Midnight Confessions
Phoenix
My daughter saw and wrote about the final episode of ER (as well as a number of other grand finales). I didn’t.
And that got me to thinking. And that, in turn, leads to this confession. I’ve got a houseful of TV’s, including a couple of big, spiffy, state of the art Hi-Defs with DirecTV, VOD, Blue-Ray, and TiVo. And I use them a lot.
But…
I’ve never seen a single episode of ER.
I’ve never seen a single episode of Law and Order.
I’ve never seen a single episode of any variant of CSI.
I never saw a single episode of Friends.
I never saw a single episode of Cheers.
I never saw a single episode of Frazier.
I never saw a single episode of Seinfeld (!).
Not one. No Kidding.
The only over-the-air regular network prime time show I loyally watch is The Office.
I did see every episode of The Sopranos.
I did see every episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I did see every episode of Deadwood.
I struggled through every episode of John From Cincinnati (I think there were ten of us).
I watch Deal or No Deal (a bad habit I acquired 2 yrs ago while recovering from illness).
I watch re-runs of Cops when my wife isn’t looking.
I’ve seen every episode ever recorded of Columbo. And The Twilight Zone.
I TiVo Hardball (and watch it almost every night). I weave in and out of Olbermann and Maddow.
I TiVo and watch World Poker Tour, Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker.
I watch movies on premium cable channels.
I watch CNN, MSNBC and sometimes C-SPAN as default background noise when web surfing.
I can’t remember the last time I sat through more than 5 minutes of a local newscast.
In the last 5 years I have watched no more than 3-4 network evening newscasts.
I can’t tell you a thing about Nightline since Koppel left (and even back then my viewing was spotty).
I haven’t watched more than an occasional segment or two of News Hour in the last two years.
I watch 60 Minutes when there is something very specific I want to see.
I’m having trouble getting through the DVD’s of Lost (never saw a live episode).
I’m the only person I know who only infrequently watches Colbert or Stewart (though I like them when I do).
I rarely watch PBS (used to view Charlie Rose almost every night before I got sick of him and perpetual guest Tom Friedman).
I never watch the Sunday talk shows but I download them as podcasts and listen to them during the week to help me fall asleep (really).
I’m planning to watch the entire collection of The Wire (I’ve seen it hit and miss).
I will watch the entire run of Madmen.
What does all this mean, except I’m in downtown Phoenix tonight and don’t feel like watching TV?
(My guess it has a LOT to do with incremental usage of Web).
Just switched on Bill Moyers on local public TV by accident and there was Amy Goodman calling journalism a “sacred profession” (I switched back to Cops).
P.S. I forget to mention that I love using the 52 inch flat screen LCD in the living room for Wii boxing and bowling!
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April 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Phoenix huh? Trying to avoid the blast zone should lil’ Kim shoot for the stars but hit L.A. instead?
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Lotta gadgets Marc. Can’t say I blame you in re the network channels. Gawd awful crap. Since I went cold turkey on cable, about the only thing I ever watch on the telly is Jeopardy & Bill Moyers. Otherwise, I’m beating the Western Conference like rented mules with Playstation NHL.
April 4th, 2009 at 4:29 am
Episodes of L&O with Dennis Farina (“Fontana”) are worth watching for his spiffy outfits.
April 4th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I share your habits on many of these shows. We watched every L&O episode until they just started to wear on us a bit. But you are missing some of the best media criticism ever when you miss Stewart, and the greatest parody of Fox News hosts when you miss Colbert.
Now a confession: I once dated a woman who went on to be a COPS producer for a while. I used to watch religiously.
April 4th, 2009 at 7:33 am
True story – When I wake up in the middle of the night, catching Newt Gingrich on C-Span will quickly lull me back to sleep. It’s probably a combination of his professorial voice and the things that he says which don’t upset me.
I don’t watch PBS unless it has a fund-raising special like the 50′s and 60′s bands–then, I don’t pledge.
I like the History Channel. If it hadn’t been for Hitler, they would need something else to fill in those 23 hours every day.
