movies/tv Watching TV? RANT

[Mightymags 1,053]

For approximately the last four years I haven't been actively watching TV like I did when I was younger. I no longer sit down and channel surf for hours mindlessly. I still have a TV in my house but really none of my family uses it to watch anything except the news (occasionally) and sports. I still watch TV shows but I just do it on my computer on the network's website or streaming it somewhere else, and netflix too. 

 

As a result of this I've been able to watch the slow deterioration of TV as a whole. I hear less and less about commercials that are actually clever/funny (even during the superbowl). I'm always shocked by the numerous reality shows that exist and I still don't understand why people watch them! I was recently told that there's some reality show about funerals? Or something like that...? I didn't believe them at first, but I guess it's legit. I actually didn't realize American Idol was still a thing until recently, I was hoping that would have died out by now, at this point none of the people who win will every really be that famous....

 

It's not only reality TV that's plunged downhill but Disney Channel (from the few times I've seen it now) it seems has created a formula where they give 12 year olds a show and they make dumb jokes, but I don't understand them because they all seem to be the same show...but apparently they aren't. 

 

Finally, COMMERCIALS. I still see them from watching shows online, but that's usually the same one and it's usually about an air freshener or another TV show on that site. On the rare occasions that I do watch TV it seems as though the quality of commercials has reverted to what it was in the early 2000s when that chick in slippers talked about doing college from home. It's like commercials peaked in quality and humor a few years ago and it's all gone downhill. Commercials (as most people know) have taken over air time. Just before I gave up on TV I felt as though I was spending more time skipping commercials than watching an actual show. And when you watch TV live you don't get that luxury. I'm at the point where when I actually watch TV I get extremely frustrated because it's all commercials that I would rather stare at the blank screen. 

 

TL;DR VERSION: TV sucks now! Why do you still watch it? 

 

(Sorry for the long post. I don't have a blog to put this in. SAD. )

 

 

[Bohtty 1,775]

I don't watch TV. Anything worth watching can be found on the internet for much cheaper. I keep trying to convince my parents to ditch TV and Land Line and just use Cell Service and Internet. I have them mostly convinced. I think I will be able to convince them completely when I am next home from college.

[Shanks 10,816]

Today there are only a few shows I actually even bother to watch because almost everything on is complete and utter garbage that appeals to the lowest common denominator. Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network have really gone downhill but at least Cartoon Network is making a few steps in the right direction, they brought back Toonami which although I would rather they have brought it back to prime time instead of late Saturday night when most people are asleep.

 

Their Saturday morning cartoon lineup keeps getting better with Star Wars The Clone Wars, Young Justice and Green Lantern the Animated Series. And Disney Channel has gone turned into such an unspeakable abomination that I don't know when or if they will ever recover, they basically took the worst aspects of soap operas dumbed them down to the point where they are insulting even to two years olds and geared them toward teens. I have never seen any network with so many shows where practically every character is a fragging Mary Sue.

[Mightymags 1,053]

 

And Disney Channel has gone turned into such an unspeakable abomination that I don't know when or if they will ever recover, they basically took the worst aspects of soap operas dumbed them down to the point where they are insulting even to two years olds and geared them toward teens. I have never seen any network with so many shows where practically every character is a fragging Mary Sue.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. It literally makes me feel sick when I think about the low that society has reached to be able to watch that.  

[Scootalove 10,689]

Well since, Cartoon Network only have 2 good shows and Disney is basically dying except Phineas and Ferb + Gravity Falls.

So, I would stop watching TV but I'll get bored.

[khaine21x3 789]

I've had it with political indoctrinations and advertisement on tv that's designed to tell people how to think and how to live their life so I stopped watching it mostly, I still have an old set that I turn on every now and then to see what kind of degenerate propaganda they add on the tv.

 

Moral decay of society, wars, class warfare, imperialism, racism, sexism, intolerance, pollution and all sorts of other evils are mostly caused by the television and people need to collectively rise up and urge a ban on ALL tv networks.

