Is There Anything Worth Watching on TV?

Remember when we first got color TV?

According to the Roush Review in TV Guide, there’s nothing worth watching as far as new shows go this year on television. What do you think?

I tend to stick with my old and familiar favorites, leaning heavily towards the reality side of things. I sometimes feel guilty for this since my preferences may in some way put a dramatic TV writer out of work. I’m a fictional writer too and should really support my fellow writers in this way, but I don’t as far as TV is concerned.

Some TV viewers go GA GA over shows like “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” I must admit, I’ve never watched either one of them. The same goes for all the zombies, vampires, and witches who appear on TV. As far as I’m concerned, it’s only a desperate attempt to snare all the younger viewers who would prefer to watch Netflix or view shows on the internet.

As far as drama goes, I was able to watch “Boardwalk Empire” and “Homeland” for a while as an introductory thing on my TV setup. I loved both of them and hope to buy their boxed sets someday to catch up. Any show with an historical background, a period piece, is something I love to watch. If “Boardwalk” was awarded simply for the lighting, period sets, and costumes, they should win. Similarly, Nanci and I love to watch “Downton Abbey” and look forward to the season upcoming.

I love “Revolution” and also “The Dome” by Steven King. The apocalypse genre always is a favorite of mine. Just imagining what you would do in similar situations boggles the mind. I remember a series on National Geographic called “After People.” Remember that? It followed what happened to the world after all humans disappeared from Earth. It boggles the mind again.

Other than the above, when in doubt Nanci and I always stick to reality shows like “Storage Wars” and “Pawn Stars.” My professor in one of my communications courses as part of my Masters at Fairfield University in Connecticut called this selection process “least objectionable programming.” How right he was.

As far as reality goes, Nanci and I both love the “Amazing Race” which has started up again. We missed the first show because we didn’t have our TV hooked up yet after we moved. We also both love “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Got Talent.” I sometimes get disgusted with “American Idol” even though I continue to watch it every year. I am watching the X Factor here and there. If it disappeared from my set altogether, I don’t think I’d miss it at all.

A show we’ve discovered recently is “Too Cute” on the Animal Planet. Every week they follow three sets of different breeds of newborn kittens or puppies up to the stage where they find their “forever homes.” Other shows on that channel, like “Tanked” where an aquarium company installs humungous one-of-a-kind set ups is fascinating.

When we had this TV connected in our new apartment we added some more channels, which I’ve missed, like DIY and all the Discovery channels. I also like to watch some shows on OWN, Oprah’s network. Yesterday I watched Vanilla Ice on the DIY channel all day long while I was working on the computer as he totally overhauled a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. He does flips when he’s not touring and this place is fabulous and will bring millions when he resells it.

Let’s not forget “Dog” and “Beth” of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and the new show “Dog and Beth on the Hunt.” Love watching them.

If Nanci can watch her Food Network channel on one TV and I get to watch DIY or HGTV on the other set, we are happy campers. In the evening we watch our favorites together.

Someday maybe I’ll get someone to write a TV movie script for my book “The South End.” Maybe we’ll all get to watch it on “Lifetime.”

Last but not least, is my fondest wish to have the NBA channel so I can watch my WNBA games. I miss most of them because unless they’re on ESPN2 they are on a network you have to pay extra for. Yesterday in the championship series, which I was able to watch on ESPN with our Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Lynx, I watched a real slaughter of our girls. I fear for them for the rest of the series. Nanci is often verklemped because she doesn’t get to watch her precious Eagles very often down here in the South. She ends up listening to the game’s audio via the internet. We both need special sports channels I guess. Maybe someday. Sigh.

Of course if you are my brother, Ted, with his 50 inch flat-screen TV, the only channels you need are the ones that carry the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots as that’s his only reason for even turning on his set.

Maybe it’s time we gave up TV altogether. Think that’s going to happen? Nawwwww.

Thanks for listening.