Big Wheel Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I like Anthony Bourdain's show on The Travel Channel. I liked this one too, when I lived in an apartment with cable. But then I really enjoy Bourdain's writing also. My favorite episode was when he got a traditional massage in Uzbekistan, which more or less consisted of a nearly naked Uzbek guy climbing on his back and being rather...vigorous. Not having cable or a large TV screen are the keys to quitting. We have a 14 inch TV with only broadcast and I haven't even turned the thing on since I moved in in April. Of course, not actually having a sofa or other place to sit also helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I could easily do without a television, but I'd have to go to the sports bars on Sundays to watch NFL. Other than that, I couldnt' give a damn; but my wife likes the boob tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAL Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Slave to Discovery Channel and the like. Completely turned off BBC, CNN etc as all they ever feature in the news are events in the Middle East. The rest of the world does not exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 The TV is just a display for DVDs as far as I'm concerned. Barb watches a few things, but I quit altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 My TV set keeps feeding a daily dose of film classics to satisfy my filmwatching habit. French cable TV channels provide an incredible number of great films that would be pretty difficult to watch anywhere else even in movie-crazy Paris! Also helpd me keep an eye on news and some sports events Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 It's ironic that some of you are cutting back because I think the best shows on these days are among the best that TV has ever had to offer. Overall, far superior (with some exceptions of course) than most TV shows from the 60s and 70s. Just to throw out a few out there right now: 24, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, E.R., Lost, Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars. Not to mention some of the cable movie networks (AMC, TNC, etc.) that show some terrific old films, if you're a movie buff, that are hard to find anywhere else. That doesn't mean, though, that there also isn't a lot of shit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 (edited) Thank you Ray, a voice of reason! There is a LOT of shit on TV, no doubt. But, if I were to wait for the Simpsons DVD's to catch up to what, season 43....I'd have to live to be around 100. I watch TCM, ESPN(Much more during baseball season) a little FOX and CNN, Speedvison, the Cartoon channel to get my Futurama fix(Even though I own the first 2 seasons on DVD ) AquaTeen Hunger Force, etc. Pretty sad, when cartoons look like the best programming most nights. Oh, and 24 is about the only show now I have to watch. There are very good shows IMO on the History Channel, Discover, A&E(Well, used to at least)etc, you just have to search them out. And if you are constantly clicking thru, turn the sucker off! The Computer is the same as TV to me, just more channels. Edited August 23, 2006 by BERIGAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vibes Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 We have cable, at my wife's insistence. She's a TV addict. I probably watch less than one hour per week. It's rare that I stick with any given show for more than 10-15 minutes, as nothing seems that interesting. I have enjoyed having HD cable, though, and often turn to Discovery HD Theater to see what's on it. It's hard to watch standard definition TV after watching HD. I do like some TV shows, but would rather wait until they're on DVD to watch them. Favorites include "24," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Sopranos." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I more or less stopped watching TV when I retired 3 years ago, no longer needing to watch the current affairs programmes for work. I found myself watching about an hour of TV a week, mostly comedy programmes. But, in the last year, I think I've watched hardly anything except "Have I got news for you" and a few World Cup matches. Much prefer music and books. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 It's ironic that some of you are cutting back because I think the best shows on these days are among the best that TV has ever had to offer. Overall, far superior (with some exceptions of course) than most TV shows from the 60s and 70s. Just to throw out a few out there right now: 24, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, E.R., Lost, Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars. Not to mention some of the cable movie networks (AMC, TNC, etc.) that show some terrific old films, if you're a movie buff, that are hard to find anywhere else. That doesn't mean, though, that there also isn't a lot of shit... You like Nip/Tuck? That show is just a wee bit over-the-top for my tastes. I was in a situation where the tv was on in the house 24/7, as Soulstation1 says. I had simply reached my lifetime saturation point and, "good" programming or not, had seen/heard enough of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Much prefer music and books. Music, books, chess. Who has the time for TV? ...until NFL season! I love ESPN NFL Prime Time w/Chris Berman and Tom Jackson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 We've never had cable. My sweetheart tapes sci-fi shows on the Panasonic HD to watch while she's on the treadmill. OK, so we have a 60" and a 27" screen, but I use them mostly for my video work. In Texas, it's good to be aware of the weather, but I'm starting to rely on online weather radar instead of the TV. Basically, it's reading and music for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I don't watch T.V. except on occassion for just 5-10 minutes or so. However, my wife and kids are slaves to the box and we usually have 3 T.V.s going with the volume on "10"...it really f'n annoys me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 (edited) For the most part I watch live sports and sports highlights on TV, usually on mute to spare me announcers and commercials while I listen to tunes. I enjoy watching nature and history