NationStates Jolt Archive

They've gone to do more interesting stuff because there is nothing but pure rubbish and crap on TV now (in the US). Ratings have plummeted for broadcast networks. Maybe if they had decent shows and brought back stuff people like, they'd get people back. I don't even really watch TV anymore. Even the History Channel has crapped out. As the Political Compass suggests, "there is a worrying fusion of information and entertainment."

Link (http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070508:tv_missing_viewers__ER:1)

Maybe they're outside in the garden. They could be playing softball. Or perhaps they're just plain bored.

In TV's worst spring in recent memory, an alarming number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show.

Everyone has a theory to explain the plummeting ratings: early Daylight Savings Time, more reruns, bad shows, more shows being recorded or downloaded or streamed.

Scariest of all for the networks, however, is the idea that many people are now making their own television schedules. The industry isn't fully equipped to keep track of them, and as a result the networks are scrambling to hold on to the nearly $8.8 billion they collected during last spring's ad-buying season.

"This may be the spring where we see a radical shift in the way the culture thinks of watching TV," said Sarah Bunting, co-founder of the Web site Television Without Pity.

The viewer plunge couldn't have come at a worse time for the networks _ next week they will showcase their fall schedules to advertisers in the annual "up front" presentations.

The networks argue that viewership is changing, not necessarily declining. Some advertisers respond that they are no longer willing to pay full price up front to reach viewers that may not tune in later.

This fall, both sides will be watching what happens with families like Tony Cort's. During prime-time, Cort, his wife and four kids tend to scatter to computers or other activities in different parts of their New Jersey home. (Not during "American Idol" or "Lost," though.) They're definitely watching less TV, said Cort, who runs a Web site for martial arts aficionados.

"I remember when `24' was on, that was something there was a lot of interest and excitement about," he said.

News flash: "24" is still on. Its ratings are down, too, amid a critically savaged season.

More bad news abounds. NBC set a record last month for its least-watched week during the past 20 years, and maybe ever _ then broke it a week later. This is the least popular season ever for CBS' "Survivor." ABC's "Lost" has lost nearly half its live audience _ more than 10 million people _ from the days it was a sensation. "The Sopranos" is ending on HBO, and the response is a collective yawn.

Events like "American Idol" on Fox (which is owned by News Corp.) and "Dancing With the Stars" on ABC (owned by The Walt Disney Co.) are doing the most to prop up the industry. But still, in the six weeks after Daylight Savings Time started in early March, prime-time viewership for the four biggest broadcast networks was down to 37.6 million people, from 40.3 million during the same period in 2006, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Millions of missing viewers could translate into millions of missing dollars for the networks heading into the up-front sales season.

Advertisers don't believe that the drop in viewership is as dramatic as the numbers suggest, but they're no longer willing to spend what they once did in the spring market, said Brad Adgate of Horizon Media, an ad buying firm. Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola sat out the spring market last year _ betting they could get lower prices later _ and it's likely other companies will do the same this year, he said.

The early start to Daylight Savings Time has hurt ratings. Prime-time viewership traditionally dips then as people do more things outside, and this year folks had a three-week head start to get into the habit of doing something else. More network reruns during March and April dampened interest, too.

"We let them get out of the habit of watching television a little bit, and it's going to take some time to get these people back in front of their television sets," said David Poltrack, chief researcher for CBS (owned by CBS Corp.).

Strategic decisions to send some popular serial dramas on long hiatuses appeared to backfire. NBC's "Heroes," CBS' "Jericho" and "Lost" lost significant momentum when they returned. Besides HBO's "The Sopranos," there are no lengthy countdowns toward the end of very popular series, unless you count "The King of Queens."

There also are technical reasons that this apparent diminished interest in television may be overstated.

This year, for the first time, Nielsen is measuring viewership in the estimated 17 percent of homes with digital video recorders. Since last year's Nielsen sample contained no DVR homes and this year's sample does, logic dictates that fewer Nielsen families are watching TV live this year, deflating ratings.

If you recorded "Desperate Housewives" this spring and watched it more than 24 hours later, you're not counted in the show's ratings. Same thing if you bought a copy of a show on iTunes and watched it on your iPod or cell phone, or streamed an episode from a network Web site.

"People are not consuming less television, they're watching it in different ways, and the measurements haven't caught up," said Alan Wurtzel, chief research executive at NBC (owned by General Electric Co.).

The numbers can be significant. When "The Office" aired on NBC on April 5, Nielsen said there were 5.8 million people watching. Add in the people who recorded the episode and watched it within the next week, and viewership swelled to 7.6 million, a 32 percent increase, Nielsen said.

