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.
“Little House on the Prairie” at has been a hit with my young kids. Unfortunatley, we’ve seen all the episodes.
I just get the feeling cbs is trying to say “this is how people are these days”. I just dont trust em.
MIKE and MOLLY is the same way (also cbs) lots of sexual overtones ans situations, even a sister that smokes pot living in the same house with a cop. Since its set in chicago its probably not far from acurate. just sayin...
It’s not the garbage that puts me off, it’s the commercials. Go back and have a look at some old sitcoms like “All in the Family”. They ran 26 minutes for a half hour show. That’s 8 30 second spots in a half hour. Those days are gone forever. Now the show and commercials nearly split the time evenly.
We have given up on Professional sports also. About the only sports we watch is on the Big 10 network or ESPN if the Big 10 teams are playing
Thanks...
Neither is Mrs Wbill, and she's the one who hooked me on it. Of course, I think that she enjoys it because she relates all of their hijinks to me. :-)
I work with a lady who could give lessons in "OCD" to Sheldon. She was discussing her recent purchase of a couch...it took her SIX MONTHS to find "exactly the right one".
Thinking of Sheldon, I asked her if she had "Her Spot" on it. She gave me the strangest look, and said "Of course, and so do each of my cats."
When everyone in the room broke up laughing, someone explained "Sheldon's Spot" to her...she wasn't familiar with Big Bang. Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.
This brings to mind a larger problem; the disappearance the sane, confident, self-assured father figure.
When was the last time you saw one? Not an emasculated unstable nut (the guy on that “Modern Family” show on now), an overweight slapstick buffoon (”King of Queens”), or an outsmarted-by-the-wife manic (”Everybody Loves Raymond”), but just a normal Dad-figure? Where it was ok to portray husband and wife as normal and on equal footing with their kids.
I’m racking my brain here, but has there been one since Cliff Huxtable?
I totally agree with what you said
“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”
“But they do have time to be addicted to Free Republic.”
Humpfh!
Now ya done quit preaching an’ gone t’ MEDDLIN’!
Clarkson is a man’s man and not ‘politically correct’. It’s probably the ONLY show on TV that’s geared to men but I’m sure feminists will see to it that it becomes emasculated and therefore RUINED just like EVERY OTHER SHOW ON TELEVISION. It’s okay to have shows geared to females like ‘The View’, etc.., but shows geared to men? Ohhhhh noooooo can’t have THAT! NOT ALLOWED.
I’m not sure what NCIS this person is watching, but it is one of my favorite shows and I have totally missed the sexual perversions and hook ups. Criminal Minds on the other hand is based on the perversion stuff to the point I stopped watching it years ago, and I’m no prude.
God bless texas!
God bless Texas!
I saw that one...funny part is that fans of the show voted that episode as one of the worst of the entire 200-episode run...
PC fail.
The crudest moments in "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" don't come anywhere near "Game of Thrones", yet the former offend you while the latter doesn't?
Ive read Clarkson’s info on wiki, it sounds like a lot of stuff he says and does is designed to shock and to get a reaction, like these gems:
In October 1998, Hyundai complained to the BBC about what they described as “bigoted and racist” comments he made at the Birmingham Motor Show, where he was reported as saying that the people working on the Hyundai stand had “eaten a dog” and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably eaten a spaniel for his lunch.
On 30 November 2011 while being interviewed on the BBC’s The One Show, Clarkson commented on the UK’s public sector strike that day, lauding the capital’s empty roads. After mentioning the BBC’s need for balance, he said, “I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families.”
Pretty funny stuff.
My Daughter gave me Smallville on DVD through season 7. That is about when it was getting unwatchable not because of PC but it just had run it’s course.
The first few seasons were pretty good. I just had to ignore the nonsense which they probably had to put in to be allowed on the network.
When she doesn't jump her lines, she delivers them in a flat monotone. Gawd is she awful. Just my $0.02.
Agreed. I tried to watch a couple of episodes, thinking it had to get better, but it really didn't. I sort of liked her character as "the daughter" in "The 40 Year Old Virgin." She was funny in that. But I have to agree, "Two Broke Girls" would have to improve to rank as "garbage." Talk about short skirts! Not that I'm complaining about that...
Mark
You and I are similar...I haven’t watched network television since probably around 1996 or so. I got so fed up with the rampant liberalism, I couldn’t watch it without provoking dirty looks from my wife who wasn’t seeing things the same way. We had a talk about it, and I solved it by just not watching anymore. I DO watch NFL football, but the political correctness and pussification of it is wearing me thin there, too.
We have never had cable, ever.
But I have enjoyed Netflix, watching things like “The Walking Dead”, “Boardwalk Empire” and currently, the first season of “Downton Abbey”.
I never in a million years thought I would ever watch any kind of zombie stuff, but I did enjoy “The Walking Dead”.
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