Who are television’s whiniest fan bases?

Every fan base has a crazy or two. It goes with the territory.

Still, as a frequent guest on a lot of different message boards, I have started recognizing a pattern (or a miasma of patterns if you will).

Now, I'm not going to even touch on movie fan bases. I'm not in the mood for teenage girls to bombard my email with their Jacob and Edward love (or their Kristen Stewart jealousy, I mean hate).

 

Actually, today, I’ve been getting a lot of hate mail from crazed ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ fans. It took me by surprise. Not that they were crazed – but that they would actually take the time to write.

So, it got me to thinking, who are television’s whiniest fan bases?

In no particular order:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: There are several fan bases from the Buffy universe that could make the list (yes, Willow and Tara fans, I’m talking to you). Still, it’s the Buffy and Spike fans that are the most frightening to me. I think the testament of Buffy is that the show has been off the air for like a decade and fans are still debating Bangel vs. Spuffy. I get being loyal to your favorite couple. I don’t get writing fan fiction and verbally attacking someone that doesn’t agree with you – and that’s what I always get when I voice my Spuffy disdain.

SUPERNATURAL: This is a show about two brothers. They’re both attractive. They’re both solid actors. They both have been showcased in a variety of different storylines. So why is it that Dean fans always repeat the same complaints? If I have to hear one more time how Dean never gets his own storylines and how Dean is used as a prop for Sam I might actually wretch. While I am one of those people that hasn’t been a big fan of ‘Supernatural’ for the past two seasons, I’ve still watched out of loyalty. The truth is, Dean wouldn’t even like his own fan base because they complain so much. Yeah, I said it.

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Soap fans truly are a different breed. I should know, I’m still crushed that Sonny and Brenda couldn’t make it work. Through the years, there have been a lot of rabid fan bases on GH boards. My favorite were the “Soily” haters. That was a group of fans repulsed by the Sonny and Emily pairing. My least favorite – at least right now – is the Jason and Sam shippers. Long before Steve Burton announced he was leaving GH, some of the “Jasam” fans were starting to get on my nerves. The thing is, no matter how much you want it, a soap couple is never “end game” until a cancellation announcement has been made. Maybe it’s because I am not a Jason fan – but I’m truly looking forward to “Jasam” being off my screen. Of course, I doubt he’ll be off the message boards anytime soon. If Georgie's exit is still being lamented, what do you think Jason's will be like?

TRUE BLOOD: The television show is a lot different than the books. The only thing that is truly the same is Eric and Sookie fans. Both book and show fans – at least when it comes to Eric and Sookie – can get just as irrational. Personally, I preferred Sookie without a love interest for the majority of this season on the show. She was a lot more interesting when her life wasn’t about a man. As for the books, I was an Alcide fan for a long time. Now I’m just a fan of the fact that Charlaine Harris is ending the series. I’m pretty much over all of the characters.

CRIMINAL MINDS: Who would have thought a procedural would have fans so rabid they could make a whiniest fans list? Still, that’s exactly where I’m at with Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) fans. After running off Rachel Nichols, fans are now going after Jeanne Tripplehorn because they’re upset that Brewster opted to leave the show. For me, Prentiss was always my least favorite member of the team – so I really won’t miss her. I should clarify that I didn’t hate Prentiss. I just didn’t love her. I haven’t decided how I feel about Tripplehorn’s character yet. I do know that I think fans calling her old and ugly while demanding Prentiss’ return need to get over themselves.

LOST: There was a lot of ‘Lost’ shipping over the years. Jack and Kate. Kate and Sawyer. Sawyer and Juliet. Jin and Sun. Sun and Michael. Sawyer and Hurley. Only one group freaked out when things didn’t go their way, though. That would be the Kate and Sawyer fans. To this day, if you dare mention the ‘Lost’ finale and Kate and Jack’s “happily ever after” to the wrong person, be prepared to hear an earful about how that was some of the worst writing ever put to paper. Love it or hate it, the ‘Lost’ finale had a clear vision. Maybe it’s because I was a Sawyer and Juliet fan – but I was happy with the ending.

GOSSIP GIRL: This wasn’t actually a hard decision. Dan and Blair fans won hands down. No one else in the ‘Gossip Girl’ realm was even in contention. For a year all I heard about on ‘Gossip Girl’ websites was that they needed to test Dan and Blair. They did. Then they needed to put them together. They did. Then they needed to live happily ever after. Guess what? This is ‘Gossip Girl,’ Dan and Blair never had a chance to live happily ever after. Not only did the couple have no chemistry, but they just didn’t fit. There are only 10 episodes of ‘Gossip Girl’ left – and all I can say is “Thank God I don’t have to sit through any more boring Dan and Blair romance scenes.”

THE WALKING DEAD: Unlike the previous entries, my least favorite ‘The Walking Dead’ fan base doesn’t revolve around a particular couple or character. Although, I would like to send a special shout out to the “Keep Carl in the House” group. I find them hilarious. No, my chief complaint with ‘The Walking Dead’ fan bases goes to the comic book fans that won’t stop whining any time the writers change something from the comic books. Here’s the thing: Comic books don’t translate well when they’re adapted literally. A broad audience isn’t going to get comic book humor. Besides that, who really wants a straight adaptation? Where’s the surprise in that? I don’t know about anyone else, but I think following the comic books on this show would be a death sentence (pun intended). You need to make a show accessible to the broadest possible audience. That’s what these writers have done.

What do you think? What is the whiniest fan base?