View Full Version : god I love tv
iris lily
7-25-12, 12:51am
It's crazy how many good television shows I'm watching right now.
I just discovered RuPaul's Drag show. It's fab! So fab that I'm actually buying episodes from Amazon. It's like Project Runway only with Queens.
I'm watching all of these on dvd from Netflix and the Library: Breaking Bad, Justified, The Wire, and The Borgias.
I love love love cable tv!
Wildflower
7-25-12, 1:18am
RuPaul's Drag show. Seriously. To each their own.... ;)
I watch very little TV in the summer. But in the wintertime I have found lots of quality shows to watch.
ToomuchStuff
7-25-12, 2:21am
TV is a wonderful thing, when it is in the trash, where they seem to broadcast from.:laff:
Your welcome to it.
I am glad for TV for those who enjoy it. I don't, personally, but there are occasionally some pretty darned neat things on it. (I've always liked RuPaul, the little bits of him I've been exposed to - colorful)
In the hands of someone with a brain who knows how to think for themselves, and who doesn't spend their entire life on the couch, I think TV is a nice diversion.
AmeliaJane
7-25-12, 9:24am
I really feel that television in the last 15 years or so has become a true medium, in that format and quality don't have a pre-determined relationship. What I mean by that is that for many years, TV in the hands of the networks really was pablum--not all that well written or acted, dependent heavily on cliches and tropes, definitely a distant second to film in terms of quality with very occasional bright spots mixed in. (I had forgotten exactly how bad it was till I revisited some old favorites on Netflix...) So when people complained about TV, it was a valid complaint. But these days, TV has become a medium for everything from beautifully written and acted drama, to perfectly amiable time-wasters a la the earlier years of TV, to really awful trash. (In the interest of peace, I will not try to say what I think fits in each category :) )
And I do think the lower end is worse than it used to be, but that's what you get when you open the doors to the better stuff. But these days I don't think I would say "TV is trash" any more than you can say, "Books are trash." Some books are Shakespeare, and some books are lurid true crime books.
...
And I do think the lower end is worse than it used to be, but that's what you get when you open the doors to the better stuff. But these days I don't think I would say "TV is trash" any more than you can say, "Books are trash." Some books are Shakespeare, and some books are lurid true crime books.
Yeah, that bears repeating, even if I am a long-time fan of "lurid true crime books." http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/personal/triniti.gif I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for Grimm to come back, and entertaining myself with Project Runway in the meantime. TV snobbery amuses me, but influences my viewing not a whit.
iris lily
7-25-12, 10:17am
Well ya know, these days here in Missouri it might as well be deep wintertime, there's no working outside unless it is moving the sprinklers around the gardens.
iris lily
7-25-12, 10:18am
RuPaul's Drag show. Seriously. To each their own.... ;)
Well, I ran out of Toddlers and Tiaras episdoes to watch (and besides, that show got old.) This is T & T for grownups.
iris lily
7-25-12, 10:20am
I really feel that television in the last 15 years or so has become a true medium, in that format and quality don't have a pre-determined relationship. What I mean by that is that for many years, TV in the hands of the networks really was pablum--not all that well written or acted, dependent heavily on cliches and tropes, definitely a distant second to film in terms of quality with very occasional bright spots mixed in. (I had forgotten exactly how bad it was till I revisited some old favorites on Netflix...) So when people complained about TV, it was a valid complaint. But these days, TV has become a medium for everything from beautifully written and acted drama, to perfectly amiable time-wasters a la the earlier years of TV, to really awful trash. (In the interest of peace, I will not try to say what I think fits in each category :) )
And I do think the lower end is worse than it used to be, but that's what you get when you open the doors to the better stuff. But these days I don't think I would say "TV is trash" any more than you can say, "Books are trash." Some books are Shakespeare, and some books are lurid true crime books.
Yes, this is so true. In the book world there is Trollope, and then there are books about trollopes, all sitting next to each other in the fiction section at the Library. A wide range for everyone!
Well ya know, these days here in Missouri it might as well be deep wintertime, there's no working outside unless it is moving the sprinklers around the gardens.
This has nothing to to with TV but I feel sorry for you people out there. It must be miserable and mentally exhausting to deal with that day after day.
