This is the only show I like to watch.
Posted on 03/04/2013 8:22:32 AM PST by SeekAndFind
If you stopped watching network television awhile ago because it had gotten so bad, you made the correct decision. It has continued to get worse. A few years ago, network television became dominated by cheaply made reality TV shows and talent contests, sitcoms with hyperactive manic characters, and socially liberal themes. Television has always pushed the edge when it comes to socially progressive themes. But at what point does it go too far? Perhaps when there are no other options left during prime time network TV.
The top ten most popular TV shows last fall contained few choices for traditional conservatives, unless they enjoy watching football. The first, fourth and tenth most popular shows were Sunday Night Football, Sunday Night Pre-Kick and The OT (NFL wrap-up) respectively.
The second most popular TV show last fall was Modern Family, which features the lives of three families, including two gay men and their daughter. There is profanity and one episode implied that teenage sex was appropriate. The Big Bang Theory was the third most popular show last fall. The plot is based on the lives of some nerdy guys and a beautiful woman who tries to teach them social skills. It features frequent discussions about sex including masturbation, and is sprinkled with profanity.
The fourth and ninth most popular show was a pseudo-reality voice talent show, The Voice. It features various musical artists as judges, some who are quite trashy. The sixth most popular program, the medical show Grey's Anatomy, features a lesbian character, profanity and plenty of extramarital sex.
NCIS, which stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, was the seventh most popular show. It is a drama about investigating crime, and at first glance would seem to be an educational show for those considering a profession in law enforcement. Unfortunately, it contains profanity, plenty of sexual hookups and frequent discussion of kinky sexual fetishes. The Family Guy is an animated show that ranked as eighth most popular. It contains plenty of profanity. One of the children has an ambiguous sexual orientation, and a family neighbor is a sex-crazed bachelor.
The Parents Television Council (PTV) gives The Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and Gray's Anatomy their most serious rating of red, completely unsuitable for children. Modern Family is rated yellow, which may be inappropriate for children. These are just the current crop of popular TV shows; and likely not even the worst within the last 20 or so years. The profane words have become harsher in recent years, and the greatest increase in the use of them has been during the 8 p.m. Eastern “family hour” slot. PTV found that profanity on broadcast television increased 69 percent between 2005 and 2010.
Whether one has a problem with gay sexual orientation or not, why does sex and profanity need to be a theme in so many shows? TV shows with adult themes used to be accessible only on cable television or outside of primetime hours. Now, with the exception of sports shows, it is impossible to sit down with children and watch one of the top ten television shows on network TV without exposing them to sex and profanity. Many adults find the prevalence of sex and profanity offensive. Polls repeatedly show that more than half the population would like stricter controls over the profanity and sex in broadcast television. A significant segment of the population does not want to watch shows laden with gratuitous sex and profanity every evening. As a result, network viewership continues to drop every year. Last fall, ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC combined for a 9 percent drop in viewers in the coveted 18-to-49 age bracket.
The reason there is a disconnect between what people want to watch, and what gets shown, is because wealthy liberal Hollywood elites who produce the shows get to call the shots. The viewers never get an honest choice, because the money is all dumped into the elites' ideal shows, giving them a huge advantage through advertising, prime time slots, top actors and extra bells and whistles. Most television viewers have never heard of the relatively new show Flashpoint, for example, because it was only carried by limited stations in the late evening. Featuring the members of a highly skilled law enforcement team, it portrayed serious drama that touched upon politically incorrect subjects such as mothers kidnapping their children and Islamic terrorism.
There needs to be more shows during primetime like Flashpoint and V, the science fiction series, which was good, clean, scary alien fun. Or shows like Seinfeld, which poked fun at controversial or taboo subjects instead of taking a position on them. While the influx of musical talent competitions has brought with it some cleaner material, there is no trained acting, it is merely a step above cheaply produced reality shows. Viewers are finally tiring of American Idol.
Until network TV starts reflecting a broader diversity of content, people are going to continue migrating to Facebook and Netflix instead, where they can choose their content. Add in the constant commercials on network TV, and it's a no-brainer for viewers to make the move away from network TV. If wealthy TV producers want to remain wealthy, they had better start creating shows for those of us who don't enjoy gratuitous sex and profanity in our living rooms every evening.
Got rid of Cable over a year ago....it was a sleep aid for my husband...don’t watch ANY of the above listed....I buy DVD’s to watch Justified...looking for other suggestions. Getting ready to figure out how to hook computer up and watch via HDtv....any suggestions? My husband has read more books in the last year than ever...
