There is something wrong with the version ofRoseannestreaming on Peacock.
Its the same thing thats wrong with the version ofIts a Different Worldon Netflix.
Eyes float in sockets.
Screenshots from ‘A Different World’ after they’ve been hit with an AI upscaler.© Netflix screengrabs.
The fine detail in the background of shots, especially anything with text, is strange and indecipherable.
Theyve been upscaled from their original broadcast format using AI and uploaded in 4K.
The hallucinatory results are a nightmare.
© Peacock screengrab.
The problems withA Different Worldwere first noticed by Scott Hanselman anddetailedon his TikTok account.
Futurism thencovered the phenomenon, pulling a lot of horrifying shots from the beloved sitcom.
I reached out to Netflix for comment but didnt hear back.
© Peacock screengrab.
Like all things on Netflix that it doesnt own, one day,A Different Worldwill leave.
The problem is probably The Carsey-Werner Company.
All ten seasons ofRoseanneare on Peacock, and theyve also been hit by a grotesque AI upscaler.
©Peacock screengrab.
This show fared better thanA Different World, but all the tells are there.
The latter problem is glaring in the seasons where Rosanne runs a diner called The Lanford Lunch Box.
The change toRoseanneis recent, and Carsey-Werner is quite proud of it.
Variety announced the remaster at the end of February, and it went live on Monday.
TheRoseanneremaster does not honor the original content.
The content has been made grotesque by the process.
Something beautiful was destroyed.
Even the video announcement the company used to advertise the remaster is riddled with AI artifacting.
Carsey-Werner did not return Gizmodos request for comment about the process it used for the remaster.
I have some sympathy here.
Watching an old show on a new TV is always a compromise.
Cheers, a show that started airing in 1982, looks incredible on modern televisions.
The remaster ofTheX-Filesis great, too.
But all that care and love takes time and money.
Itcost $70,000 per episodeto remasterStar Trek: The Next Generation.
The remasters ofCheers, The X-Files,andStar Trekwere done with loving care by skilled archivists.
AI upscaling is, presumably, faster and cheaper.
The results also look like shit.
You have to be your own archivist.
Hold on to digital prints.
But even that isnt a guarantee.
The VHS tape degrades with every playthrough.DVDs rot.
All things move toward their end.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Get your finest dark clothing and all your creepy things, part one ofWednesdayseason two is dropping in August.
