Poll: What is the worst thing ever to happen to TV?

The three reality-based ones are by far the worst crap that's ever seen the light of TV. I had to go with the "Other" category, though, since at least your karaoke contests feature some limited amount of talent and the home decorating shows at least.. well, they don't throw 12 attractive people on a desert island for some cheeky fun.

I went with "Other" to encompass things like Jackass and The Tom Green Show and Crank Yankers and that crap in general. (I know, the first two aren't on anymore, but it's the level they pander to that I detest. :) )

I think Jackass is still on. I don't watch it, I just see it on the listings, so it might be reruns.

I likes me some Crank Yankers!

Spoonie Luv from Up Above rocks :)

Ugh.
The only good thing about that show is that FOW did the theme song.
Even that's not enough to make it not suck, though.
;)
(I'm biased, though, I hate prank call stuff...)

I don't know why, but I have a real discomfort with humor that's centered on, well, people's discomfort. It just really hits me in a bad way. Crank calls, scare tactics, candid camera. When they're fairly benign (as candid camera can be) it's not so bad but some of those shows just go soooo far trying to make people look like idiots. And...I just don't like the idea of trying to make people look like idiots. Maybe it's the afraid-people-are-laughing-at-me hangups I have. I have no problem with home video shows (people accidentally looking stupid), it's the cruelty behind the others I mentioned that gets to me.

 

I really have to agree with all that, especially in regards to Crank Yankers. I can't even watch it, because it makes me feel bad. Not that I'd watch it anyway. {g} Now if people want to purposely look stupid, that's another story from being tricked into it.  {g}

Yeah, I agree completely, Andrea. They don't make me laugh, they make me feel bad for the butt of the joke, and angry at the person playing the "prank".

It's cruel.

But the ones that cross the line are unfortunately the funniest. Like the one where the dad called a Bath & Body Works to make his 10 year old son confess that he took a bar of their soap and put it up his.. uh... dark region. And then returned it to the shelf. And they're desparately trying to get him to remember where it was, and what kind of soap. They thought they were going to have to throw every bar of soap out.

*grins* Yeah, maybe you're right.. it is a little evil :)

As someone who works in a call center, it's freakin obnoxious and rude. I'd sue the hell out of them if I was ever aired in one of those... I'm not a litigious person, but I hope the assholes who make that show get sued so bad that they're out on the street begging for money. THAT will be funny.

That's why they call in Nevada. It's one of the few states where you only need concent from one party to record the calls.
(no, I have no idea where I learned this. useless trivia to the rescue I suppose)

i happen to love the disney channel. yay for lizzie maguire, even stevens, and kim possible...and all their supercute stars. :)

Yeah...... I like it too..... *hangs head sheepishly* hehe

Disney is evil. Very evil.

Disney=Evil, some of Disney's shows, not so evil.  Like Gargoyles!  It was a wonderful show.  Up until the third season, where it went to ABC and they ruigned the show.  Disney and ABC is evil, I mean after all they did put Bob Sagat, *AND* the Olsen Twins on the same show!

Yes, ABC has had its run of really bad shows (Two Guys, a Girl, and A Pizza Place, anyone?), but it does air the kick-ass Alias and used to show Sports Night, so I give it some credit.  However, the network didn't really support Sports Night (and cancelled it after two seasons) and it seemed to had renewed Alias for a third season at the near last minute, so it seems that ABC just really doesn't care about the quality scripted shows that they air or give them time to build an audience.  Instead they promote the hell out of crappy reality shows second only to FOX. Sigh, okay, nevermind ABC is evil with one or two gems....I mean did anyone see the season finale for Alias?!?! 

I love Disney Channel. My sister and I used to sit around after work and zone out in front of the TV, we had our line up of The Nanny, News Radio, Frasier, than we'd flip to the Disney channel and watch some silly preteen movie. 

Only Disney I've seen recently is Playhouse Disney, watching "The Wiggles" or "Bear In The Big Blue House" with a 2-year-old. :-P

Too bad her family moved to South Dakota.

