I was just thinking the other day that I'm pretty annoyed by the fact that I can't control which series I get to watch. Since I'm too lazy and cheap to actually rent/buy series, I just put up with whatever is shown on TV and most of the shows are so agaisnt my taste. Just curious to see what most people like. Maybe I'm strange, I usually hate most of the "hot series" on the market.
I find that I mostly go for a median b/w the historical/epic shows made by China such as Da Han Wu Di (the one w/ Liu Che done by Chen Bao Guo) which are too heavy on history and use too much ancient language that I get bored of, and the popular/idol slapstick comedies/romancies (such as Taiwanese idol series) that end up blowing up into fluff after repeated themes. However, the only exception to that would be Toastman's Kiss, which I partially enjoyed just because Xun was portrayed to have some interesting philosophical thoughts, which helped tie the series together.
My personal favourites are war-setting 1930s type of dramas with some love, but not as the focus. They usually involve some tragedy and the characters are pretty well-developed and involve some complex history. An example would be Spring Symphony or Song of Bitterness. Modern is okay too, like Goodbye Vancouver, as long as it has a good plot and acting.
I'm just curious--what is the appeal to idol series? I've seen a lot actually thanks to my TV station, i.e. MVP Valentine, Meteor Garden, Magic Ring (w/ Joel Cheng), The Rose, Secret Garden (I and II), Toastman's Kiss, etc etc...and I still scratch my head at the general appeal. Well, one could be looks I suppose, as the actors/actresses are generally above average. But I just find the plots to be highly unrealistic. Take Meteor Garden for example--4 "princes ruling an university"? I used to think that maybe it was the lifestyle in Taiwan, but then I realized that people overseas enjoy it just as much..so anyone care to enlighten me?