# Discovery Channel: have you no shame?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 2, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022 "2003-11-02T19:59:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ryle\_Dup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ryle\_Dup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryle_Dup)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/21 "2003-11-03T01:36:34Z")
There are some new discovery channels that absolutely rock. Plain old discovery just plain blows. TLC is a joke. They now have Discovery : Science and Discovery : Times. History and science documentaries 24/7, I love it. Theres also a Discovery : Wings channel, 24/7 aviation related stuff, documentaries and other stuff. And, a Discovery : Home & Leisure. That channel has some semi-interesting things, mostly boring though. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/22 "2003-11-03T02:00:35Z")
I constantly find myself watching Discovery Times. The shows they have on boot camp and military training are fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/23 "2003-11-03T02:07:16Z")
I caught the _New York Times_ in two urban legends: in a story about last year’s Russian theater hostages, the _Times_ said that some of the unconscious victims “swallowed their tongues.” And an interview with Mrs. Connolly said that her hair “went white overnight” after the Kennedy assassination. Newspaper of record, my eye . . ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/24 "2003-11-03T02:45:27Z")
Whenever the Discovery Channel runs a program about something that I’ve developed an interest in, Barb steels herself for my bitching about what they got wrong or raised a variant theory to the status of standard acceptance. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/25 "2003-11-03T12:17:52Z")
Good _gawd_, saw that show last week when they showed it _twice_. I actually e-mailed them about it, but recieved an automated reply right back on the 27th, and that was the last I’d heard. I’ll paste some of my letter for entertainment purposes: > [@](#): > > I was both greatly surprised and dismayed to find the program [on TDC] “A Haunting in Connecticut”, a “documentary” (and I use that word only because TV Guide does) hardly worthy of FOX to say nothing of your own channel’s normally stellar programming. > > An entity compelled me to return to it again and again during it’s entire two hours of absurdity. The credulity of the “investigator”… the total lack of original footage, despite the claim of “documentary”, and the array of cameras carried by the apparent “re-enactors”… the nausea-inducing swaying of the camera trying to be spooky… the seriousness with which the narrator managed to recite his lines… the horror. The horror. > > What can I say. I e-mail you with the humble entreaty: don’t air this show ever again! Please… don’t throw your dignity away on such claptrap; you’re supposed to be fighting ignorance, not encouraging it! Thought I admit I stole that last line from someplace. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![stick\_monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@stick\_monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stick_monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/26 "2003-11-03T14:24:37Z")
Admitedly, I love the Discovery channel (and all it’s related channels: TLC, Animal Planet, History, Discovery Wings, etc), and some of their shows are top notch, ‘specially the one on ‘Utzi’ (sp?) the Iceman, and anything having to do with paleontology. Of course, like the rest of tv (including PBS) you have to take everything they do with a grain of salt. Some of their shows are purely entertainment for the masses, just like how some of PBS’ shows are completely political clap-trap. > [@](#): > > but the architectural digs fascinate me pssst…do you mean ‘archaeological digs’? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/27 "2003-11-03T17:54:09Z")
The show that’s really bugging me is their _Mythbusters_ show. They do some quasi-interesting stuff but they did a segment about coke removing blood stains from a sidewalk and one of the hosts said that chalk outlines are another myth and have never been done. :rolleyes: I double checked in the Straight Dope archive to see if he was correct and lo and behold _Mythbusters_ was creating an all new myth. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/28 "2003-11-03T19:44:30Z")
