ONE DOWN, and counting....

POSTED BY: Ruxton
UPDATED: Thursday, April 21, 2005 11:51
VIEWED: 3635
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RUXTON

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 8:48 PM

Well, it happened.

U.S. TV is surely the worst-run enterprise most of us will ever experience. The main problems include stopping the storyline midway in the season for arbitray reasons. Then we're fed fill-in programs, most of which are of little interest to me, such as the Next Big Model, or the upcoming Starlet, and the like. They are boredom personified. Worse, while these things are on, we get no flashbacks to any of the main shows, like "Everwood," which I used to follow somewhat. The result is that those of us with better alternatives for entertainment, such as reading, or good DVDs of older programs, or a real life, forget what happened on Everwood.

Just last night was the first new episode of Everwood in many months. And though I tried, I couldn't bring myself to watch it because I no longer give a damn that Efram once again hates his father, that the other doctor has a patient who is about to give his gizzard to his dying son, or any of the other phony crapola that is supposed to hold our attention while we are forced, every hour, to sit through 18 minutes of blinding ads trying to sell us stuff we don't need.

Everwood? Who cares!

That's one show down, and mighty few to go.

I thought one or two of you might want to know how thoroughly disgusted I am with myself that it took so long for me to see the light. My salvation is that I finally had the guts to turn off at least one show forever.

(Veronica Mars is another story altogether.)

SERGEANTX

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 9:09 PM

whaaa? You're still watching television??

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

RUXTON

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 9:17 PM

SergeantX,

Yes, but I NEVER watch commercials. Instead, I play guitar, or read a book, or bite my dog, all far more entertaining than looking at new cars that cost more than my house. And I find I spend increasing amounts of time on PBS, when I do watch TV. A new Miss Marple was on last night....

A zillion kudos to those who have turned the TV entirely off.

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 9:24 PM

My television is merely a coduit for my dvd player.
And PBS Kids for my 6 year old.

Corporate commercial hating Chrisisall

RAE

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 9:59 PM

Amen! We got fed up with all the crap and commercials a few years ago. We have to be a little patient, but the shows we like are eventually released on dvd, and we buy the season. We have a LOT of dvds. But, the only time we get "to be continued" is between seasons. It is definitely worth the wait! We watch what we want, when we want, without interruptions.

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 10:16 PM

It's a little difficult, though. My friend (the gorram little Browncoat resister) keeps talkin' at me about Galactica, and I have to keep saying 'I'll discuss it after they're released on dvd!'
The only commercials I ever have to even think about is when I play my old Brisco County Jr. tapes, and that'll change when those come out to dvd too. ha ha

COMMERCIALS

Commercial-free Chrisisall

SERGEANTX

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 10:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ruxton:
SergeantX,

Yes, but I NEVER watch commercials. Instead, I play guitar, or read a book, or bite my dog, all far more entertaining than looking at new cars that cost more than my house. And I find I spend increasing amounts of time on PBS, when I do watch TV. A new Miss Marple was on last night....

A zillion kudos to those who have turned the TV entirely off.

Well, it's not like it's a moral issue or anything. It's just entertainment. The only reason I encourage people to turn off to TV is in hopes they that networks will be persuaded to start producing quality programming for a change. Or maybe even start treating viewers like people rather than cattle to be herded.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

SIGMANUNKI

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 12:05 AM

We have a VCR, buy DVD's and download. If the download's good, we buy when we have money.

Actually, for a large chunk of time, we watched DVD's and downloads for sooo long, when we watched some TV b/c we ran out of the other, it was weird to actually have these things called... commercials.

Funny thing is, when that happened, I actually reached for the VCR remote! Gave us a good giggle

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

STARBERRYGIRL

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 4:39 AM

Pulled the cable plug on our TV a couple of years ago (as a poor college student), and have for the most part been watching TV through DVD's, and the internet as well. The luxury of not having to sit through commercials has apparently spoiled me. I was staying in a hotel last weekend at a conference, and while flipping through the channels came across an episode of Buffy (Tabula Rasa, which I love watching on DVD). At the first commercial break, I started fidgeting and flipping through the channels, and by the second I just got so frusterated, I just turned the TV off, skipping the rest of the episode.
*sigh*
Television programming may not be considered the highest art, but, something really ought to be done about the sledgehammer thaty is the commercial break.

RUXTON

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 7:46 PM

It is most encouraging to see I'm not alone. I recently reread the entire Sherlock Holmes, illustrated edition from some years back, and then rediscovered the late Jeremy Brett's interpretations as DVDs. These are just brilliant, and follow the original Conan Doyle text and storyline extremely closely, which I find most gratifying. And there are somethink like 40 episodes, and they are so well done that rewatching them will be a joy for many years to come.

[TWO DOWN....]
Last night I added one to the list of NEVER AGAIN. That is "One Tree HIll." I slogged through it despite being able to predict what would happen. The show took up half its time backtracking the life of the guy driving to get his wife, who we knew would not come back with him. And the one brother got all angry at the other brother, predictably. This was after I'd been on the edge of my seat with the fast action and thoughtful presentation that is Veronica Mars. The Tree Hill show was, by contrast, so lame that -- despite Emmanuelle Vaugier and Hilarie Burton -- I won't be wasting another second on it. IMHO, the only good stuff was the pleasant interaction of the two folks who are actually engaged in real life.

Thanks for all your feedback. Much appreciated.

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