How to save television from becoming nothing but trash.

[Boojatta]

The commercials broadcast during highbrow shows should be rebroadcast as short programs consisting of nothing but "The commercials from..."

Provided that people tune in for the commercials that were shown on the highbrow programs, those programs in effect get good ratings.

The only extra requirement is that people need to be encouraged, if they aren't interested in the shows, to watch the commercials. Watching such commercials will be to watching highbrow TV like what athletic performance is to higher education. Provided that people have seen the commercials, they should get praise and acceptance.

[smtpgirl]

1. It's on it's way to being nothing but trash

reality tv
stupid sitcoms
fake news shows

mindless tv - would rather watch Petticoat Junction, the Partdirge Family, the Brady Bunch, Mission Impossible & Columbo....I have turned to vintage tv in box sets on DVD lately.

....Discovery, History, PBS have some redemming qualities

[cobalt1999]

5. Shark week is on Discovery all week.

That's always informative and interesting. However, I agree with you. Except for an occasional show on Discovery, History, or National Geo. channel, we don't watch TV at all.

[Nevernose]

12. And half the stuff on History these days is total BS

I keep watching and thinking, "Wow, I just read a book about that. An actual book. And the History Channel takes the most salacious, factually-questionable details possible, and presents them as fact."

Take anything recently presented on either the Alamo or "The DaVinci Code," for example. It's barely one step away from being "Alien Autopsy."

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

15. In the 50's and 60's, people like William Faulkner, Ray Bradbury, Woody Allen

Mel Brooks, Sam Peckinpah, Paddy Chayefsky, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bloch, Neil Simon and many other greats were writing for television. As a kid, I remember dozens of TV drama shows, like Playhouse 90 or General Electric Theater that actually presented intelligent TV. Even the TV comedies of the period were well written compared to today. Today's TV comedies, with a few exceptions, consist of a series of snappy one-liners placed into the character's mouth as if to say "gee, aren't I clever and witty". As off-the-wall, screwball, and zany as I Love Lucy was, it shed far more light on human nature than anything I've seen on TV lately. I'm sure there are extremely fine writers out there today. But I think the producers are at the mercy of the network executives who do not want quality writing that makes you think. I think there was more freedom of expression in the old days. I agree with you 100% about television today (with just a few rare exceptions) compared to the TV of yesteryear.

[whistle]

2. You are a generation too late....all the TV networks are owned by

....the corporations who want to numb our brains and sell us stuff we neither need or can even use

[southerncrone]

3. That tipping point has passed. We're on the downward spiral into the gutter.

[damntexdem]

7. On commercial TV, including cable, the tipping point is well past.

We have trash. That applies especially to the 'news.'

What IS worthwhile on commercial TV, including cable? For me it's:

1) The Daily Show;
2) The Colbert Report;
3) Monk (new shows in the summer only);
4) Jericho (in reruns opposite Monk, but with prospects of new shows in the fall, when there are no new Monk episodes);
5) Countdown with Keith Oberman;
6) 60 Minutes (sometimes).

What else is there in the commercial sphere?

Yeah, PBS is generally OK. But they drive me crazy during pledge breaks and sweeps, when they replace Saturday-night Britcoms and Cancoms with music concerts.

[Telly Savalas]

8. Indeed. I miss the intellectual stimulation of "Knight Rider" and "That's Incredible"

[wuushew]

4. PBS is still alive ( for now )

the rebroadcast of the Civil War just wrapped up this week.

[Deja Q]

6. It's too profitable; trash has to say. Look at FOX Broadcasting...

Then listen to pundits on FOX Cable whining about how the media has impacted our children... :crazy:

[BlackHawk706867]

9. Sorry but it's much to late for that! TV has been nothing but trash for a number

of years now. There are very few shows worth watching on TV.... And forget about most news channels.. It's all garbage.... I don't know about most of you, but I get my news online and have done so for probably 5 or 6 years now.

ww

[lonestarnot]

10. Ugh. I can only think of maybe 5 programs worth watching. I'd say it's pretty much trashed.

[jazzjunkysue]

11. Cut the top off and plant a yucca tree in it?

Na. I'm already addicted to Glen Close in Damages. Ooooooooohhhhhhh!!!!!

[shireen]

13. me too! nt

[shireen]

14. new cable network shows seem to be rescuing tv entertainment

The Closer/TNT -- excellent, Kyra Sedgwick is terrific.
Damages/Spike -- riveting. Glenn Close is ... well, your typical Glenn Close performance, outstanding!
Killing Point/Spike --- also riveting, Leguizamo is a class act.
Monk/USA -- hysterical, lova ya Tony Shalhoub
Burn Notice/USA -- funny, smart (and educational, I learned how to make fake c4 bombs using fondant)

Not all are winners. Heartland and Saving Grace on TNT have been disappointing. Psych on USA is stupid. Nip/Tuck is boring, but I don't watch it for the storylines ;)

Can't think of anything approaching the quality of those 5 good programs on network tv. NBC used to have an outstanding series with really good writing and performances, but they cancelled it, Homicide: Life of the Street.

But I confess: I'm addicted to a soap, All my Children. A guilty pleasure! LOL!