[Mightymags 1,053]

This is actually interesting to hear what's still on TV these days because honestly I have no idea except that it's gotten reeaalllyyyy bad. 

[Evilshy 5,090]

This is why I watch Netflix. I can watch old, good TV series, and the occasional gems we get from current TV that aren't popular enough to get decent airtime.

 

Also, watchcartoononline.com has a ton of series you can watch for free. Not sure if it's legal, but I;ve been using it for awhile, and nothing bad has happened. Videos are pretty good quality for being free, too.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Evilshy

[Flutterbee 92]

I'm glad others are like me here.  I've never been much of a TV watcher but it used to be nice to have.  Now I'm not sure if I would bother watching it even if I could still get it for free.  I watch maybe 2 hours of TV per month and that is generally news or Football.  One channel I used to like was The History Chanel because I enjoy documentaries   Now it is just a bunch of crap also.  I used to kind of like MTV back when it was MUSIC television, there is no way in hell I would watch it now.  Books and internet is where it is at.  Anything worth watching I can get on the Internet and I will just borrow movies if I want to watch them.

.  

[Shanks 10,816]

I'm glad others are like me here.  I've never been much of a TV watcher but it used to be nice to have.  Now I'm not sure if I would bother watching it even if I could still get it for free.  I watch maybe 2 hours of TV per month and that is generally news or Football.  One channel I used to like was The History Chanel because I enjoy documentaries   Now it is just a bunch of crap also.  I used to kind of like MTV back when it was MUSIC television, there is no way in hell I would watch it now.  Books and internet is where it is at.  Anything worth watching I can get on the Internet and I will just borrow movies if I want to watch them.

.  

I used to watch the History Channel all the time, you know back when it remembered that it was the "History" channel not the lets put a bunch of B grade reality esque shows and a show claiming to objectively examine "conspiracy theories" when it is really just a thinly veiled hatchet job. And I liked MTV alright back in the day when it had Beavis and Butthead and Celebrity Death Match.

[Mightymags 1,053]

 

Also, watchcartoononline.com has a ton of series you can watch for free. Not sure if it's legal, but I;ve been using it for awhile, and nothing bad has happened.

 

That's how I watch mlp...and yeah, pretty sure it's not entirely legal....but it hasn't gone wrong yet. Although that's what I said about watching movies on MegaVideo before they went down.  

[Guest]

the only good show i can recall from the last few years is friendship is magic and that didn't air here along with anime which also doesn't air here.

if i want TV i watch it online.

[Betez 1,734]

I personally hate reality TV with a burning passion. There have been some great shows in the past few years like Lost, Breaking Bad, the Walking Dead, MLP, Psych, etc. But then there's shows like Honey Boo Boo, and all the shows on Oxygen, MTV, etc. that just make TV look like absolute shit. I agree that TV has gone way downhill lately, and I honestly believe all these reality shows have greatly contributed to it. But TV still holds near and dear to me, and I don't believe it's completely dead yet. We just need a great show to rise from the ashes, and make TV great again.

[Mightymags 1,053]

I personally hate reality TV with a burning passion. There have been some great shows in the past few years like Lost, Breaking Bad, the Walking Dead, MLP, Psych, etc. But then there's shows like Honey Boo Boo, and all the shows on Oxygen, MTV, etc. that just make TV look like absolute shit. I agree that TV has gone way downhill lately, and I honestly believe all these reality shows have greatly contributed to it. But TV still holds near and dear to me, and I don't believe it's completely dead yet. We just need a great show to rise from the ashes, and make TV great again.

 

I'm not saying that TV shows are bad, more the experience of watching TV as a whole. If a really great TV show comes out there are several ways to watch it (online, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) without watching it on TV. 

[Appetite4Democracy 452]

I watch TV, mostly for new episodes of shows. Lots of what I watch is On Demand. Sadly, we don't have Netflix or anything like that.