Posted on 05/14/2013 10:34:16 AM PDT by Maelstorm
As the broadcast TV channels prepare to reveal their fall schedules this week, the renewed-or-canceled announcements that blasted out at the end of last week have already determined one characteristic of the 2013-14 TV season: It will be a lot more heterosexual than the current season, which officially ends next Wednesday.
Among the shows that won’t be back next year are The New Normal, Go On, Smash, The Office, 1600 Penn, Happy Endings, Don’t Trust the B___ in Apartment 23, 90210, Emily Owens, M.D., The L.A. Complex, Partners, and Southland, all of which featured gay or lesbian characters. (You can find a full list of the cancelations—and renewals—at the bottom of this post.)
With the possible exception of The Office, which finally expired a couple of seasons later than might have been ideal, these shows were all killed because they didn’t attract enough viewers. Network TV shows exist to deliver eyeballs to commercials, and if they fail to do so in large enough numbers, they’re doomed, no matter what.
Nevertheless, I’m sad to wave goodbye to some of these shows. (Others, like the execrable Partners and the sweet but totally unfunny 1600 Penn, deserved their fate.) This was the year that U.S. primetime television went to new places with its gay characters, many of whom were unquestionably, proudly, and uncompromisingly gay—but had a lot more going on besides.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
TV gets some testosterone back however. 24 will be making its return to Fox.
I don’t know Spanish and do no more than pass by the Spanish-speaking channels, but they look like they have sparkle and appreciate masculinity and femininity
best way to watch tv is buying dvd’s of what you want, and watching it when you want. commercial free. not paying outrageous monthly bills for a ton of channels you never watch or hardly watch.
news? i get more news on the internet, faster than tv. who hardly covers anything important. news today is infotainment. and “et” and “the insider” and crap like that are just shills for whatever they’re promoting.
What’s funny about the Mexican soaps is that you’d think they take place in Europe, the only real “Mexicans” you see on them play maids.
done with fox, done with 24, done with Kiefer. they all can go cluster-f themselves.
Si Senior. Muy Caliente!
¡Las mujeres se construyen como casas de ladrillo Muchacho!
You know where I can find one of those old 12” black-and-white TV’s? I want to get one to watch NFL football on for that month when they’re all wearing pink.
I agree. The TV has not been on for many months.I can’t bring myself to watch it. Stupid shows and insipid commercials to fund the stupid shows.
What happened to reading a book and picturing the story in your mind. If you read the book and then watch someone else make a movie of it the movie never lives up to how you pictured it. IMHO
Coincidence? Or is there no "there" there... :-)
//RedPlum sends
What about the show Glee that one targets our teens with queers all over the show..LETS SEE THAT ONE GO...
The show I'll miss is CIS:NY...
This would seem to shed light on the “support” for gay marriage and homosexual acceptance (vice tolerance) that most people who support it to so in a passive or even apathetic way. They aren’t emotionally committed to actively support it, they just don’t oppose it.
It brings to mind the old saying that the love that dare not speak it’s name is now the love that can’t keep quiet about itself. People seem to want to tolerate (again, different from accept). They’re ok with the cute professional gay couple down the street that wear polo shirts and chinos and go antiquing and to artsy plays on the weekend. But they don’t appreciate homosexualty being shoved in their face. And would sing a completely different tune about the couple down the street if it were two guys doing yard work in leather spiked vests and a$$less chaps, or a couple of hefty bettys out in the driveway working on their Harleys while shirtless.
Most people in the USA are straight and white.
They may talk a good game about how “accepting” they are, but when they select their entertainment in the privacy of their own homes they find gay and extreme ethnic activities uncomfortable.
The show execs will sooner or later have to take heed of the market.
I’ve often said if an alien came to earth and watched US primetime tv, he’d infer that the populace was 30% black, 30% Hispanic, and 30% gay.
There might technically be fewer ‘gays’ on tv next year, but I’m sure tv will be as gay as ever.
Seriously, spend a month exclusively watching dvd’s of old shows... “Have Gun Will Travel,” “The Untouchables,” “Sea Hunt,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Combat,” “Dragnet,” “Gunsmoke,” etc., then go back and turn on current network fare again. You’ll quickly realize how pathetically faggoty American culture has become. It’s a sick, perverted joke, what this once-great country has come to.
Gave up on The Following mid-season after about the fifteenth time the crack-pot pulled his Poe-inspired mind trick on the "unsuspecting" authorities. I just got sick of the same thing week after week after week. Same with "Revolution", when they came back from their 3 month "hiatus", I couldn't pick it up, again too repetitive.
Sorry to see "Vegas" get dumped. A little quirky, but it wasn't a bad period piece, showing how the Mob turned Las Vegas into the glitter capital of the world (pre-nObama, of course).
There’s a kids TV show, on Disney about a gay alien even. It’s called Marvin Marvin. The alien kid isn’t “out”, but has all the stereotypical gay male manerisms and the focus of the show is on the difficulties of someone who is “different” fitting in.
It’s just about the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen on TV ( for the very brief time it was on before I turned it off and told the kids to go find books to read instead) but is clearly a desensitization effort targeted preteens.
Meanwhile, two of the big TV stories of the past year: “The Bible” and “The American Bible Challenge” (aka, “Are You Holier Than a Fifth Grader?” ;) )
I guess I’m thick. Why are all you people commenting about TV, when you don’t even watch it?
There is something strange about people who don’t watch TV.
I liked Smash, but the gay thing is just overdone.
I loved Southland, until John Cooper, my favorite character, turns out to be gay. (actually the character he portrayed would NEVER have been gay, but the writers made him gay anyway).
I do watch some network shows, but mostly I watch cable (Direct TV) channels. SyFy, NGO, History, TLC, BBCA, FoxNews, CSPAN, ....I was going to list them but as I was making my list I realized it was too long to list.
I watch car shows, auctions, political shows, Zombie shows, survival shows, nature shows, Alaska shows, gold shows, action/adventure shows, some music shows/concerts etc., movies and more.
I don’t watch soaps, comedies, sports other than NFL football and NASCAR sometimes, lawyer shows, sit coms, cheesy dramas, old passé TV shows.
As far as a little B&W TV goes, I wouldn’t watch TV either. Just like I don’t listen to music on an 8 transistor portable radio anymore. I watch TV on my LARGE HDTV with home theater surround sound Bose speakers. If a show isn’t in HD, it isn’t worth watching. I would rather watch paint dry in HD than watch any non HD or B&W programs.
So, I feel sorry for those of you non TV people. You don’t know what you are missing. There is sooooo much choice of things to watch (or listen to any kind of music), that you don’t have to watch any type of show you don’t want to.
TIVO lets you watch TV commercial free. Lets you watch your shows when you want to, not necessarily as they are aired. What’s not to LOVE?
You non TV people must be a bunch of old Fuddy Duddies. I might think some of you might be my father, but then he’s DEAD and I don’t think they have computers in Hell.
It started when Seinfeld did an episode on masturbation and I was sitting on the sofa with my toddler.
Or did you stop at one point (do tell):
http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheContest.htm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.