I do love the opportunity TV brings. We very seldom watch anything "live", unless it's a baseball or football game or perhaps a news show, but we record lots of things to watch when convenient for us -- I like that. Together and separately. I record and watch a lot of PBS -- Masterpiece, Land Girls, etc. etc. Law & Order -- never gets old, even when I've seen them 1000 times. A lot of the TV I "watch" is just background when I'm doing stuff in the kitchen. DH likes all the "hammering and nailing" shows. And documentaries and science and nature and the like. I like to watch what I want when I'm in the mood for it. We're hoping and praying for the day when we can get and pay for only the channels we want, and not all the other crap. Could not possibly care less about shopping, movies, religious (I have my own spiritual practice, thank you, and it's not on TV), fox (unless it's sports), food/cooking, kids stuff (sorry, we're "old"), and MANY others. To each his/her own, obviously! And thank goodness for the variety!
sweetana3
7-25-12, 12:48pm
We are just hibernating during the summer. I have not even gotten my sandal tan this year. 102 today and high 90s tomorrow and every day mentioned by the weather person on TV. I even told my charity quilting group that until the temp is 85, I will not be working in the nonAC second floor room we have.
I have watched Masterpiece Mystery 3X.
Don't you just love the new, younger Morris? Endeavor. I hope they make more of those.
I do like Ru Paul when I catch him. he used to have a talk show I think. Grimm is great, and I liked House. I'm glad they didn't kill that character, which is what I thought they were going to do, so maybe he will make an appearance in the future.
HGTV has become a bust. All it is is real estate shows. Enough already! I do like some of the cooking shows and the travel channel almost always has something interesting to watch. Same with the History channel.
*side note- when we lived in Japan we got the history channel, but in real time, so we pretty much got everything they play here in the middle of the night. I know enough about battle strategy to wage my own war!
I do like some of the cooking shows and the travel channel almost always has something interesting to watch. Same with the History channel.
*side note- when we lived in Japan we got the history channel, but in real time, so we pretty much got everything they play here in the middle of the night. I know enough about battle strategy to wage my own war!
A few years ago, the History channel was the only station I would routinely watch, but now it's predominately reality TV and I just can't take it anymore. Thankfully, they moved all their interesting programming to History International (now H2). So, with somewhere around 1000 channels I now only know the location of 4; H2, Nat Geo, Discovery and Science.
Yeah, History, National Geographic, local PBS programs, and more. We do like the military channel now and again -- if it has B17s in it, I'll watch it. Our son gets Smithsonian, which we'd love to get, but don't want to pay the extra $$.
AmeliaJane
7-25-12, 3:54pm
Welcome to summer in Texas. I finally learned to think of it as our version of Minnesota winter. There are times when it's nice to be outside, and times when it isn't and it just so happens summer is our "inside season." As to TV shows, I like Once Upon a Time. I thought it sounded ridiculous when I first heard about it, but darned if I haven't come to be a fan.
I've gotten hooked on Mad Men, Nurse Jackie, Dexter and Weeds, all checked out from the library or watched on Project Free TV. But I got all caught up with the back episodes and its been at least 6 weeks since I've watched anything. Too busy doing other stuff!
Gardenarian
7-26-12, 3:02pm
I have to say that I am usually really anti-TV but I just got "Game of Thrones" from the library and am sneaking peeks at it whenever dd is not around (definitely not for kids!) It actually hurts me to say it - but it's good TV.
And I want to chime in with my sympathy for all you suffering in the heat. Sounds just horrendous.
Of course there's good TV--as well as bad TV (entirely subjective) that's fun to watch anyway. When I'm not fattening my brain with Through the Wormhole, I've been known to dip into some pretty frivolous fare. But I will maintain 'til my last breath that watching Cheaters was not my intent; it was a remote malfunction. That's my story...
The Wire was probably one of the best tv series I've ever watched. Gory, realistic and really good. You'll fall in love with Idris Elba.
Dexter is really good too. Interesting how the premium cable channels have better programs.
Check out Six Feet Under if you get a chance. I find most tv shows crap but there are some good ones out there.
iris lily
7-26-12, 10:47pm
Yes. Idris Elba. Yes.
Oh, Stringer? Yes, he's a nice hunk. But honestly, I'm a Bunk fan.
Yeah, History, National Geographic, local PBS programs, and more. We do like the military channel now and again -- if it has B17s in it, I'll watch it. Our son gets Smithsonian, which we'd love to get, but don't want to pay the extra $$.
I have to confess that I have this semi-secret ambition/fantasy of taking a ride in a B-17. The Confederate Air Force, I think it is, comes through every year or so at a local air show and you can go up in a B-17 for a ride. It ain't cheap. I've watched Memphis Belle about five times. Must have something to do with a previous lifetime or something.
