Modern Media Is Broken Because It’s Selfish
Greg Owen
305,740 views
Why do so many modern shows feel like they hate their audience? From The Acolyte and Bridgerton to Rings of Power and Wheel of Time, today’s writers have a troubling habit of taking beloved stories and turning them into vanity projects. In this video, we break down why selfishness — not politics — is the real cancer in modern entertainment.
George R.R. Martin recently praised Shogun for respecting its source material. So why can’t other studios do the same? Instead of serving the audience, they serve themselves — and audiences are finally tuning out.
🎥 We’ll cover:
The narcissism behind The Acolyte and Bridgerton
Why Rings of Power is actual fan fraud
How Shogun, Dune, and One Piece got it right
Why Baldur’s Gate 3 and Black Myth: Wukong give hope
A fatherly reminder about service and success
🎤 If you’re tired of being told “it’s not for you,” you’re not alone. This video explains why it keeps happening, and what’s finally changing.
💬 COMMENT: What’s the worst adaptation you’ve seen? And what gave you hope?
🔔 Subscribe for honest reviews, cultural commentary, and fatherly wisdom every week.
0:00 – George R.R. Martin Warns Us
2:00 – Why Adaptations Keep Getting Worse
4:30 – The Rise of the Selfish Showrunner
8:20 – The Acolyte: Lightsabers as Therapy
11:45 – Deadpool vs. “For Me” Content
15:00 – Bridgerton: Francesca to Michaela?
19:10 – Fraudulent Adaptations Explained
23:00 – Rings of Power: No Talent, No Theme
27:30 – Dune, Cavill, and One Piece Give Hope
32:00 – Baldur’s Gate 3 & Wukong Win Without Pandering
35:00 – A Father’s Message: Serve or Fail
#ShogunFX #TheAcolyte #RingsOfPower #Bridgerton #WheelOfTime #GeorgeRRMartin #ModernMedia #WokeWriting #AudienceFirst #Dune2 #OnePieceNetflix #BaldursGate3 #BlackMythWukong #HollywoodTrends #AdaptationDisaster #YouTubeCommentary
Check out all my approved coffee and tea accoutrements: https://amzn.to/3IBDg5r
We have fun on this channel, but please invest in yourself with something like Udemy: https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/...
I learned C# programing with this one: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id...
I'm learning piano with this one: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id...
Get a FREE month of Audible here: https://www.audibletrial.com/GregOwen
20 Comments
they really think they are 'educating' the audience (and sometimes even the author of the source material)
You know we have a problem.
However, you can’t really explore the theme of infertility with a character who is actively in a homosexual relationship. It’s not even in the cards for them. It completely changes the characters arc, struggles, themes, and character. It’s not just a queer exploration, it’s downright a new and different character who faces new and different obstacles.
I feel like some famous author said something about that one time.
100% accurate. 😲
Modern Media Is Broken Because It’s Selfish
Greg Owen
305,740 views
Why do so many modern shows feel like they hate their audience? From The Acolyte and Bridgerton to Rings of Power and Wheel of Time, today’s writers have a troubling habit of taking beloved stories and turning them into vanity projects. In this video, we break down why selfishness — not politics — is the real cancer in modern entertainment.
George R.R. Martin recently praised Shogun for respecting its source material. So why can’t other studios do the same? Instead of serving the audience, they serve themselves — and audiences are finally tuning out.
🎥 We’ll cover:
The narcissism behind The Acolyte and Bridgerton
Why Rings of Power is actual fan fraud
How Shogun, Dune, and One Piece got it right
Why Baldur’s Gate 3 and Black Myth: Wukong give hope
A fatherly reminder about service and success
🎤 If you’re tired of being told “it’s not for you,” you’re not alone. This video explains why it keeps happening, and what’s finally changing.
💬 COMMENT: What’s the worst adaptation you’ve seen? And what gave you hope?
🔔 Subscribe for honest reviews, cultural commentary, and fatherly wisdom every week.
0:00 – George R.R. Martin Warns Us
2:00 – Why Adaptations Keep Getting Worse
4:30 – The Rise of the Selfish Showrunner
8:20 – The Acolyte: Lightsabers as Therapy
11:45 – Deadpool vs. “For Me” Content
15:00 – Bridgerton: Francesca to Michaela?
19:10 – Fraudulent Adaptations Explained
23:00 – Rings of Power: No Talent, No Theme
27:30 – Dune, Cavill, and One Piece Give Hope
32:00 – Baldur’s Gate 3 & Wukong Win Without Pandering
35:00 – A Father’s Message: Serve or Fail
#ShogunFX #TheAcolyte #RingsOfPower #Bridgerton #WheelOfTime #GeorgeRRMartin #ModernMedia #WokeWriting #AudienceFirst #Dune2 #OnePieceNetflix #BaldursGate3 #BlackMythWukong #HollywoodTrends #AdaptationDisaster #YouTubeCommentary
Check out all my approved coffee and tea accoutrements: https://amzn.to/3IBDg5r
We have fun on this channel, but please invest in yourself with something like Udemy: https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/...
I learned C# programing with this one: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id...
I'm learning piano with this one: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id...
Get a FREE month of Audible here: https://www.audibletrial.com/GregOwen
My teenagers think what I do is cool, or parts of it, anyway. My eldest is into writing and graphic design, so we discuss shows and movies and their themes, characters, dialog, arcs, enneagrams, etc. It helps to organize my thoughts for videos, and we get to spend time together while I'm technically still working. She's the one who designed my logo. But she has also been studying thumbnail design and theory, hence the new style for this video and two recent ones. I love the new 'movie poster' style she's shooting for, and I like this new font. And she likes getting paid. It's a win-win.
My other daughter is semi-interested in writing and joins the discussions, but she was really interested to know how editing works. So I showed her one day, and she immediately got into it, just like I did. Finding the right piece of footage, or getting the timing of a joke cut just right, it's so satisfying. She did the rough cut on this one and then did a majority of the b-roll in the second half. When I'm describing how Rings of Power delivered a terrible product, she's the one who decided to use the clip of a hand opening to display the corrupt rings. When I said the audience loved Dune, she chose the clip of Paul's fist in the air and the group of Fremen cheering in response. I showed her where the files were and said go for it, thinking she'd just find some random clips to cover the cuts and distract from my face every few seconds, but she sought out footage to enhance the script. She just *gets it*, it's impressive. The pay helps, too. Win-wins, all around.