People in their 30's and beyond...your thoughts on television these days?

Question

Hi guys and gals! I am 34, and grew up with Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, Gilligans Isle, A-Team, Knight Rider, Cosby, Night Court, 3's Company, etc. I'm sure you know more than I. To be blunt, I am utterly disgusted with broadcast television now (I'm not considering cable here). Please don't get me wrong. I am not a prude in the least. But to me, the programming is boring, borish, full of sexual comments, language, nudity. The list goes on. All I watch anymore are sports, news, AFV (and even that is getting iffy), and Numbers on CBS (I'm a math teacher, and I found it sort of captivating). I've also heard Greys Anatomy is good, but I havn't seen it. Am I crazy? Is this just me? Do you guys buy into the reality shows and the rest of it? Has time left me standing still? Sorry, I don't like long questions, and this got that way. But please give my your thoughts! Thanks! If you know of any exceptional programs, please feel free to suggest them.

Hi! I've been reading your responses, thank you so much! IWe actually used to have cable when we lived in student housing, but I spent so much time channel surfing it was ridiculous! I appreciate your remarks, keep them coming!

Answer 1

You're right to think teevee's junk.

It's in a very bleak place, due to the money demands of the media conglomerates that own the networks and the studios. Everything has to be driven by the bottomline and this is more so now than ever before, since the soon to be looming retirements of my generation, the Baby Boomers, is almost upon us. Gotta pay the stakeholders after all, and the studios do this by cutting their talent and hiring 20 and 30 year olds with little writing experience, or having only a handful of writers that they keep spread very thinly. That's why those godawful reality shows are everywhere - a writer is one more cost you can jettison that way.

I imagine it will get to the point where it becomes so banal that viewers will turn off their sets for good, and the advertisers will demand lower ad rates for those fewer viewers that remain and it will spiral downward even faster. It's already getting so tight for dollars that the Neilsens ratings are working on a way to track if people that record shows like on a TiVo, actually watch the commercials or skip over them. TV's been refered to as an open sewer, and for the most part, I believe it.

..by the way, I don't watch anymore teevee, so I miss the commericals and the funny thing is, my shopping habits are changing and we're saving money.

Cool, huh?

Answer 2

There are some good programs on - but they're few and far between. And when a good one comes on, they cancel it (Invasion this past year for example). If you get beyond Lost, House, Boston Legal, ER and NCIS you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel. The sitcoms are about as funny as a colonoscopy, relying too much on sexual innuendos and bathroom humor - if you can call it that. Even what used to be one of the funniest programs around - SNL - has sunk so low that bottom looks like up.

What it amounts to is - they long ago ran out of programming ideas and are just recycling them over and over again in new guises and adding potty humor as they go along when it comes to sitcoms.

That's why I'm grateful for cable - its been a lifesaver! As has my dvd player and the fact they've been releasing most of the great classic programs on dvd (exception: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) and when I get tired of the current tripe - which doesn't take long - I can always go back and watch old favorites. Or, I can read a book!

Answer 3

I have to agree with you. I can't even let my children watch Disney anymore now that they're more involved with teenager issues than child safe entertainment. I can barely understand half of what the characters say in most of the cartoons on Cartoon Network. It sounds like squeaking to me. Not to mention, their "story line" is nonexistent.

At first, I'd hear parents gripe and didn't understand. Now, after I watched several shows, I'm right there next to them. lol

Now don't get me wrong. I don't hate all of them all the time. Sponge Bob Squarepants is so mindless it hurts my brain, but there were a few episodes I had to laugh at. Yet, I watched Naruto several times and never seen anything other than someone fighting to get something from someone else. Is this it??

You asked about reality shows. I don't get it. They all seems like a bunch of sorry soap operas. And how can anyone buy into them? They are so obviously fake. Take whatever reality show of long ago where couples split up and were among several very sexy people of the opposite sex. They knew the cameras were there; it's a television show! I don't care how hot some guy looks, I'm not going to be intimate with him especially if I have a camera on me.

I can't help on any exceptional programs, sorry, but I'm curious if anyone else has some good suggestions. =)

Answer 4

Network TV is generally programmed to the lowest common denominator. It's also a statement on the culture of the times. Neither am I a prude, but I guess titillating programming gives the better ratings, and, best of all is to be able to produce ' a shock effect'. You pretty much get down to sports and the weather channel for unbridled entertainment. I spend much more time on the net &/or DVD films than TV. If you come up with a different answer, let me know,

Answer 5

36 I grew up on Cosby, with a silver spoon. Gilligan's island was the bomb and do you remember Flipper? I had 3-4 TV stations that we could watch now we have 300plus and can not find anything I like, so I get caught up on puter answering question....LOL I love the reality stuff cause everything else kind of stinks besides a couple like LOST and several others, the funny thing is that HBO has better shows than the reg channels. Well that was my 10seconds of info. For you that finished this cool.

AND WHY DOES MTV NOT SHOW VIDEOS ANYMORE!!!!!!!

Answer 6

I thoroughly understand the position you're coming from. it fairly is constructive for adults to seen demonstrate unit it yet by truth they're aiming those shows at a youthful purpose market, what's shown on the television ultimately finally ends up being in actual existence, further and extra. pal of mine's daughter were given invited to a rainbow party lately and had no idea what it grew to grow to be into. someone recommended her father what it grew to grow to be into and he forbade her to flow. and certain, there have not been any sturdy cartoons on for an prolonged time, it sounds like.

Answer 7

It seems that much of the television programs are aimed at the youth.

I watch Monk on USA, yes we have satellite TV and I like House and Psych.

I watch a lot of Home and Garden television programs such as Curb Appeal and Landscaping Challenge.

I do like Jon Daly and the Colbert Report.

Grays Anatomy is good but House is better. Less sex more learning.

Answer 8

I'm way beyond 30 and I grew up watching Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, I love Lucy,etc. Today all we get (mostly) is reality based shows. It's as if the great writers have all disappeared. There are a few still worthy though. Boston Legal (on summer hiatus) Lost, CSI:Miami are worth watching.

Answer 9

Hey you are not alone. Sometimes I do feel values like delayed gratification, loyalty and faithfulness have been taken out all together from TV programs. Mentioning of these terms is uncool and you must be a prude! Sex is definitely overrated too: its everywhere from sitcom to advertisement for the simple reason that it sells, & draws attention.

Answer 10

Man, are you in my mind? Grey's Anatomy is really good - smart and funny. I think you'd really like Gilmore Girls. I like Numbers, too. Lost is a great show, and I watch Criminal Minds because it's intelligently done. The original Law and Order and SVU are always good. For sitcoms - King of Queens is okay, as is According to Jim and My Name is Earl.