What are some good examples of 'Competency Porn' shows, like The Pitt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competency_porn

Some of the examples in the Wikipedia page don't make sense to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competency_porn

90 points · 51 comments · view on lemmy.world

51 Comments

aeronmelon@lemmy.world · 70 pts · 160d (6 replies)

Star Trek: The Next Generation.

fonix232@fedia.io · 14 pts · 160d (4 replies)

Ah yes, the TV show where every second episode is "captain, we fucked something up, and now everything's fucked".

tiramichu@sh.itjust.works · 28 pts · 160d (2 replies)

The thing about true competency isn't that fuck-ups never happen, it's how you deal with fuck-ups when they do.

In TNG the crew are generally capable, professional, and most importantly pull in the same direction. When a problem happens they put their heads together and solve it without ego.

Compare to other (also good) space shows like Battlestar Galactica, where almost the entire plot is driven by secret identities, hidden agendas, backstabbing, and personal drama.

TNG is competency porn because while Individuals are flawed, the crew as a whole are together brilliantly capable.

pishadoot@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 159d (1 reply)

TNG is a show about a utopian human society, where the individuals and society are moral and upstanding. It's a reflection of the best parts of our idealized selves. The characters are friendly, forgiving, and well trained. There is no substance abuse, and resources are unlimited.

BSG is about how our hubris led to the downfall of civilization and how we're wasting away, hopelessly trying to avoid extinction in the face of resource starvation, and constantly being on the brink of annihilation. The characters are the best of what's left, whatever that means, and it's only through cleverness and luck that they can persevere.

I honestly think BSG characters show competence better than TNG, because in BSG the deck is stacked AGAINST the characters, but they still pull through due to incredible talent. In TNG it's deus ex machina almost every episode as they "recalibrate the diteron maximizers and send more foonbahs to the replicar inverters"

I love both, but IMO BSG is a much better reflection of actual competence and realistic human personalities, complete with skeletons in closet, bad attitudes, drunkenness, arrogance, etc.

GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 158d

Shit, i think I'm running low on foonbahs. Thanks for the reminder!

murmelade@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 160d

"Captain, it turns out the problem was these new guys that we've never seen before, again!"

MojoMcJojo@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 159d

That's emotional maturity porn

MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca · 27 pts · 160d

Bob Ross’ Joy of Painting should definitely be in there

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 26 pts · 160d

"Columbo"

Tim_Bisley@piefed.social · 26 pts · 160d (2 replies)

Macgyver

fonix232@fedia.io · 10 pts · 160d (1 reply)

Also, Stargate.

Tim_Bisley@piefed.social · 6 pts · 160d

I mean compared to Stargate Atlantis, yea. Atlantis is like lets watch all these incompetent people scramble around and screw up. McKay has to run around fixing stuff everyone else messed up but also messes stuff up himself as well.

Rhoeri@piefed.social · 26 pts · 160d (4 replies)

My Cousin Vinnie.

nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca · 20 pts · 160d (1 reply)

Marisa Tomei is indeed extremely competent at being hot.

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 160d

That...black floral print open back body sock she's wearing in the porch rant scene is the most 1990's thing ever. It's more 90's than Achy Breaky Heart.

FenrirIII@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 158d (1 reply)

Legal Eagle's videos on this movie are some of my favorite

Rhoeri@piefed.social · 3 pts · 158d

Yeah. One of the few review-like videos I’ve seen multiple times.

Brkdncr@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 160d (1 reply)

Mr robot

Crackhappy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 159d

So competent he has to create additional personalities to handle all of it.

olafurp@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 159d (2 replies)

West Wing is in my opinion the best example of competency porn.

human@slrpnk.net · 8 pts · 159d

Really all the Aaron Sorkin shows are like that.

fartographer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 158d
Takeshidude@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 160d (1 reply)

Leverage

harsh3466@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 160d

Season one was great. then they immediately dumbed down the show.

