What on earth has happened to television programming? Sidelined by the icky weather since New Years and unable to focus on a good book due to a documented phenomenon known as Chemo Brain, I have been relying on what my Daddy calls the Idiot Box for entertainment.
I’ve decided his description is about right.
Old movies are my genre of choice but occasionally the Three Stooges (too light), or Moby Dick (too dark) force me to channel surf. What I’ve found makes me want to go take a bath and wash my own mouth out with soap.
When did reality TV take over the air waves and why hasn’t The Learning Channel (TLC) lost its license for dehumanizing the human race. Its moniker should be changed to the Trashy Lascivious Channel because it seems dedicated to depicting the rawness of life. It rolls out these shows loosely disguising them up as “documentaries.”
Au contraire mon fraire.
Wasn’t the network organized by the government to provide educational programming? Instead of showing beautiful episodes of how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly that you could watch with your children, it is bringing us in-your -face so-called reality with such titillating shows as “Here Comes Honey BooBoo”, “Hoarding: Buried Alive”, and “Extreme Cheapskates.”
The latter appealed to my frugal nature at first but I was appalled to take a peak at an episode involving a woman who does her laundry while she’s showering, scrubbing it up in the dirty water left standing in the bottom of the stall. She has also lowered her water bill by relieving herself in a lemonade bottle and pouring the contents on her compost pile. Uh, Uh. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing much less than what I was watching.
Why can’t they bring us helpful episodes like how to toilet train your cat or tame a chipmunk. Or how to remove your own appendix at home…using pot holders, a turkey baster, abd a pizza cutter. Now that would be worth watching.
It’s not just TLC bringing us this non-stop warped reality, it’s on Bravo (also organized for educational programming), and The History Channel which apparently has developed a loose screw. “Pawn Stars” and “American Pickers” isn’t what I think of as history. It’s kind of like labeling Cool Whip as a dairy product.
The popular “Biography” series is now chronicling the lives of evil gangsters or woman in death row in place of featuring great Americans and heroes down through the history of the world.
Now, hold on. I know some of you love reality TV and feel it has its place in the line-up.
Personally, I think this genre appeals to our inner Peeping Tom and I’ll be glad when the network moguls move on to some other means of shock and awe.
Amen Sister! This is why I cancelled my cable and hooked up an antenna. I have stepped back into the good old days with Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Hawkeye, etc. and I like it.
Ah, ME-TV (memory entertainment) … Just discovered it cause it doesn’t show up on guide at all. Love it! My new heart throb is Radar on MASH.
Get’em Emily, except for the America Pickers. Watching that show has confirmed for me that some of the junk I have hoarded over the years is worth money.
Boy, am I with you on this one! I’ve resorted to a ROKU box so that I can stream movies and old TV from Netflix. I’m currently hooked on Downton Abbey and some similar older BBC offerings.
Yvonne, I watched “Abbey” for first time Sunday night and already hooked. I understand people are having “abbey” parties. I’ve got to download previous seasons to get with the program.. Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to discover truly great entertainment.
Conley, what do the Picker’s pick?
Emily—–my favorite TV time is from 8-9 pm when I get to watch Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart on MeTV!! I try to let nothing interfere——-but, some times sleep does take over! Anyhow, there is nothing on regular TV that can compare with these cflassics.
Shirley D.
Has anyone but me been hearing/reading that cable and satellite are all going away, and that all of our tv’s will then be computers? Already, the NFL and other producers are contracting directly with computer networks, leaving out the middleman. Can total takeover be far away? Of course our computer systems will all have to be upgraded for adequate capacity, but it will happen.
Don’t know about everyone else, but I just wish I had an old fashioned tv without the digital. I’ve not enjoyed the digital from regular tv when not through the cable line. Liked the airway reception better on the old tv’s. When all this big switch takes place, what will happen to folks who don’t have a computer tv? Will
they even be able to hear what’s going on in the world…like interruptions for emergencies, etc. Radio can’t do that nearly as well as it did in the past when
news was more locally produced and live.
A friend in the Atlanta area was just watching the PBS show on women comedians. I’m sure I’ve seen that one in the past. Anyway, she said she
was rolling on the floor at all those old gals’ antics. I remember it beign
very funny as well…much better than what’s available now, other than these
rare exceptions using old footage.
I’ve heard of tv on demand, but WHERE do we go to demand? Anybody know?
Cuz