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pangaea
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
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 Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:08 am Post subject: Is television getting dumber? |
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| I was really excited to find a site to watch the Discovery Channel and TruTV. I like documentaries and I was hoping to watch some crime/mystery shows like Forensic Files and maybe some decent nature or health documentaries. Apparently, TruTv has gone downhill since it took over for Court TV. Most of what I could find were gems like America's Dumbest Criminals, America's Craziest Drivers, Ma's Roadhouse, and Superpawn. Crime shows like Forensic Files now air between 11pm and 4am. (??) As for the Discovery Channel, it seems to focus mainly on shows about motorcycles. Is it just me, or does it seem like the intelligent, thought-provoking shows are being forced out by crappy reality tv? |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:27 am Post subject: |
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Then again there are shows like:
Breaking Bad
Man Men
Sons of Anarchy
Dexter
And in recent years:
The Wire
The Sopranos
Deadwood
The Shield
I'm sure others can think of other intelligent shows out there (just search of a thread about TV show recs). And compared to TV from the 60s through the 90s? Good luck coming up with a list of intelligent dramas along any of those listed above. Most definitely is better than it used to be. The crap you listed has always been around. |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:27 am Post subject: |
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| bucheon bum wrote: |
| The Shield. |
Please. Dramatic it may be, but it's pretty dumb. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:49 am Post subject: |
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| Louis VI wrote: |
| bucheon bum wrote: |
| The Shield. |
Please. Dramatic it may be, but it's pretty dumb. |
Ha, fair enough. |
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DorkothyParker
Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Location: Jeju
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 10:02 am Post subject: |
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| On the next "Ouch My Balls"- |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| In Korea, when I was in a motel travelling on the weekends, I'd turn on the boobtube and, since I never watch TV, I couldn't believe how incredibly unbelievably super-brainless it was. This was two or three years ago and Discovery Channel was on with stuff like 'Mega Machines' (which I brainlessly actually liked) however every ten minutes a series of the SAME commercials would come on, with the same insistent persistence and zippy theme music. I felt like walking to the fridge and staying there to hide out. But I levered my eyes up with toothpicks and found, as well, on DISCOVERY channel (which I always assumed a good channel with nature shows from far off lands, documentaries on archaeological digs in far off lands) an idiotic show about cops, forensics, drunk drivers, drugdealers and spouse cheaters. I'm sure if you faced one running tv towards another running tv both tvs would melt into a pool of putrid slime. There are devoted tv fans whose brains are pools of putrid slime, they just don't know it. |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| On now, 'How it's made' a show not only dull but carries a TOEIC style narration that makes me want to run for the window. Still, better than CNN. |
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redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Keeping up with the Kardashians.
Pretty sure it requires a room-temperature-or-lower IQ to appreciate that show. |
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michi gnome
Joined: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Dokdo
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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was thinking the other day about the show MASH, which i grew up watching every night around 10:30.
the hellish wartime situation of the show, the irreverent humor, the questioning of authority and caricaturing of most of the higher ranking officers as ridiculous buffoons & lunatics...
far too intelligent & subversive for today's world
it would've never made it on the air |
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laguna
Joined: 27 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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| michi gnome wrote: |
was thinking the other day about the show MASH, which i grew up watching every night around 10:30.
the hellish wartime situation of the show, the irreverent humor, the questioning of authority and caricaturing of most of the higher ranking officers as ridiculous buffoons & lunatics...
far too intelligent & subversive for today's world
it would've never made it on the air |
you're comparing simple slapstick shows like MASH to the depth of shows like LOST, House, Dexter and Battlestar Galactica?
are you going to ask me to get off of your lawn too?
every person asks the same question every generation, and it's always no
Edit: on an aside, I like how shows about forensic science are considered fodder when it's real science and real situations used a majority of the time |
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PigeonFart
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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Most Korean TV involves some fools dancing and singing and joking about. Not to mention the constant canned laughter.
There's no real debate in this Korean culture. 46 or 47 sailors murdered and no live debate programes about this topic...only one-way news reports. If something happened like that in Luxemburg (we don't have a Navy but that's besides the point) then our TV would have discussion programmes involing politicians and members of the public. There would be real heated debates. Not here. You can't debate because of the Confucian face saving dilemma.
I've seen American TV too. Good Lord, some of that isn't so good either.
Like that 'departed' movie said....treat the public like mushrooms...feed em shhiit and keep 'em in the dark. ha ha.
I agree with the OP. Yes, TV is becoming dumber and dumber. |
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kiknkorea
Joined: 16 May 2008
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 8:35 am Post subject: |
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I agree there is too much reality TV, but I don't think television is really any dumber now than it's ever been.
Go back to any decade and there's plenty of mindless shows (some of them I actually like.) |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| michi gnome wrote: |
was thinking the other day about the show MASH, which i grew up watching every night around 10:30.
the hellish wartime situation of the show, the irreverent humor, the questioning of authority and caricaturing of most of the higher ranking officers as ridiculous buffoons & lunatics...
far too intelligent & subversive for today's world
it would've never made it on the air |
So you're telling us all you're old huh? Got it. |
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Jake_Kim
Joined: 27 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| No the TV has always been dumb, but the bar has gone up, and you got older. |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 9:40 am Post subject: |
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| laguna wrote: |
| Edit: on an aside, I like how shows about forensic science are considered fodder when it's real science and real situations used a majority of the time |
Bwahaha! You think a real forensics lab operates anything like an episode of CSI? For starters a DNA test takes something along the lines of 3 to 5 days to get done, rather than the three to five minutes usually depicted.
Relevant article:
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122671590561640000
Pertinent information:
| Quote: |
| In real life, suspect matches don�t just miraculously happen. Hours, days and weeks of work can go into matching a bullet to a gun or DNA to a suspect. |
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