Urgeok Ramblings - Re-evaluating TV
 

Back in the 80's I swore off TV. Beta machines were available for rent (too damn expensive to buy yet), and the movie channel's were starting up on cable.

this was because i loved movies - and TV was almost 100% garbage. sitcoms and game shows. The last show i watched around that time which i enjoyed was Happy Days.

since then - i've watched nothing but movies. Every now and then someone would 'force' me to watch something on TV when i was at their place .. because this new show was sooooo awsome.

Like that TV show Bruce Willis started on .. all i saw was a TV version Mickey Rourke wannabe.

then cheers .... crap

seinfield .... garbage

friends ... FUCK OFFFFFFFFFF !!!!

stupid shows. sit-coms are the absolute worse. obvious unfunny sexual innuendo isnt TV worthy .. yet people ate that shit up... (woahhh ... he really was implying ... 'his dick !!!! woahhh wow - crazy envelope pushing stuff right there.)

everything i saw made me hate TV more. It was obvious home video was having an effect. the little snippets i saw showed that TV was upping the ante - trying to compete with home video. even commercials were higher gloss ... employing a lot of film techniques (which work better in a film, mr shakey cam trying to make a pain killer commercial seem less static)

but....


something has happened lately ... thanks to DVD, thanks to HBO ...

I've found some TV shows i actually like lately. Dead Like Me, Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, arrested developement, robot chicken... i even found Boston Legal entertaining thanks largely to James Spader, William Shatner, and some snappy writing that seems to avoid most of the shit chiches the crap from back in the day fell into.

and because i watch them on DVD .. no commercials .. i can fast forward through opening credits ... i dont have to wait a week for the conclusion of a cliff hanger.

I've even gone back and gotten some old series boxsets for nostalgias sake.


Now - i'm not saying that i expect to like even the shows i dig forever. these things have a habit of falling in on themselves.

The ideas run out, the writers change, series are stretched out far longer than they should be to keep the cash coming.
See, a big change for the dramatic series is that you have to see them from the very beginning. the trend has been lately - that the season is one big story... you cant jump into it from the middle - you miss the whole point.

it's cool in one way - but bad in another - often they try to stretch a show to serve the running time ... so instead of the tight lean show that started ... it becomes bloated and less relevant as it goes.

I'm praying the shows i like dont go this way. I havent seen season 3 of Dexter yet - and each year i'm almost afraid to watch the new season because i dont want to be there when they run out of ideas ... especially since the premise itself presents some serious limitations. so far some very clever and talented people have avoided this trap .. but sooner or later it's bound to happen.

Battlestar Galactica is ending after season 4. gotta respect that.
eventually there needs to be a resolution ... not something rushed because the series didnt get renewed .... but something planned .. the natural completion of the story.

its definately better to burn out - than to fade away.



sorry about the ramble. feel free to mention all of the crappy shows you watch that i'm likely to despise :D

Your so right man, i like your whole "friends fuck offf!!" thing haha. I love watching robot chicken but alot of the tv shows on today suck. I just buy the older sitcoms like happy days, cosby show, my three sons, and i just recently bought looney toons on dvd, I loved that cartoon when i was younger. I also bought myself abbott and costello the whole pack. I love older shows. Another thing thats pissing me off is Reality shows :mad: Most of them are just really horrible especially mtv. Stupid HILLS! i hate that stupid show so much.

I like TV. I watch more TV than movies. I find many things I like, you just have to sift through all of the rubbish.

I am still very selective about what i bother to watch, most of it is still garbage. However:

Dexter: good stuff
South Park: Insightful subtext and toilet humor. Plus they "go there" when other shows just think they do
Grey's Anatomy: Hey, gives me somethign to watch with my wife. Plus there is plenty of funny, and some horrifying injuries.

Hmm... Weird. I think that is it. And I dont even really watch Dexter, i just listen in while my wife watches it and I do computer stuff.

i dont even know what that is.

one of the things about not watching TV - is when you say it people dont believe you ...

they'll mention some big popular show i'll have never heard of and they'll think i'm lying. (i have heard the name Greys Anatomy - but i have no idea what it is)

i think i was most suprised when i first heard about some show called
Charmed. it ran for 8 years !!! never heard a word about it.



i have to correct a statememnt though - i have watched a lot of kids shows on TV in the last 6 years or so. I watch everything with my kid. so i'm up on whats happening on Treehouse, teletoon, and the family channel

only tv i watch is family guy, and once in a while ufc and wec fights...since i moved to the garage, i havent had cable television. im not missing out on much,,,

Argh the crap they show over here is exactly that ..CRAP..
so many friends re runs..the simpsons 3x in a row on channel 3.
everybody loves raymond re runs..!!
all the freaking hospital programmes all repeats..
then we get those fucken rich family series where everybody is screwing everybody elses wives n husbands...sex in the city crap ..an ooooooooooooh
so many reality shit..'rolls her eyes'.

