Wednesday, March 08, 2006

The Idiot Box

I don't watch a lot of TV anymore, mostly because there's never anything good on and I refuse to pay $55 a month for cable TV when the shows on the 15o or so channels suck. Even my two old time staples, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel are somewhat stale. And don't even get me started on "reality" shows.
They suck too.

When I had satellite TV with 300 channels, I'd find myself zoning out on the Weather Channel for hours for no reason other than there wasn't shit on that was worth watching.

Well, there was a few reasons I watched the Weather Channel for hours and they were Christina Abernathy, Alexandra Steel and Joetta Jones.

Mmmmmmm...

But anyway...

I can count on one hand the shows I like and still have fingers left. They're CSI, Criminal Minds and Cold Case, so why pay for cable service when I can watch them on my computer sans commercials?

There's just so little out there of value on the tube any more, with a few exceptions. I was just turned onto a British cop show by another blogger in the UK. I like BBC programming because it's fresh, not repackaged stale jokes from last season. That, and the characters look real. The seem like everyday people, not some California plastic and cardboard cutouts like most of the US programming.

So this show is called Life On Mars and takes DCI Sam Tyler after a freak accident from 2006 back to 1973... Cop show with a twist. Go here for a summary of Episode 1:

I've seen the first episode and I'm impressed. There's a link to purchase the DVD's through the BBC, so I'll probably buy the whole first season.

Another show I watched all the time when I did have Satellite TV and could get BBC America and that show was Red Cap. This show has three things going for it. One, it's another cop show, two, it's military police, not the civilian kind, and last but definitely not least it stars Tamzin Outhwaite...

Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm!

I wish I still could get that one, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere...

Go here for a summary of that show:

As for American TV, all I can say is it's garbage. I did have a friend sending me VHS tapes of two Australian cop shows, Blue Heelers and Water Rats, along with some Aussie rules football, be we stopped doing that because the coast of transferring the tapes from PAL to NTSC was becoming expensive.
For now I'll just read a book.
Copyright 2006 Thomas J Wolfenden

10 comments:

honkeie said...

I have given up on tv all toghter

Dirk said...

You watched Blue Heelers?
Bwahahahahahahahaha!

Lisa said...

I know. There's not much one worth watching. That's probably why we the tv is on, we're watching PBS kids.

Okie said...

I agree. I hardly ever turn the tube on anymore. I'll go weeks at a time without even turning it on. Except during foorball season.

Sherri Sanders said...

I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy. LOL

tsduff said...

I like the travel channel - as well as the food channel... indulgences and dreams I guess :-D

Outdoorsy Girl said...

I don't have cable either. I feel so out of touch with the world as I listen to my friends ramble on about "American Idol". I tried to fit in and and give it a try. My eyes glazed over and I retreated to my room to finish reading my newest magazine.

Cheryl said...

I usually have TV onf or background noise. Not too many shows I just have to watch...except Lost.

DivineMsN said...

Hey Tom do you have a DVD player cause there is a lot of great stuff to rent. But with the weather getting warmer you'll probably be spending more time outside :)

bevy said...

I don't watch much TV either, except the news in the morning and reruns of my fave sitcom before bed. And on the weekends when I do have the time, I still don't tune it. Even when I wasn't working, I didn't watch TV all day. I think after too long, it begins to hurt my head.