The Brainless Box (aka Television Shows)

[Jules]

Good Lord, I was going for a spin there!

I shouldn't even be posting in this thread since I can't remember the last time I actually pressed the power button on the TV, let alone have time for it, but I'll catch a few glimpses of House and American Idol as I walk, in passing, from the computer room to the Kitchen.

Basically, what I see is whatever Patrick has on (he's notorious for turning on the TV and instantly leaving the room) and some other boob-tube glimpses consist of South Park, SNL, that show where that guy survives in the wild, that other show where someone nearly escapes death, and that other show where a mystery disease baffles doctors and almost kills the patient. That about sums up my television literacy.

If I had to remember the last time I was looking forward to watching a show, it was when they aired Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel. That was truly captivating.

[dotkel50]

Cold Case (Sundays at 10/9c, CBS)
Issues: Although the show pulls in a fairly steady average of 10 million viewers each week, it consistently underperforms in the desirable 18-to-49-year-olds demo. High production costs and the fact that CBS almost canceled it last year make another renewal unlikely.

I love this show, especially when it flashes back to the 50's, 60's and 70's. Yeah, I'm old .

[Rath Darkblade]

You just have good taste, dotkel.

I don't watch any of these shows, apart from The Simpsons, because we don't get these shows down here in Ozzie-land.

Talking of "the Brainless Box" - why are so-called 'reality TV shows' still running?

[dotkel50]

Reality shows are still running because they're cheaper to make than scripted shows. It's all about the allmighty dollar.

[BBP]

Good Lord, I was going for a spin there!

I shouldn't even be posting in this thread since I can't remember the last time I actually pressed the power button on the TV, let alone have time for it, but I'll catch a few glimpses of House and American Idol as I walk, in passing, from the computer room to the Kitchen.

Basically, what I see is whatever Patrick has on (he's notorious for turning on the TV and instantly leaving the room) and some other boob-tube glimpses consist of South Park, SNL, that show where that guy survives in the wild, that other show where someone nearly escapes death, and that other show where a mystery disease baffles doctors and almost kills the patient. That about sums up my television literacy.

If I had to remember the last time I was looking forward to watching a show, it was when they aired Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel. That was truly captivating.

Hey Jules! Patrick sounds just like my dad!
Are you familiar with Earth, The Power Of The Planet? It's gorgeous. Unfortunately for me, watching it with subtitles is horrible,and without it I have to decipher Iain Stewart's accent.
Cave diving to meteorite crater
Footage from instide of a glacier

[DeadPoolX]

And here I thought "boob-tube" meant something else.

As for leaving the TV on after leaving the room... well, I sometimes do that too. Not on purpose, but I get distracted and forget it's on.

[Datadog]

Reality shows are still running because they're cheaper to make than scripted shows. It's all about the allmighty dollar.

Cheaper to make, plus they bring in tons of money from the teeny-bopper crowd. Somebody probably gets rich from texting every time "America votes."

What bugs me are the lifestyle reality shows. They're like tabloids, only the celebrities agree to have a camera follow them around and pretend to be regular people. And then they pretend to be in wacky fish-out-of-water situations. Is it supposed to be funny? Is it supposed to make me think? Is it even entertaining? Watching Gene Simmons sign over a multi-million dollar business deal and then complain about the price of snowboarding lessons absolutely baffles me. If this isn't scripted comedy, Gene Simmons needs professional help - not a TV show.

On that note, I kind of want to see an end to sitcoms without laugh-tracks. Laugh-tracks set the mood. Without them, I just see the characters' wacky lives as a sad and disappointing series of events. For a while, I thought "The Office" was a really creepy drama.

[DeadPoolX]

Watching Gene Simmons sign over a multi-million dollar business deal and then complain about the price of snowboarding lessons absolutely baffles me. If this isn't scripted comedy, Gene Simmons needs professional help - not a TV show.

I actually like Gene Simmons' show (Family Jewels) and I've always hated so-called reality shows. Sure, the show is scripted to some extent, but the main difference between GSFJ and other reality programs like Survivor or The Apprentice is that there's no contest to win and no melodramatic inner-group politics.

Look at most reality shows and you'll see the same format: people of all races and backgrounds gather together to compete for a prize. During the process, cliques are tentatively formed and some people get hostile towards one another. There's usually one "bad guy" on the show, as well.

That's why I like GSFJ. He and his family actually act like people (whether or not that's scripted is irrelevant) and each show is more or less a silly adventure. More often than not, the point of the show is to poke fun at Gene himself.

On that note, I kind of want to see an end to sitcoms without laugh-tracks. Laugh-tracks set the mood. Without them, I just see the characters' wacky lives as a sad and disappointing series of events. For a while, I thought "The Office" was a really creepy drama.

You're joking, right? The laugh track (i.e. "canned laughter") was a horrid invention, designed to tell the viewing audience when it's okay to laugh. If I want to laugh, I will. I don't need the show to tell me.

Of course... I rarely watch sitcoms. I suppose the most recent "sitcom" I've watched is Family Guy, although I don't know if that really counts.

[AndreaDraco]

The only American reality show I enjoy is The Amazing Race. Anyone here watch it? I find it really engrossing: it shows beautiful countries, breath-taking sceneries and the competion is involving. I really think it would be nice to partecipate

[Jules]

Hey Jules! Patrick sounds just like my dad!
Are you familiar with Earth, The Power Of The Planet? It's gorgeous. Unfortunately for me, watching it with subtitles is horrible,and without it I have to decipher Iain Stewart's accent.
Cave diving to meteorite crater
Footage from instide of a glacier

No, I've never heard of that show. The videos were stunning! Definitely something I'd watch.

[Datadog]

You're joking, right? The laugh track (i.e. "canned laughter") was a horrid invention, designed to tell the viewing audience when it's okay to laugh. If I want to laugh, I will. I don't need the show to tell me.

Actually, canned laughter was originally designed to simulate being in a live audience. I don't think it was so much that people needed to know when to laugh, but that they found comfort in hearing other people laugh. I'm sort of the same way - much like with live theater or at the movies, the back of my brain is always telling me that without at least one person around ready to laugh at even the worst of the jokes (be it canned,) sitcom comedy is like the uncanny valley.

It doesn't seem to apply with animated sitcoms, though. I remember them trying it with the Flintstones and it always weirded me out as a kid. There's just no way to simulate a live audience for a cartoon.

[BBP]

Maybe we just need good comedies. I haven't seen a sitcom I liked since the Belgian Bob & George in the late 90s.

[Jules]

Speaking of good comedies, I used to watch the hell out of Gilligan's Island and I Love Lucy when I was little. Anything that came on Nick at Nite was watched religously in our house. Dobie Gillis, Mr. Ed, Taxi, I Dream of Jeanie, Donna Reed, Petticoat Junction, Bevery Hillbillies, The Honeymooners, F-Troop... Nothing like the good old days where you don't need to know who Monica Lewinsky was to get a good laugh.

[Datadog]

My mom used to buy box sets of those back when I was a kid. And this is before DVD, so those box sets took up a LOT of room. I had the good fortune of getting to grow up with Gilligan's Island, Bewitched, The Beverly Hillbillies, I Dream of Jeannie, and I Love Lucy. It was awesome.

[dotkel50]

I watched ALL of those shows when they were first on the air....before a vcr was invented.