Sure, I admittedly become addicted to Big Brother every summer. And I'm not immune to the lure of the occasional episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares or Cake Boss. But the slew of dating shows and cheesy-fake game shows where actors posing as "real people" are thrown down a chute if they get questions wrong blend together...and there are only so many singing competitions a person who's not all that interested in watching people sing can take.
Yet scripted shows have bored me, too, lately. Even my old standby, The Office, has become dependably disappointing since Steve Carrell's exit last season. I miss sitcoms, yet when I try to watch shows like Hot in Cleveland, stocked with actresses I LOVE, I find the premises recycled. It's all WAY too familiar. There's not a single original sitcom premise left.
That's why it surprised me that the previews for the new fall shows piqued my interest. A show about parents dealing with a newborn baby? AND it stars Christina Applegate? I'm there. And Whitney looks hilarious. Plus there's a new show from the creators of Lost and a show called Suburgatory that has the most interesting title I've heard in a while. Plus the previews for both shows look very intriguing.
A real puzzler for me is a new drama about PanAm flight attendants back in the 70s. I'm not sure what the intended audience for that one is, but it definitely looks interesting. However, a remake of Charlie's Angels in the style of the movie? No thanks. I loved it when it was simple and cheesy, back in the 70s. It's way too female Ninja for my taste.
Could original, imaginative, SCRIPTED programming be returning to TV lineups? Or is the reality-show mill simply taking a break between bouts of churning out yet another version of the dating/singing shows that we've been bombarded with for so long?
32 comments:
This si the reason why I only watch Discovery and BBC. And because of the kids a lot of Disney channel.
I am almost sick to death of reality shows (except for Biggest Loser, my obsession). But, you're right- some of these new fall shows have promise. I hope they deliver!
I've almost completely stopped watching TV, and what little I watch is scripted shows (and a lot of them are reruns from the '80s and '90s). Ninety-nine percent of reality shows make me want to poke myself in the eye from sheer boredom or because they seem to be killing off brain cells. lol
The new Sarah Michelle Geller (Gellar?) show looks interesting. I may break my "no new TV shows" rule to watch it.
I'm a huge BB fan, too. Can't help myself. But I love scripted TV. I still find The Big Bang Theory pretty funny and Rules of Engagement. As for the new Charlie's Angels, I gotta say, I'm gonna give it a shot.
Last night I watched an old episode and cackled, but on the way to work this morning, um...I did listen to a Bee Gee's CD!
Pretty much the only thing on my DVR in the summer is reality TV. I do really enjoy scripted shows, if they are done right.
All things change and reality shows will eventually phase out. What will probably keep them in the mix long after other series would have been dropped is that they're relatively cheap to produce. I thank the goddess for Netflix.
Oh god, I hope reality is on its way out. It's gone on for far too long and I've never liked it. There's something about sticking a camera in front of "real" people doing "real" things, and then splicing it together to be as dramatic as humanly possible that I find insulting. I deserve TV that's actually written by intelligent, creative people. PUT IN SOME EFFORT, HOLLYWOOD!!
Hope so!!! Can't wait for some new shows this fall. Grimm is first on my list to check out. :O)
My daughter and I liked Ugly Betty. Is that gone? I haven't checked lately.
If a genuine original show does show up, they're bound to cancel it without much concern for the viewers who love it.
My husband and I watch PBS on Sunday: Doc Martin and Masterpiece Theater. These are great.
I hate reality shows.
I have enough reality in my...reality.
Fingers crossed - we could use a little something better on TV
I am a reality tv show junkie, and I admit it. I am slightly partial to the singing shows because I am a singer myself, but I am sure if I wasn't I wouldn't want to watch a bunch of people singing on tv. I do really like scripted television as well. Whitney looks amazing. Can't wait to see that one!
We really used to enjoy going to Asbury Park and Wildwood and even Seaside hights in New Jersey when my kids were young. Now no thanks to Snooky and the reality shows I don't even want to think about Jersey Shores. So sad.
I think The Office is going to be awesome again with James Spader joining the cast. I loved his creepy/cool character in the finale last season. I'm excited to see him on the show.
