I don’t own a tv, either. I own THREE! 
(But I only watch one. The other two are mostly ornamental.)
I have the same reaction to people that say, “there’s nothing good on tv these days!” as I do to people that say, “they quit making good music in 1976!” and such… I just assume those people are close-minded, boring, and kind of stupid, and I don’t really want to engage them in conversation any more. Not insulting the OP, just in general that’s how I feel.
Product placement are still commercials ;).
You can add Carnivàle, and the last of Sorkin-era The West Wing to that 2003/2004 list, too.
I have a friend who is a TV/film critic and we’ve had this discussion many times. 
He thinks that period was the peak of TV.
I think it was just an anomaly–like 1998 in global warming–so it just looks like the peak, despite a continuing rise, (assuming you are discriminating–trying to channel surf FTA TV is an appalling experience).
Our other common topic is “when did the rise begin”?
Suggestions:
- Seinfeld for post-modern sophistication.
- The X-Files for production values.
I figured you didn’t mind people in my position. I doubt most people would have a problem with it.
…bad thing is that I usually don’t get a chance to explain not watching TV to someone who randomly asks me about a show. I’m sure a few coworkers and fellow students think I’m being a snob if/when I’ve said “I don’t watch TV.” I try to catch myself and say “I don’t get a chance to watch TV,” but I bet I’ve rubbed a few people the wrong way.
When I got my undergrad degrees, I treated myself to a 55" 3D TV, anticipating the ability to start watching again. It just sits there, collecting dust. 
These kinds of threads kill me, as I’m even more aware now of what I’m missing out on.
I’ve never done this before, so I’m not really sure how to go about it, but here goes-
I wasn’t, I mean, er…I wasn’t necessarily, absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, 100% right in my choice of words when I started this thread…
OH HELL, I was in a bad mood and being a whiny little bitch when I started this thread…there, I said it!!!
A more accurate choice of words would be- “Shows that I enjoy are going off the air much faster than I’m finding new ones to replace them!” Then I could even follow it with something constructive like, “Let’s discuss the shows that you guys enjoy and perhaps I’ll find some new shows to try out”…but as soon as someone mentioned ‘Mad Men’, I would still start talking about Jon Hamm and how it looks like he has a squirrel living in his pants!!! :dubious:
Jeez, that almost felt like an apology, but I don’t do those…unless they’re court ordered as a condition for a reduced sentence, then I’ve been known to reconsider…
Well, again: RIpper Street…police procedural set in Victorian England around the time of Jack the Ripper. Very fun.
Check out the trailer
You’re cute, I’ll give you that.
- Twin Peaks, both for cinematic production and for serialized storytelling.
Production, maybe. Serialized storytelling? I think I’m gonna give it to ***Hill Street Blues. ***
Another vote for TV being better than ever. Well some of it at least. There are 200 channels and maybe 10 have something worth watching. But that’s better than the 3 channels we used to have!
We had three channels when I was a a kid - and one of them was French!
As the old saying goes, 90% of everything is crap.
Find the 10%, for yourself, that isn’t.
TV is better than it’s ever been. At the top, anyway. There’s also more utter garbage than there’s ever been - shows that follow the Kardashians and such may be the worst dreck ever aired - but since you have a choice about what you watch, I’d certainly take an era that had the best the medium had to offer if it also had the worst. After all, no one is making you watch the worst.
I think it’s the opposite for movies, where they’re the worst they’ve been in my living memory. They’ve become some weird incest zone where they’ll only make sequels, remakes, and try to reimagine bad shows from decades ago. The number of creative, popular movies is way down.
In fact, technology and technique has allowed TV to do a lot of what used to be exclusive to films in terms of budget, effects, cinematography, and even subject matter. TV is becomine more film-like - in terms of the best aspects of film - whereas movies are becoming TV-like, in terms of the worst aspects of TV.
I’m not sick, but I’m not well.
I agree that TV is the best its ever been and movies are the worst they’ve ever been. I think that is particularly true when it comes to interesting parts for women, especially women who are older than 23. There’s a lot of crap out there now too, but if you watch it you only have yourself to blame.
And only stupid people are breeding!
This may be a stupid question, by why the distinction of women over 23?
It’s sorta funny/sad that my cousin is one of the execs on a successful show, but I’ve never managed to make it thru a full episode! All of the main characters are young females…they’re pretty, young (or little, some might say) and apparently they have aversion to the truth (liars)…can you guess the show? :dubious:
:smack:
Don’t feel bad, you’re not alone.
I like television also, and I keep hearing about all these great shows that are on, and some of them sound really interesting. But I have no time to watch any of them. In my case it’s because all of my free time is spent taking care of my three-year-old son. We do watch TV together, but it’s always stuff appropriate for his age, so none of the adult shows people mention in this thread.
Because women over their mid-twenties tend to disapear from the big screen. There are very few roles for women in American movies and even fewer for women older than 30.