I am proud to state that, other than the football game, I have never watched any of the other 29 shows.
Like at least one other poster on this thread, I think Top Gear (BBC) is the BEST show on television.
“Have to disagree about the Big Bang Theory. One of the best shows ever on TV.”
I watch it too but think about it, sheldon has a mom but no dad, leanord has a mom but no dad, howard has a mom but no dad. The only normal parent situation is the non American Indian kid. Non married people having sex is very common on that show 9a lot of shows actually). I’m thinking cbs is trying to subliminally make all this this look “normal”. If you watch with the mindset of “are they trying to slip in some sort of message” you might be surprised at how you begin to look at it. Having said all that, I like the writing I just take it with a grain of salt.
Got rid of Cable over a year ago....it was a costly sleep aid for my husband...don’t watch ANY of the above listed....I buy DVD’s to watch Justified...watch Sharks, Monk, and Doc Martin...looking for other suggestions. Getting ready to figure out how to hook computer up and watch via HDtv....any suggestions? My husband has read more books in the last year than ever...
This is the only show I like to watch.
When she doesn't jump her lines, she delivers them in a flat monotone. Gawd is she awful. Just my $0.02.
“Top Gear (UK version)”
I agree. The US top gear is really hard to watch for some reason, I guess the personalities arent as good. I understand Jeremy Clarkson is a bit of a jerk in real life but still funny on TG.
Newton Minnow ( FCC Chairman) was right when he called TV “ a vast wasteland! that was back in 1961!
The only one of the 30 listed that I watch is Revolution. NCIS occasionally (how is that objectionable - it's like an 80's action show) if I'm at my dad's house. Flashpoint was mentioned in the column as good, which I agree. There are a couple of good ones out there. The Americans (not for kids) is probably the best of the new ones. There hasn't been a good sitcom since Seinfeld or Married with Children.
There isn't anything like Magnum PI these days. That was a great show.
Anyone watch “America Unearthed”?
What I don’t like about watching games. The halftime show or commercials or whatever( entertainers) seem to have become more important than than the actual game.
The great thing about DD is all these guys are funny, just in different ways. IMHO The best part of the show is the blessing at the end of each episode......you’ll be hard pressed to find that on ANY other tv show.
Blue Bloods is my favorite. Family values are emphasized and most episodes end at a family dinner preceeded by a prayer. I also like Vegas, Revenge, Justified and Grimm. There are still some good shows left on TV. None of them are “Reality” shows or sitcoms. Even two that I previously liked (Parks and Recreation and The Office) has turned crude and vulgar. I look forward to Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire returning...
Sheldon’s father has been mentioned as an alcoholic, Leonard’s father has been mentioned, as a plotline in an earlier season was his mother telling him that they were getting divorced. I always got the impression Howard’s dad was deceased and Penny’s dad was on a couple episodes, and he’s portrayed as a common sense country boy.
Ditto that. But, I could see where if you're not a computer nerd, you wouldn't get it. Lots of inside comedic fodder.
That's the only show that I plan an evening around, at least occasionally.
Mrs WBill watches "The Walking Dead". I've enjoyed it the few times that I've seen it. However, it's like any other soap opera, you can watch 1 show out of 4 and still know pretty much what's going on.
I don’t watch any of those programs although mrs p6 does.
Really I don’t watch a lot of TV except at work when I usually have to have a couple of TV’s running with news/weather.
Some progran that comes to mind that I do enjoy are The Meadows Racing network featuring harness racing from our track south of Pittsburgh. Post time is in about an hour.
Then in no particular order...
Duck Dynasty
Full Thottle Saloon
Deadliest Catch
Top Gear UK
Honey Boo Boo
Joel Osteen
In The Kitchen With David QVC
There might be a couple more but I have run for errands and get back for post time ,lol!
Well, none of those characters are presented as any kind of normal. Quite the opposite, in fact. And it is just a fact that non-married people having sex nowadays is pretty much the norm in our society, however one feels about that.
Whatever happened to The Legion of Decency? Did it go out subsequent to Vatican II?
In my household we watch
Duck Dynasty
American Pickers
Storage Wars (sometimes)
Shipping Wars
Pawn Stars and Cajun Pawn Stars (Sometimes)
Meat Eater
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Various hunting and shooting shows from the Sportsman and Outdoor channel
Or Fox News
Most all shows are DVRed and watched when we have time
I am not any kind of a computer nerd, and I get it. Moreover, in its way, it provides some of the most educational content on TV with very little (or no) left-wing indoctrination. I especially love that Sheldon is so unusually well-spoken, precise and articulate in his speech.
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