# TV sucks and it's only getting worse! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981 "2013-03-26T02:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/41 "2013-03-26T23:11:37Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > There’s even a Tumblr called [JonHammsWang](http://jonhammswang.tumblr.com/)- check out the top of page 4! > > These are all fully clothed photos, no nudity…but two things are abundantly clear from these photos- > > 1. Mr. Hamm has an aversion to underwear and always goes “commando”! :dubious: > > 2. Comments ending with the phrase “like a bull” or “like a horse” are entirely appropriate, perhaps even insufficient to describe his endowment! :eek: Really? I look at all four pages, and while he does go without underwear, he didn’t look especially large to me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/42 "2013-03-26T23:17:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > 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. I’ve known this for a long time. The only purpose of the programming is to keep us watching between commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/43 "2013-03-26T23:25:14Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Really? I look at all four pages, and while he does go without underwear, he didn’t look especially large to me. [noparse][http://thesword.com/heres-jon-hamms-large-penis.html[/noparse]](http://thesword.com/heres-jon-hamms-large-penis.html%5B/noparse%5D) ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/44 "2013-03-26T23:30:23Z")
What I would like to know is why the season finale of Malibu Country and The Last Man Standing has already happened when finales happen in like early to mid May. God bless you always!!! Holly P.S. I agree that TV is most definitely not what it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/45 "2013-03-27T00:01:01Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > 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! I didn’t mention them, but they are the usual suspects :D: Mad Men, Downton Abbey, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Once Upon A Time, American Horror Story (and, I admit, Grey’s Anatomy and re-runs of House). As most of these are finishing up for now, this summer I am thinking of watching full seasons of Game of Thrones and Nurse Jackie. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/46 "2013-03-27T00:01:23Z")
The best time ever for television would have to be around 2003/2004. The Wire The Shield The Sopranos Six Feet Under Deadwood Arrested Development Angel Firefly Buffy the Vampire Slayer Scrubs Curb Your Enthusiasm Futurama Malcolm in the Middle Veronica Mars The list posted for current shows is pretty amazing too though. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/47 "2013-03-27T00:06:01Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > [noparse][http://thesword.com/heres-jon-hamms-large-penis.html[/noparse]](http://thesword.com/heres-jon-hamms-large-penis.html%5B/noparse%5D) :eek: Oh, my! (I must be getting old, all I thought at first was, what a cute purple dress the g/f was wearing.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/48 "2013-03-27T02:06:35Z")
There is so much great tv on that I hardly have time to do anything else. And for the record, there is a ton of great music available these days, too. TV and music isn’t necessarily exactly like it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s crap. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/49 "2013-03-27T02:38:57Z")
I forgot to mention my fave sitcom in my original post- The Mindy Project on FOX, Tuesdays @ 9:30pm! It is really a fun show, especially now that they have added my dear personal friend as a regular cast member- the hilarious Beth Grant as crazy/drunk/stoned Nurse Beverly! I will watch ANYTHING if Beth Grant is in it! She is the best character actor/actress of all time and she steals every scene that she appears in! ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/50 "2013-03-27T05:51:11Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > I understand that it’s easy to lose interest in a show, but I just wanted to point out that this isn’t true. **Raising Hope** was [renewed](http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/01/10/exclusive-fox-gives-raising-hope-second-season-705002/9056/) before its first season was even halfway finished. I fell behind on Raising Hope, and I enjoyed watching a few episodes over the weekend. Almost started a thread on it: It’s still going quite strong! ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/51 "2013-03-27T06:30:53Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > [noparse][http://thesword.com/heres-jon-hamms-large-penis.html[/noparse]](http://thesword.com/heres-jon-hamms-large-penis.html%5B/noparse%5D) There is hardcore porn ads at that link just as a warning to those at work. Heh I thought it was going to be a clip from Mad Men, and I was like wah?! Are they showing edited episodes on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/52 "2013-03-27T08:10:38Z")
> [@grude](#): > > There is hardcore porn ads at that link just as a warning to those at work. > > Heh I thought it was going to be a clip from Mad Men, and I was like wah?! Are they showing edited episodes on TV. Here are some SFW links- one is about underwear companies vying for the opportunity to reign in his beast- [**LINK**](http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/27/jon-hamm-free-underwear-jockey-penis/) One talking about the need for airbrushing on Mad Men to conceal the obvious bulge- [**LINK**](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/20/mad-men-jon-hamm-s-penis-is-too-big-for-clothes-needs-airbrushing.html) And her is a story in US Magazine about the show’s producers asking him to start wearing underwear on the show- [**LINK**](http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jon-hamm-asked-to-wear-underwear-due-to-tight-mad-men-pants-report-2013203) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/53 "2013-03-27T08:23:29Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve known this for a long time. The only purpose of the programming is to keep us watching between commercials. Really? Because I watch a lot of TV, and I literally haven’t seen a commercial in years. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/54 "2013-03-27T20:07:38Z")
TV is immensely better today than back in the '60s. You can have shows that talk about adult things without disguising them, and you can spend more than sixty minutes on a topic. Forget about the sex and the language - _The Wire_ would never be broadcast back then because it was assumed that no one had the attention span to follow such complicated plots. Credit cable, and credit DVRs and DVDs that allow you to watch a season in a short time and get the real impact of subtleties in the story. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/55 "2013-03-28T01:25:05Z")
TV is great. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I agree with the OP as far as regular network programming. True. Well probably, outside of HBO, I’ve stopped noticing what network the show I’ve watched it showing on. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > There is so much great tv on that I hardly have time to do anything else. > > And for the record, there is a ton of great music available these days, too. TV and music isn’t necessarily exactly like it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s crap. Right. The whole “TV sucks” idea is just as ridiculous as the “Today’s music sucks”. Dig even a little bit and there’s great stuff out there. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/56 "2013-03-28T01:31:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve known this for a long time. The only purpose of the programming is to keep us watching between commercials. And they invented the DVR, where you can record the program and watch it and fast forward through the commercials. We are living the dream, people! ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/57 "2013-03-28T01:45:32Z")
TV is pretty awesome right now. We are hooked on Raising Hope, Once Upon a Time, Grimm, and Glee (shut up) but there are lots of shows that are pretty fantastic that just didn’t make it into our limited TV viewing time. I will grant you that reality TV needs to die a firey death but everything else is pretty good as best as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/58 "2013-03-28T03:05:55Z")
Seems everytime I scratch something off my to-do list I add two more. Besides all the live action stuff, Western animation probably hasn’t been as good in a decade. I almost feel sorry for people born 50 years from now because at some point it will literally be impossible to watch even just the “best of the best” because there’s too much. But they’ll have jet packs and stuff, so screw those guys. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/59 "2013-03-28T03:11:37Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > \ I will grant you that reality TV needs to die a firey death but everything else is pretty good as best as I can tell. Oh yeah, reality tv. Yeah, that isn’t good tv. That isn’t good anything. That’s the lowest common denominator in living colour for all us voyeurs to watch and be glad that we aren’t them. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981/60 "2013-03-28T03:19:46Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > You would be wrong. Some of those shows are quite good if you watch them without snob lenses Oooooh _snap!_ 🆒 > [@Laggard](#): > > I don’t even own a TV! Blinded by snobbery…😃 ETA: I miss “King of Queens”. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-sucks-and-its-only-getting-worse/653981.md?page=4)