Charmed...eugh. But 8 years? Wow. I have relatives that watch it, but I can't be bothered. I tried once, utter rubbish.


I do watch a lot of other stuff.

-family guy
-south park
-Doctor Who
-Torchwood
-the simpsons
-american dad
-Little Britain
-Scrubs
-QI
-Mock the Week
-Never Mind the Buzzcocks
-Malcolm in the Middle.

Many many others. Those are just the ones I can think of.

I find it somewhat ironic Urge that you watch so many crappy movies and claim to like them, but you'll give short shrift to good TV. It took me a while to break down and watch Seinfeld, but I loved it once I did. There's a lot of satire there- especially the whole arc they did about Jerry & George creating a sitcom "about nothing" - affording them the opportunity to parody themselves.

Most sitcoms ARE garbage- clones of clones of clones. Mad About You was an exception, IMO. Every episode was a tiny jewel that ran like a one act play. Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt were the perfect New York couple and the supporting cast had some amazing suprises- Hank Azaria, Mel Brooks, Sid Caeser, Steven Wright, Carol Burnett... on and on.

I'm a fan of the Nighttime Drama as well- the extended run really affords actors an opportunity to delve into a character and create subtlety and depth the way a movie can't. It also affords writers a chance to delve into issues and take on topical subjects in a way that movies can't. I like Boston Legal for the same reasons you mention, though I'll admit I haven't watched since Rene Aberjonuos left.

NYPD Blue I loved for the same reason- Denis Franz created a singular character that was brilliant- a flawed, tragic hero. Another brillianr supporting cast.

ER did the same for me. Also tackled many important subjects. Same for St. Elsewhere and LA Law. Currently CSI (only the original, not the spinoffs) has a unique approach- combining a unique visual style with compelling characters and an emphasis on scientific puzzles. I could go on, but those are highlights for me.

I appreciate where you're coming from because I was a TV snob for years myself. Most TV is indeed crap- but so are most movies. The best TV is a joy and a revelation that can teach, inspire, involve and entertain. I don't hate it or love it any more or less than any other form of media. Every type of media has its strengths and weaknesses. Find the bright spots and ignore the rest.

short shrift to what you consider to be good tv ? :)

i've said many a time that i'd rather watch (what you consider to be) a bad movie than (what people consider to be) good TV.


I can almost always find something i like in the movie ... i'm happy to invest 90 ad free minutes in a movie rather than a 20 min sit-com. at least the movies are different people in different situations - not the same guys doing the same things every week ... with some moral message tacked on.

plus - and here's the thing i forgot to mention in the origional post ....

when i watch entertainment - i like to be a fly on a wall .. not a member of live studio audience.... i dont like the presentation you get with a sit-com (i'm mentioning these specifically because you mentioned Friends)

it's like watching a play ... and i dont enjoy most plays .. i find watching live plays stressfull ...
there - the truth is out - sue me...
(i do however - enjoy musicals)

most plays play to the audience .. they pause for the laughs - they project their voices unnaturally (understandably) they are aware that the audience is there ... i don't enjoy that format.

i love movies - pure escapism - where i can lose myself in the film .. events taking place without the players being aware that they are being watched.


its not right or wrong - it's just the way i am - and one important key as to why i dont like most TV.


and by the way - i dont watch shitty movies on purpose ... i'm just curious about movies and i'll try them out... but I'm not curious about watching TV because of a combination of all the reasons i gave.

and i dont claim to like anything .. i either like them or i dont...
its not something i would bullshit about.

I didn't mention Friends.

Oh I do like a couple of programmes, the only thing is..
the series has been cancelled over here..
law and order
boston legal
and that high school one with the negro principal.
uuuuuuummmm boston something.
Em now watching foreign channels
I can't understand a bloody word..but
when they laugh..I LAUGH.
when they cry..I CRY

etc.

Boston Public... probably cancelled over there because it's been long gone. It ran from 200-2004.

oh ..that would do it..

I. LOVE. Television.

I'll completely admit it. I spend way too much of my life watching it, but, for good of bad (and sometimes it's the BAD that's so ridiculously GOOD), I love it.

Urge - I'm PSYCHED that you're into and totally love Battlestar. Quite possibly the best show on television for a while. And though I'm sad to see it go at the end of this season, I'm glad that the writers have the knowhow to quit when they're ahead (that and there have been some really REALLY bad episodes).

