History BrokenBase / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/DarkAngel'' is basically two completely different shows. Fans of the first season have one set of heroes, villains, central themes, and canon; fans of the second have quite a different set with shocking little overlap. Creator/JensenAckles is an especially polarizing figure even in the tiny sect of the fanbase that enjoys both seasons.

** During the TurnOfTheMillenium, Elmo and, to a lesser extent, Abby, got more screen time while other characters got less. Some adult viewers were peeved by this, finding Elmo and Abby too cutesy and wanting to see more of the other characters, while other adult viewers thought that it was good to focus on two three-year-olds since that's how old a lot of the child audience was, and that the two were adorable. Eventually, the show found a happy medium, still giving Elmo and Abby lots of screen time but giving the rest their time to shine as well.

** Every era of the show receives a degree of this with some fans who love it while others hate it. Arguments rage over whether the Classic series or the Modern revival is better. Fans of the Classic series prefer the lack of melodrama and more traditional sci-fi feel while fans of the Modern series prefer the greater emphasis on character development and long term arcs. Not to mention disagreements regarding more specific eras. For instance, Classic ''Who'' fans are divided on whether the 60s or 70s are the best decade (with the 80s being a much rarer but not nonexistent pick), while New ''Who'' fans can't agree on whether Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat is a better showrunner (with Chris Chibnall similarly being a much rarer but not nonexistent pick). And then there's the debates over which [[TheNthDoctor incarnation]] of the Doctor is the best.

** Every era of the show receives a degree of this with some fans who love it while others hate it. Arguments rage over whether the Classic series or the Modern revival is better. Fans of the Classic series prefer the lack of melodrama and more traditional sci-fi feel while fans of the Modern series prefer the greater emphasis on character development and long term arcs. And then there's the debates over which [[TheNthDoctor incarnation]] of the Doctor is the best.

*** Uninclusiveness. Creator/{{RuPaul}} has made several controversial statements towards transgender people over the years, as well as the fact that he doesn't allow post-op trans women, drag kings, or bioqueens (cisgender women who perform female drag) to compete on the show. The usual retort is that limiting the competition to men and pre-op trans women helps maintain an even playing field, which has lead to many a debate over the very definition of drag, as well as whether or not one can watch the show to enjoy the contestants without necessarily agreeing with [=RuPaul=].

* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'': British version (presented by Clive Anderson) vs. American version (Drew Carey). Usually the debate revolves around whether or not Ryan, Colin, and Wayne deserved to be on every episode or whether the lineup should be mixed around more, or who is the better host. But fans will find ANYTHING to argue about, so the Britline vs. Drew's Line debates tend to get increasingly ridiculous -- from whether or not (insert cast member here) is either a comedic genius or horrendously overrated, to which country's audience is better (either the British audience is too quiet or the American audience is too loud), to which musician is better at playing the Hoedown music, to which set is better, to ''which version has better fashion sense''.
%%Zero Context Example* ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'': Was moving it to Creator/NickJr a good idea or not?

*** Recently, a new (but minor) rivalry developed between the Kanal D fans. Some preferring the earlier shows (such as ''Vacanța Mare Reloaded'', ''Noră pentru Leana'' and ''Inimă de Oltean'') while others the later shows (such as ''Comoara din Sadova'', ''Leana s-a Întors'' and ''Te vreau lângă Leana'').

* ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'': Was moving it to Creator/NickJr a good idea or not?

** The decision to GenderSwap the character in 2017 led to the most extreme broken base scenario in the franchise's history, with fandom pretty much evenly split between those applauding the idea and those who announced they were divorcing themselves from the franchise.

* ''BrokenBase/RupaulsDragRace''

* BrokenBase/{{Survivor}}

* ''Series/GuardianTheLonelyAndGreatGod'': Some fans ship Kim Shin and Eun Tak. Others are too uncomfortable about the age difference -- especially since Eun Tak is a teenager and Kim Shin is over nine hundred. Then there are the fans who don't like the age difference between the characters but think it doesn't really matter because Eun Tak's actress is older than her character.

** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise" hemorrhaged viewers in its first two seasons, mostly because fans thought the writing and characters were vastly subpar, but also because they believed the series to be an attempt to reboot the entire franchise, with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga deliberately attempting to topple Gene Roddenberry. Others accused them of actively trying to kill the franchise, for whatever reason.

* ''Series/StarTrek'' has had this happen several times, to varying degrees, and while time has healed some wounds, others have only gotten deeper.

** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': While this is starting to quiet down to some degree (seeing as every Star Trek TV show has had some backlash upon its release); Discovery had a massively polarizing effect on certain groups of fans, while others lauded it with praise. Due to a number of factors, such as it being well over a decade since there was a weekly ''Trek'' series (with many forgetting how much they hated later installments just doing the same thing over and over), Paramount and Viacom's split ("can it even be Trek without Paramount's involvement?"), the entirely new production team that brought the project to fruition ("who are these nobodies, they don't even understand Trek!"), the involvement of Alex Kurtzman (considered nearly an Antichrist by fans who did not enjoy the rebooted film series), the improved visuals (it's a prequel to TOS, so to many it should contain the same cheese-laden 60's look), the serialized plotting, the "canon violations" (primarily retcons and fanon misconceptions), new makeup and look for the Klingons, focus on a character who isn't the captain (and, unfortunately, poor reactions to her gender and race), the fact that it's on a premium streaming service rather than ordinary television, introduction of profanity (something Roddenberry himself would have included had network standards allowed it) and perhaps most notably its being released roughly at the same time as [[TheOrville another show]] that deliberately invoked TNG-era nostalgia, a very vocal section of the fandom declared it "[[CanonDiscontinuity not real Trek]]" and even began online campaigns attempting to have it cancelled. In retrospect, even ''Enterprise'' has gained their favor compared to this. It's only gotten worse with each new offering since. ''SeriesStarTrekPicard'' is too dark and doesn't show the hopeful future Roddenberry wanted, ''StarTrekLowerDecks" is lowbrow comedy that's antithetical to the spirit of the franchise, etc., etc. Needless to say, both of those series have their rabid fans as well.

* ''Vacanța Mare'' has one of the most divisive fanbases ever in Romania. First there's the Stage vs TV rivalry. With many older fans claiming that they were better on stage, while many younger fans preferring the TV shows

* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': While this is a relatively minor example (seeing as every Star Trek TV show has had some backlash upon its release); Star Trek: Discovery has a massively polarizing effect on certain groups of fans; while others laud it with praise. While other shows splintered the fanbase in a relatively small way, the fact that more than a year after its release, some fans are still enraged. The split in the fanbase is near 50/50 if you go off the Rotten Tomato user review percentage; and can be best exemplified from the extremely pissed-off reaction from the members of the Star Trek TOS Facebook thread; and the praise-lauding reaction from fan sites like [=TrekBBS=]. Even Enterprise, a show often regarded as the low-bar for Star Trek television; did not garner such a reaction on its release; and a year later most of the outrage had quietened down.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Easily the biggest split of the TNG era shows for a variety of reasons. It is noticeably darker & edgier than the other shows of the era, until Season 3 and the Defiant shows up there's no major Starship involved and there are a lot more intertwined story threads & arcs that weave in & out, which culminates in the Dominion War that lasts two full seasons. While there was criticism aimed at Voyager for it's quality & writing, it never got the "It's not real Star Trek" criticism that Deep Space Nine has received since it began airing.

*** Over-saturation. Older queens bemoan the fact that the scene is now flooded with young people who grew up watching the show and have underestimated how much work goes into drag and how little most gigs pay, and others miss the pre-''Drag Race'' days when drag was still an underground subculture, since people are now attending shows without knowing anything about the culture or audience etiquette and expecting the performers to look just as polished as the queens on TV. The usual retort is that gay clubs ''[[MoneyDearBoy need the business]]''[[note]]They aren't pulling the crowds that they used to thanks to hook-up apps and social progress meaning fewer queer people rely on the club scene to socialize or find partners[[/note]]. The increased interest in drag from the show has been a boon for many gay clubs, even if that means dealing with the occasional ignorant patron.

* ''Series/RupaulsDragRace'':

* ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss''