"The Sopranos" is another interesting case study. For its first four episodes this season, the show averaged 7.4 million viewers for its weekly Sunday night premiere, down from 8.9 million at the same point its last season.

But HBO shows each new episode eight times a week. Between the multiple plays and DVR viewing, each episode this spring gets 11.1 million viewers, down from 13 million last year. And these figures don't count people who watch on demand.

Numbers for "The Sopranos" may be down because people can watch whenever they want. They may not be as interested in the show as they used to be _ or it could be a combination of both.

Television has made billions based on how many people watch a show at its regular time. That idea may already be obsolete. So should the industry use DVR viewing when setting ad rates? If so, how quickly must people watch the shows _ within two days? A week? What about people who watch shows on their cell phones or on network Web sites, which Nielsen doesn't measure yet? Later this month Nielsen will begin measuring how many people watch commercials. Should those be used to compute advertising costs?

Right now, none of those questions have answers.

However, "if we continue to do business assuming people will watch television as they always have," said NBC's Wurtzel, "it's a dead-end game."

They've gone to do more interesting stuff because there is nothing but pure rubbish and crap on TV now (in the US). Ratings have plummeted for broadcast networks. Maybe if they had decent shows and brought back stuff people like, they'd get people back. I don't even really watch TV anymore. Even the History Channel has crapped out. As the Political Compass suggests, "there is a worrying fusion of information and entertainment."

Books...like "Green eggs and ham", and "Finnegan's Wake", or "The Age of Spiritual Machines"...I don't mean to sound pretentious, but books will always beat T.V

more reruns, bad shows,
They forget reruns of bad shows.
Nothing like taking a show so bad that it didn't make it out of a season and rerunning it over and over and over.

Strategic decisions to send some popular serial dramas on long hiatuses
I would like to know what incompetent dipshits decided putting really good shows on 9 months breaks was a good idea.

I just watch the internet now.

Books...like "Green eggs and ham", and "Finnegan's Wake", or "The Age of Spiritual Machines"...I don't mean to sound pretentious, but books will always beat T.V as long as you don't need electricity to read a book... :D

They forget reruns of bad shows.
Nothing like taking a show so bad that it didn't make it out of a season and rerunning it over and over and over.


I would like to know what incompetent dipshits decided putting really good shows on 9 months breaks was a good idea.
the same dipshits that cancel good shows because "the ratings wern't there from the start" yet allow crap to stay on.

"Commander in Chief" anyone?

There are less good shows on. Lost, 24, Heroes and House basically covers it on the networks. Everything else sucks or brings on a "meh".

Cable now, has a few more choices I think. :)

T.V is shit and always has been

and I for one stopped watching the history channel when I memorized every single event of WWII, though to be fair its hard to compete with discovery's bear grills

"now the last thing you want to do is fall through ice into freezing water" *jumps in* :eek:

Well let's see... TV shows suck, and suck hard. We need another Married... with Children to get writers to start writing edgy TV again. Trailer Park Boys would work, but the US networks aren't allowed to air it.

i dunno. much on the broadcast networks sucks but if you look around and keep an eye on the "cable stations" (i have satellite) you can find other things worth watching. tape some for later, fill in with the daily show (on at 9pm at my house) and there tends to be something you can have on in the background most evenings.

now that i have BBC america i wonder if all british tv sucks this much or if bbc america just show the crap.

as long as you don't need electricity to read a book... :D


the same dipshits that cancel good shows because "the ratings wern't there from the start" yet allow crap to stay on.

"Commander in Chief" anyone?

WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK! WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK!


Who's with me?

WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK! WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK!


Who's with me?

*raises hand*

Hmm... you mean people aren't satisfied with most of the trash that comprises TV? you coulda fooled me...
Seriously, though- it's a good sign.

*raises hand*
*raises every possible appendage*

Because, it's all the same crap referbished. anything new or genuinly intersting does hold the majorites intersts, they become cancelled, however a few gems find their niche (I was certain My Name Is Earl was too original for network tevelision)

WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK! WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK!


Who's with me?never saw it, but if it was good...

*raises every possible appendage*ewww... you don't need to raise THAT appendage!
:p

*raises every possible appendage*

Ron Howard certainly had something good with that show.

*nods*

The only prime-time show I watch is Lost, other than that I just watch a lot of reruns. There are a lot of shows that look good (24, House, Hero's) but I can't really focus on more than one TV show at a time, and right now its Lost.

WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK! WE WANT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK!


Who's with me?

*joins the sea of raised hands*

Can we have Firefly back, too? Please?

never saw it, but if it was good...

ewww... you don't need to raise THAT appendage!
:p
Sorry... I just thought If I quipped, "raises both hands", then someone would say, "lies on back and raises both hands and feet", and then I would have to think of something else. So I figured I'd cut to there at the beginning. :)

I mostly stopped watching TV regularly when I came to university.

