theory-of-awful-tv
Original: theory-of-awful-tv on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (single panel):
Caption (title above the panel): A UNIFIED THEORY OF WHY PEOPLE WATCH AWFUL TV:
Two men sit on a couch in front of a large TV. A man with red/orange hair and a beard (gesturing with his hands) speaks to the other man, who has dark curly hair and a skeptical, wide-eyed expression.
Red-haired man: I PROMISE IT'S A GOOD SHOW! DON'T JUDGE BY JUST ONE EPISODE. YOU JUST HAVE TO WATCH ENOUGH SEASONS THAT THE PART OF YOUR BRAIN THAT CONSIDERS YOU TO BE RATIONAL WILL CREATE A NARRATIVE TO JUSTIFY THE MASSIVE EXPENDITURE OF TIME.
Votey:
A black-and-white silhouette of a person's head and shoulders in profile, with handwritten text beside them:
It must be good. Why would I watch 14 seasons if it weren't good?
Caption (title above the panel): A UNIFIED THEORY OF WHY PEOPLE WATCH AWFUL TV:
Two men sit on a couch in front of a large TV. A man with red/orange hair and a beard (gesturing with his hands) speaks to the other man, who has dark curly hair and a skeptical, wide-eyed expression.
Red-haired man: I PROMISE IT'S A GOOD SHOW! DON'T JUDGE BY JUST ONE EPISODE. YOU JUST HAVE TO WATCH ENOUGH SEASONS THAT THE PART OF YOUR BRAIN THAT CONSIDERS YOU TO BE RATIONAL WILL CREATE A NARRATIVE TO JUSTIFY THE MASSIVE EXPENDITURE OF TIME.
Votey:
A black-and-white silhouette of a person's head and shoulders in profile, with handwritten text beside them:
It must be good. Why would I watch 14 seasons if it weren't good?
Alt text
A single-panel SMBC comic titled 'A UNIFIED THEORY OF WHY PEOPLE WATCH AWFUL TV.' Two men sit on a couch facing a large TV (seen edge-on at right). A red-haired, bearded man gestures persuasively as he talks to a dark-haired man who stares back with wide, skeptical eyes. The red-haired man says: 'I promise it's a good show! Don't judge by just one episode. You just have to watch enough seasons that the part of your brain that considers you to be rational will create a narrative to justify the massive expenditure of time.' Votey (aftercomic): a stark black-and-white profile silhouette of a head with handwritten text reading 'It must be good. Why would I watch 14 seasons if it weren't good?' — illustrating that very self-justifying narrative.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.