Ok so who's responsible for all the crap on the TV?

[mwooldri]

Hmmm... apparently we can now blame it on... the British.

Strictly Come Dancing - we know it here instead as "Dancing with the Stars" is now apparently the worlds' most watched TV program. Plus British formats account for 53% of TV programming worldwide.

Of course, that's what Auntie Beeb says... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7719968.stm

Thoughts?

[MrCoffee]

1. I thought it was Midlo's letter-writing campaign to the FCC that killed television

[flvegan]

2. I blame the American television execs that take British shows

and turn them into shit.

They're botching Top Gear pretty soon.

[mwooldri]

18. It would be nice if BBC could purchase Paxson Communications...

... but this of course is a pipedream.

[Inchworm]

3. I think the people in charge are out of touch

The reality crap ate their brains. I haven't had TV on since Election day.

Tonight I'll turn it on to watch two actual TV shows; Heroes amd My Own Worse Enemy.

What sucks is the likely possibility each show will not be on. It happens so often. New episodes 2 and 3 weeks apart or some dumbass reality special where "America votes." There is also the possibility of a 2-hour special where you watch some loud asshole pick a box with a number on it. Joy.

TV has gone to hell.

It's sad.

x(

[pokerfan]

6. Has gone?

I remind you sir, that I am old enough to remember 'Love American Style.'

Commercial television, by its very nature, must appeal to the lowest common denominator. At the risk of sounding elitist, Sturgeon’s Law applies. "Ninety percent of everything is crap." In television or perhaps anything driven by mass appeal, perhaps this number is closer to 99%.

[Art_from_Ark]

21. Hey, Love American Style was funny

But I could never figure out why they often featured a bed in their short gags :blush:

[curse of greyface]

22. Love American style opened our culture to many great advances.

Without love american style we wouldn't have Happy Days which premiered on the show.

Without Happy Days we wouldn't have Jaonie loves Chachi

Where would America be then HUH HUH ANSWER ME!!!!!!!

[Art_from_Ark]

27. Well, for starters, we wouldn't have had that great expression

"jumped the shark"

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. All those great British shows and the two most successful American adaptations have been

Dancing With The Stars and American Idol :puke:...though Idol is a secret guilty pleasure...and ok The Office is pretty great too.

Still I think they should just show the originals on American TV, accents be damned...Peep Show kicks ass and is not available on Region 1 DVD :mad:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. Get a region-free DVD player (only about $20 more than a regular one)

and order to your heart's content from Amazon UK.

Their DVD department has frequent sales, with prices so good that they are often BELOW the prices here in the U.S., and the selection includes TV shows that have never been released here and probably never will be (Tenko, Silent Witness, Dalziel and Pascoe, the original Life on Mars, to name a few that I have bought.)

[mwooldri]

19. oops, I nearly read that as a religion-free DVD player...

:evilgrin:

I have one by default. Them ultra-cheap Cyberhome DVD players that infringed on Philips patents had the region change option not-so-cleverly hidden to the point that a couple of clicks on a remote and you had a region-free DVD player for $20.

[curse of greyface]

26. What about All in the Family? nt

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. BBC programme planners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePCt260R2s

[Initech]

7. Blame the marketers and their focus group / market tests / profit projection bullshit.

It's all about making money than it is about making quality shows anymore. Good shows like "Arrested Development" get repeatedly shafted in favor of crap like "Dancing With The Stars" and "America's Next Top Model".

[DS1]

9. Top Gear knocked Strictly Dancing in Morse Code last week

:D

The rest of the OP's conclusion is outright lunacy.

[sasquatch]

10. I like the show "Skins"

:shrug:
I don't really know why either.

[nytemare]

11. I think it all started with Springer.

The Brits have the best TV in the entire universe, and have inspired the American version of "The Office", which I strangely like better than the Brit version.

I can't hold them responsible for Dancing with the Stars after such gems as Monty Python, Mr Bean, AbFab, French and Saunders, and, now, Little Britain. I will spend my time watching these programs, rather than concerning myself with the drivel.


:D

[mwooldri]

13. Sorry but I do hold BBC responsible for Dancing with the Stars.

It all started out innocently enough as a dance show called Come Dancing on the BBC Television Service - yep back to 1949... you can thank Miss World for this show.

Then it came back... to Saturday prime time, with "Strictly" in front of it. Introduced celebrity dancers (original show had amateur or professional dancers as its focus, rarely if ever "celebs"). More glam, glitz. It got viewers. People noticed, and they sold the program around the world.

[Deja Q]

12. Wait until the Americans borrow your title... they'll give it a new meaning

Surprised "South Park" hasn't done it yet... :evilgrin:

Yeah, most TV requiring at least one functioning brain cell has been canceled or outright ignored...

The UK isn't immune either; I've sat through "Torchwood"... :wow:

[Bryan]

14. What's wrong with Dancing With the Stars?

I don't care for it, but it's a pretty innocuous light entertainment program.

[Aristus]

15. We are.

We keep tuning in to that shit, don't we? :tv:

[emilyg]

20. Exactly.

[Art_from_Ark]

23. Not me

I haven't watched prime time commercial television in more than 20 years.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

25. Didn't see your post when I said the same thing...

:toast:

[bigwillq]

16. I love DWTS!

It's one of my fave shows! :bounce:

[struggle4progress]

17. Dunno. Bill Clinton? He's apparently responsible for everything else

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. We are.

If we wouldn't settle for watching crap, they wouldn't pawn it off on us.

[Mark Baker]

28. Sorry everyone

Yes, 99% of British TV is crap these days.

I remember when we had four channels - I was alive when we had only three, but was too young to watch anything other than childrens programs which were on BBC1 and I wasn't aware of there being different channels. Anyway, I remember when we had four channels and you'd often have to video stuff because there were good programs on more than one channel at the same time. Now we've got more channels than you can count and it's rare for there to be anything worth watching on any of them. I've pretty much given up now.

But we do get some good American imports. I'm sure your channels are at least as full of crap as ours, but generally speaking the only programs we import are the good ones. I don't know why you get our crap.

[Jamastiene]

29. The idiots who make the crap and the idiots who act

as if it is worthy of watching. Shows can be canceled pronto if nobody watches them any more. Then they'll have to come up with something worth watching.

Nowadays, most of the really good stuff is on the internet anyhow. Independently made short clips (to fit our attention spans) on the internet will eventually make television obsolete. More people are already watching the internet than television. Television either needs to step up its game or go away. I say we stop watching everything that isn't absolutely great on television when they stop broadcasting. When is that? Feb 9th of next year? Hell, I can watch YouTube and other video sites ( O8) ) all night long.

[lelgt60]

30. ooo...by the title - thought were dissing all actors

but you did get me to read the rest of your comment.

Totally agree on the internet - we're just in a transition period.

Records: 90 years
CD's: 25 years
Blu Ray: 5 years