I watch CSI here and there though and occasionally Family Guy. Usually I try to watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report though since they are both funny.

Maybe I'm out of line on this one, but does it occur to anyone that the problem and the explanation here are totally bogus?

Ratings have dropped for the big 5 networks. 1) Given the proliferation of cable access, is that really a surprise? 2) Given that the average male in this country works 51 hours a week and the average woman works 41-43, is that really a surprise?

As for the explanation that the quality is bad, I for one would like to ask for some kind, any kind of research with has ever connected the quality of a telivision show with viewership. I realize that such dynamite sensational works of art as The King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Friends have left us panting in their wake for a return to quality in telivision mass-entertainment, when all we have now is drivel like The Office, 24, House, Lost, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, 60 Minutes, Friday Night Lights, Veronica Mars, Ugly Betty, Nova, Nature, The NewHour with Jim Lehrer, Bill Moyers, and so on and so forth, but some confirmation of the relationship would be nice.

Ron Howard certainly had something good with that show.

*nods*
No kidding... especially Gob. I can't get his magic 'theme song' out of my head:p

Maybe I'm out of line on this one, but does it occur to anyone that the problem and the explanation here are totally bogus?

Ratings have dropped for the big 5 networks. 1) Given the proliferation of cable access, is that really a surprise? 2) Given that the average male in this country works 51 hours a week and the average woman works 41-43, is that really a surprise?

As for the explanation that the quality is bad, I for one would like to ask for some kind, any kind of research with has ever connected the quality of a telivision show with viewership. I realize that such dynamite sensational works of art as The King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Friends have left us panting in their wake for a return to quality in telivision mass-entertainment, when all we have now is drivel like The Office, 24, House, Lost, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, 60 Minutes, Friday Night Lights, Veronica Mars, Ugly Betty, Nova, Nature, The NewHour with Jim Lehrer, Bill Moyers, and so on and so forth, but some confirmation of the relationship would be nice.
Drivel? seriously?!

Drivel? seriously?!

seriously.

(I watch way too much Grey's Anatomy)

oh, and yeah, I don't watch TV as much as I used to, before I had kids it was like 5 hours a day at least, now it's less than 2-3 hours a week, if that.

Drivel? seriously?!

Psst...there's this thing called "sarcasm." :p

Psst...there's this thing called "sarcasm." :p
really? I agree with that senitment... with 3 or 4 exceptions, the rest is drivel!

My roomate moved and took the tube with him. Can't say I miss it much except for the Daily Show and Colbert Report. I get my news online now. Any show I like to watch is British and can usually be watched for free on YouTube. What's gonna blow is when I move back home where we have dial-up and no cable. That'll be painful. But will it really? ABC is coming out with a new reality show called National Bingo Night. Like, are you fucking serious? It's set up exactly like Deal or No Deal too. We've exhausted our supply of reality, apparently. I miss the days when the news was the news and TV was just a bunch of made up bullshit. Screw reality TV.

Psh,

As long as there's Conan, Simpsons, Seinfeld, and the News with Brian Williams I'll be fine.

No kidding... especially Gob. I can't get his magic 'theme song' out of my head:p

It's called the Final Countdown (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ASisLT5XHtg). Enjoy:D

My roomate moved and took the tube with him. Can't say I miss it much except for the Daily Show and Colbert Report. I get my news online now. Any show I like to watch is British and can usually be watched for free on YouTube. What's gonna blow is when I move back home where we have dial-up and no cable. That'll be painful. But will it really? ABC is coming out with a new reality show called National Bingo Night. Like, are you fucking serious? It's set up exactly like Deal or No Deal too. We've exhausted our supply of reality, apparently. I miss the days when the news was the news and TV was just a bunch of made up bullshit. Screw reality TV.

Shhh. It's keeping me in vittles.

The only reason I even own a TV is to watch DVDs and play X-Box.

Television programming sucks...then, now, and always.

Can we have Firefly back, too? Please?

I was afraid I was the only one who wanted that show back. Never really cared about Arrested Development though.

Can we have Firefly back, too? Please?

I was afraid I was the only one who wanted that show back.

No way. Firefly was awesome. :)

I've been watching Jericho. Yeah, the first half was really hit and miss, but after the three month break, the show just kept on getting better and better. I hope CBS renews it for a second season. If they just pump a little bit more money into it and get some better writers (the current group is OK, but needs some improvement), it'll be a real winner.

I also have a weakness for post-apocalyptic material. Fallout and Soldiers of Anarchy anyone?