Other television that I watch(ed):

Comedies:

• It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Quite possibly the funniest and most WRONG television show on television right now. Amazing acting talent, brilliant writing and just... incredible. I can't stress how amazing this show is. Everyone should watch it.
• The Office (British Version) - Quite possibly one of the funniest shows that I've seen in my life. Too bad it only lasted two seasons. Could and should have pulled out at least one or two more.
• The Office (American Version) - I think that this is a FANTASTIC adaptation of the British version (I say adaptation because, after the Pilot episode, it took its own path and every actor made the character their own).
• Scrubs - I thought this was cute for a while, but then got tired of Zach Braff whining.
• Arrested Development - This show was cut off WAY before its time. I think that the American audience was just not ready or interested in muted, edgy humor.
• Pushing Daisies - Dead like Me meets Princess Bride. Unblushingly charming. I adore it. Heard it got cancelled, though. Too bad.
• 30 Rock - Not amazing, but definitely has some funny moments. Alec Baldwin is the MASTER.
• The Simpsons - Used to plan my week around them. Unfortunately, they've been in a constant state of SUCK since 2001. Haven't really watched them since.

Dramas

• Battlestar Galactica - I can't gush about this one enough. Brilliant writer (overall) and incredible, believable acting jobs. I am also impressed how believably strong all of their female characters are. I am in LOVE with this show.
• Dead Like Me - Too bad it only lasted the two seasons. Damn Mandy Patinkin flying the coupe to do his CSI stint. Bleah. I hear that they're going to bring it back without him, but... I'm just not sure how. :(
• House - I LOVE Hugh Lori and I think that at the outset, this show was fantastic. Now it's a bit formulaic and overly-dramatic for me, but I still watch it.

And, now, my vault of SHAME...

CHRONO'S GUILTY PLEASURES

It's sad, but I completely eat up the Reality TV franchise. I'm not going to defend it; it's pure utter mindless trash and it amuses me.

I watch or have watched:

• Top Chef - AMAZING cooking show. These people have ridiculous amounts of talent.
• Project Runway - I think I'm in love with Tim Gunn. TALK about people with huge amounts of talent. I just get swept away. I actually think that both this and Top Chef are two underrated shows as they are both attempting to foster talent.
• Survivor - Not as trashy as what's about to follow, but this show is really growing on me. My boyfriend's family LOVES it and it's a Thursday-night tradition for us.

And then the REAL trashy stuff...

• Flavor of Love II and III
• I Love New York I and II
• New York Goes to Hollywood
• Rock of Love I and II (and looking forward to the upcoming one!!!)
• Shot of Love I and II
• I Love Money
• Rock of Love Charm School
• Scream Queens

In terms of recommending any of the above, the ONLY things that I'd actually put my name on are BSG, The Office (either one, depending on whom I'm talking to), Dead Like Me, Arrested Development, Pushing Daisies, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Project Runway.

Everything else I've either gotten over or realize that it's a complete required taste.

In terms of Friends, I have to admit it... I DID watch it. But, hey... At the time I was a teenage girl in middle - high school. I was the target demo. And it worked. Until it got all into Ross and Rachel, Ross and Rachel... Breaking up, getting back together... Breaking up, getting back together... MY HEART COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Also - We don't have any premium channels, so I've missed out on a lot of shows on HBO, etc. that people have been raving about.

I like Top Chef too. You don't watch any of the Gordon Ramsay shows?

Survivor is the most deliciously sadistic show on TV. -Take 16-20 total strangers force the to live with each other in the jungle as teams and form bonds that will inevitably be shattered because there can only be 1 winner. I love it. Never missed an episode.

ooops .. seinfeld (interchangeable for me)

i heard good things about this one - picked up season one a while back and forgot i had it until i read this :o

i picked up 30 rock on a recommendation as well - but didnt find it that funny... seemed forced to me.

Not really, because your comment was about sitcoms being filmed in front of a live audience, and Seinfeld wasn't.

Same with the nighttime dramas I mentioned. You can be your "fly on the wall" watching them.

Television has replaced religeon as the opiate of the masses.
I find with many of the people I know casually that television tells them what to think - and they listen. I find sitcoms insulting - I am offended when a TV show feels it has to put fake laughter in to let the audience know something was funny. I think I am smart enough to recognize funny without a map. I don't watch them. It also annoys the hell out of me when people start repeating catch phrases from TV shows. It makes me want to moo at them - c'mon follow the herd.
Now that I think about it - I'm sure I've ranted about this before...
I do like to watch shows that teach me something or requires me to think, such as CSI - there aren't many of these.
My one guilty pleasure is Family Guy.
Reality shows are a waste of bandwidth - an extravaganza of the absurd and disgusting. People using people.
Game shows like Deal or no Deal are a celebration of greed.
I only keep cable so I can get the Scream channel.
I prefer to read a book rather than watch the mind numbing dross that fills the time between commercials.

