Well this is going to be a thread about venting your frustrations with crap that is on tv. Could be fun. It all came to mind when last night I was thumbing through and saw my #1 pick:

1.) America's Funniest Home Videos on. WTF? Who watches this crap? I'll tell you who, only people that actually submit videos to try and win. Why? B/c no one else in their right mind would waste brain cells on this mind numbing crap. Do they pay the audience to be there? It boggles the mind.

2.) Will & Grace - Relying on a guest star EVERY week and still not funny. I have given this show probably a dozen chances to make me laugh, they failed at 11.5 of them. The only one that was partially funny was the Matt Damon guest spot. Which makes my point. The guest star was funny, not the actual cast.

3.) I wanted to say ALL reality TV, but I have come to grips with the fact that not all is bad. The cable shows seem to be decent(Trading Spaces[most of TLCs shows], Choppers, Pimp my Ride), it is mostly the network ones(any Matchmaking show, Swan, Who's your Daddy, dozens of others) that grate my nerves.

Why do I care? I can change the channel or turn off the tv, but with so many hours wasted on this stuff, there could be shows like Arrested Development, Scrubs, or Lost getting a chance on the air.

So vent your frustrations. The DVDTalk Support Group is open.

American Idol.

I will never understand its unbelieveable popularity.

According to Jim, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc., etc., etc.

Low overhead. No other use for the timeslot.

It's familiar, and people find familiar things funny for some reason. In fact, the less original the comedy, the more people seem to enjoy it, even if it's not actually funny.

Women. I blame women.

das

Never underestimate the appeal of watching idiots humilate themselves on national tv!

I understand the Gong Show aspect of its appeal. However, it sustains those ratings when it goes into the Star Search phase. Doesn't make sense.

The election's over. Can we keep the politics out of TV Talk ...

das

Well, as a confessed viewer of the show, the same thing happens every year. I watch initially for the "bad auditions" and get hooked on the "storylines" they create for the finalists, and end up watching the show to the end rooting for somebody to win even though I know there's no chance in hell I'll buy their record.

I have no idea. It's like televised crack.

Teenagers.

Also, in the Star Search phase, some of the performances are so terrible that it's still humiliating, and the allure of watching dreams destroyed before a live audience is strong.

das

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, and any other rich spoiled brat on tv!

American Idol, Enterprise, Stargate SS 1 (so sad), reality shows, King of Queens, Emeril Live, Er, CSI (all of them) Law and Order (all of them)..........................
Oh hell, why not make this easier and ask what is good on tv.

I will counter and say that ALL scripted TV sucks.

Don't get me wrong, I love tv. I just happen to feel that over the last 15 years, (for the most part) it has gone down the tubes. (pun intended). Also no offence to the ones that like the above mentioned shows, everyones taste is different. I liked the original CSI and ER, but enough is enough already.

It's easy, but I have to say ALL reality TV.

Especially shows like Survivor, Apprentice, American Idol (which I just saw my first 10 minutes of & it's so fake it's pathetic). How is this shit entertaining? There are brilliant shows on TV like Carnivale, the new Battlestar Galactica (which is at least getting some attention here), & a new episode of Survivor & Apprentice come around, & they get pages of discussion & analyzing like they are the most intricate novels ever written. How is watching other people become rich entertaining? How is a show that is nothing but a hour long commercial (which is all Apprentice is) captivating. Mindless shows like this have legions of viewers but put something original & creative on TV & it gets a small fanbase struggling to stay on the air.

I hate sitcoms, but at least I can understand that some people just have very simply senses of humor, & they want something light & mindless. But I cannot for the life of me get the obsession with reality TV.

Also, Stargate. The reality TV scenario also applies here. Cliche, never takes any risks (yes I've seen a fair amount of the show), redundant, & extremely boring, yet it's one the air for 8-9 seasons? Farscape is the total oppositie in every way, actually makes an effort to break the sci-fi cliches, & that gets cancelled.

King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, Joey

Insightful, you must watch reality TV.

I could not have said it better.

In defense of Survivor - I think people watch it more because of the game show than the 'reality' aspects of it. The strategy of it provides for good discussion - like watching a sporting event.

I disagree. The trouble is that there are currently more networks offering original programming than ever before, but there's just so much talent to go around. Therefore, as a percentage of total broadcasts, the quality of TV might be lower now than ever, but the total number of quality shows is (at least) comparable to any other time in TV's history.

In the past 15 years we have had the following shows aired:

Twin Peaks
Seinfeld
Cheers
Frasier
The X-Files
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sports Night
The West Wing
Law and Order
Angel
The Simpsons
Deadwood
Monk

And many others, most of which I didn't list because I just don't/haven't watched them much.

No more "insightful" than your remark.

Either you don't watch much TV, or you have a selectively nostalgic memory. While there has been some serious frustration in recent years, I think you'd find it incredibly difficult to build an argument against the last 15 years having some of the most creative and inventive and brilliant shows in the history of television. There are more channels and fewer repeats, which translates to more crap than ever before, but if you filter out that crap, I think you'll find more quality than any other era.

das

I like Monk but their is no way that it deserves to be listed with those shows.

The Shield and NYPD Blue, not counting the Rick Schroder years, deserve to be up there.

I can agree with your statement. The same can be said for professional football. To many teams and not enough talent. As for your list of shows I can only say that an individuals preference comes into play here. Personally I did not care for at least a third of the shows you listed. As for have a larger number of good shows due to the increase in the amount of channels. I will agree with that, however that also leeds to many more bad shows which at least for me seems to cloud over the good ones.

Why is Still Standing still on the air?

It just gets to me when you look at the tv landscape and see crap like what's mentioned in this thread - other than SG-1 and then look at what could be on the air:

Sports Night
Freaks & Geeks
Undeclared
Andy Rictor Controls the Universe
..and even Titus
And more I know I'm forgetting.

So I don't think lack of a talent pool is an issue, all of these shows had great casts, writing, & directing. It is all about the quick buck instead of developing a following anymore. This season has been great for a tv comeback with Lost, Deperate Housewives, and Arrested Development (giving it a chance to develop a following).