I don't know what cable cost is running these days, but at last check it is not in my budget. I call Netflix my poor man's cable and The Wire is one of the finest series ever produced for TV. Treme was also great. I think some of the HBO/AMC series exceed the quality of most standard high budget theater type movies. I may watch the Northern Exposure seasons for the third or fourth time this winter. It is truly a pleasure to spend the cold or hot days watching a few of these.
Unfortunately, the only shows worth watching on standard broadcast TV in my house are PBS documentaries and features. I am actually amazed that there is an audience for most of the commercial broadcast TV shows. Night time is poor and day time is worse. I keep thinking one of these days they will get a clue, but maybe my tastes are just different.
B17s are amazing planes. Of course I first got to "know" them long after WWII when they were fighting forest fires. Beautiful machines and the sound of the engines is awesome. I have a B17 belt buckle, flying head-on, and the props work. We always go see them if they're at an air show, but have never taken a ride. Nine-0-Nine was the last one we saw, I think. And it's the Commemorative Air Force now. I may have had a previous-lifetime experience with them as well, as I "know" them.
Northern Exposure was one of our favorites too. We lived "near" Roslyn WA for about ten years and used to visit often. Our minister's mother played Ruth-Anne, the shopkeeper, tho we didn't know that till about five years ago, long after she'd died. (Our minister is still alive.)
But we don't just love all GOOD shows -- one of our favorites has been "Who's Line is it Anyway?" . Hilariously funny. Crazy, of no redeeming social value, but we loved it anyway. And laughed and laughed and laughed.
Bedtime ... finally ...
Whose Line--Colin Mochrie! http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/other/heart.gif He can make me laugh by raising an eyebrow. There's a new improv show on ABC called Trust Us With Your Life with Mochrie, Wayne Brady and others.
Thanks, Jane -- I didn't know about Trust Us With Your Life! Could you tell me what night it's on? We're leaving on two-week vacation Monday and I'd like to record them while we're gone. THANKS! (I could search, I know, but if you know that would be quicker.)
Speaking of B-17s, Rogar -- a friend JUST sent me a link to the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston TX where you can fly in a B-17! It's not likely that we'll ever go to Texas (why??), but they do have a B-17 DVD which I'm going to order. Cool! http://www.lsfm.org/
Tuesdays at nine, it says here:
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/trust-us-with-your-life
And you can stream episodes.
Speaking of B-17s, Rogar -- a friend JUST sent me a link to the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston TX where you can fly in a B-17! It's not likely that we'll ever go to Texas (why??), but they do have a B-17 DVD which I'm going to order. Cool! http://www.lsfm.org/
Neat! Thanks. The $425 cost for a ride is about what I remember and not necessarily out of my price range but would take some dialog with my bank account. The ones I've seen here do about a 20 or 30 minute cruise over town. I've seen them overhead and even the engine roar gets me going.
If you have a chance to Netflix Memphis Belle and haven't seen it, it's a good one. A lot of your standard war movie shoot em up, but good B-17 type watching experience. If I remember, they used 3 real life B-17s and a vintage WWII English airfield. It was before computer enhanced imaging was too big, so not a lot of half real looking scenes.
Yes, I've seen Memphis Belle, but only once, and not recently. It deserves another watching! And I should just buy it. We buy very few movies, and only the ones that are very special to us. Thanks for the reminder!
And JaneV2.0 -- thank you, too!
Jane, Thanks for the Trust Us With Your Life recommendation - that could actually get me to turn my television on!
TV for me is a mixed bag - I didn't own a TV from 1998-2008 after reading Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. I then went and married a TV addict. :)
Like an earlier poster said, Television has become a medium like books and film in that you have well-written and acted shows that approach art and you also have stuff that looks like it was scraped off the bottom of your shoe and made into a show.
I'm a Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan so I've really enjoyed Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead in addition to other shows such as Breaking Bad, LOST, and Sons of Anarchy. I also like to watch wilderness-based reality shows like Dual Survivor, The Colony, Colonial House, Survivorman, and Out of the Wild. Notice I didn't include Survivor or Man vs Wild in that list.
That said, I think just coming home and turning on the TV to see what's on is a horrible practice. I maybe watch 2-3 hours of TV each week and that's with Netflix or Hulu since we no longer have cable service.
Dallas is back. In the day a bunch of us used to watch the old Dallas every Friday night before heading out on the town. It was ritual. Now its back and even has some of the old cast. Couldn't do it without JR and Bobby! Everybody needs a little taste of a good, smutty, cheap, outrageous soap opera once in a while.
iris lily
8-13-12, 11:39am
Dallas is back. In the day a bunch of us used to watch the old Dallas every Friday night before heading out on the town. It was ritual. Now its back and even has some of the old cast. Couldn't do it without JR and Bobby! Everybody needs a little taste of a good, smutty, cheap, outrageous soap opera once in a while.