LOVE Top Chef. The only issue that I have with it (which is a function of the show itself) is that I can't actually taste the food so that removes me one step farther from the Judges' decisions. At least with Project Runway I can SEE what their critiques are.

That being said, this is a pretty strong year for Top Chef and I'd love for any of them to cook for me!

No, I haven't watched any of the other Gordon Ramsay shows... Are they on Bravo too? Or Food Network? Personally, I don't watch enough Food Network.

Report back about Pushing Daisies. I was so incredibly romanced by it... It gets a little formulaic after a while, but that's the nature of the show and the format that they chose.

In terms of 30 Rock, that's EXACTLY how I felt with the first season. I actually watched the Pilot and a couple of other episodes and thought it was ridiculously overrated.

Then last year I started watching it again (since it was cleverly lined up after The Office, which I watch every week), and it had gotten SIGNIFICANTLY better. Seriously. They're going in the more absurd direction and Alec Baldwin is just hilarious. I think that last season was incredible, though Season 1 was pretty weak. Haven't been that impressed with this season so far.

...

Also, I forgot to mention...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Complete and utter guilty pleasure. I picked it up on reruns when I was in college (it would be on from like 3 - 5 on weekday afternoons; perfect timing when you're trying to avoid studying) and i just fell in love with it (it was the musical episode that did me in).

Lost - I was OBSESSED with this show in Seasons 1 and 2. Then Season 3 started getting more drama-driven and it lost my interest. I don't need 90210 on an island. I've heard that it's gotten better, but I haven't taken the time to catch up.

I think it's ridiculous to pay 60 bucks a month for basic cable around here so I don't have it...but I watch a lot of Niptuck, weeds, I dream of Jeannie, x-files, all of the vh1 reality shows, and myth busters.

Ahhhhh, X-Files. I was SO obsessed with that show in High School. Another one that I'd structure my Sunday around.

I think that it lost some steam sometime around 2000 - 2001. The writing just... went... bad.

But I think that it was a true ground-breaking show, though. I wish that there were more like it (and Fringe doesn't count because the writing is so awful I find it mind-blowing).

I grew up watching quality TV.....Mr. ED, My Mother the Car, Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, My Favorite Martian....no comparison to the shit that's on today.

I hate hate hate hate "Reality TV" ....FUCKING HATE IT

I liked Seinfeld....Friends was aight.

Right now I only watch Dexter and an episode of Scrubs once in a while.

my favorite was The Beverly Hillbillies.

just funny - no morals, no messages.

So many people hate Ramsay...I LOVE HIS SHOWS! And I usually hate cooking programmes. Kitchen Nightmares is great, where he just basically tells the guys to shut the fuck up and do something good.

Urge, I think you sound like you haven't given TV a fair chance in a while. You didn't like it then so you assume you won't like it now. So many things are different that look the same at first glance (Friends and Seinfeld), so many shows aren't like the ones you've described.

Kitchen Nightmares is on BBC America & Fox- there are two versions, an American and a British version. Every week he goes to a different restaraunt that has requested his help because they are losing money and about to go under. He tells them what they need to do to fix their problems- which of course none of them want to do because it involves admitting they're all morons. There's also a Kitchen Nightmares Revisited where he goes back to places he's been before.

Hell's Kitchen is on Fox. It's ind of like Top Chef except it all takes place in Ramsay's restaraunt Hell's Kitchen and the only judge is Ramsay. Ramsay is a very "ascerbic" character and likes to yell & swear at everyone.

Don't worry....season 3 will not disappoint

1 more left for the season and I'm on the edge of my seat

The only four shows I watch all the time are the following:

Dexter
Entourage
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Dirty Sexy Money

Everything else is just stuff I might watch if there is nothing to do or something but I normally am always around waiting to watch those four shows.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh right - THAT'S the guy. Personally, I HATE how that show (Kitchen's Nightmare) is pitched; it's so incredible sensational and they're obviously trying to grab cross-market from people who like Simon Cowell from Idol.

HOWEVER, despite the poor marketing, I've caught a couple of episodes and I actually think it's a great show; I really like how he turns those restaurants around. The last show that I saw was a "recap" where he revisited some of the restaurants that he made over and it was a great episode. I haven't committed to the show, but I've liked what I've seen.

I fancy myself something of an elitist with regards to television, mostly news and Jeopardy. The last thing I'd expect to like would be a cooking show. But my wife started watching Top Chef and I'll be darned if I can't tear my face away when it's on. And it's not because of the fox with the long black hair. The show is well nigh addicting.

The shows I enjoy most are the older ones: Combat (my all time favorite), Star Trek, The Addams Family, The Beverley Hillbillies, Johnny Quest :)

If it's on, I'm there, and it's somewhat interesting I'll watch it usually. Often times it's just noise in the background anyway.