It's called the Final Countdown (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ASisLT5XHtg). Enjoy:D
I know :p
I have it and listen to it way too much!

I watch Heroes, Stargate and Mythbusters. To hell with the rest of TV.

The TV viewers have come here, and to places like it. With the internet and the sheer number of channels, it's not surprising that ratings have dropped so much.

"In TV's worst spring in recent memory, an alarming number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show"

I just love how they portrait watching less TV as a bad thing.

i'm not american, but most of the tv we get that is even remotely worth watching is american... make of that what you will.

I just love how they portrait watching less TV as a bad thing.

Heh that's coz it is. I mean how can the lizartd over lords brainwash you if you don't watch TV huh!?:D

Heh that's coz it is. I mean how can the lizartd over lords brainwash you if you don't watch TV huh!?:D

Yeah, instead of doing useful things like watching the telly people might be wasting their time by working, spending time with their friends or exercising. Of course it's alarming!

And yes, I finally got the quote tag to work properly.

American tv sucks now. All American TV Is doing is Brainwashing kids to think Anything that normaly isnt good is ok.

American tv sucks now. All American TV Is doing is Brainwashing kids to think Anything that normaly isnt good is ok.

Damn them lizard overlords, revolt I say!

I don't know, ever since I started working full-time and going to grad school, a TV show coming on that night is practically the only thing to look forward to when I wake up in the morning. Here is what I watch if I am home, which is kind of a "good luck with that" thing:

Monday: WWE Raw
Tuesday: American Idol, House, Law and Order SVU
Wednesday: America's Next Top Model, whatever is on Bravo at 10 (Project Runway, Top Design, Shear Genius, etc)
Thursday: the NBC lineup (My Name is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, ER)
Friday: if I am watching TV, it is random snatches of whatever is on Comedy Central while I get ready to go out
Saturday: god forbid I am watching TV on a Saturday.
Sunday: until recently it WAS Battlestar Galactica. I can't believe the next season isn't until next year. I feel like I've been broken up with. :(

Now, it is a rare week that I actually see all of that, but that's what I'm watching if I'm home and I have nothing to do.

i'm not american, but i haven't watched TV in years now. not since BBC2 stopped doing all the great shows and Channel 4 started fucking around with the Simpsons and Star Trek.

these days i just buy the series' i'm interested in on DVD and watch them at my leisure, as many times as i want, when i want, in whatever order i want, and with no adverts at all.


TV is just basically a sucky medium compared to that.
plus, British TV mostly consists of american shows anyway. or shitty gameshows/reality TV.

i'm not american, but i haven't watched TV in years now. not since BBC2 stopped doing all the great shows and Channel 4 started fucking around with the Simpsons and Star Trek.

these days i just buy the series' i'm interested in on DVD and watch them at my leisure, as many times as i want, when i want, in whatever order i want, and with no adverts at all.


TV is just basically a sucky medium compared to that.
plus, British TV mostly consists of american shows anyway. or shitty gameshows/reality TV.

Noo man thats true we have some sublime comedy on TV here, in fact i'll go out on a limb and say it is the best in the world.

Noo man thats true we have some sublime comedy on TV here, in fact i’ll go out on a limb and say it is the best in the world.
Well, we do have the advantage of Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. Though they haven’t done a huge amount recently. Best comedy show on UK TV at the moment has got to be Peep Show.

However, I wouldn’t dismiss North American TV that quickly. For a start, the US is still producing the best TV drama. Deadwood, The Wire, The Sopranos, ER, Heroes, possibly even Grey’s Anatomy, are all fantastic shows, far surpassing what Hollywood can offer these days.

And as for Canada? You have blessed the world with Trailer Park Boys.

We cannot thank you enough.

I watch TV only for the Eurovision Song Contest! yay internet!

They've gone to do more interesting stuff because there is nothing but pure rubbish and crap on TV now (in the US). Ratings have plummeted for broadcast networks. Maybe if they had decent shows and brought back stuff people like, they'd get people back. I don't even really watch TV anymore. Even the History Channel has crapped out. As the Political Compass suggests, "there is a worrying fusion of information and entertainment."

Link (http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070508:tv_missing_viewers__ER:1)


I disagree the American TV has not gone to the tubes. Have you seen Lost, or Jericho, or Heroes? Even House, and NCIS are great shows, and very enjoyable. The change has come in recording quality, and equipment. I haven't sat down to watch a show at the time it aired in a year. I simply don't have time with 2 children under 3 and a ton of things to take care of after I get off work. Instead, my wife and I record everything, and it has the added bonus that I don't have to watch the commercials. Just push a few buttons and the show is playing again, and I missed 2 mins worth of usless crap.

