Last night they ran both the Orson Welles documentary about Nostradamus and some show about the Amityville Horror. They’re not even pretending to be neutral anymore. I mean, I grumbled when they spread urban legends in their little short segments, but Jesus. They really are just feeding ignorance.
That Nostradamus piece has been on the show for ages. Plus, they regularly show re-runs of Leonard Nimoy’s In Search Of, which I think might have been where that Amityville show came from. I’ve seen both, and enjoyed them the same way I enjoyed The Amityville Horror or any other spooky movie. Entertaining but meaningless. As for their credibility, I don’t know what to say other than: It’s television. What did you expect?
The History Channel taught me everything I know about the Loch Ness Monster.
I’ll tell you one thing, these infotainment networks are no substitute for PBS.
They do serve cake.
On the other hand, the History Channel is pretty much the ONLY place I can find historical documentary, and I do love History’s Mysteries, and History’s Lost and Found. Both really interesting stories.
Yeah, some of them are bad, but it’s better than MTV.
And btw, A&E and the History Channel put out some decent videos. I have the BEST documentary/biography video called Nicholas and Alexandra that I got for Xmas a few years back, hosted by Jack Perkins. It’s VERY good, and features Prince Michael of Kent and Prince Nicholas Romanov, cousin of Nicholas II.
You mean my Simon Schama History of Britian videos have no credibility? Dang.
And I am soooo looking forward to the new installments starting next week. I love them Tudors.
The History Channel seems to vary quite a bit. The stuff they show in primetime like History’s Mysteries, Modern Marvels and their various miniseries like The Founding Fathers and History of Britain and History of Christianity (or was that A&E?) are all quite good.
And the tripe they show during the day like In Search Of and True Stories of the FBI are full of blegh and pfftft.
The History Channel has lots of stuff that looks interesting, but they always play it while I can’t see it. Instead, whenever I would tune in it was the same crap about WW2.
The way I figure, if I’m interested enough about History to make sure I catch it at a certain time to see a broad overview of the topic, I’m interested enough to read a book on the subject and be much more gratified.
If you’re tired of the History Channel, you can always go watch Fox and get some real, down-to-Earth, accurate information.
All you have to know is that the History Channel shows China Beach. How that craptacular nighttime soap opera counts as history just because it happens to be set during the Vietnam War is beyond me. The contstant WW2 focus is also somewhat irksome, especially because most of the stuff I have seen on THC (interesting acronym!) only deals with the European theatre and then it is only from D-Day to the end of the war. I also see lots of “weapons in action” type things which tend to stretch the definition of history.
I saw that History’s Mysteries on Amityville Horror. Talk about laughing my ass off! I have seen interviews with the people who later bought the house and had NO problems with… there was no structural damage… nothing. I also seem to remember an interview the two clowns who “wrote” the story where they confesed it was all a hoax. Frankly I have never watched THC since. If I want real history I go to the library and research it myself.
Yeah, but it has Dana Delaney.
::drools and stares into space::
“What? Oh nothing, honey, I was thinking of… really good cake.”
Oh, don’t say such things!
They did a documentary on my family (Hatfields and McCoys) and they said that my family (Hatfields) were in the right!
If they have no credibility I will be at a loss.
On a serious note though, that show was one of the first things I have seen not to poke fun at the whole situation.
hey, nifty, kricket. i, too, am related to those famous fueding families. i don’t know which side, though, and have no way to find out as no one from that side of my family is alive.
so, to avoid getting shot, i’ll just assume that you and i are distant cousins. 
Of course The History Channel has no Credibility.
That’s why I started my own channel (check listings for local station number.)
Lemme guess? You’re gonna say the holocaust never happened?
I remember watching a show on the History Channel about secret societies (freemasons and such). One of their “experts” was David Icke. Yes, David Icke. The man who thinks the British Royal family are shape-shifting lizards. Lyndon LaRouche must have had other engagements that day.
Shame on you, History Channel.
PBS is absolutely no better. In fact, “In Search Of…” runs regularly on our local PBS station, and it has also shown the very same Bauval and Hancock Egypt ‘documentaries’ that regularly air on TLC and Discovery.
Sam Stone writes:
> PBS is absolutely no better. In fact, “In Search Of…”
> runs regularly on our local PBS station, and it has also
> shown the very same Bauval and Hancock
> Egypt ‘documentaries’ that regularly air on TLC and
> Discovery.
Wait a minute. According to your profile you’re Canadian. How are you able to watch PBS? I suppose that you’re watching whatever PBS station is closest to you. In any case, you should realize that PBS stations vary in what shows they choose to air. The ones I watch don’t do those bad pseudodocumentaries, and they do show some very good documentaries that TLC and the Discovery Channel don’t do. On the other hand, the PBS stations here regularly air concerts of over-the-hill musical groups during pledge weeks, and I admit that that’s pretty chintzy.
David Icke-I’d kill to see that-just to see what he says.
Then of course, there was the History of Sex. You CANNOT tell me THAT wasn’t worth watching! (Unfortunately, I missed it, I sometimes forget to watch stuff). I DID want to see A&E’s Victoria and Albert, but I missed it.
DAMN!