The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on TV

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I think reality TV is killing the sitcom. Either that or the drain of true creativity in the entertainment industry.

I find this all very sad. I've been watching reruns of older sitcoms (MASH, Cheers, Three's Company, more recent shows like Just Shoot Me, That 70s Show, Seinfeld, I could go on & on) & wracking my brain trying to think if there are any sitcoms airing right now that come even close to their quality. There's nothing on anymore that really gives me a good laugh.

In the meantime reality TV is totally taking over television. I find this sad as well. I have enough reality in my life. I turn to TV to ESCAPE it, not get more of it.

Plus most of them are just so freakin stupid.

My other thoughts--does anyone remember the Stephen King story/Arnold movie The Running Man? I think it was made in the 80s & I was thinking the other day what a bizarre & unintended foreshadowing of reality TV it was.........

In the meantime, intelligent shows like Studio 60 get cancelled b/c people have to actually think to watch it. Also very sad. Courtney Cox's Dirt seems to have potential--the first show was fun, haven't seen this week's yet but am looking forward to it. Hopefully we'll have at least one keeper.

Yeah I know my boss is on vacation & I have too much time to goof off. Any other thoughts?
 
Have to agree with you. I am an HBO series nut. My fav was Six Feet Under and it is no longer on. It was a thinking show.

I can look forward to Rome and Sopranos in March.

Other than that I find myself watching reruns of CSI. Depressing! :)

I hate hate hate reality shows. Boring and more drama that I can stand.
 
RE: The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on T...

It isn't really a comedy but House is my favorite show and it has a wicked sense of humor!}(


I saw In Case Of Emergency last week and really liked it. Unfortunately they put it up against two other shows I like, Criminal Minds and Bones! :(

Why do they always put my favorite shows up againstr each other? It is a consipracy!!
:)


Terri
 
RE: The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on T...

*ahem*

You could always just not watch:eek:

I haven't watched TV in probably six years and I don't miss it one little bit.
 
When Showtime cancelled "Dead like Me" I thought my husband would have a heart attack!! but there are re runs of it on the Sci-fi channel, I don't look at a lot of tv, but I do look at CSI, Super Nanny, I like to see those chaotic kids!! , Sometimes "House" and I watch the news, that is about it.
 
I DESPISE reality TV! Especially now that every one of the shows are put together especially to create the most conflict/drama among people.

I was recently watching something about Seinfeld and it was mentioned that ratings weren't fantastic for the first couple of seasons, but the network let it keep going on faith that it would catch on. Networks won't allow that to happen anymore - thus the lack of creativity in TV. They stick to a formula that they know will get viewers immediately (something they're already familiar with) and forget anything that may not catch on immediately. I think most great shows got off to a slow start and gained popularity by word of mouth - MASH was certainly one of those, too. America is completely overcome with immediate gratification disease.

Sara
 
The shows that I look forward to are The Office, Nip Tuck, and My Name is Earl, otherwise I just flip around and leave it on whatever catches my fancy (whenever I get control of the remote, that is) (My husband has a penchant for Ultimate Fighting and CSI). I also enjoy HBO, but they too keep getting rid the shows that I enjoyed (Six Feet Under, Deadwood). Hey, anyone know when Big Love is coming back on? The only reality tv I like is the Biggest Loser 'cause it has a fitness factor. Laura
 
RE: The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on T...

But Shelley, I'm single & I live alone. I get maybe 1-2 hours a day to relax. When I try to read I find myself falling asleep after like 2 pages (except on the weekends).

So I watch a lot of movies but I do miss a good sitcom. My job stresses me out, I exercise a lot, I get lonely.......all I ask is for some lighthearted entertainment that doesn't require much thought. I'm just having trouble finding it is all.

<sigh> maybe I should try the cartoon channel. :+
 
RE: The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on T...

I don't watch much TV due to an early to bed, early to rise lifestyle. Sometimes I'll catch The Office, which has made me laugh. And sometimes I find myself watching My Name is Earl, kind of like not being able to turn away from an accident. I'm looking forward to the You're the One search for Grease actors, but other than a rare Dancing with the Stars, never watch "reality" shows. Whose reality is that, anyway?
 
Oh yes, I was going to say that I actually really like Scrubs, My Name is Earl, and Two and a Half Men. If I miss them, I'm ok, but I do get some pretty great laughs out of those.
 
RE: The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on T...

Have you watched the cartoon channel lately? My kids asked me how my colon was yesterday at the dinner table, and I nearly spit my chicken out! When I asked them where they heard that, they said on Fairly Odd Parents! Nice.....
 
This is not a sitcom, but the show I'm looking most forward to is Rescue Me. I love, love, love this show. It should be back in the Spring. Dirt does seem to have potential to me too.

As far as sitcoms, I miss them. Friends, Cheers, Frasier, Seinfeld, etc. 2 1/2 men is okay, and Scrubs is pretty good. Reality TV has taken over. I usually watch reruns of the oldies if I'm home and bored, and then I'll pop in a movie, or hope that there's a good one on TV. If not, I'll read.

I did get into Dancing with the Stars, and tried to keep up on it.

Brandi
 
Reality shows are cheap to make and easy to resell.

I've never been a huge fan of sitcoms, at least not since the days of Cheers, Family Ties, Cosby etc. The writing on so many sitcoms is horrendous, it's all "set up the joke, punchline, set up the joke, punchline."

Sparrow

My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett
 
I agree with you LauraMax. What upsets me are all these new shows that start and then get cancelled. Like "The Nine" and "Day Break". Where are those shows? I get all engrossed in them, just for them to be cancelled. And for what? "Trading Spouses"? Give me a break. Can they come up with any more stupid reality shows? I'm sick of them myself and other then "Dancing with the Stars", have never watched one.

The only sitcom that is pretty good right now that I can think of is "Three & a Half Men" and "According to Jim". Those are two funny shows.

Can't wait for "24" to start. Hope that one doesn't get cancelled! (being sarcastic)
 
There hasn't been a good sitcom on TV in years. I'm proud to say that I have never watched a single episode of reality TV other than What Not to Wear.

The funniest show I've seen on TV in a long time is Monk on the USA network. The new season is supposed to start sometime this month and I'm really looking forward to it. It's not really a sitcom but it's filled with sidesplitting hilarity. I also like a show called The Closer on TNT, also not a sitcom but a good detective show with some humor on the side.
 
Yeah I confess to What Not to Wear myself. An absolute addict. But I can't take the other stuff--as a previous poster mentioned, they set everything up so everyone is against each other & it's all a bunch of catfights & nastiness. I get enough of that in RL.

Hey, you know, I know the head writer of Monk--I met him at my gym, he asked me out & like a moron I blew him off for the jerk who cheated on me. Really cute, same age, fabulous sense of humor, intelligent guy. It was the first year the show was on, before it took off. Now he lives part time in NJ & part time in CA, but I blew my chance. :-(
 
RE: The death of the sitcom & a few other thoughts on T...

marnold wrote: I think Big Love is coming back in March with the Sopranos.

Yeah, I was actually following BL last year too. I'm desperate to know how they'll pick up from the first season's final show. I find the series so interestingly queer. (And the music at the intro is so disarming!!) It seems to show our world's predicament, doesn't it: what seems so terribly askew to others can just be just normal for some.
 
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