Television in a State of Decline

[NewAgain]

overhyped ?? I dont think so! There great well writen shows! Anyone who has took time to watch them can appreciate them. Even if its not your thing you still have to give them credit!

[Mr_Choc69]

Is it just me or is TV in an almost constant state of decline? Don't get me wrong there are still some good shows out there but it seems a LOT of the new shows are the same basic concepts of existing shows. Or they are just lacking any kind of real story or depth.

Thoughts?

This has been going on forever.

But what would you consider the "best era of tv shows" if not the current time?

70's and 80's.

[SarahG]

Is it just me or is TV in an almost constant state of decline? Don't get me wrong there are still some good shows out there but it seems a LOT of the new shows are the same basic concepts of existing shows. Or they are just lacking any kind of real story or depth.

Thoughts?

This has been going on forever.

But what would you consider the "best era of tv shows" if not the current time?

70's and 80's.

Really?

Only 70s or 80s show that I can think of, that I've seen reruns for on cable, that is any half way decent is Mash... and even then what could have been a great show, was made mediocre by the excessive campyness. Same could be said for Miami Vice for that matter.

[Silcc69]

BAD ASS SHOW

[Willie Escalade]

The only television I watch now is sporting events and the news. I wait for Family Guy and American Dad to come out on DVD. There are a few other shows I can sit through though.

I'm usually reading a book, or on the computer...like I am now.

[alpha2117]

It's funny that so many people seem to thin TV is in decline because nothing could actually be further from the truth. We are actually in a Golden Age for scripted Televisions and I can prove it.

In the early days of TV there was basically variety shows and what essentially equated to live plays.

Then as budgets grew more effort was put into programming and the early TV shows that are still remembered started to flourish. They mainly fell into 6 groups- Soap Operas, Sitcoms, Doctors, Cops & Lawyers. There were also Westerns up until the mid 70's. The Drama shows used cops, docs and lawyers because they offered easy to comprehend drama. That formula was basically maintained for a long time. There were exceptions like Twilight Zone or Star Trek but as a whole TV was very formulaic. Over time TV became seen as the place B Grade actors and fading stars went to die.

The big game changer was strangely the arrival of FOX. Fox was desperate to capture an audience so they broke formula. For the first time in 20 years they tried a Prime Time cartoon (the Simpsons) and a sitcom that harked back to shows like the Honeymooners in that it tried to be crass, brash and utterly without a moral lesson in Married with Children. Suddenly Fox had hits.

Over the next 20 years with Cable drama staions like HBO flourishing TV executives have been encouraged to try something different. Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Sex and the City and other shows that would never have been considered pre- Fox had long and succesful runs.

If you peruse the TV guides you'll see a wide range of options and shows with Lead Actors who are still in their prime.

Even the Cop, Lawyer and Doctor shows show evidence of experimentation. Shows like The Mentalist or House are quite a departure from the formulas employed in the past.

I could throw a seemingly endless series of current shows that break formula and offer an interesting experience for their audience. Not all are to everyones taste but thats the whole point. Television is now confident enough to offer different programs that they know will appeal to different audiences rather than dull formula that tries to appeal to the "average" viewer.

Dexter, Lost, Rescue Me, House, Criminal Minds, The Law & Order franchises, The CSI franchises, Chuck, Dollhouse, Terminator, Supernatural, Smallville, Merlin, Mentalist, Nip/Tuck, 24, Heroes, The Office, Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, Two and a Half Men, Ugly Betty, True Blood, 30 Rock and on and on. Diferent shows, different formulas, different experiences.

Even the much maligned variety and reality tv genres show a large amount of diversity. You may not like Hells Kitchen or Survivour but their hyper-realities offer a differnt type of drama experience than what you could experience 20 years ago.

There is plenty of stuff I dont like on TV including some of the shows I've listed but thats the point. Not everything is cookie cutter nowadays. That means that you'll get plenty of stuff ou will dislike as well as stuff you'll love but one thing is certain it's a hell of a lot better than what we were being served up for most of the last 60 years.

[Dino Velvet]

I have the mega-DirecTV package and just love TV. I like all the movies, documentaries, sports, etc. As far as regular TV, I miss The Shield(FX) which was my favorite. I do like 24, Prison Break, CSI(Las Vegas), Law And Order(Original, SVU, CI), Criminal Minds, Damages, and COPS.