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An old guy in a Viking hat?
Published: Friday, September 28, 2007 - 7:53pm
I really like TV, most of the time. It gives me a chance to learn something if I want to, or just learn absolutely nothing for an hour or so. Most of us watch television, whether it be for several hours a day or just occasionally on the weekends.
We often don't realize it, but TV has a pretty big effect on us. We see commercials for things we want to buy. We see social and political commentaries that affect our views of the world. We see examples of
how we could be living our lives.
Advertisers certainly have caught on to this. I admit that I've been totally convinced by a few commercials to buy things. They know how to really draw a viewer in and make products attractive to us. I mean, after seeing how many girls it can bring chasing after them, what guy doesn't immediately want to go to the nearest store and drown themselves in Axe Body Spray?
Yeah, the advertisers definitely understand this. But do networks? Do those networks, such as MTV, Vh1, and E!, who bring us such wonderful shows as "Flavor of Love," "The Hills," and "The Simple Life," understand that they're wasting time on these pointless shows about old guys who wear Viking hats on their heads and clocks around their necks and "sleep" with obnoxious women half their age? (Seriously, what is the appeal of that show?)
I don't think they do. I don't think they realize how much they could be doing with the power they've got.
Everyone's always talking about changing the world, saving it, and how awful it's become. They're always saying that young people today are horny, stuck up, obsessed with appearances, and think the world revolves around them.
But I mean, how could we think any differently with what they're giving us to spend our precious free time watching?
Even Hugh Hefner's girlfriends have their own show (which is, surprisingly, not a bad show compared with a lot of the other stuff out there). They've even made a series of stupid insurance commercials into a TV show, and a series of kind of ridiculous books (I'm not judging people for reading the books here, Erika, I'm just saying they didn't need to be made into a TV show).
These networks could instead be helping to change things with shows that promote actual reality instead of the television-Beverly-Hills-beautiful-people-partying-all-the-time reality that their lineups are currently overflowing with.
So, are there some shows worth watching out there? Definitely. In case you're looking for something that's actually good to watch, I have compiled a short list of a few worthwhile shows.
"The Soup"
E!, Fridays, 9 p.m.
The best way to watch stupid TV. Joel McHale shows you funny clips of ridiculously pointless shows and then makes jokes about them. Well worth half an hour of your time, especially if it's the only show you're going to watch all week.
"Psych"
USA, Fridays, 9 p.m.
A guy pretends to be a psychic, when he is actually just a really good detective, and solves crimes for the Santa Barbara Police Department. It's very funny, with a whole lot of pop culture references. There's also quite often singing involved. New episodes start in January.
"The Daily Show"
Comedy Central, weeknights, 10 p.m.
Hilarious political commentary. Jon Stewart should be president. That is all I have to say.
"The Colbert Report"
Comedy Central, weeknights, 10:30 p.m.
Stephen Colbert (pronounced with a silent "T"… rhymes with "air") convincingly rants about politics, Barry Manilow, wrist injuries, bears and their radical fundamentalist agendas, and Harry Potter.
"The Office"
NBC, Thursdays, 8 p.m.
Steve Carrell runs a company that makes paper products, and all of his employees are crazy. Yeah, pretty amazing.
Now, I am not, under any circumstances, suggesting that you forgo all homework and studying in order to watch these shows. They are just suggestions in case you've got some time you want to kill by watching TV. Also, these are definitely not the only good shows out there. If you've got any more suggestions about great shows to watch (when you've got the time), leave a comment!
Now, I must depart. "The Soup" will be on in a few minutes, and I'm hungry for some "Chat Stew!"
Comments
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" "Mad Men"
If you have HBO, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is must-watch TV. Starring Larry David, the co-creator of "Seinfeld," this is the funniest show on television. At times it's funnier than even "Seinfeld" at its best. (The character of George Costanza was based on David. The only difference between the two is that David is rail thin.) Most of the show is improvised. David writes a very basic script, then he casts his friends to play the main roles. It's a joy to watch true professionals riff off each other. The new season has just begun. It's the best yet.
If you don't have HBO, then check out AMC's "Mad Men." Set in 1960 at a Madison Avenue advertising agency, it's the most visually arresting and addictive series I've seen since "The Sopranos." Turns out the creator of "Mad Men" was one of the producers of "The Sopranos," so it figures. I stumbled onto this series when it debuted in July, and I was instantly hooked. I usually watch each episode three or four times via Insight on Demand.
By the way, that's the way to go if you don't have TiVo. I'm usually not around a TV until very, very late in the day, so Insight on Demand is one of life's essentials for me, much like open-all-night grocery stores.
Maybe the appeal of flavor
Maybe the appeal of flavor of love is that it features
FLAVOR FLAAAAAV!
Advertising
Always take advertising with a grain of salt. Be careful how much you let the advertisers influence you. The more facts, the better, and the more fine print, the less credible the ad.
Oh, no.
I just watched Gossip Girl tonight. I think this may be the start of a hopeless addiction to another bad TV show. The problem is that I *know* they're bad! But still! Gah!
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