That's why they call them critics...

Available in the Your Dad 
section of your local bookstore.

Wait, what arena? What's that? What do I mean what arena? I don't know! Ask Navy Seal turned author Jack Carr. He appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to talk about the disparity between-huh? No, I didn't watch goddamn Tucker Carlson, what do you take me for? I'm reading about this whole thing online. Anyway, it's about the disparity between the critical reception and user reviews of the TV series based on his book called The Terminal List. And no, I didn't read the book or watch the show.

They made it for gladiators? Does...
does he not know what an arena is?

But that's not important. What is important is James Carr's explanation as to why on Rotten Tomatoes the critical review average is 43% while the audience average score is 94%.

"It falls right in line with everything that I understand about the current culture and climate in America right now. It seems to have triggered quite a few of these critics. The 95 [sic, it's gone down a point] percent viewer rating, audience rating makes it all worth it. We didn't make it for the critics. We made it for those in the arena."

-James Carr, blaming politics for shitty reviews

"Finally, a tv show made for people like me."

-a straight white guy

Ok, fine. He's not blaming politics. But there definitely a hint of "Them librul elite critics done didn't like my movie, but no skin off may ass. The regular folks love it!" right? And yes, "regular folks" means white dudes. A quick scan of the reviews on Metacritic (where the series has a 40/100 critic score) suggests that the general feeling is that the show is boring, takes itself too seriously, and probably would have been better as a two hour movie rather than an eight hour series. Which doesn't grab strike me as a case of effete reviewers failing to connect with "real America." 

But whatever. Like I said, I don't have an opinion about The Terminal List, Chris Pratt (who stars in it), or even James Carr. Well, ok, I don't have an opinion beyond the idea that he doesn't seem to quite get what critics do for a living. 

Although going on Tucker Carlson's show doesn't exactly endear me him to me either. 

What? I don't want to watch Andy
from Parks and Rec shoot people.

I mean, everything is about politics right now. Everything. But is it at all possible that people who professionally review film and television just didn't like his show because it's not very good? Dour, mediocre, and wooden are words used to describe it. I'm not saying that everyone who reviews things for Variety or Entertainment Weekly is, by virtue of their position, an authority, but then that's the point of a review aggregate. If twenty five professional critics all called The Terminal List m'eh, it's probably, you know, m'eh. 

That's not to say it's objective garbage. Again, I'm not going to watch it, but not because of Rotten Tomatoes. I'm not going to watch it because I don't need eight episodes of guys with beards and guns talking about sit reps and evacs. But some people like it. Some people like urethral sounding (don't look that up). The point is "viewers" are just that, viewers. They view. They're not more right because they like a thing. It's a critic's job to analyze and then form an educated option about a work's merit. That's not politics, that's just how reviews work.

And then all of us use this information to make the decision
that's right for us. Because that's how America works, Tucker.