The Changing Nature Of TV
Zack gave up on network television years ago. If he isn’t watching old movies on TMC, he’s probably catching a little news. Lately, he’s even limited the latter. Either the news shows are totally biased or just plain depressing. I go with what Zack watches because he’s King of the Remote around here. (I don’t have time to watch much TV and quite simply don’t often care). I don’t have time to read many books these days either, and THAT I miss.
And The Dumbing Down Of America Through Reality Shows
Zack gave up on network television years ago. If he isn’t watching old movies on TMC, he’s probably catching a little news. Lately, he’s even limited the latter. Either the news shows are totally biased or just plain depressing. I go with what Zack watches because he’s King of the Remote around here. (I don’t have time to watch much TV and quite simply don’t often care). I don’t have time to read many books these days either, and THAT I miss.
Our friend Ron will ask us, “Did you see [this show or that show] last night?” We stare at him blankly like deer caught in headlights, having never heard of these programs, much less watched them. (I’m sure we ARE missing some good things, but we can eventually find the whole series via Netflix with NO commercial interruptions). I only recognize some of these “new” actors if they’ve appeared in the (stupid) magazines my daughter Becca reads as she walks the treadmill or elliptical machine at the gym. (Books and more substantial magazines are too heavy, both literally and figuratively, she reports). And she tosses the old magazines my way. Sometimes we’ve actually caught some of this “new talent” in recent movies. But as many seem unremarkable to us, it’s often difficult to tell them apart or remember them. I see no Cary Grants, William Holdens, Clark Gables, Loretta Youngs, Ann Southerns, Judy Garlands, etc. I keep wondering what’s so hot about actors like Leonardo DiCaprio. I could go on and on. But that’s another column. And the truth is that we do like many of the younger “rat pack,” just not a large proportion of them. We don’t see a huge pool of talent there. But then we’re hard graders. And maybe some of them will improve with age, like fine wine.
So now NBC is moving all the late night shows around, angering the hosts. The ratings have probably skyrocketed. Conan and guest Ricky Gervais were hysterical last night. Zack says if this whole thing isn’t a brilliant publicity stunt to raise ratings, it should have been. Maybe the (younger) late night audience really is changing so drastically that these shows are no longer relevant enough for sponsors to be interested. My son Josh says he hasn’t turned on a TV in years now. He never watches one here either unless Zack forces an old movie on him. He can find almost anything he wants through the Internet — and without commercial interruptions. It’s a whole new world, but one must know how to navigate it. Tech-savvy kids like mine understand the ins and outs. I don’t.
Soap operas that have aired for 40 and 50 years are being given the ax as well. Television is changing. Instead of a Late Night Show or the old, standby series, the absolute stupidest reality shows in the universe abound in huge variety. Apparently we’re a country of voyeurs. My daughter watches these things to unwind when she visits, because they’re mindless and stupid and make her laugh. She never has time for television during her work weeks (which can often last from one Monday to the next, with little time for even sleeping. I can see her need for mindless unwinding now and then. Perhaps this explains the success of these reality shows as more and more young people have such demanding schedules and responsibilities). One wonders if the people on these shows can really be that dumb/bitchy/rude/fat/thin/untalented/brazen /clueless/such lying cheats/whatever. Sometimes it’s like the proverbial train wreck: You simply cannot look away. You just can’t believe what you’re seeing. I almost feel embarrassed for these folks. Like they’re being exploited by the producers for monetary gain. Duhhhhhh.
I’m not proud of it, but I admit to watching some of these things with Becca during her infrequent stress decompression weekend visits. It’s possible to look into the lives of Hugh Hefner at the Playboy mansion, brides before the big event, plastic surgeons at home and at work, people who want help breaking into the world of modeling, fashion design or haute cuisine cooking. There are programs showcasing real people who want to lose weight, find love (or a millionaire),dance best, dress better, have makeovers, remove clutter from their lives, redo their kitchens, grow nicer and more productive gardens, buy a new home here or abroad, sell antiques, or tractors or cattle or whatever.
You name it, and there’s probably a show built around it. I only wish I’d thought of this, but in my wildest dreams, I never would have believed most people would CARE. This is the reason I’m not in marketing. It’s one of a multitude of reasons I’m not wealthy. Few people seem to like or buy the things I like. There’s an old saying in the wholesale world, “If it smells, it sells.” Maybe that’s true in television programming now. I suppose it all has to do with the changing nature of entertainment today and the demographics and intellectual capacity of the money spending public masses. I must be getting old. I’m finding it more and more difficult to be optimistic about future generations if this stuff is what they watch on the box 24/7. Our parents probably said the same thing about US.
