Thursday, December 17, 2009

Tired Of TV

I like to watch TV. It's nice to have on while I am working or doing stuff around the house. Lately I find myself watching a lot of old movies again. I have always liked old movies, especially musicals. But the urge to watch them recently has been more from a disgust with the Hollywood of today.

Suddenly it seems prime time has gotten extremely permissive with the language and content they allow. (Maybe I am just a prude?) Not to mention that they have dumbed down the plot lines. I heard a theory a while back they have made them easier to follow because people split their focus now with the computer and texting and so on while they are watching.

I think it's kind of sad though, some of us still enjoy a good plot. Remember those silly old I Love Lucy episodes? They were a riot and not one mention of sex or bodily parts that we never used to discuss in polite society. The writers came up with clever vehicles for Lucy and the gang to get into trouble with. Sure it was fluff, but that's the point of TV.

The other thing I am a bit weary of is the need to add the latest sexual minority du jour into every show. Now please don't take that wrong. But I am sick of having two women making out in every show, before that it was men...I am afraid to think what's coming next. Half the time it doesn't add to the plot. I have nothing against any sexual persuasion, what you do is your business, but that doesn't mean I want to see it in every episode of everything I want to watch. Usually it doesn't pertain to the show anyway, and it's just a token gesture for ratings because this or that group needs to be "accepted" in society. I think if all people kept their private lives a little more private we would all be happier and more accepting in the long run. I don't want to see a lot of overt sexuality with straight people either.

I am also puzzled by the new stereotype Hollywood has cast on blondes. We finally came out of the dark ages of always being cast as the stupid girl to going right into being the mean girl.

I am always saddened by the need to cancel the shows I like too. Kelsey Grammer had a new show out called Hank which was cancelled right away. It was funny and fresh and I liked it. It was about family, something we seem to be lacking a lot of. By contrast Jenna Elfman, who I loved in Dharma & Greg has a new show called Accidentally On Purpose. I was interested to see it when it came out since I liked her in the past, but honestly I felt like I needed a shower after it was over because the plot lines and jokes are so icky.

I have noticed that there is a new need to make Christians and other religious groups look like fanatics or wackos lately. It's as if they saying that if you have faith you aren't normal. That's a sad commentary on the world we live in. People want to be accepted and are supposed to be accepting, but only if it's something they are comfortable with.

I am sorry about this little rant, but it's been bothering me lately. TV used to be a garbage dump 20 years ago, now it's a toxic wasteland. The thing is, I am not convinced the average viewer likes the constant references to body parts and sexual situations. I could be wrong, but I shudder to see what the future will bring.

3 comments:

Heather said...

(Just in case you haven't checked any of these shows out...)
I watch the following:

Glee
Supernatural
Castle
V

Now... Glee might seem like a stereotype you mentioned, but, honestly, it's not. Yes, the head cheerleader is blonde... and at first she *seems* mean... but she isn't... all of the characters in this story have a very interesting depth that hasn't yet even been fully explored... even the worst of the characters, Sue, has heart-breakingly tender sides to her. (Oh, and I LOVE the music)

Supernatural I love for two reasons, One, I love shows about supernatural things that are a little creepy (aka, I love a good ghost story)... so how could I *not* check this show out?
Second, Supernatural, while having a very heavy plot, still takes the time to be lighthearted and joke... they make fun of other shows that take themselves too seriously, they make fun of the fanfic fan-base that has written love stories between the two brothers who are the main characters, they make fun of how serious they take their own show sometimes. They make me laugh, and I love it :)

Castle... I LOVE. I am a huge fan of Murder She Wrote, watched it all the time as a kid (and could never figure out why people stuck around when Jessica came to visit!). Castle is kind of like a modern version of that... but with a man as the main character... he is a mystery writer shadowing a female detective to write his new book.
What I *REALLY* love about this show, though, is the family dynamics of the main character, his mother and his daughter. They are very close, the daughter is immensely responsible and brilliant, and they obviously all love each other a lot. It's so endearing to see a functioning, loving family unit.

V... well... ok, it only has about 4 episodes. So I can't really say how I'll feel about it later... but I'm a sucker for Sci-Fi. I love Battlestar Gallactica (the new one, never seen the old), I love Star Trek, I love what I've seen of Stargate... LOVE Firefly and am looking for more good sci-fi shows.

Anyhow... perhaps that was more info than you wanted XD but I just thought I'd share the few shows I think are worthwhile on tv these days.

Darlene said...

Heather I'm with you ,Glee and Castle are great to watch, haven't seen the other two though. But while we are at it can we get some of the gross commercials off tv, we have gone too far.

Kelly said...

I haven't seen Glee, but I do watch the other three. I love Castle. Supernatural is good but it's still kinda in that if you believe you're an idiot zone. As for V...I remember the original V series too. It scared me so bad I couldn't sleep! I hope this one doesn't go to that place. But I am sure it will.

I agree on the commercials Darlene!

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