-- Pauley

I voted MTV. I think MTV was a great idea in the beginning, but has turned to sh*t. Although, I have to say, I'm starting to get into it again, because of shows like Punked and True Life. So this opinion my change.

Video killed the radio star.  Simply put.  That is what MTV has done.  Only until now have people started to rebel against MTV once they start high school, and like, * gasp *, non-MTV backed artists!!!!

Perhaps where you live, not here, at all.

star??? oh! I was wondering all this time what a "radio store" was. Figured it was just, like, one of those stores where they just sell top 40 crap.

Heh. Did you really? For years I thought Elton John was saying "Electric boobs, a mohair suit"

I was singing that getting out of the car a couple of weeks ago and just as I got to that part (Which I used to think was boobs also) I got shocked/zapped by my car on my boob. :)

oO 'Cuse me while I kiss this guy. Oo

http://www.kissthisguy.com

 

oO And the girls with colitis go by... Oo

And I actually DID used to think it was, "Big ol' Jeb had a light on".

I saw that Just For Laughs too. I love that show, and Just For Laughs Gags too.

Didn't the guy say "bingo" Jed?

I dunno... what's "Just for Laughs"?

Wasn't it a stand-up comedy act at the Montreal comedy festival Just For Laughs? It's on TV. Well actually, I see it on CBC, so I don't know how many other channels it's on.

*loves his CBC*

ironic trivia:

the video for 'video killed the radio star' was the first thing to ever air on MTV.

were they trying to TELL us something??? :)

have you ever seen the video for that song?  it's a wonder that video didn't kill the video star...

 -= george =-

almost everything on tv nowadays is horrific.

It used to be mtv. Music all the time, The way you want it. Videos up the wazzo! I had cable til 1995, and it rarely had anything but cable, save a few shows. I decided to get cable back in 1999, and what the hell? It's not mtv any more! They oughta just change the channel's name to Pop Culture television, I could be wrong though *shrugs*

as if Mtv isn't bad enough, The Tom Green show IS coming back in June with new episodes, i don't know if it will be a new format, but it is (whatthe USA today calls ) a talk show. oh oh.

couldn't decide whether i hated bad pop contests or reality tv more. :D popstars and pop idol were really appalling, but i equally dislike 'help i'm a celebrity get me out of here' or whatever it's called, which is possibly the worsat show on tv at the moment with the exception of 'reborn in the usa'. i can't stand those types of shows where they always put in a couple of really old forgotten-about celebs and try to get them back into showbiz, and it just doesn't work. it's a really tacky concept.

there should be a option for "All of the Above"

I don't know about you...but I can't STAND the shopping shows...

I had to live through the spending craze of the 80's watching people end up with all sorts of stuff they didn't need...

wait...that's still happening? my lord!

I also remember the whole Jim and Tammy Baker salad days...I think "that" was one of the worst things to happen to TV...and the whole "court on TV" stuff! BORING!

~J~

People bought things they didn't need from home shopping channels because they WANTED to.  Are you also opposed to online shopping?

As for infomercials, they're kind of fun just because they're so ridiculous.

If I can't sleep, I watch infomercials. I love infomercials! There are so many things that are useless to me, but are so interesting to watch. I don't remember what it's called, but I love that Set it and forget it, one, I'll watch that anytime it's on. The Rotato was pretty cool, although my mom bought one from the As Seen On Tv store, and said it didn't work very well. The fat grilling machine was kinda neat to watch, although George Foreman kind of irritates me. Then there are all those quick work out video's and machines that you just have to have! I think my all time best infomercial moment, was when I was living in Kenmore, in an apt. and my brother and I were watching this infomercial about a weed remover tool, and Ben says "I should order that! You know how much we could do with it?!" Neither of us thought about the fact that we didn't have a yard, we had a parking lot, and the tool would be of no use to us at all, until he started giving them his card number, at which point he goes "umm.. never mind." and hangs up. Looks over at me and flushed a little and said "Yeh, I guess maybe I need an infomercial break." I remember when Oxy-clean first came on the market, it was unbelivable!!! How did that water become so clean?!! Amazing.