Drusas@fedia.io · 12 pts · 160d

Alone

This is going to be a bit random, but it's what came to mind: from the show Dead Like Me, the character Rube. Just him, not the whole show. I always loved him for it.

Davel23@fedia.io · 11 pts · 160d (2 replies)

I recently watched Dept. Q and was struck by how well all of the characters did their jobs.

tiramichu@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 160d

Great detective show.

It doesn't fall into the trap of making people too perfect. Most of the main cast have personal problems (some of them pretty fucking major) but when it comes to solving the crime they pull in the same direction.

Tim_Bisley@piefed.social · 3 pts · 160d

The French Department Q films are really good too.

kinkles@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 160d (2 replies)

I agree with you about some of the Wiki examples not making sense. I can understand it for Oceans 11 but not Pluribus.

riot@fedia.io · 10 pts · 160d (1 reply)

I was curious too about Pluribus, so I went to the cited article, and this is their reasoning:

[...] long, satisfying sequences of the hive mind restocking a grocery store or harvesting dead bodies, in contrast to the halting, imperfect actions of Carol (Rhea Seehorn), who’s holding on to her independent mind with all her might.

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 160d

It's like an AI watched the show, tried to pick out the good guys then wrote a review about it and posted to wikipedia.

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 160d (4 replies)
  • Designated Survivor [Netflix]

::: spoiler This is a show about ... US congress getting blown up and a much more low level member has to take over the role as President. :::

It does completely lose its steam after the first season and I don't think i'd watch it again because it's pretty preachy but it's an interesting enough concept

  • Slow Horses [Apple TV]

::: spoiler This is a show about neglected, under-performing agents of british intelligence, who are exiled to Slough House and nicknamed Slow Horses, but ... under the guidance of a hard-ass boss they time and time again manage to out-perform their colleagues at MI5. :::

(Or watch both via other means)

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 160d (1 reply)

I find it interesting that the wikipedia artickes cites Apollo 13 and not The Martian. The Martian is like the most popular example of competency porn isn't it?

SolSerkonos@piefed.social · 5 pts · 160d

God, I love The Martian. Istg I could quote it line by line.

ikidd@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 160d (1 reply)

I love Slow Horses. Gary oldman is so fucked up in that.

Dalvoron@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 160d

Very fucked up, and yet he is also the most competent person in the agency!

starman2112@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 159d

I'm a weeb, so Ghost in the Shell, ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept., Planetes

notso@feddit.org · 7 pts · 160d (2 replies)

Sherlock Person of Interest For all Mankind

Tim_Bisley@piefed.social · 10 pts · 160d

Sherlock is good until the writers tried to subvert expectations to the point of ruining the show in the last season. It kind of ruins the earlier seasons as well though because none of it amounts to anything. If you can ignore all that and take the episodes individually it might still be enjoyable.

encelado748@feddit.org · 4 pts · 159d

For all mankind is like that in the earlier seasons. The incompetence demonstrated in the last seasons is a major letdown.

AlexLost@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 159d (1 reply)

The newsroom w/ Jeff Daniels

corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 158d

Yessssss

zz31da@piefed.social · 5 pts · 159d (1 reply)

Burn Notice was great for most of its run

FenrirIII@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 158d

A fun but often forgotten show

Cybersec@piefed.social · 5 pts · 160d

The Bureau - (Bureau of Legends) amazing French spy tv show. They make some mistakes but most of the show is them working and being pretty competent.

admin@scrapetacular.ydns.eu · 2 pts · 160d

Restaurant Impossible?

ikidd@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 160d

Chuck

supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 160d (3 replies)

Veep

edit I could not resist the chaos answer

con_fig@programming.dev · 6 pts · 160d (2 replies)

Wouldn't that be the opposite?

CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 160d

The West Wing

thethrilloftime69@feddit.online · 2 pts · 160d

Yeah who exactly is competent on that show?