<snip>
Sunday: until recently it WAS Battlestar Galactica. I can't believe the next season isn't until next year. I feel like I've been broken up with. :( <snip>

It gets worse. Slashdot reports that the next season of Battlestar Galactica is... the last season. :(

Granted, I haven't been able to spend the time to watch the show since the middle of Season 2, but still... :(

On a similar vein, I'm finding less and less reason to watch any TV nowadays. I've never really found the offerings on the big networks attractive (reality TV, soaps, and crime dramas are not for me). Now, the few networks that I do watch are getting worse...

Sci-Fi Channel: SG-1 jumped the shark and got canceled, Battlestar Galactica has one season left, and Atlantis looks dangerously close to jumping the shark at the moment. At least Eureka hasn't gone down the tubes... yet...

Discovery Channel: Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs both look dangerously close to jumping the shark as well... and Discovery has no other good offerings...

Comedy Central: The Daily Show hasn't been the same since Colbert and all the old cast left the show, and the Colbert Report doesn't really do much for me.

At least there's still PBS...

I'm not american, and to be honest when I was there and watched your TV, it is generally terrible.

Meh.

Depends on what mood I'm in at the time. Like, if I want to watch brainlessness, I'll turn on VH1 or MTV, if I want to watch something somewhat educational I'll watch Food Network or Discovery. If my brain is working, I'll watch CNN.

I don't know, ever since I started working full-time and going to grad school, a TV show coming on that night is practically the only thing to look forward to when I wake up in the morning. Here is what I watch if I am home, which is kind of a "good luck with that" thing:

Monday: WWE Raw
Tuesday: American Idol, House, Law and Order SVU
Wednesday: America's Next Top Model, whatever is on Bravo at 10 (Project Runway, Top Design, Shear Genius, etc)
Thursday: the NBC lineup (My Name is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, ER)
Friday: if I am watching TV, it is random snatches of whatever is on Comedy Central while I get ready to go out
Saturday: god forbid I am watching TV on a Saturday.
Sunday: until recently it WAS Battlestar Galactica. I can't believe the next season isn't until next year. I feel like I've been broken up with. :(

Now, it is a rare week that I actually see all of that, but that's what I'm watching if I'm home and I have nothing to do.

you are screwing up Thursday night! How can you not watch Grey's Anatomy?!

oh, and I just recently found out that my most favoritest show ever is having the series finale next week......which sucks, although not as much as it would have a year back when they still had the original people writing and such, the last season has been "not quite right" so I won't miss it as much as I thought I would have previously [/incoherent]

It gets worse. Slashdot reports that the next season of Battlestar Galactica is... the last season. :(

No no no no! NO! Don't say these things, they're not true. Not true, I tell you!

*starts shrieking and tearing around the office, coworkers looking on curious and alarmed*

you are screwing up Thursday night! How can you not watch Grey's Anatomy?!

oh, and I just recently found out that my most favoritest show ever is having the series finale next week......which sucks, although not as much as it would have a year back when they still had the original people writing and such, the last season has been "not quite right" so I won't miss it as much as I thought I would have previously [/incoherent]

You're talking about Gilmore Girls, aren't you? My sister loves that show.

As for Grey's Anatomy...it's not good. It's really pretty bad. And yeah, most of my choices aren't exactly award-show material, but still, I have some standards. :p

plus, British TV mostly consists of american shows anyway. or shitty gameshows/reality TV.

Funny how that works. ;)

You're talking about Gilmore Girls, aren't you? My sister loves that show.
yeah :(

As for Grey's Anatomy...it's not good. It's really pretty bad. And yeah, most of my choices aren't exactly award-show material, but still, I have some standards. :p
it's not bad, it's a soap opera with blood.

you watch "America's Top Model" and you are talking to me about standards?

Grey's Anatomy is my drug........seriously.

I had so much fun last night yelling at the TV "Cry, Izzie, Cry!" and "Georgie you freaking idiot!"

It's participation television.

You're talking about Gilmore Girls, aren't you? My sister loves that show.

My guess as well. You stole the thought from my mind didn't you! :eek:

oh, and I just recently found out that my most favoritest show ever is having the series finale next week......which sucks, although not as much as it would have a year back when they still had the original people writing and such, the last season has been "not quite right" so I won't miss it as much as I thought I would have previously [/incoherent]

Can you believe she said no? :(

My guess as well. You stole the thought from my mind didn't you! :eek:

you can totally blame my husband, since the begining, every freaking year when they would say "season finale of Gilmore Girls" he would say "series finale of Gilmore Girls" over it to try to jinx it out of existence, and then when I met Amy Sherman-Palladino, he says "she is going to quit one day and your show will suck" and then the next season she quit, and the show was sucky, and then a few weeks back (the day before the announcement of the canceling) he says "I bet this is the last season, and they just haven't told you yet"........

freaking boy. He ruins everything.