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Where to even start? The show, for the most part, had a pretty solid base for the first four seasons. Then the rest of the show happened. Even within TV viewers, you have book fans and TV fans with their own micro divisions.
** Who should or should not have been AdaptedOut of the show is contentious amongst book readers.
** Jaime's story arc is also hotly debated. Was it tragically fitting, or completely unsatisfying? Adding fuel to the fire is the fact some fans aren't sure if he's actually redeemable.
** Dany's story arc is the biggest point of contention within the fandom, but for different reasons. For several different reasons. Some see her downfall as fitting, but the way it happened wasn't earned. Some just don't like her arc regardless of the show's (or [[DeathOfTheAuthor George R.R. Martin's]]) intentions. Then there's fans trying to convince everyone that her arc was decently executed. Who's the actual vocal minority among the belligerents is also a bitterly contested debate. Though the haters are very prominent on Reddit, message boards, and [=YouTube=], and most TV critics didn't help with their negative reviews either.
*** Some also see Dany as a victim of bad MoralLuck... or just plain bad writing.
** The Battle of Winterfell is just as controversial as Dany's character arc. The way it easily ended infuriated some fans, while others hated the episode because they couldn't see anything (due to the dim lighting). The explanation from the production team was also controversial. And of course there were those who said they saw everything perfectly fine. This is arguably the episode where fans of the mythos dropped the show and just read the leaks instead. General consensus seems to be that the battle was a let down and was nowhere near the level of [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Battle of Helm's Deep]].
** The show also always suffered from a severe case of fans who preferred the fantasy elements vs those who prefered the political intrigue.
** In the beginning, there were a few viewers who claimed the show was moving too slowly while others say they like the slow burn. After 2 episodes of Season 6, an opposing group of fans started saying it's moving too fast, especially after Season 7.
** The treatment of the Tyrells. Some people like it, thinking it fleshes out Margaery Tyrell more and shows more of the political intrigue. Others think the added Tyrell scenes, especially in S4 and S5, aren't that important to the overall plot and are basically pandering to the base. Then the scenes of Margaery sexually manipulating Tommen are very contentious due to Tommen's unclear age (especially as he continues acting like a child) making Margaery seem like a sexual abuser and sexual predator, especially as their relationship in the books is non-sexual due to Tommen's age. And while the Tyrells are important to the plot, some people think their emphasis is annoying as it takes too much time away from other significant characters, such as Stannis. Then there's their AdaptationalHeroism, taking away a lot of the moral ambiguity of the books.
** Whether or not Olly was a sympathetic character or not. Many hate Olly, while others say his haters don't get the character's nuance. There's middle ground with some people saying AlasPoorScrappy, thinking it was a case of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter.
** The overall ending is also contested. The ending is allegedly supposed to have been a "bittersweet" ending, but some actually see it as a "bittersour" ending, bordering on a EsotericHappyEnding. There's even some fans who believe that the ending was actually ''too'' sweet, which seems bizarrely out of tone for the show.
** In fact the division among fans are so bad that the fans that defend the show are called apologists and "''fookin kneelers''" by dissenters.
** On a ''much'' lighter note fans are all on the same page about the series finale creating a TON of devastatingly hilarious memes.

*** Uninclusiveness. Creator/{{RuPaul}} has made several controversial statements towards transgender people over the years, as well as the fact that he doesn't allow post-op trans women, drag kings, or bioqueens (cisgender women who perform female drag) to compete on the show. The usual retort is that limiting the competition to cisgender men and pre-op trans women helps maintain an even playing field, which has lead to many a debate over the very definition of drag, as well as whether or not one can watch the show to enjoy the contestants without necessarily agreeing with [=RuPaul=].

*** Over-saturation. Older queens bemoan the fact that the drag scene is now flooded with young people who grew up watching the show and have underestimated how much work goes into drag and how little most gigs pay, and others miss the pre-''Drag Race'' days when drag was still an underground subculture, since people are now attending shows without knowing anything about the culture or audience etiquette and expecting the performers to look just as polished as the queens on TV. The usual retort is that gay clubs ''[[MoneyDearBoy need the business]]''. They aren't getting the crowds that they used to thanks to hook-up apps and social progress meaning fewer queer people have to rely on the club scene to socialize or find partners[[note]]While a ''good'' thing overall, bars that have been decades-long pillars of the community have been going out of business as a result.[[/note]]. The increased interest in drag from the show has been a boon for many gay clubs, even if that means dealing with the occasional ignorant patron.

*** Over-saturation. Older queens bemoan the fact that the drag scene is now flooded with young people who grew up watching the show and have underestimated how much work goes into drag and how little most gigs pay, and others miss the pre-''Drag Race'' days when drag was still an underground subculture, since people are now attending shows without knowing anything about the culture or audience etiquette and expecting the performers to look just as polished as the queens on TV. The usual retort is that gay clubs ''[[MoneyDearBoy need the business]]''. They aren't getting the crowds that they used to thanks to hook-up apps and social progress meaning fewer queer people have to rely on the club scene to socialize or find partners[[note]]While a ''good'' thing overall, bars that have been decades-long pillars of the community have been going out of business as a result.[[/note]]. The increased interest in drag from the show has resulted in much-needed business for the clubs, even if that means dealing with the occasional ignorant patron.

*** Over-saturation. Older queens bemoan the fact that the drag scene is now flooded with young people who grew up watching the show and have underestimated how much work goes into drag and how little most gigs pay, and others miss the pre-''Drag Race'' days when drag was still an underground subculture, since people are now attending shows without knowing anything about the culture or audience etiquette and expecting the performers to look just as polished as the queens on TV. The usual retort is that gay clubs aren't getting the crowds that they used to since the rise of hook-up apps and social progress means fewer queer people have to rely on the club scene to socialize or find partners[[note]]While a ''good'' thing overall, bars that have been decades-long pillars of the community have been going out of business as a result.[[/note]], and the increased interest in drag from the show has resulted in much-needed business for the clubs, even if that means dealing with the occasional ignorant patron.