Am I the only self-aware tv viewer in America?

Most primetime TV does not appeal to me at all. Everytime I switch on the TV there’s always an abundance of crime/murder, legal, medical drams, sitcoms, and reality shows. Seriously how do Americans learn to enjoy these programs, it’s the same concept. I had little interest in those shows at all. Even the popular ones like Heroes, Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock, Dollhouse, Bones, Supernatural, Gossip Girl: Those shows have little appeal to me.

Even the science-fiction programs if good, get canceled. And when there’s something interesting that does not fit either of the mold it will get canceled within a season or two.

Oh yes, on the weekends broadcast and cable television is unwatchable unless you like sport, which is something I don’t like at all.

Oh and PBS, their primetime offerings either consists of imported mystery dramas from britian (out of the BBC, you could have imported more commercial and interesting shows), NOVA, Nature, antiques road show, and it seems once every week these pledge breaks. PBS do offer shows that truly define public broadcasting but they don’t get any advertising and shoved late at night. They think that every American had a DVR, well I don’t.

Cable has its bright spots, but most of the good stuff you have to pay more and have to subsidize more junk channels you have little interest in. So unless you like reruns, bowdlerized movies, and sport it’s a waste of money unless you have a bundle package. Even though my dorm has cable, it’s expended cable only, no digital cable available. I have a HDTV and there is no option to subscribe to it, even if I want to most of the HDTV channels are either unconverted or not in widescreen and the only ones in end to end widescreen are sport and movies.

Simply put most TV shows does not appeal to me.

a rabid white girl was telling a black Army officer that profiling is racist.

(Her boyfriend was a Muslim and a suspected terrorist, but the Army officer's response was classy.)

Intelligently written; it was very, as the British would say, po-faced, but there was an ironic wit in the number of memes - on both the left-wing and the right-wing of our political chicken - that were sent up.

Most television doesn't appeal to me, either, but I will applaud something that dares be complex and throw the viewer's expectations out the door.

And to think, this show was on "CBS" too...

At least I can watch it in widescreen my MynetworkTV

I virtually never tune into network tv but I was on vacation and that episode aired.

It'll probably be replaced with a "reality show".

Still, anything that dares speak its own mind than feed a bunch of friggin' sheep - count me in when the DVD sets come out.

The only things I watch are documentaries on PBS and miss many of those because I don't keep up well with what's coming on since I don't watch TV. It's a vicious circle. :hi:

I canceled all but local stations two years ago, and the only things I miss are the Weather Channel and Turner Classic Movies.

As a Netflix subscriber, I enjoy their library of literally thousands of foreign and independent films, documentaries, old TV shows, and current TV shows. I rent current TV shows only if someone whose taste I trust tells me that they're good.

between that and Setanta sports I don't change the channels. BBC America is crap too- I don't care to watch "you are what you eat" or are you living in a tip. I am a mystery fan so when they had mystery Monday. I could watch Morse,Frost,Jonathan Creek, Rebus (John Hannah),Murphy's Law,Cracker, Wire in the blood (bit over the top) etc Now it is rubbish!

MPT (Maryland Public Television) often broadcasts the old stale britcoms or one of MANY pledge break specials that they keep broadcasting every week on Sunday. Especially "Viewer Favorites" where programs that get the most responses (read: pledges) air.

Again, I don't watch the British imports PBS offers: Last year ago I discovered a torrent website where I can watch actual British programing, like the The Bill (Still airing for 25 years, they just did a de facto reboot of the series).

one day i have to figure out how to get programming to my tv through the net that is watchable and not picselly challanged. football is unwatchable via the internet

Was not streaming, you have to download videos to watch them.

x

I don't watch any network stuff.

n/t

I hated the TV. Now that the Internet is here, I don't even own a television and I don't miss it one bit.

I do have to admit that I need to get a television so I can watch my NFL games and for times when my computer is down.

Only problem is that they'll expect you to buy something if you want to stay and watch.

Via Justin.tv and other places(which are more work, like http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports)).

http://www.justin.tv/directory/sports
(it's mostly soccer today, but come NFL(or college) gameday..)

I'll check it out!

-and I have no idea what TV shows are on, or who various celebrities are any more; don't care either. Part of growing old, I suppose.

were all worth my time last year - I hear Mad Men is good as well but haven't seen it yet. Other than that, I stick to Blu-ray nature documentaries like BBC's Planet Earth or Nature's Great Events. Those are always worth my time. :) Other than that - yeah, TV kinda sucky.

Oh and see Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog if you haven't. Only 42 mins but awesome.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog

"Simply put most TV shows does not appeal to me."

Most computer and console games do not appeal to me-- I don't think that means I'm a self-aware gamer, only that my opinions and my tastes differs from many other people. And I find that to be most comforting...

i've never had cable and i really don't have time for teevee, i wonder sometimes how people watch teevee AND have a life, my suspicion is that people who follow teevee DON'T have lives -- so many programs now are soap operas/continuing stories -- this tacitly assumes that the viewer is a loser who never goes anywhere, not even on business, much less on personal travel, hell, even to a party or a dirty weekend they don't go out, they're always around to follow the continuing story

i count myself lucky, and i think you should too

teevee is an addiction that i've seen chew up people's lives, and the "quality" programs are usually more addictive than the bad programs, i knew a guy who went around dressed as dr. who for literally years (needless to say holding no job during those years), i knew a girl who was so obsesssed with star trek: TOS that her parents had to send her to a shrink, hell, we all know these people

just as you're glad that crack missed you, be glad teevee missed you -- think of all the time and money you save

if you just wanna catch sports once in awhile, i agree w. the sports bar/lounge suggestion, or a casino, just have a way to get home w.out getting a DUI

i don't know how old my teevee is but it's way old (pre katrina, i still can't figure out how it missed getting wet but it still works when i bother to turn it on, in fact we had to get one of those special boxes to fix it when teevee went digital -- we're the only people in louisiana who had a teevee old enough to use one of those converter boxes!)

also teevee is just a bad medium if you're into self awareness, internal thoughts of the characters -- for that fiction is much better, plus fiction can be read at your own speed, so it moves faster than teevee -- one thing that irritates me about teevee is the SLOW pace and the repitition and how OBVIOUS they have to make everything -- gosh, do you have to hit me over the head w. a baseball bat to make your point? a well written mystery book makes teevee mysteries look just sad, sad, and sorry

If I hear of a good TV series like The Wire or True Blood, it'll be out on DVD soon enough. Further, there's plenty of older shows to catch up on. We've going through the PBS American Experience series. And of course, films.

Bless Netflix, half the cost and no ads.

books are best. Check your library website and get a gander at what they offer. You can select books on line and pick them up all ready to go.

I only watch MSNBC and CNN - I like David Shuster & Tameryn Hall together..they make a good program. Ed, Chris Matthews, Keith and RAchel are very watchable. Then at 10, so far Jay Leno is a disappointment except for when Michael Moore was on. Anderson Cooper is a good 10 pm choice. C-Span comes thru once in a while. Maybe John Stewart, then David Letterman. Keep a book handy for when any of these programs get boring.

I get behind in book reading when President Obama is on - never get enough of him...just love my president.

Weekend - books, books, books. I like fiction to get away from it all.

and I've gotten to love N.C.I.S lately...but most of the stuff I see on there is fucking garbage so I don't bother. I do like the ghost-hunters and Paranormal State ( I think those are the Travel Channel ) I'm not sure.