I think the problem hasn't been that people weren't creating good shows. I think the problem has been that the networks weren't willing to take a chance on them. And now that their numbers are floundering and people are leaving the networks in search of good programming on cable nets like TNT and AMC, we'll see more innovative series in the next couple of years.
I no longer watch TV, but when I did most shows had about a 2-year shelf life for me. I can't stand reality TV. Can't. Stand. It.
I saw the previews for that Pan Am show & thought it looked promising. There was another that seemed interesting, but can't remember what it was now - it has the actress from Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place (wasn't that the name?).
I completely agree with you. I used to love The Office. Steve made that show successful. so sad for the rest of the cast.
I don't watch much TV. I find it boring these days.
I love movies and Friends re-runs though... :)
I'm not going for the Pan Am thing, but Up All Night and Whitney look appealing to me, too! I also want to see the police show with Maria Bello-- can't recall the name right now. I totally agree about Hot in Cleveland (love the cast, hate the show) and the so-called reality shows. Ick.
I think mainstream TV is saturated like you say with scripts, edits, actors cast in reality shows that I dont even watch any TV.
I watch TV shows but I buy boxed DVD sets of my fave shows.
Really miss the blogging and interaction between bloggers and readers, it sucks that comments cant be replied to.
I'm with you Steph. Our biggest bugbear here in NZ at the moment is the over excess of cooking shows, like Masterchef England, Australia, America, NZ, plus so many others. It's time TV programmers woke up to themselves and their lack of talent - I must admit that I find TV totally boring and only watch it at dinner time when my wife choses the programme. Dave
Ugghhh! I hate most reality shows! Well, most...LOL there are a few that I do watch. I like the weight loss one where a person loses weight in a period of a year.
I love Master Chef and So You Think You Can Dance. Other than that, I love good old fashion scripted shows.
I'm watching the Office to see who is going to the be new boss! I hope it's Jim Carrey! :-)
(Hello, by the way!! It's been a long time! It's good to be back reading you again!)
i cant even say Suburgatory, tv is pretty bad for me, all i seem to watch r comediesXD
Two of the best shows on TV or Cable TV are not scripted. Well technically not scripted. Seinfeld was only formally scripted after the table reads. Each scene was written down as an idea. Included were intro-lines. The cast and writers created the dialog during the table read and first rehearsals. Of course, on show day the cast would execise their own dialog causing many retakes however the series will go down in history as one of the funniest sitcoms ever.
Curb your Enthusiasm has no script at all. The cast is only offered situations and they improv the entire show.
i love big brother too, and I'll watch the Bachelor such, but I kinda have a love/hate relationship with it. And no singing shows for me either. I do like the new tv shows in the fall, one of the best parts about fall to me!
XOXOA
i love big brother too, and I'll watch the Bachelor such, but I kinda have a love/hate relationship with it. And no singing shows for me either. I do like the new tv shows in the fall, one of the best parts about fall to me!
XOXOA
I think there will always be people who have a taste for reality programming, but the market really did seem to be getting saturated, so I think it was only a matter of time before the trends had to turn back to more traditional shows.
Yeah, I was a little puzzled about that PanAm show when I saw the ad too. I guess we'll see.
I would like to see more scripted shows. I LOVE The Office but haven't really watched it since Steve Carrell left.
My favorite reality shows are Survivor and Amazing Race. I also like Design Star, which I have to watch on Hulu because we don't have cable. I've never gotten into the dating shows, and can honestly say I've never seen an episode of the Bachelor.
I just want to say I miss you and I hope all is going well with your new writing work.
I just realized it's been a REALLY long time since you posted. Are you OK? I hope this means you are really busy with freelance and your books! Hope all is well. Come back to entertain us soon!
I've always wanted to be a flight attendant, it looks like so much fun!
Steph!! Just paying you a visit! I hope you're doing well. I see you haven't blogged IN A WhILE so I hope its just that you're busy on your books or something like that. =)
I stopped watching the office after Steve left... It'll never be the same. I agree though, scripted television is really hurting.. right down to the names for the shows...
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