Dumbest Show on TV

[ken123]

Judith is the person I must compliment for giving me the idea for this thread. Her comments on my thread in re Say Yes to the Dress, was my inspiration.

Any nominnes are welcome - Past or Present !

[Lzcutter]

I would just like to jump in here with a word of caution. As someone who enjoys watching television (and MrCutter will be the first to suggest that I watch more than my fair share of it), I am aware that there is a lot of good television being produced and some not-so good tv being produced. But, people tend to feel passionately about the shows they care about. Remember, some show you think is not all that great may be a show that another poster here never misses and cares about.

So, let's be careful out there.

As long as the discussion remains civilized and takes care not to ridicule someone for liking a show you don't, there shouldn't be a problem. But, if it de-evolves into ridiculing, then that's another story.

[mrsl]

.
Perhaps it would be best just to list the name of the show, or shows, with no explanation of why you dislike it. These shows come into our homes every week, and often the characters seem like old friends, and we don't want our friends to be ridiculed do we? I'm told I'm one of the worst offenders for stating my preferences, so I wanted to be the first one to make this suggestion.

Basically any reality show like American Idol, The Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, etc.
.

[jdb1]

My observation of such programs is that there is a marked distinction between a show with a dumb premise and a show with dumb people. I'm not nearly as bothered by the plethora of programs showing menchildren gleefully playing with their expensive "toys" or attempting ridiculous stunts and pranks to prove how macho they are (as exasperating as that can sometimes be) as I am with the current glut of programs showing loutish, clueless, hurtful people making fools of themselves and everyone around them, cashing in on their 15 minutes of "fame."

I can deal with childish men, and they can certainly be entertaining. I can't stand the willfully ignorant and destructive, though.

But that's the "reality" show genre. There is a whole mess of dumb scripted shows and TV movies as well, too numerous for me to begin to remember here. I'd say for starters -- anything with Susan Lucci in it. However, even dumb shows can be fun, so dumb isn't necessarily bad. I don't mind a good-natured groaner or two.

[srowley75]

I suppose the deluge of bad programming is partially due to the fact that there's something like 1,000 channels out there. And while some are dedicated to news, sporting events, weather, etc., others choose to fill that dead air with original programming. And as reality series cast nobodies as opposed to stars who demand salaries for their talent (whether alleged or confirmed), reality "stars" work for a comparative pittance (which, IMO, is still often far too much considering most of the individuals currently succeeding in this racket).

I must confess, however, that I do find some reality shows interesting. A & E's Intervention is sometimes worth watching. I do watch the hoarder programs because I'm dealing with something similar where my parents are concerned and I grew up in an environment not unlike what's shown (though I do wish to emphasize, not NEARLY as extreme - Mom, Dad, and Sis simply cannot part with old clothes, books, knick knacks, photos, even greeting cards, etc. and they're overrunning the house). Everything has a faux sentimental value.

I say all this and yet I really watch very little TV. When I was living on my own, I didn't even have cable. I just watched films or TV shows from my DVD collection. And many of my acquaintances didn't own cable, either - they just got online to watch certain shows and rented DVDs. And if there was a game or something that they had to see, they'd just go to a place in town with a TV tuned to football or whatever (and there were many).

[movieman1957]

I'm watching less actual TV programming as well. I find I spend more time watching stuff I want on the Netflix website.

I find little or no tolerance for what goes on in reality programming. (Up to and including "American Idol.") Through a fit of insomnia I saw exactly the kind of show that Judith referred to in "You're Cut Off." (Rich daughters cut off from their money supply.) Talk about clueless. I haven't had the stomach or desire to revisit it.

I have seen pieces of "Hoarders" and I can't imagine what it must be like to deal with that kind of situation.

[MichiganJ]

While most of my TV viewing is done with the series on DVDs, I think we are in a pretty great time for quality television programing. Many of the best programs aren't necessarily on the big networks, and the best are probably those on pay stations like HBO and Showtime, which don't have to adhere to arbitrary regulations put on them by the FCC.. Even basic cable, though, is producing some pretty amazing shows. Unlike the network model of old, a "season" is no longer defined as 22-24 episodes, with many shows putting out a solid 11-13 episodes a season.

Mad Men, the Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Rescue Me, The Shield, Six Feet Under, Rome, Veronica Mars, Buffy, Curb your Enthusiasm, Dexter, Entourage, True Blood, Law and Order (and its minions) etc., are just some of the recent shows that can easily stand as some of television's all-time best (well, maybe not Rome, but for some reason I love that series.)

It's easy to forget The Simpsons since they've been with us for (close to) ever, and somehow the South Park guys are still current, relevant, and most importantly, funny. The Daily Show and Colbert are every bit as good as the best SNL weekend updates.

Even the network sitcom has finally come back with a few that are worthwhile: Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory and 30 Rock (I hear The Office is good, too, but have yet to see an episode.)

