The news ticker at the botttom I like because it lets me know what else is going on the world. But do we really need the large logo telling us what the main story is about. “WAR ON TERROR”,
“CRISIS IN THE CHURCH” “MID EAST IN TURMOIL” IF we cant figure out what the interview is about from the actual discussion then we are doomed as a nation.
Hmmm. I don’t know if this link will work or not, but if it doesn’t, you can search for it under the thread title “sitcom cliches.” There were some good trends mentioned in there.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=53285&highlight=sitcom+cliches
Sports shows which feature hosts who know jack s*** about sports.
Jay Mohr, would you please stand up? bang
Tom Arnold, would you please stand up? bang
Dukes of Hazzard, that was the money show. Though it probably didn’t take much to entertain me when i was a kid.
All I ask is to be entertained, is that so hard? I find myself watching more commercials than ever before heading up poor programming. Im going to go read a book…
Such shows also allow for more flexiblity in casting, and encourage a rotating cast like in Law & Order, ER, The Practice. While there’s often a core cast with an enthusiastic fan base, it’s entirely possible and plausible to replace and introduce characters at appropriate moments for both real world (contract disputes, career moves) and diegetic reasons. It’s like franchise TV, where actors can come in, do a season or two, and then go on to other projects. These shows also don’t have to depend so much on individual actors who “carry the show”; see Friends, Frasier, and to an extent, The X-Files. Adding new characters and eliminating old ones can make for a more vibrant product, and also leaves the door open for ratings-grabbing episodes when characters return or depart.
So, you’ve never heard Mohr as “Slam-Man” on The Jim Rome Show??? He knows plenty about sports, much more than the tub-o-goo Arnold.
Speaking of sports TV, I am tired of the solumn pretentious music that always accompanies any golfing event.
Also, I am a huge NFL football fan, but the ever-expanding pregame shows are getting out of hand. How many more puff pieces about placekickers are we going to have to endure before they realize they are running out of material…just show the games!!!
Supermarket employees, for example.
Hey, some of us forget or otherwise miss the Wednesday airing of Enterprise!
Halleluia!!!
How about news shows that do a piece on one of their own people, or a family member. I’ve seen this twice in Denver.
Oh, I just thought of another one.
Is there some reason why the Fresh Prince of Bel Air is shown on 4 different channels at the same freakin time every night!!! Isn’t there some kind of FCC regulation against that? (I wish!)
You don’t have anything against the Fresh Prince do you? Because don’t let the mansion fool you, he’s from Philly, born and raised, and he’d still be there but he got in one little fight and his Mom got scared and she said “You’re moving with your aunt and uncle in Bel Air”.
And yes, I have that whole song memorized.
Or like one TBS (with A Blast from the Past), they play the same movie (in it’s "First TV showing) back-to-back-toback** 2 nights in a row!!!
Lemme know when you find out so I can sic the Feds on the excessive “Seinfeld” reruns. What’s worse is that TBS just picked it up.
Of course, we can overlook “The Simpsons” being on 4 times a day. 