Is There A Decline?

[No Censorship]

Are present paranormal and speculative television programs inferior to those of the past? I caught some reruns of "In Search Of". It appealed to me more than many of today's "what was that noise?" shows. Are we saturated with inferior programs, or are today's series better than those of the past?

[SHaYap]

Yeah ... the visuals might not be as flashy but the production were top notch ... and Leonard Nimoy and Peter Ustinov as hosts/narrator .... no comparison.

[Simbi Laveau]

In all programming to a degree. Law and Order shows are cancelled to put crap like top model ,the voice ,shark tank ,idol this,x factor that ,this nob has no talent ,yadda yadda yadda ,on .

Reality crap is like this cancer that will never go away now .

Late night,all infomercials ...hours of infomercials .

No more late night movies .

Regular shows with plots,gone .

I have no cable ,and we get some off shoot of reg stations,that show old shows .

I watch the bionic woman ,six million dollar man ,banacek ,Alfred Hitchcock presents ,married with children ,,monk during prime time tv hours ,most of the week .

When regular tv is a serious fail ,and most cable follows suit ,80% of the time ,time to find more interesting fare.

I watch Chinese shows on four stations here most days too .

Id rather watch something in mandarin ,that seems interesting ,than watch celebrity apprentice .

Seriously

.

All those cool in search of shows etc ,will never be seen again .

Edited May 11, 2013 by Simbi Laveau

[Imperious]

In all programming to a degree. Law and Order shows are cancelled to put crap like top model ,the voice ,shark tank ,idol this,x factor that ,this nob has no talent ,yadda yadda yadda ,on .

Reality crap is like this cancer that will never go away now .

Late night,all infomercials ...hours of infomercials .

No more late night movies .

Regular shows with plots,gone .

I have no cable ,and we get some off shoot of reg stations,that show old shows .

I watch the bionic woman ,six million dollar man ,banacek ,Alfred Hitchcock presents ,married with children ,,monk during prime time tv hours ,most of the week .

When regular tv is a serious fail ,and most cable follows suit ,80% of the time ,time to find more interesting fare.

I watch Chinese shows on four stations here most days too .

Id rather watch something in mandarin ,that seems interesting ,than watch celebrity apprentice .

Seriously

.

All those cool in search of shows etc ,will never be seen again .

I think it will go away, everything goes through stages and fads, as I think television itself is dying.

Who knows, withing the next few years everyone may just be streaming movies and tv series directly from services like Netflix.

[SHaYap]

on the hand ... "an idiot abroad" with Karl was pure genius ,

[No Censorship]

Yeah ... the visuals might not be as flashy but the production were top notch ... and Leonard Nimoy and Peter Ustinov as hosts/narrator .... no comparison.

There was a certain sense of seriousness to the older programs that's lacking in some of the newer ones. Leonard Nimoy came off as earnest and honest in his presentation, and he didn't need bells and whistles to do so. The shows were aired in an organized way too. One episode might have dealt with ESP while another one might have dealt with UFOs. The airwaves weren't saturated with paranormal and speculative series, either. Now, you have "Haunted Redneck Pawnshop Truckers Finding Bigfoot's Flying Saucer" on every other cable channel. It's a bit like how we've gone from "Star Trek" to the latest Syfy movie about giant mutant hungry insects/reptiles. So much for progress.

[No Censorship]

In all programming to a degree. Law and Order shows are cancelled to put crap like top model ,the voice ,shark tank ,idol this,x factor that ,this nob has no talent ,yadda yadda yadda ,on .

Reality crap is like this cancer that will never go away now .

Late night,all infomercials ...hours of infomercials .

No more late night movies .

Regular shows with plots,gone .

I have no cable ,and we get some off shoot of reg stations,that show old shows .

I watch the bionic woman ,six million dollar man ,banacek ,Alfred Hitchcock presents ,married with children ,,monk during prime time tv hours ,most of the week .