I hate survivor.  I hate those kind of shows.  It's so dumb, in the state of the world is in right now I want to excape from reality, why watch it.  To top it off, those shows are discusting, and most people who are really into them are discusting.  Lets not forget how stupid people are who watch it.  I mean it's like watching High School as a reality TV, I mean hello, some of us have moved on to more sophisticated things!

wow. I'm not fond of them either.

but. hello pretension.

Law&Order:SVU. That is the worst shit I've ever seen.

Though I don't mind the original one and I like CI. Strange.

televangalism.

worst.  evar.

 -= george =-

I had to choose the "other" category, although I really do hate what MTV has become. My largest complaint with MTV is not that they show crappy videos (and boy do they), it's that more often than not, you can turn it on and not see music at all. Bad music is better than Road Rules or Jackass or whathaveyou.

As for the whole reality TV thing, while I really don't tune in to many (any?) of those, I don't actively have a problem with them. Reality TV is just a genre, and I assure you it won't be around forever. By the late 50s, there were more westerns on TV than any other kind of show. I'm sure plenty of people weren't interested in those, either. TV genres go in and out of favor. It's not bad. In the early 80s sitcoms were nearly dead, but The Cosby Show had a huge part in turning that around.

Right now, I think my biggest complaint is about shows like Friends. I think it contains bad messages. {g}

Phawh. The best remedy for "the worst thing ever to happen to TV" is the "Off" button. Vote with your remote controls!

Naw, the best remedy is to watch good stuff. Me, I tend to watch TLC, Discovery, The History Channel (THC.. heheh), and HGTV mostly.

I agree there.  It's why I don't watch much television any more save for a few shows. It's so dumb, it's like watching paint dry.  It doesn't stimulant minds anymore, just makes them atropy.

It all depends on the combination of person and show.
The infomertials even can make some people think, or at least be a form of bonding (shark sweeper anyone?)
Sure, TV can be mind-numbing, but it's all about how the viewer is taking things in. I can honestly say I've learned things from some of the most inane shows, and while I wouldn't watch them often, don't regret seeing them.
My problem with the reality wave is the way it's killing good scripted shows. Not only are fewer being made, but the good/unique ones aren't given time to grow into their own. There's room for both Survivor and Greg The Bunny...the execs just need to figure that out.

   

I don't watch much TV, but to say TV in general is "mind-numbing" is like saying the same thing about books, music, video games, the Internet, etc.  Like any medium, there's some good stuff and some crap, and it's up to the individual to decide which is which.

That's a very good point, Nathan Mulac DeHoff.

I must say that I love all kinds of media. But if that were not so, I would not have a degree in communication with a specialization in radio/TV/film. I will, however, never find work.

is proof positive that this society is on its way out. :-)

You know, all we're gabbing about is the worst things to happen to our lives by way of the TV. Truly, the question asks what's the worst thing that ever happened TO TV. Do we not care about the TV's perspective? Are we so self-absorbed that we don't even turn to that poor box and ASK?

Maybe the worst thing to happen to it was that time you threw up on its screen during that big party.

Maybe it goes through severe identity crises when we flip-flip-flip-flip-flip-flip.

Maybe it feels hurt and betrayed when we blame it for this week's reality show results.

Maybe...just maybe...the worst thing ever to happen to our TVs is...us.

Whoa man.... pass the bong.

:D

Yeah...whatever you're on, I want some. Or do I?

Thats the angle I initially understood the question from, Andrea, and remembered how I watched and listened to a past prime minister of ours sprout his economic rationalist line. I snapped. Before I could do anything about it, me left arm reached for a boot I had just taken off and threw it at the visage leering at me from the screen. The picture tube imploded. And, sob, we didn't even give the tv a proper burial.