TV sucks and it's only getting worse!

Cafe Society
1

For quite a while, I have been aware that interesting, entertaining television shows are dying out. But I didn’t take the time until now to actually realize just how bad things are!

There are only four shows that I watch regularly. Three of those have truncated 16-episode seasons, thanks to USA and TNT networks-

Supernatural
Suits
White Collar
Major Crimes

There are a few other shows still on the air that I no longer watch for various reasons-

Criminal Minds- formerly my favorite show, I quit watching it at the end of last season because my favorite character, Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) left the show. The politics and bullshit behind her depature pissed me off, not to mention they replaced her with an actress I really can’t stand- Jeanne Tripplehorn.

Army Wives- laugh if you want, but this Lifetime drama was a damn good show for six seasons! But the show’s biggest star and (arguably) central character, Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney) chose not to return for a 7th season. Several other key characters moved away and won’t be part of future story lines. Claudia Joy died suddenly and the other characters had various bullshit storylines to explain their departure. Instead of ending the show, they kept a few familiar faces and added a slew of new characters that make it a totally different show….and not a very good one.

Law & Order: SVU- now in it’s 14th season, it’s time to hang it up! Without Chris Meloni’s intense, brooding Elliot Stabler, it’s just not the same. It’s not a bad show, but after 14 freakin’ seasons it’s pretty boring even if the gorgeous Mariska Hargitay is the show’s only star. But without her other half (Meloni) it isn’t the same….

NCIS- I enjoyed the show for the first five seasons or so. But after the death of Director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly), it went down hill. Over the years, Mark Harmon’s hard-nosed portrayal of Gibbs grows rather tiresome. It doesn’t help matters that USA runs 12-18 episodes back-to-back almost every freakin’ day!!! Ugh…

Several shows that I really liked have been cancelled in the last year-

CSI:Miami- it was easily the most appealing of the three CSI franchises; David Caruso can’t act to save his life and, in each episode, as he posed holding his sunglasses and speaking his lines in a monotone, it seemed more like an intentional parody or caricature of acting! But the rest of the cast made for a great show- from Callie stretching four-letter words into seven syllables with her thick Southern drawl, Delko being the hot Latino hunk, the lovely Natalia Boa Vista, straight-laced but dorky-cute Ryan Wolfe to the sexy late-comer Cardoza, it was still a very good show and could have lasted a few more seasons!

Leverage- ended after five seasons on TNT, I miss it…low ratings were claimed to be the reason for pulling the plug…but two weeks after the series finale aired, it won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Drama!!! WTF?

Fairly Legal- USA pulled the plug after two seasons, but they kept several shows that are far less entertaining…

***The Closer- I respect that the show’s star, Kyra Sedgwick, decided to end the show after seven seasons. I am also surprised that the replacement show, Major Crimes, is pretty darn good. But I still miss hearing Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson’s over-the-top Southern accent and constant, insincere “Thank Yous”.

So…TV sucks and it’s getting worse….that’s all for the moment…

2

I don’t watch any of these: never have.

Television doesn’t exist to entertain; television exists to sell advertising. Once you realize this fundamental fact it really changes how you perceive television shows.

3

Well, in other circles, the consensus seems to be that not only does TV not suck, it’s getting better and better all the time. I read it referred to the other day as The Platinum Age of Television, and I must say I agree wholeheartedly (I don’t love everything on this list, but lots of people do):

[ul]
[li]Breaking Bad (best TV show ever made, period.) [/li][li]Mad Men[/li][li]Homeland[/li][li]Louie[/li][li]Modern Family[/li][li]Nurse Jackie[/li][li]Walking Dead[/li][li]Good Wife[/li][li]Ripper Street[/li][li]Sons of Anarchy[/li][li]House of Cards[/li][li]Top of the Lake[/li][li]The Americans[/li][li]Damages[/li][li]Boardwalk Empire[/li][li]Web Therapy[/li][li]The Following[/li][li]Downton Abbey[/li][li]Justified[/li][li]Girls[/li][li]Game of Thrones[/li][li]Daily Show [/li][li]Colbert[/li][/ul]

Of the ones you named, I only ever watched LOSVU and CM - both of which I think pretty much suck ass, but they are mildly entertaining in the background while I’m doing something else. Plus I think Gubler is insanely adorable.

Shows ta go ya about that whole “different strokes” thing…

By the way, considering your preferences, I highly recommend* Ripper Street*, which I think of as CSI: Whitechapel

4

I think that what’s happening is that TV is starting to shift away from the sorts of programs you favor–namely, procedurals, specifically police or legal procedurals (with the exception of Supernatural and Army Wives). There’s a widespread perception that cable is really where great TV drama has thrived for the last decade or so, and outside of USA and TNT (where most of the cable shows you like air), cable hasn’t put a whole lot of stock in the procedural storytelling vein. On HBO, AMC, FX, Showtime, etc., you’re more likely to find heavily serialized, high-concept dramas, and the networks are now trying to ape those kinds of shows. Outside of CBS (whose bread and butter has been police procedurals for the past decade), there aren’t a lot of procedurals on order for the networks this [URL=“http://www.deadline.com/2013-nbc-pilots/”]year. Rather, you see a lot of soaps, sci-fi and fantasy, period pieces, and family dramas. That’s the way that television is trending right now.* I think that there are a number of great dramas out there right now (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Americans, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Shameless, Parenthood), but it doesn’t seem like most of these would really be to your taste. And that’s fine, of course. But it all comes down to taste.