When regular tv is a serious fail ,and most cable follows suit ,80% of the time ,time to find more interesting fare.

I watch Chinese shows on four stations here most days too .

Id rather watch something in mandarin ,that seems interesting ,than watch celebrity apprentice .

Seriously

.

All those cool in search of shows etc ,will never be seen again .

You're preaching to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on that one. We have basic cable. Like you say, the crappy lineup is constipated with infomercials and reality shows. I'm not a big fan of John McCain, but I love his idea of paying for just the channels that you want. We would make a huge space in our lineup if that bill ever passes! If you're not a fan of stuff like "Duck Dynasty" and "Pawn Stars", you're SOL. You also have to buy expensive packages to watch real history shows on THC. The original one has been taken over by reality shows, to a great extent.

[No Censorship]

I think it will go away, everything goes through stages and fads, as I think television itself is dying.

Who knows, withing the next few years everyone may just be streaming movies and tv series directly from services like Netflix.

I buy and watch DVDs of shows that I missed when they first aired. Some of them were shown on premium services, like HBO. I just have to avoid spoilers. I'm almost finished with "Deadwood", which is a great series, but you hear less profanity at a Tourette's camp.

[SHaYap]

There was a certain sense of seriousness to the older programs that's lacking in some of the newer ones. Leonard Nimoy came off as earnest and honest in his presentation, and he didn't need bells and whistles to do so. The shows were aired in an organized way too. One episode might have dealt with ESP while another one might have dealt with UFOs. The airwaves weren't saturated with paranormal and speculative series, either. Now, you have "Haunted Redneck Pawnshop Truckers Finding Bigfoot's Flying Saucer" on every other cable channel. It's a bit like how we've gone from "Star Trek" to the latest Syfy movie about giant mutant hungry insects/reptiles. So much for progress.

Well the kids that grew up responsible for making these TV 'hits' today just grew up in a different time and world ...

these days its mostly be mass market generated acceptance and you'll be 'it' .... faces in the television machine ...

remember a daily paper cartoon series that goes : to be famous " you just gotta be on TV ! "

so start pointing those cameras you gods of fame ... I say

[Keel M.]

"Reality" television is here to stay because it's cheaper to produce. Which made the whole writers strike a few years ago a joke. It's mostly reality television out there and what little regular programming there is is crap.

[No Censorship]

Well the kids that grew up responsible for making these TV 'hits' today just grew up in a different time and world ...

these days its mostly be mass market generated acceptance and you'll be 'it' .... faces in the television machine ...

remember a daily paper cartoon series that goes : to be famous " you just gotta be on TV ! "

so start pointing those cameras you gods of fame ... I say

The star-makers make the decisions on who will or won't get fame. That's been true for years, but it's more true now than ever. Style is placed over substance at a record-breaking level. Write a list of the most covered celebrities to confirm it.

[No Censorship]

"Reality" television is here to stay because it's cheaper to produce. Which made the whole writers strike a few years ago a joke. It's mostly reality television out there and what little regular programming there is is crap.

You can find good series on some cable channels, although you have to pay more to get some of them. For instance, "Breaking Bad" and "Deadwood" (long gone) are/were better than most broadcast network programs, especially the here today-gone tonight sitcoms. There also are many ways to bypass reality programs.

[SHaYap]

The star-makers make the decisions on who will or won't get fame. That's been true for years, but it's more true now than ever. Style is placed over substance at a record-breaking level. Write a list of the most covered celebrities to confirm it.

I'll start with the first nominee :

Lindsey Lohan

[shrooma]

luckily for me I don't watch tv, but everything's s**te since arthur c clarke died anyway.....

[stevemagegod]

I hear ya. I have been watching re runs on Weird or what lately, and it is so much better than the stuff we have on currently.

[No Censorship]

I'll start with the first nominee :

Lindsey Lohan

The Kardashians win the silver medal. Justin Bieber takes the bronze.

