they recapped in the past that I saw and wanted to re-read, or I finally started watching something they did recap and I wanted to see their thoughts on things, I could just go back and take a look. Now I won't be able to do that anymore. There's not enough out there to show how sad this makes me.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

I used to love their recaps of Smallville episodes.

 

[flickchick85]

That used to be my most-frequented message board, but they just got to be so over-moderated that it became damn near impossible to have a naturally-flowing debate/conversation without getting reprimanded for drifting away from the topic (even if you still relate conversation back to the topic in the same post). Posting there just became a chore. I've always enjoyed their recaps, but they did this to themselves, sadly.

 

[BestGirl]

OH NO!

I lurked on TWOP and even though I found 90% of the posters there annoying now I have no idea where I'm going to get my in-depth TV show discussion fix.

Does anyone know if the TWOP users are migrating to a new forum? I know some are going to Previously TV but its forums don't seem to be particularly well-trafficked.

 

[HighFivingMF]

That site was real? I thought it was just something made up for My Name is Earl.

 

[kvz5]

I'm going to miss the hell out of the TWOP. I regularly go there for recaps and discussions.

 

[Specter313]

That used to be my most-frequented message board, but they just got to be so over-moderated that it became damn near impossible to have a naturally-flowing debate/conversation without getting reprimanded for drifting away from the topic (even if you still relate conversation back to the topic in the same post). Posting there just became a chore. I've always enjoyed their recaps, but they did this to themselves, sadly.

Unfortunately, to a degree I can agree. Ignoring the forums though, it was one heck of a site that had so much to offer. They just gave themselves a bad rap with the over-moderated forums. Yeah, it kept things in line, but what fun is the place if you can't even go the slightest bit off topic even if it relates to the main subject?

OH NO!

I lurked on TWOP and even though I found 90% of the posters there annoying now I have no idea where I'm going to get my in-depth TV show discussion fix.

Does anyone know if the TWOP users are migrating to a new forum? I know some are going to Previously TV but its forums don't seem to be particularly well-trafficked.

Previously.tv seems to be the main place that people are heading. It was founded by a couple of the TWoP's creators, so that at least seems to be similar in spirit. It may not be heavily trafficked now, but I bet once this closes, it will pick up.

 

[Primal Slayer]

They sure did run those forums like you were in prison. Its hard depending on the show to just STRICTLY talk about the show without using other things as examples and if you talked to much about one character then you get told to go to that characters forum, but if you use outside examples then you get told to go to said forum that fits what you are talking about.

 

[ssj wolverine]

No loss for me. Going on different tv forums, there was so much negativity.

 

[SV Fan]

I was banned there a few times for "boards on boards". It just seemed anytime I would comment on flaws in people's theories from a logical standpoint, that would somehow be considered attacking people. I also got a few warning calling out people who I found went way to far attacking actresses.

It seemed a case some of the boards were good, while others seemed to have the majority of the people on it have an extreme view that was rather spiteful to stuff that didn't fit their vision(sort of a hive mentality).

 

[Specter313]

Well at least some of this has changed a little for the better. When it was originally announced to be closing, even the old recaps were to be taken offline, but now after a large outpouring of support/outrage, NBC U has announced that all the old recaps will still be available.

http://recode.net/2014/04/01/after-...-without-pity-and-dailycandy-archives-public/