*Just to be clear, that’s not to say the trend(s) will be a good thing. Those shows could end up being heinous pieces of crap, as so often happens when the networks try to ape cable.

5

I’ve been enjoying Elementary, if the OP likes procedurals. Its a very loose take on a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

But in anycae, I agree with others that TV is better then its ever been in my lifetime, though obviously tastes will vary.

6

Every show listed by the OP sucks. So I have serious doubts about their conclusion.

7

While I don’t see eye to eye on your list of “good” TV shows; I agree. TV is sucking more and more. Everything is either dumbed down, manufactured drama, or reality television. I opened a thread earlier this Mont about getting off cable. It’s just not worth it. If it weren’t for Justified, I’d have already dumped it. Two more episodes then I’m planning on cutting cable.

In a related move, I just don’t use my smart phone for $50 worth of data plan they force down my throat every month. I’m seriously considering going back to a standard cell phone. Because I work for a medical services company I’m not allowed to get work email (hipaa).

I’m sick of getting drained by services that I just don’t use.

8

One thing that strikes me about this list—and I’m not sure whether it’s true about all the shows, because there are some I don’t know anything about, but I know it’s true of the ones I do know something about—is that they are all adult shows. And most of them are on cable.

I am old enough to remember when “TV” meant broadcast, network TV, and at least some of what was shown in prime time had to be family fare, suitable for viewing in the living room or den before the kids had gone to bed. For better or for worse (and I’m pretty sure it’s some of each), that has changed.

9

You would be wrong. Some of those shows are quite good if you watch them without snob lenses

10

That’s only half true, though. Certainly from the network perspective, yes. But creators of actual quality tv do it for the right reasons.

11

I don’t want to threadshit but, to me, somebody bragging about not watching television is no different than somebody bragging about not reading books.

Are there bad TV shows and bad books out there? Sure. The answer isn’t giving up on the entire medium. Go watch a good TV show and read a good book.

12

One thing I do know is that the popular trend in current TV is to make it as dark and miserable as possible. Put your characters in a horrible position that you’d think couldn’t possibly get any worse, and then next episode make it get even worse. It’s a trend that’s working, as ratings and reviews are great for those shows.

However, I personally do not like that kind of TV. I don’t find misery, embarrassment, graphic sex and violence, or gritty drama for its own sake entertaining. I like a lighter edge and a sense of humour to my shows, so that limits me to only a few, a considerable smaller number of shows than in yesteryear.

There also have been rather too many post-apocalyptic settings for shows, too. There was a time when I really wanted to see a show like that, but seeing twelve shows like that all at the same time is a bit much, they’ve all overstayed their welcome for me.

13

Starting as far back as 2010, the doomsday/apocalypse shows started trying to cash in on the ‘2012 Mayan Apocalypse’ bullshit! I was actually lost a lot of respect for National Geographic and The History Channel because they ran so many of those type of programs based on pseudo-science and pure ignorance and hype! Then the date passed and suddenly they’re back to programming as usual.

I watch H2 (formerly History International) more than any other channel. It’s usually interesting and somewhat educational. But I have also learned to enjoy the sound of silence and no longer keep the television on for background noise…

14

Except for The Wire.

15

I’ve never watched a single show listed by the OP. I regard them in the same way I regard most songs on the radio that I flip through, looking for a ‘good’ one. But to each his own. They might very well be good, but I don’t have that much time in the week to check them out.

I know people who watch nothing but reality shows and hang on every word and dumb stunt of the Kardashians, bridezilla shows, various ‘housewives’, and any of a number of stinking rich ninnies spending a year’s salary (mine!) on conspicuous consumption. The people who watch shudder at medical shows, police shows, etc. They want to be the idle rich and live vicariously. To each his own.

I think TV has never been better. I don’t watch everything and anything, but I have a few favorites and really really look forward to watching them. I live a boring, isolated life and must get my entertainment where I can!

I’ve never been a big TV watcher. Even years ago when there were few channels, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Brady Bunch stuff struck me as dumb time wasters.

16

But all the rest of TV sucks? :dubious:

17

Would you mind sharing which shows you watch? BTW, of the shows listed in my original post, Supernatural is a truly unique and amazing show!

18

Seriously, there’s a reason why the more “decent” shows are on cable: Could you imagine Game Of Thrones, for example, on network TV? I don’t think so.

We have basic cable and we’re not big TV watchers, so I’m ignorant of a lot of the cable series which have been mentioned. When it comes to network, TV, however, the OP hit it right on the head: I feel the same way about most of the shows mentioned.

19

I don’t even own a TV!

20

Are you bragging or complaining?