I’m bored with television. The season has barely started and already I’ve had enough dead bodies, violence, nudity, and crime scene tape. Criminal Minds borders on disturbing. Numbers has outlived its usefulness. The Unit is like Dallas in fatigues. (At least NCIS has a little humor, and who can’t be happy just looking at Mark Harmon?) I originally loved CSI. It was innovative and irreverent and entertaining. Then the clones started and it was Law and Order syndrome all over again. Why do television execs think that if we like watching a show, then we’ll really like watching a version of it every other night of the week????? What ever happened to variety? And what’s our fascination with crime? Why do we get such perverse pleasure out of knowing how a serial killer stalks his victims? Why do we want to know all the weird and wacky ways there are to kill someone?
I thought Ghost Whisperer might be different, but again, I can take it or leave it. The plots are predictable and hokey, but the worst part is that Jennifer dresses like a slut. What’s with all the strapless, lacy, nightgown-looking garb? There was one scene recently where the camera moved in for a close-up and she looked nude. Intentional I’m sure. I’d have to look again, but I don’t think the show takes place in Vegas! Jericho seemed hopeful, but it’s already lost me with the whole “save the corn” episode. And does every show have to include an affair? Is that like a network requirement for submitting your synopsis?
I miss Bonanza. I miss Star Trek. I miss Superman and Tarzan and the Lone Ranger. I miss Little House on the Prairie. Sometimes I even miss Lucy. I know it’s crazy. I should just quit being so cheap and get cable. Then I’d have 140 reasons to stop whining. I could watch cooking shows and This Old House. But I’m stubborn. I want the regular, poor man’s television networks to live up to all the promises they made when I was a child. When my grandmother bought the first little television our family ever watched, it was touted as the innovation that would educate, entertain, and enlighten America. Some of television is entertaining, but we’re sure missing out on the educating and enlightening. The only educating television seems to be doing is for pharmaceutical companies. (I promise not to get started on commercials again. We’d be here all night.)
Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to be grateful that I love to read and write. And I also have House on DVD. Now that’s entertainment!
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