Sunday, October 21, 2012

John Mooney 'All I Want'


I’m a Fall TV junkie. I make no apologies. I’ve been an addict since I first turned on the Curtis Mathes that belonged to my parents with my tiny toddler hands. From that first sound of the tubes warming in that giant behemoth to what will eventually be my last breath; I have and will remain obsessed with televised entertainment.

I don’t just watch anything. I am very picky with what I “waste” my time with. I even have a quote… “If you’re going to waste your time watching television, make it quality television.”

And I’m one of the firm believers proclaiming this time in our history as the Second Golden Age of Television.

Even with all the reality show crap populating the televised landscape, there is more than enough quality programming out there to back up the believers.

Beginning in September of every year, there is a fresh new batch of programming looking to find a large audience. Nielsen ratings are key to the survival of every show unless that show is on a paid subscriber channel like HBO or Showtime. The competition has gotten fiercer since Bruce Springsteen recorded a song titled “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)”.

Over a year ago, I joined The Less Desirables weekly pop-culture podcast as their Television Guru. I get to pontificate on what shows you should waste your time with. I try to help you weed out the crap and point you towards the direction of the good stuff. Because, quite frankly, there are plenty of great shows out there for you.

You shouldn’t be watching anything with “CSI” in it unless you’re oblivious and over 60. You shouldn’t waste your time with a program containing the words “Big” or “Bang” in the title unless you’re watching something late at night on Skin-a-max. And if you’re watching ANYTHING where people are displaying a talent or lack of a talent, then I’m convinced that you don’t have anything to contribute to society outside of the proverbial water cooler area.

Oh sure… She’s pretty and everyone is talking about her, but being popular doesn’t mean she’s a satisfying roll in the hay. It may be fun watching ‘American Idol’ or ‘The X-Factor’ and talking to your buddies about it, but will you be watching reruns of those programs 30 years from now?

If the poor DVD sales of those types of shows are an indication, then no, you won’t be revisiting those shows in the distant future. You’ve been there and done that. There’s no need to go back. There are no great scripted and acted out scenes that live forever in your mind. It’s just crap that doesn’t matter. Why waste your time the first go around?

Will folks still be quoting ‘Seinfeld’ or ‘The Office’?

I’m sure of it.

So now I begin my daily breakdown of television shows that I’m enjoying this season…

Monday:

I currently have nothing on for this night. It’s a free night to catch up on the DVR.

I tried to watch ‘Revolution’ and I wanted it to be good, but it turned out to be as turdy as a hog lagoon. The first episode didn’t grab me. The second one had me MST3K’ing wisecracks all the way through it. The third one stayed on the DVR until the consensus of household said, “Let it go. We are all bored with it.”

The show had a great concept, but lacked proper execution. They had all kinds of flaws and they had to throw in a teenage love angle. And what I mean by flaws are things like this… Their clothes show little wear and tear. They built a wall to protect their tiny village, but neglected to have lookouts posted outside those walls to see the bad guys coming and allow enough time to warn that village. And oh yeah, they leave the gates wide open.

We saw a woman power up and use a computer when no one else can even get a car started, but we no longer cared. We gave up on it, but I hear that it’s still doing well.

Soon we’ll take a current look at Tuesday nights!

2 comments:

  1. Christine10:46 AM

    As is the norm for you and me, I disagree with almost everything. Revolution: there's nothing new to see here, but I dig post-apocalyptic stories and this is an entertaining hour. I'll probably be a little sad when they cancel it at the end of this season but I won't pine for it. Firefly it ain't.

    I love "talent" competitions, but I suspect that you and I have different definitions of talent. You're referring to "show biz" shows - singing and dancing contests and their ilk. I have a fondness for a specific genre I like to call, "smart and talented people doing smart and talented shit." Project Runway, Face Off, and any number of cooking competition shows on Food Network (especially the ones where they make huge, elaborate works of art out of cake, candy or fruit.) I enjoy these because the competitors aren't doing it to get famous, they're doing it to further their craft.

    As for the Big Bang Theory, you're just wrong. You've dismissed it out of hand because its popular and mainstream, and you cherish your edgy tastes above all else.

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  2. I dismissed 'Big Bang Theory' after watching most of season one... As a geek myself, I could see the punchlines coming down the road waving a big red flag. Easy comedy. If I can say the punchline before the actors on the screen, then it's not worth my time.

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