Then last night, when they said "season finale of Grey's Anatomy" he starts in with his crap again........

that's okay, I told him this morning that I am going to start a campaign to cancel Smallville. :p (shh...I won't really)

Can you believe she said no? :(

she had to, I would have thrown a gasket if she would have said yes.......freaking writers, I hate them as a couple.

you can totally blame my husband, since the begining, every freaking year when they would say "season finale of Gilmore Girls" he would say "series finale of Gilmore Girls" over it to try to jinx it out of existence, and then when I met Amy Sherman-Palladino, he says "she is going to quit one day and your show will suck" and then the next season she quit, and the show was sucky, and then a few weeks back (the day before the announcement of the canceling) he says "I bet this is the last season, and they just haven't told you yet"........

freaking boy. He ruins everything.

Then last night, when they said "season finale of Grey's Anatomy" he starts in with his crap again........

that's okay, I told him this morning that I am going to start a campaign to cancel Smallville. :p (shh...I won't really)

Heh, well Smallville isn't as good as it used to be either, it seems to be getting rather tedious.

Gilmore Girls was actually pretty decent for a show aimed at women. Must have made up for all the guys secretly watching Felicity. :p

Heh, well Smallville isn't as good as it used to be either, it seems to be getting rather tedious.
It started out okay, then got better, then had this horrible season when I quit watching ("Lana is possessed by a witch!OMG!" totally not sticking around for that crap) and I just now started watching a little bit again, mostly because I am interested in the Lana/Lex story line, but it won't go where I want it to... I know. :(

Gilmore Girls was actually pretty decent for a show aimed at women. Must have made up for all the guys secretly watching Felicity. :p
I loved it, the pop-culture references alone made me happy.

she had to, I would have thrown a gasket if she would have said yes.......freaking writers, I hate them as a couple.

You know, they probably would have gotten engaged if Jess didn't show up last season.

You know, they probably would have gotten engaged if Jess didn't show up last season.

Jess is my hero! She should totally marry him, he is like mini-Luke.

Jess is my hero! She should totally marry him, he is like mini-Luke.

She could live in Philly, then! :p

yeah :(


it's not bad, it's a soap opera with blood.

you watch "America's Top Model" and you are talking to me about standards?

Grey's Anatomy is my drug........seriously.

I had so much fun last night yelling at the TV "Cry, Izzie, Cry!" and "Georgie you freaking idiot!"

It's participation television.

Hey, I like Top Model for the hot girls, okay? And I like photography. :D ER isn't much better than Grey's Anatomy, but occasionally there's some actual humor. Somehow, Grey's Anatomy is so devoid of humor and so chock-full of grownup emo kids, I can't stand it.

She could live in Philly, then! :p

you are just like my husband.......you and your creepy Rory-crush. :eek:

I was afraid I was the only one who wanted that show back. Never really cared about Arrested Development though.

OMG Firefly, I wish. That show was so kick-ass, I can't believe it's gone forever. :( Even if they did start it back up, they killed off the best character in the movie. Ugh.

Hey, I like Top Model for the hot girls, okay? And I like photography. :D
none of them are hot though.....they are all awkward and ugly and bitchy and tall. (except for that fat one that one time, she was pretty)

ER isn't much better than Grey's Anatomy, but occasionally there's some actual humor.
ER hasn't been good for at least 4 seasons, in fact, it hasn't been really good since like the second season, it's just slowly getting more and more crappy.

Somehow, Grey's Anatomy is so devoid of humor and so chock-full of grownup emo kids, I can't stand it.

it's not a comedy. It's a soap opera with blood and guts, and a really hawt gay guy. Also, it makes me feel better about myself "at least I didn't sleep with McSteamy behind McDreamy's back......" and it's hilarious from a cheese standpoint, and also I really hate some of the characters so I get to yell at them and take joy in their misery, and I am going to be Bailey when I grow up, and stuff.

you are just like my husband.......you and your creepy Rory-crush. :eek:

I drove past Yale once, and thought "I wonder where Rory lives!"

>.>

now that i have BBC america i wonder if all british tv sucks this much or if bbc america just show the crap.

