As Seen On TV
TV is still mostly bad and ugly, but there is a bit of good. PBS is TV worth watching. The News Hour does in-depth analysis every night and BBC news gives a global perspective on the U.S. The British dramas are deeply satisfying, with scenery as good as the acting. The Teletubbies connect to the mind of a child they way Mr. Rogers does.
Forget about commercial television for the obvious reasons: commercials about intimate problems and the rise of reality TV.
For family fun, take the Amish to Sin City and hope bad things happen. The curious can tape "Fear Factor" and fast forward to the best (worst) parts. On one episode the challenge was to drink a shake made of maggots and live flies. The contestants really do vomit before millions.
The cable channels are just as commercial. Any day now we can expect to tune in to the History Channel for "Sex Lives of the Mysterious Mummies."
Program promotion is worse than commercials. In the middle of a movie, many channels insert obnoxious sound effects along with a distracting corner wipe to announce the next program.
The Comedy Channel is mostly adult, which means sophomoric. South Park, though sometimes disgusting, uses genuine wit to jab at stupidity and injustice.
The Sci Fi channel is a major disappointment. Instead of "Attack of the Crab Monsters" we get bad made-for-TV. Driven by programming executives, "Sci Fi Originals" are not made from screenplays; they are made from scripts.
It will only get worse. We await the coming of a new technology that promises to block commercials. In the meanwhile, utilize the mute button. Or better yet, unplug.
Forget about commercial television for the obvious reasons: commercials about intimate problems and the rise of reality TV.
For family fun, take the Amish to Sin City and hope bad things happen. The curious can tape "Fear Factor" and fast forward to the best (worst) parts. On one episode the challenge was to drink a shake made of maggots and live flies. The contestants really do vomit before millions.
The cable channels are just as commercial. Any day now we can expect to tune in to the History Channel for "Sex Lives of the Mysterious Mummies."
Program promotion is worse than commercials. In the middle of a movie, many channels insert obnoxious sound effects along with a distracting corner wipe to announce the next program.
The Comedy Channel is mostly adult, which means sophomoric. South Park, though sometimes disgusting, uses genuine wit to jab at stupidity and injustice.
The Sci Fi channel is a major disappointment. Instead of "Attack of the Crab Monsters" we get bad made-for-TV. Driven by programming executives, "Sci Fi Originals" are not made from screenplays; they are made from scripts.
It will only get worse. We await the coming of a new technology that promises to block commercials. In the meanwhile, utilize the mute button. Or better yet, unplug.
posted by John Marsh at 3:07 PM
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