Mine is reality shows. I have thought for a long time that reality shows take the place of carnival side shows with Freaks in the days of yor. Who here remembers the Little Lady and the Fat Woman and the Snake Man? I do.
So now Abby and Brittany, the conjoined twins from Minneapolis, and the Primordial dwarf girl from Illinois have their own realty shows coming up. Pairing them and the Queens from Rupaul's Drag Show and I am settled in for the winter.
Season two of Grimm starts tonight. All's right in my world.
Season two of Grimm starts tonight. All's right in my world.
It does? Ooo...thanks for the heads up!
early morning
8-13-12, 7:23pm
Ah -B17's. The Memphis Belle was my Ds's favorite movie when he was a child. He fell in love with it when he was about 7 (he's 26 now) and he has watched it hundreds of times. We had to replace the VHS tape twice, and now have it on DVD. The real deal is now in our local AF museum, being restored. We are soo excited about that (even if we DIDN'T get a shuttle). I love airplane/airport movies and I loved the show Wings. We don't have cable so we watch a lot of library DVDs, and we love PBS. We have season 6 of Foyle's War headed our way, and I agree with the poster who liked the new Morris - we want more! I loved the Number One Ladies Detective Agency shows and wish they would film more of those, too.
It's crazy how many good television shows I'm watching right now.
I just discovered RuPaul's Drag show. It's fab! So fab that I'm actually buying episodes from Amazon. It's like Project Runway only with Queens.
I'm watching all of these on dvd from Netflix and the Library: Breaking Bad, Justified, The Wire, and The Borgias.
I love love love cable tv!
I do watch Breaking Bad and The Borgias.
Wildflower
8-13-12, 7:57pm
Dallas is back. In the day a bunch of us used to watch the old Dallas every Friday night before heading out on the town. It was ritual. Now its back and even has some of the old cast. Couldn't do it without JR and Bobby! Everybody needs a little taste of a good, smutty, cheap, outrageous soap opera once in a while.
Really, this remake of Dallas has been awesome! I have been pleasantly surprised! :) Can hardly wait for the next season...
I don't have cable - just antenna TV which gets alot of network shows - but have just rented the whole first season of Game of Thrones from the library (for a whooping one dollar for a week rental for all!!) so will hunker down at home this weekend to get away from the heat and last of the summer crowds, pig out and watch. I also saw Grimm for the first time the other night - still on the fence (was a "Supernatural" fan but I think it's off the air now) - but love seeing all the Portland landmarks. Haven't seen anything else I like at all (and I mean at all) so it'll be DVD rentals most likely for me rather TV.
The season two opener of Grimm spent a lot of time integrating plot elements, so it wasn't the best intro, probably--if that's the one you saw. Portland is definitely front and center. Season one in seven minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZw8veiCNk4 --just so you're caught up.
I caught a bit of Grimm the other night, largely because of reading this thread...it made me actually turn on the tv. So, yes, it looked, umm, intriguing. Thanks for the season one video, Jane.
GIRRRRRRRRL, YOU BETTA WORK IT!
The season two opener of Grimm spent a lot of time integrating plot elements, so it wasn't the best intro, probably--if that's the one you saw. Portland is definitely front and center. Season one in seven minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZw8veiCNk4 --just so you're caught up.
OK I caught up some so now "get it" better. Seems like something I might like. As a horror fan (and the bloodier and scarier the better) I usually have to go elsewhere then network TV for my "fright-fix" !
Grimm's season two opener is being repeated tonight at nine (or check your local listings) in case anyone needs to get caught up. Part two will air Monday.
Wildflower
8-17-12, 10:34pm
Well, I ran out of Toddlers and Tiaras episdoes to watch (and besides, that show got old.) This is T & T for grownups.
Speaking of Toddlers and Tiaras, did you see the new show spin off "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" that started this week? I happened to run into it last night when I was flipping channels when I couldn't sleep. Now that was entertaining. OMG ;)
The Honey Boo Boo promo was enough on its own to make me want to hurl a heavy object at the teevee.
The Honey Boo Boo promo was enough on its own to make me want to hurl a heavy object at the teevee.
I couldn't quite tell if we are supposed to laugh at this self-identified redneck family, or laugh with them.
I couldn't quite tell if we are supposed to laugh at this self-identified redneck family, or laugh with them.
All I could think was "Someone is encouraging this kid, and they need to stop!" Shudder.
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