British TV is very bad aswell....I think it is in most country's unless you have satellite or digital and then you can find a good programme most of the time. I still haven't worked out why we need BBC Four and ITV 2, 3 and 4 in the U.K. yet though........satellite isn't all good :( .

you are just like my husband.......you and your creepy Rory-crush. :eek:

I want to know why they had her cut her hair when she got to college. It looked so bad on her. :(

I want to know why they had her cut her hair when she got to college. It looked so bad on her. :(

I know, I was mad.

also, what was that thing with her and Dean?! Rory was a good girl, she totally screwed up her character doing that.....I wrote a letter to the network (yeah, I am that crazy)

I know, I was mad.

also, what was that thing with her and Dean?! Rory was a good girl, she totally screwed up her character doing that.....I wrote a letter to the network (yeah, I am that crazy)

Maybe the shows writers were afraid of her seeming too goody-goody. had to give her some kind of a dark side, with more serious issues to deal with. So they had her sleep with a married man. I for one didn't care for it as it really didn't match the personality of her character at all. Though that blowout at Lorelai and Rory by wifeys mother made up for it a tad.

I haven't seen the show in a while but I'm really not surprised it is ending. With Rory graduating (saw a commercial) it seems like a good place to end the show before it declines to severely.

Maybe the shows writers were afraid of her seeming too goody-goody. had to give her some kind of a dark side, with more serious issues to deal with. So they had her sleep with a married man. I for one didn't care for it as it really didn't match the personality of her character at all. Though that blowout at Lorelai and Rory by wifeys mother made up for it a tad.

yeah, that was so good. Although if anyone asks Emily Gilmore is my hero. ;)

*hopes GN isn't reading this thread*

*hopes GN isn't reading this thread*

oh......I forgot about that, I always forget. :(

Grey's Anatomy is my drug........seriously.

I had so much fun last night yelling at the TV "Cry, Izzie, Cry!" and "Georgie you freaking idiot!"

It's participation television.

Hee, it's so true. I was totally yelling "Derek, grow up! You left her for your freaking wife, and now you're getting into a snit because she has communication issues?" at my TV last night.

(I actually hate the George/Izzie storyline - I really liked them as close platonic friends. It's such a standard in the TV universe that if a hot male and a hot female spend any time together they will promptly fall in lurve and start making out, so it was really nice to see an actual, normal male-female friendship sans smooches for a change. *sigh*)

Hee, it's so true. I was totally yelling "Derek, grow up! You left her for your freaking wife, and now you're getting into a snit because she has communication issues?" at my TV last night.

(I actually hate the George/Izzie storyline - I really liked them as close platonic friends. It's such a standard in the TV universe that if a hot male and a hot female spend any time together they will promptly fall in lurve and start making out, so it was really nice to see an actual, normal male-female friendship sans smooches for a change. *sigh*)

I have a theory that Izzie is emotionally disturbed. ;) I don't think they will ever be able to make that work, which is why I was so pissed at her for crying after she tried to "fix it" by telling him she didn't love him.......which led to me mockingly yelling at the TV "Cry, Izzie, cry some more!" my husband hates watching TV with me. LOL

OMG Firefly, I wish. That show was so kick-ass, I can't believe it's gone forever. :( Even if they did start it back up, they killed off the best character in the movie. Ugh.

They killed a couple people. Which one was your favorite? God help you if you say Wash.

They killed a couple people. Which one was your favorite? God help you if you say Wash.

May I suggest editing this post so you don't tell people who haven't seen "Serenity" who dies?

And what the heck's wrong with Wash, anyway? *loves Wash*

He's just not funny. Plus seriously not hot enough for Zoe.

yeah, that was so good. Although if anyone asks Emily Gilmore is my hero. ;)

Really? I found her to be rather controlling and complaining when her daughter doesn't do everything she wants.

Really? I found her to be rather controlling and complaining when her daughter doesn't do everything she wants.

she does, I am a control freak though, Paris also my hero.

In fact, I am like a weird mesh of Lorelai, Miss Patty, Paris and Kirk.

she does, I am a control freak though, Paris also my hero.

In fact, I am like a weird mesh of Lorelai, Miss Patty, Paris and Kirk.

That is certainly an interesting personality mix. Paris and Kirk? Both of them need to take some kind of sedative. Way too hyper. :p

That is certainly an interesting personality mix. Paris and Kirk? Both of them need to take some kind of sedative. Way too hyper. :p
I have been told that was the mix. I totally thought I was just a Lorelai, but apparently I am not, only that.

I have been told that was the mix. I totally thought I was just a Lorelai, but apparently I am not, only that.

Well, I'm sure you can trust your own judgment. ;)

I was totally prepared to come in here and chide people for being self congratulatory, smugly patting themselves on the back for how much television they didn't watch and instead it's a love fest mostly for shows I don't care for or watch, so I'm the cranky hater. Screw you bastards...:(
Heh, well Smallville isn't as good as it used to be either, it seems to be getting rather tedious.

It's the Greatest American Hero (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081871/) problem-you can only milk him being unfamiliar with his powers for so long.