Yea, I’ve already ranted about Mythbusters, but the real end for me was that fucking Bible Code special. Painful. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/29 "2003-11-03T20:53:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ryle Dup \* > **There are some new discovery channels that absolutely rock. Plain old discovery just plain blows. TLC is a joke.** I thought the new channels mainly show old Discovery & TLC stuff. > [@](#): > > \*\*And, a Discovery : Home & Leisure. That channel has some semi-interesting things, mostly boring though. \*\* And too many repeats. Hey, Discovery, how about some new Weird Wheels episodes? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/30 "2003-11-03T21:36:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CaptBushido \* > \*\*History Channel is where it’s at, nowadays. \*\* I wish they showed more stuff on WW2 though. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/31 "2003-11-04T03:14:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*I wish they showed more stuff on WW2 though. \*\* ??? This is a whoosh right? Up until just recently, all that channel SHOWED was WW2, or the weapons, or marines, or “conspiracies” and on and on and on. If you’re not kidding, I’ll tape them for you, for a fee 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/32 "2003-11-04T03:45:55Z")
mythbusters is funny, but dang even I can poke holes in the experiments. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/33 "2003-11-04T04:08:25Z")
The History Channel and Discovery have a very fine line to walk. They need to try to keep the intellectuals satisfied, but keep the slackjawed _polloi_ watching. And, frankly, it’s not usually the highbrow programming that draws in the ratings, but the UFO Conspiracy specials. In short, I blame the audience more than the channel. ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/34 "2003-11-04T04:11:02Z")
The Discovery Channel is getting worse, but in the category of good networks turned crappy, TLC is the worst offender. I was convinced they show nothing but episodes of “Trading Spaces” and guess what? I just did a search on [tvguide.com](http://tvguide.com) to confirm my suspicions (and don’t even get me _started_ on the TV Guide channel, by the way.) The results? They’re showing _seven episodes_ on Sunday. Eight if you count the local station’s syndicated version. That’s in addition to two episodes of _While you were Out_ (which is played four more times on Friday.) Sweet Jeebus! Each of those episodes is an hour long. We’re talking _nine hours every weekend_ devoted to crappy pretentious home improvement shows. There’s only so much time you have to fill for any given day, and it’s ALL THEY SHOW on that godforsaken channel. (Side note: This Saturday, and pretty much every Saturday, Comedy Central is playing eight episodes of SNL in one 24-hour period. A full third of their air time is devoted to SNL. I wouldn’t quite say Comedy Central’s gone down the tubes yet, but come on, 5 episodes in a row!?) I’m wholeheartedly in favor of the Cable Science Network. It’s potentially the best thing to come out of television in decades. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/35 "2003-11-04T16:41:31Z")
Bring Back Beakman!!! C’mon! He started on TLC and he can kick Bill Nye’s ass seven ways to Sunday! ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/36 "2003-11-05T01:17:16Z")
American Chopper is the best show on TV right now, even though the guys are really pandering to the camera nowadays. Damn I love that show… ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/37 "2003-11-05T03:11:34Z")
I have to agree with **Lissa**. I’ll happily ignore the possessed children, the UFOs and the ghosts in order to get my extreme engineering, modern marvels and anceint evidence. And I’ll also take TLC’s version of reality TV with their residents and baby births over the nets version any day. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/38 "2003-11-05T03:37:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stinkpalm \* > \*\*American Chopper is the best show on TV right now, even though the guys are really pandering to the camera nowadays. > > Damn I love that show… \*\* Between that and Monster House, I’ll forgive Discovery’s wrongs. And I’ll forgive the History Channel, since they gave me Conquest, Mail Call, and Extreme History with Roger Daltrey. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/39 "2003-11-05T13:02:03Z")
I sometimes wonder if there is a blatent disregard for truth beyond which people (or at least news organisations and authority figures) shouldn’t be protected by freedom of speach ☹ ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022/40 "2003-11-05T13:39:26Z")
The true-life crime shows on Discovery are very interesting, but not as cool as A&E’s “City Confidential,” “American Justice,” and “Cold Case Files.” Go Bill Kurtis, in your well-cut suits! Talk _noirly_ to me, Paul Winfield! I have a friend involved in an educational program which lets people test out of things they already know. I see the value of the pre-tests for things like math and basic English, but asked how effective it was for the histories and sciences. He says that he figures that many people pick up on basic science by watching the Discovery Channel. HA HA HA HA HA!! HAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHA HAH AHAHA!!! ::wipes tear:: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channel-have-you-no-shame/211022.md?page=3)