[No Censorship]

luckily for me I don't watch tv, but everything's s**te since arthur c clarke died anyway.....

It all started with the passing of H.G. Wells. It's all gone downhill since then.

[No Censorship]

I hear ya. I have been watching re runs on Weird or what lately, and it is so much better than the stuff we have on currently.

That might be the best of the (new) bunch. There's another new show, but I can't remember its name. The show aired an interview with the man who first encountered BEKs. He likely started the legend and lore of dark-orbed "chillen".

[Rafterman]

Are present paranormal and speculative television programs inferior to those of the past? I caught some reruns of "In Search Of". It appealed to me more than many of today's "what was that noise?" shows. Are we saturated with inferior programs, or are today's series better than those of the past?

Were there ever really that many? You had In Search Of in the 70s and a few shows like That's Incredible (here in the States) in the 80s. You had Sightings in the 90s and then nothing really new until Ghost Hunters blew it all up about 10 years ago. Sure, there were the one oft specials here and there, but these kinds of shows really weren't that common until fairly recently.

[shrooma]

It all started with the passing of H.G. Wells. It's all gone downhill since then.

.

bloody 'ell DM, i'm not THAT old!!

.

aaw, who'm I tryna kid.....

*sob*

[shrooma]

You had In Search Of in the 70s and a few shows like That's Incredible (here in the States) in the 80s. You had Sightings in the 90s and then nothing really new until Ghost Hunters blew it all up about 10 years ago.

.

we used to get sightings over here in the UK, it weren't half bad if I remember rightly. we also got something with skinner from the X-files in, and something with will riker in too, but i'll be buggered if I can remember what they were called??

*puts down the crack-pipe and has a quick ponder*

[No Censorship]

Were there ever really that many? You had In Search Of in the 70s and a few shows like That's Incredible (here in the States) in the 80s. You had Sightings in the 90s and then nothing really new until Ghost Hunters blew it all up about 10 years ago. Sure, there were the one oft specials here and there, but these kinds of shows really weren't that common until fairly recently.

They were less common. Some shows came and went over the years. There was a trend of paranormal daytime talk shows in the '90s. People forgot about them. Like you said, nothing came close to the amount of programs that started after 2000. It became too much of a good thing. The ghost series stressed special effects and style at the expense of substance. By the way, you haven't forgotten the first run of "Unsolved Mysteries", have you?

[No Censorship]

.

bloody 'ell DM, i'm not THAT old!!

.

aaw, who'm I tryna kid.....

*sob*

I feel your pain. The celebrities seem to get younger each year.

[shrooma]

I feel your pain. The celebrities seem to get younger each year.

.

younger, and more vapid!

gone are the days of the eastwoods, the pecks, the mcqueens & the redfords, and instead we're left with an ambush of reality tv ''stars'' that appear on a screen for 5mns and then scream 'don't you know who I am?!' at bemused waiters when they try to barge their way into the ritz!

no-one wants to be an astronaut or a doctor or a fireman anymore, instead kids want 'to be famous' as a preferred career choice. the decline of western culture began the day 'big brother' was first televised.....

[No Censorship]

.

younger, and more vapid!

gone are the days of the eastwoods, the pecks, the mcqueens & the redfords, and instead we're left with an ambush of reality tv ''stars'' that appear on a screen for 5mns and then scream 'don't you know who I am?!' at bemused waiters when they try to barge their way into the ritz!

no-one wants to be an astronaut or a doctor or a fireman anymore, instead kids want 'to be famous' as a preferred career choice. the decline of western culture began the day 'big brother' was first televised.....

PBS did a documentary on the Loud(?) family (no pun) back in the '70s. That might have been the first reality show, and it came and went with little to no fanfare. MTV then felt the need to lift the lid on Pandora's Idiot Box when it aired "The Real World". That was the beginning of the end of the boob tube as we knew it (aided by the writers' strike).