documentaries, but I don't do so regularly. I prefer watching movies without commercials. Generally speaking, my hate for commercials minimizes the time I spend watching TV and listening to radio. Edited August 23, 2006 by Noj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 It's ironic that some of you are cutting back because I think the best shows on these days are among the best that TV has ever had to offer. Overall, far superior (with some exceptions of course) than most TV shows from the 60s and 70s. Just to throw out a few out there right now: 24, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, E.R., Lost, Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars. Not to mention some of the cable movie networks (AMC, TNC, etc.) that show some terrific old films, if you're a movie buff, that are hard to find anywhere else. That doesn't mean, though, that there also isn't a lot of shit... You like Nip/Tuck? That show is just a wee bit over-the-top for my tastes. I was in a situation where the tv was on in the house 24/7, as Soulstation1 says. I had simply reached my lifetime saturation point and, "good" programming or not, had seen/heard enough of it. Actually, I've grown rather tired of Nip/Tuck; I agree with you that it's gone way over the top. But at the same time, it's "over the top-ness" is partly what makes it so (at least ocassionally) interesting and provocative. You may not really like/enjoy a particular episode, but at least it can shake you up and get you to think about things in a different way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 And to all those that hate commercials, all I can say is Tivo (or some other DVR device). I'd go so far to say that it's essential. The remote for the Dish DVR is actually more useful than the remotes for any of my DVD players, making it easier in some ways to watch something that I've "taped" than something that I've bought prerecorded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 It's ironic that some of you are cutting back because I think the best shows on these days are among the best that TV has ever had to offer. Overall, far superior (with some exceptions of course) than most TV shows from the 60s and 70s. Just to throw out a few out there right now: 24, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, E.R., Lost, Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars. Not to mention some of the cable movie networks (AMC, TNC, etc.) that show some terrific old films, if you're a movie buff, that are hard to find anywhere else. That doesn't mean, though, that there also isn't a lot of shit... While certain genres of shows have probably gotten better (dramas, sci-fi, etc.) the amount, quality, and variety of actual music programming on TV has massively declined, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I like The Office (NBC version) too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 It's ironic that some of you are cutting back because I think the best shows on these days are among the best that TV has ever had to offer. Overall, far superior (with some exceptions of course) than most TV shows from the 60s and 70s. Just to throw out a few out there right now: 24, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, E.R., Lost, Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars. Not to mention some of the cable movie networks (AMC, TNC, etc.) that show some terrific old films, if you're a movie buff, that are hard to find anywhere else. That doesn't mean, though, that there also isn't a lot of shit... While certain genres of shows have probably gotten better (dramas, sci-fi, etc.) the amount, quality, and variety of actual music programming on TV has massively declined, imo. No argument there, Jim - very little music programming on TV. I'm (especially?) disappointed in BET, which seems to ignore the contributions of such African American-driven genres as jazz and blues. But the idea that people would get rid of their TVs or claim that there's no longer anything "good" on is like someone giving away their stereo because they only like bebop and think that no good jazz has been produced in the last 40 years. There's stuff of exceptional quality out there, but one needs to work harder to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I like The Office (NBC version) too. Still watching Rachael Ray? :rsly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 There's stuff of exceptional quality out there, but one needs to work harder to find it. Maybe so, but I really don't feel any pressing need to add more things to do to my schedule, or to sit in front of a box that sucks up my time. I mean, other than this one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 I think the medium of TV is no worse than any other medium - movies or music. There's plenty of shit but there are occasional gems amongst the crap. Personally I refuse to watch any program as it is broadcast, since I hate the ads. I tape the prgrams I want to see, and watch them at a later date. This way I can zip throught the ads & enjoy the show. We've always got a few programs on tape waiting to be watched. When I feel like watching a little teev, I've always got something. Current shows I like - Law & Order (all 3), Monk, Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grey's Anatomy, Cold Case, Without a Trace. Six Feet Under is one of the best shows of the last decade. However, since Janet & I are avowed movie junkies, we watch at least two movies a week on DVD and once a week go out to see a theatrical release. On the big screen is the best way to see a movie, and we usually dine out before the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 No television since February--and life has never been better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownian Motion Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 So, since nobody watches television anymore, how come the industry hasn't collapsed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 So, since nobody watches television anymore, how come the industry hasn't collapsed? Haven't you noticed that jazz fans aren't exactly representative of society at large? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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