Four months of living without cable is coming to an end next week. Yes, we finally gave in and decided to hook up the old boob tube despite trying to talk a big game about how evil television is. Who are we kidding? We like TV and even though the majority of it is mind numbing crap, there are some good things to watch.
Example - one of the biggest reasons we broke down is because we get really bad reception on our rabbit ears here and we don't get a PBS station right now. So, no Sesame Street for Addie in the morning. Addie loves puppets. In particular, the puppets on one of her Baby Einstein videos and almost any of the puppets on The Muppet show, which I'm more than happy to show her. I think Sesame Street and Big Bird and Cookie Monster and...oh boy...El-frigging-mo are going to be right up her alley.
By the way, I caught one episode of Sesame Street recently and I was amazed at how much Elmo has taken over that show. I haven't seen Sesame Street since Elmo became popular so I had no idea. I think the Elmo's World segment lasted a good 20 minutes. For anybody that watches Sesame Street with any regularity: is that normal? Does Elmo own Sesame Street now? If so, I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Anyway, we also miss shows like Top Chef and Project Runway and Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs and I miss watching Sportscenter every morning. The Soup will once again become regular viewing and I'll watch The Daily Show and Colbert Report in real time instead of days later on the computer. These are all good things. But what I need to do to, and it's been one of the hardest things for me to do with TV, is to just turn it off when there is nothing on that I want to watch instead of flipping around and just watching something.
I think these four months have taught me how to do that. I used to leave the TV on all the time as background noise even if I wasn't really watching it. Now, especially with Addie, it's a distraction and there are better things to have on as background noise than the TV. I've got an iPod full of music just begging to be listened to.
So wish me luck as we venture back into television. Is there anything that I've missed over the last four months that I need to check out?
Example - one of the biggest reasons we broke down is because we get really bad reception on our rabbit ears here and we don't get a PBS station right now. So, no Sesame Street for Addie in the morning. Addie loves puppets. In particular, the puppets on one of her Baby Einstein videos and almost any of the puppets on The Muppet show, which I'm more than happy to show her. I think Sesame Street and Big Bird and Cookie Monster and...oh boy...El-frigging-mo are going to be right up her alley.
By the way, I caught one episode of Sesame Street recently and I was amazed at how much Elmo has taken over that show. I haven't seen Sesame Street since Elmo became popular so I had no idea. I think the Elmo's World segment lasted a good 20 minutes. For anybody that watches Sesame Street with any regularity: is that normal? Does Elmo own Sesame Street now? If so, I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Anyway, we also miss shows like Top Chef and Project Runway and Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs and I miss watching Sportscenter every morning. The Soup will once again become regular viewing and I'll watch The Daily Show and Colbert Report in real time instead of days later on the computer. These are all good things. But what I need to do to, and it's been one of the hardest things for me to do with TV, is to just turn it off when there is nothing on that I want to watch instead of flipping around and just watching something.
I think these four months have taught me how to do that. I used to leave the TV on all the time as background noise even if I wasn't really watching it. Now, especially with Addie, it's a distraction and there are better things to have on as background noise than the TV. I've got an iPod full of music just begging to be listened to.
So wish me luck as we venture back into television. Is there anything that I've missed over the last four months that I need to check out?
6 comments:
Television is not evil. It's just a method of transmitting media, like a book, the internet, or radio. It's what you choose to watch that matters.
As long as you don't watch shit like The Big Bang Theory or Grey's Anatomy, your brains will flourish until they grow too big for your heads.
I actually got hooked on a show called Sons of Anarchy on FX. It's a modern day biker twist on Hamlet (the creators even said so). Granted, there's a lot of violence, sex and swearing (it plays at 10 PM for a reason). But I enjoyed trying to pick out the "Hamlet story" from the show itself, which I actually liked before I knew the Hamlet stuff.
Also? for premium channels Check out True Blood on HBO.
Ghost Hunters is another favorite. Other than that? there's not a whole lot still ON that's good. in my opinion anyway....
I was gonna suggest The Big Bang Theory, but now I feel stupid given Adam's comment.
OK, I really wasn't gonna suggest that. But my woman does think it is kinda funny.
I agree with Avitable on one show that pure shit - Grey's Anatomy. Big Bang Theory is pretty funny.
But his words about TV not being evil I agree 100%. It's what you watch (read, surf or listen to). That's why I like a lot of channel choices. Makes it nice to flip around and find something when the other crap gets to be too much.
Avitable - Don't worry, we will never watch Grey's because my wife is a doctor and she hates doctor shows like that.
Cissa - I tried to watch an episode of Sons of Anarchy on Hulu once and couldn't get into it. I didn't like any of the characters. Thanks for the suggestion though.
BE Earl - I'm so tired of sitcoms that I don't watch them much anymore. Even one that I kind of like - How I Met Your Mother - I rarely watch.
Marty - I know, TV's not evil, but it's also not great for little ones. That's why we haven't had cable during this time. That and we didn't want to pay for it. We got it for free in California.
I don't think we're too hooked to anything new. We watch The Mentalist, but not sure if that's something you'd just "have" to check out. Plus, it seems like a bunch of shows we watch are getting canceled anyway (like Pushing Daisies). For January, I'd say 24 and Lost are "must sees" (assuming 24 is back on track unlike last season).
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