It seems to me that, except for some of the basic cable shows, the reality craze has peaked and is on the wane. For the most part, the network Survivors (get it?) are simply game shows. The Apprentice, Big Brother, Amazing Race, obviously, but even Dancing With the Stars and American Idol essentially are game shows, and game shows have been a staple on TV since the beginning (and for the same reasons: cheap and easy to produce.)

Some basic cable channels do produce a lot of the follow-the-person-around-with-a-camera-and-we'll-have-a-show programs. While they don't hold much interest to me, I do occasionally watch the show where the guy is dropped in the middle of some inhospitable area and MacGyver's his way out. (A good reality show would be watching the camera crews as they shoot these shows. And then another show could be watching the camera crew filming the camera crew that is filming these shows! We could build a whole network!)

Oh well, some of my thoughts. Hey look! Mythbusters is on!

[srowley75]

Random thoughts-

Part of the problem for me is that there has simply been too much to take in, and I'm having to make decisions as to what I'll spend my time viewing and what I'm not going to bother with. Most TV series fall into the "not going to bother with" category, at least for now, until I can see many of the films I've collected. There are a quite a few sitcoms and drama series that may be terrific shows, yet I'm just not going to waste my time with many of them when I could be viewing lots of films I've stockpiled.

Regarding contemporary TV series, I own seasons of 24 and Alias (couldn't refuse the prices on both), and Lost, Mad Men and Dexter are on my wish list and I guess I'll get to all of them sometime. I love Arrested Development and I own that complete series (I guess it's recent enough to include). I've wanted to check out Curb Your Enthusiasm for some time but just can't seem to work it into my schedule (and I never cared for Seinfeld, so I suppose that's another potential strike against it). A lot of my friends recommend Flight of the Conchords as well.

I own 9 seasons of The Simpsons and, after revisiting most of the series about 2-3 years ago or so, I have to say I was quite disappointed when I compared it with animated series I truly liked, such as Daria, King of the Hill, and yes, South Park (which IMO has been up and down the past couple of years - and what's the deal with Cartman's voice?). It's an institution largely because it was new at the time it came along, and it was a cartoon for adults to enjoy as opposed to being for children (at the time, as I recall, it was assumed that "cartoons" were for kids), and as such it built up quite the cult following. I give it its due: we'd likely not have any of the other shows I mentioned if not for The Simpsons.

It's possible that reality TV is on the wane on the major networks, but good God, on the basic cable networks it would seem as though that's all that's playing (well, that and commercials). MTV's been lost to reality series, and it's virtually the same with A & E, TLC and Bravo (and I know because Mom and Sis watch those shows constantly - I guess it's a good thing I don't have any favorite shows right now). VH1 and E! are both pretty icky, at least the last time I checked, although I freely admit that I did like Chelsea Handler on the few times I've gotten to see her show (though I wish she'd ditch the visiting comedians). And I'm just bored with The Food Network and their many cake challenges, etc. I suppose many of them could be viewed as educational, in a sense, but again, I'm not so free with my time these days that I can devote time to learning how cakes are decorated and how these various monsters of fertility manage their broods.

All this to say I will consider TV again when a la carte packages are available to buy - but until then, I'll rent or buy DVDs and leave cable alone.

[Birdy]

Whatever my husband is watching.
HAHAHAHA

[movieman1957]

Sports related?

[Birdy]

Actually, no; other testosterone-fueled fare!

[JackFavell]

Personally, I could do without most reality TV, however there was at least one show that I thought was very good - Project Runway.

In that show, contestants competed for a designer showing at New York's fashion week. These people, though some of them seemed unable to come up with great designs, were all at least experienced garment makers. To see them make clothing out of literally nothing every week was constantly amazing to me. The skills required in order to simply sew an outfit, much less design it, in two days, were beyond anything I could ever do in a million years.

The show was fun to watch, required great skill in the contestants, and also tapped into some deeper issues - like whether being nice counted. The hosts were entertaining, and since there were a couple of different ones, none came off as too annoying. The show had humor as well. The judging seemed very fair, and there were guest judges and famous cameos involved in some of the challenges. Designers were encouraged to "go outside the box" creating clothes out of plants, garbage, and even cloth sometimes.

I enjoyed Project Runway, because the contestants actually had to physically make something. There is an engineering show on PBS for kids that is very similar. Hooray for creativity and thought promoted on TV!

[mrsl]

.
Sorry Jack: Project Runway is still one of my favorite shows, and I can't wait for the next one to start. I think it's August again on Lifetime. I also have to admit half of my apartment is decorated with things and methods I learned by watching TLC and HGTV.
.

[Rita Hayworth]

The Dumbest Show on TV

Is best described in three short words ...

The Gong Show

produced by Chuck Barris. I vote this show to be the dumbest show on TV history

[JackFavell]

I can't think of one dumber, but give me time...