# I think Discovery is looking for new flagships **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710 "2008-10-27T01:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/21 "2008-10-27T21:27:11Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Mythbusters is non-scientific crap. It’s a drama about two boyfriends who are madly in love but don’t get along very well. Don’t like the show, that’s fine, but you have to give them credit for at least trying to teach a generation to _question_ things, and make even a half assed attempt at categorizing their information in a scientific way. [Obligitory XKCD link.](http://xkcd.com/397/) ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/22 "2008-10-27T22:20:32Z")
An all nature doc channel or all history doc channel wouldn’t get ratings. People might watch occasionally, but channels need shows that people will turn on every week. It’s why PBS is gov. supported. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/23 "2008-10-27T22:59:54Z")
If you’re going to rage against Mythbusters for being “educational crap”, there’s a whole list of shows that would come before it on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/24 "2008-10-27T23:04:07Z")
No, that’s not why PBS is government supported, and they get most of their money from donations anyway. And I disagree that no one would watch. Discovery Channels ratings were fine back when they had that kind of programming. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/25 "2008-10-27T23:08:39Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > If you’re going to rage against Mythbusters for being “educational crap”, there’s a whole list of shows that would come before it on my list. I just think they: A) Don’t test all options B) Don’t retest or try to duplicate their results C) Many of their tests are blatantly not analogues of what they are testing . . . which would all be fine if they didn’t always . . . D) Come to a conclusion I watch Mythbusters like this —\> :dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious: Err, make that I used to. I don’t watch it at all now. It would be better titled The Mindless Crash and Blow Shit Up Show, and not try to parade itself as scientific. ---
**Author:** ![Grendel\_s\_Father](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grendel\_s\_Father](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grendel_s_Father)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/26 "2008-10-27T23:57:01Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > and that stupid Jurassic Fight Club show (which is nothing more than the wet dreams of some paleontologists). Just to be clear, no paleontologists are involved in the making of this show (except heavily edited sound-bites of course). It’s the brainchild of a self-proclaimed “dinosaur expert.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/27 "2008-10-28T04:17:31Z")
They have Time Warp, Storm Chasers, Verminators and Cash Cab. So they are not all bad. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/28 "2008-10-29T23:07:56Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I just think they: > > A) Don’t test all options > B) Don’t retest or try to duplicate their results > C) Many of their tests are blatantly not analogues of what they are testing > > . . . which would all be fine if they didn’t always . . . > > D) Come to a conclusion > > I watch Mythbusters like this —\> :dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious: > > Err, make that I used to. I don’t watch it at all now. It would be better titled The Mindless Crash and Blow Shit Up Show, and not try to parade itself as scientific. You do know that they do quite a bit of stuff that ends up on teh editing room floor, right? The problem is they are making a show that the editors must make entertaining. And there is very few folks that want to watch an experiment wherein NOTHING HAPPENS. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/29 "2008-10-29T23:44:52Z")
My solution to mythbusters is watching it on the DVR. Fast forward most of the drivel and watch the explosions. I was disappointed with the last season of Deadliest Catch. It started to seem contrived and played up to the camera in places. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/30 "2008-10-30T00:54:12Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Is this a common feeling? I don’t think the Discovery Channel has ever been worse. Were you around back in the '80s when they showed actual educational, non-sensationalized nature documentaries? It ruled. Mythbusters is non-scientific crap. It’s a drama about two boyfriends who are madly in love but don’t get along very well. Those were the days, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/31 "2008-10-30T01:01:19Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > You do know that they do quite a bit of stuff that ends up on teh editing room floor, right? The problem is they are making a show that the editors must make entertaining. And there is very few folks that want to watch an experiment wherein NOTHING HAPPENS. I’ve heard that argument from the hosts too, but then why is the show at least 20% recaps of stuff we’ve seen between commercials? It’s infuriating. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/32 "2008-10-30T05:42:31Z")
I don’t get the hate for Mythbusters. It’s one of the reasons I watch Discovery, and if they took it off the air, that’s one hour less per week I would be watching the channel. Unless they score another show like it or another Dirty Jobs or Verminators. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/33 "2008-10-30T06:06:46Z")
Those forklift wheels on Prototype This were so freaking cool! 😃 I mean, a moonwalking forklift? Does it get better than that? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/34 "2008-10-31T15:07:44Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I don’t get the hate for Mythbusters. I wouldn’t say I hate it at all, but the earlier episodes were more fun. They had a lot more of the **Prototype This** detailed build stuff. Like they would show them going to suppliers to find junk, and they would show the problems with the build. Now they’re more likely to fast-forward through the entire build process. I guess people didn’t find it interesting, but that’s my favorite part. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710/35 "2008-10-31T15:23:41Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > My wife now calls it the “explosion channel”. Hey, that’s a pretty good description! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-discovery-is-looking-for-new-flagships/469710.md?page=1)