ASH said:
People only remember the good shows that used to be on and usually forget the bad ones. So we base everything on this nostalgic memory of wonderful TV.... I think TV is just as bad.
Either that, or some bad TV actually
becomes good TV, given long enough, through nostalgia and a MST3K-like quality. Like "Knight Rider". Knight Rider rules - all you have to see is Hasselhoff talking to his watch, or KITT sliding across a body of water with water spraying through his hubcaps, like that would ever supply enough pressure to keep a car with a NUCLEAR REACTOR on board afloat. (Then again, the computer
is light - KITT fit into just 5MB of memory.
) Or "Otherworld", where their most prominent idea for letting people know they were on a strange world was having everyone hold their guns upside down.
Anytime you have a show with a "wrap scene" for the final segment, where the main characters for the episode stand around talking about what happened and one of them makes some stupid joke or says his catch phrase and everyone laughs, THAT is quality TV.
And then, some of it really WAS good TV. It surprises me sometimes when I catch an episode of "Gunsmoke", "Magnum P.I.", or even "Macgyver" just how well they stand up to the test of time.
You just have to remember what you're comparing TV shows to: It should be viewed as a few steps up from the days when things were played out on stage with cheesy props and men playing all the parts, including the women. It shouldn't be compared to real life - we have plenty of that, already.
And that's the problem with a lot of this "reality" TV. It is too mundane - following it as it happens may work for some people now (and I only understand this in principle, 'cause mostly it makes me want to change the channel NOW), but reruns are going to age very badly, I think. I hope the channel execs are enjoying their low-cost-to-make reality shows now, because I don't see many of them being picked up and making more money for them in syndication like a good drama or fiction comedy would. (For example, how many people will rewatch American Idol season one? Ohhh, the suspense! Kelly Clarkson is on the frakkin' RADIO.
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