One of the big problems with superhero shows is that they tend not to have the superhero fight super villains. When you have someone like Superman, that's compounded because even when Superman fights super villains he's not often that challenged.

I do like (and I haven't watched a full episode, um, ever, so I can't comment too throughly) that they have started to populate the super world with Auqaman and Green Arrow (and since it's the theme and aesthetic of the show I can't really complain that they are really just more posing pouty pretty boys). I've always thought that these comic book translations would be cooler if they populated the world with more than just the title character.

But it's a fine line. It's hard to not make a show casted by the wake of Dawson's Creek not look silly as more and more superheroes show up, so the Green Arrow looks goofy (making me wonder, can the Green Arrow not look goofy in live action? I mean, it's dude dressed like Robin Hood running around Seattle...).

Well, that's far too much to write on a show I haven't actually watched.

It's the Greatest American Hero (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081871/) problem-you can only milk him being unfamiliar with his powers for so long.

*has the entire series of that on DVD*

*has the entire series of that on DVD*

On that IMDb page there is talk about either a movie or series revival.

I'm not sure if I'm making or ruining your day...

On that IMDb page there is talk about either a movie or series revival.

I'm not sure if I'm making or ruining your day...

there has been talk of a movie for a while, which could be cool, they should never ever ever try to do the series again though......it was problematic.

I'm not the only American who's stopped watching TV!?! :eek:

TV is crap compared to writing and NSG. Then again I live in the USA, TV is crap compared to Freshman Seminar.

there has been talk of a movie for a while, which could be cool, they should never ever ever try to do the series again though......it was problematic.

With out the snearing guy from I, Spy saying 'scenario' then it will be lacking...

TV is mostly crap save The Simpsons, Drawn Together, South Park, and the occasional Discovery Channel/History Channel show.

I'm not the only American who's stopped watching TV!?! :eek:

TV is crap compared to writing and NSG. Then again I live in the USA, TV is crap compared to Freshman Seminar.

You clearly don't watch enough House or Lost.

The fact of the existance of reality TV makes me avoid Television mostly.

You clearly don't watch enough House or Lost.

I've only seen two episodes of Lost.

And I hate watching TV anyway, out of 500 channels there's never anything to watch! :mad:

I've only seen two episodes of Lost.

And I hate watching TV anyway, out of 500 channels there's never anything to watch! :mad:

With all those channels you must get about all the reruns you may desire. Plus movies of course. Then there are good shows, the ones I mentioned a couple pages back and then on cable like the Shield and Rescue Me among others.

With all those channels you must get about all the reruns you may desire. Plus movies of course. Then there are good shows, the ones I mentioned a couple pages back and then on cable like the Shield and Rescue Me among others.

The only shows I watch anymor are on Comedy Central, and I hate all the romantic comedy and horror crap that makes up the typical American movie. The only decent movie I've seen in a year was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead MAn's Chest.

I used to watch Degrassi: TNG, but now it's up it own arse with love triangles and absolutely nothing else. Even Canadian TV sucks now.

The only shows I watch anymor are on Comedy Central, and I hate all the romantic comedy and horror crap that makes up the typical American movie. The only decent movie I've seen in a year was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead MAn's Chest.

I used to watch Degrassi: TNG, but now it's up it own arse with love triangles and absolutely nothing else. Even Canadian TV sucks now.

Too bad. You could try watching Battlestar Galactica when it comes back. Or maybe something like Pimp My Ride if that floats your boat. :)

Too bad. You could try watching Battlestar Galactica when it comes back. Or maybe something like Pimp My Ride if that floats your boat. :)

If I EVER resort to watching MTV, then my life will be completely worthless and totally dry.

If I EVER resort to watching MTV, then my life will be completely worthless and totally dry.

I agree with you on MTV but I have to throw something out there. I can't let you decide that TV is no godd any longer.

the same dipshits that cancel good shows because "the ratings wern't there from the start" yet allow crap to stay on.

"Commander in Chief" anyone?

Using the standards of today, Seinfeld wouldn't have made it past its first season. Now, no matter what you think of that show, you have to admit that in the long run it more than made up for its first seasons financially, which is what the aforementioned dipshits would be concerned with.

I agree with you on MTV but I have to throw something out there. I can't let you decide that TV is no godd any longer.

But you threw in MTV?

No thank you! MTV sucks balls! Do you honestly think that I would actually watch it!?!!?

You sir, fail at suggesting TV shows. Hard. Very hard. :mad:

But you threw in MTV?

No thank you! MTV sucks balls! Do you honestly think that I would actually watch it!?!!?

You sir, fail at suggesting TV shows. Hard. Very hard. :mad:

I suggested Rescue Me but you didn't seem to approve. So I had to try something... outside the box.