# Is TCM doing something with their scheduling? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768 "2017-02-01T20:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/1 "2017-02-01T20:14:17Z")
I usually check the movie channels for the week to find things to DVR and I noticed a pattern on TCM. All the movie titles today begin with an A, tomorrow a B and Friday a C. Is this a thing they are doing for the month or just a coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/2 "2017-02-01T20:24:08Z")
Interesting. Maybe just real lazy programming? šŸ˜ƒ I know they often string several movies with the same actor, or link them, like starring A and B, then one with B and C, then C and Dā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/3 "2017-02-01T20:32:56Z")
This is their ā€œ31 Days of Oscarā€ festival, leading up to the Academy Awards. This year, they are presenting the movies in alphabetical order throughout the month (and into the first few days of March). Itā€™s not strictly one letter per day. While the Bā€™s do start at noon tomorrow (Feb. 2), the Cā€™s donā€™t start until 1:30 AM on Sunday morning. Dā€™s start at 10:15 PM on Monday the 6th, and there donā€™t seem to be any Eā€™s at all. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/4 "2017-02-01T20:36:59Z")
Ah, so definitely pattern just not the one I thought. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/5 "2017-02-01T22:17:24Z")
Whoever does the programming has a good sense of humor. Iā€™ve seen days that all the movies have one word in common, or one subject. Or showing Zero Hour followed immediately by Airplane! The alphabetical order this month, Iā€™m not sure I like as much. Seems soā€¦boring. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/6 "2017-02-01T22:49:27Z")
I noticed this the other day. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/7 "2017-02-01T22:53:35Z")
I liked how they did it a few years ago where the connection between the films was an actor, or director or screen writer, etcā€¦ Like _ **A Streetcar Named Desire** _ was followed by _ **Patton** _ because Karl Malden appeared in both. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/8 "2017-02-01T23:31:09Z")
> [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](#): > > I liked how they did it a few years ago where the connection between the films was an actor, or director or screen writer, etcā€¦ Like _ **A Streetcar Named Desire** _ was followed by _ **Patton** _ because Karl Malden appeared in both. They routinely do this with their star of the month, usually one day a week for the month is all movies with that star in them. Directors or writers are less common threads for stringing movies on, but it does still happen. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/9 "2017-02-01T23:52:36Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The alphabetical order this month, Iā€™m not sure I like as much. Seems soā€¦boring. I think itā€™s probably just to provide an alternative to the traditional way of showing Oscar movies, which would be chronologically. That would result in more limited variation each day, and likely reduce the audience (not everyone wants to sit through a whole day of 1930ā€™s movies, for example). ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/10 "2017-02-02T02:03:28Z")
I love it! Itā€™s nice to see lots of great movie 24-hours around the clock (when I can record them on the DVR), instead of their normal schedule of 1930ā€™s and 1940ā€™s movies during the wee hours. If you like La La Land, you should see [The Young Girls of Rochefort](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062873/), which has a very similar street dancing scene. Itā€™s on March 3rd at midnight that evening EST. Look [here for the full schedule](http://www.tcm.com/schedule/?ecid=subnavfulltcmschedule), but before you do so, can you name their last movie alphabetically? Itā€™s kind of obviousā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/11 "2017-02-02T03:08:40Z")
Iā€™m sure there are many on these boards who will probably tune into TCM this month to watch some of these classics. Iā€™ve seen most of them but plan on trying to watch the ones Iā€™ve either never seen or just partially seen. Tonight Iā€™m watching _ **All About Eve** _ that, for some reason Iā€™ve never seen the entire film. It really lives up to itā€™s hype! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tcm-doing-something-with-their-scheduling/778768/12 "2017-02-02T03:28:07Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Whoever does the programming has a good sense of humor. Iā€™ve seen days that all the movies have one word in common, or one subject. Or showing Zero Hour followed immediately by Airplane! A few months ago one of the movie channels (I think Cinemax) aired The Wedding Singer and then The Wedding Ringer. I am sure someone there thought that was hilarious.