When I was a kid, I watched Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges. I also like him in “Airplane.” During that same period, I watched Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford. Also, Dragnet. Those three shows centered around law enforcement in the Los Angeles vicinity when people there used to respect the police. Why did things have to change?
Baseball season opens Sunday, so I’ll be watching the Braves. I traded in my exhibition games for the Dodgers series, which has been a little like watching the Braves against the Braves.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:04 am
You never watched Frazier!? Or Cheers?!
Sopranos probably one of the best things EVER put on television and Edie Falco should have a monument erected in her honor and placed in a roundabout at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
If you haven’t watched Ricky Gervais’ Extras (well that would be DVDs, I guess) you don’t know what heaven is.
Charlie Rose is the most stupifyingly exasperating fuck wit ever allowed air time. I would rather watch Rush Limbaugh (which I NEVER have) and at least not be disappointed.
Breaking Bad was brilliant tho I didn’t finish watching the series.
I still miss Our Miss Brooks, Mr Peepers ( I met Wally Cox) and Father Knows Best.
For mind numbing entertainment I am addicted to HGTV tho if if i see one more granite counter top–which I find tastelessly vile and reminds me of hardened, glazed over vomit–or hear one more idiot go on about them or ‘stainless steel appliances”–I may order my own assault rifle.
However, when the show does get into a city and into houses with some character its like eating those lime and salt cured pistachios my friend’s husband’s mother sent him from Iran years ago. You can’t stop watching/eating.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Does anyone remember the short lived, but brilliant, Buffalo Bill from about 83? Dabney Coleman, Geena Davis! It got taken off cause it was too clever and acerbic. Much more like a Brit com.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:08 am
You gotta watch House and Boston Legal.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Oh lord…and The Unit. I hate…HATE Mamet, but I am hooked on The Unit.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:11 am
(Mamet has- predictably- joined the Neo Con cabal)
April 4th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Update on a previous comment: NYC fried chicken joints under fire for Obama name
Isn’t that just like blacks?
April 4th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Marc – re your DVD series list, I’ll second Ricky Gervais’ Extras – I actually didn’t watch the US Office until it was doing original scripts, because the Gervais version was better – and add The Shield. My favorite straight-ahead cops show was Homicide – worth watching all 122 episodes. And, of course, Crime Story – Michael Mann’s Chicago/Las Vegas cop epic drew a slightly unhinged tough guys’ take on the same era as Mad Men.
April 4th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Shows of which I have never seen an episode:
Friends, American Idol, Frazier, ER, Lost, Dancing with the Stars, CSI (and none of its spinoffs either), and a bunch of other dippy pieces of filmed garbage too numerous to mention here.
Shows of which I have seen every episode:
Sopranos, Seinfeld, Cheers (although this is the one show that I believe is dated, and nearly unwatchable now), King of the Hill, the Simpsons, Deadwood, Six Feet Under….maybe a couple or few others I can’t think of right now.
Shows which I would like to watch, but have not very much: The Wire, Extras, Boondocks (this is on way too late at night for me to stay up and watch…I guess I could Tivo it, but for some reason I neglect to do that), maybe one or two others.
April 4th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Wii? At least you’re not into Guitar Hero. Best series ever: The Wire. Guilty pleasure: Buffy. Entourage, anybody? Used to love it. Mourned Buffalo Bill, too. Damages is another one of those guilty pleasures. Poker on ESPN is relaxing. Seems to be April already oh my god. 30 Rock?
April 4th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
A fellow Columbophile! I knew I liked you, Mr. Cooper.
April 4th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Breaking Bad is worth watching and if you haven’t yet watched the RAI miniseries The Best of Youth, which is available on DVD, you really ought to.
I’m thrilled that my cable system now has Gol TV as well as Fox Soccer CHannel. I can’t catch the Spanish La Liga games from home now.
I like House, as it appeals to my occasionally dyspeptic side. In Treatment is starting a news season on HBO and I liked the first one. I also enjoy 30 Rock and a new 22 episode season of Rescue Me is starting on Tuesday.
April 4th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Alec Baldwin and Whatsisname The Page on 30 Rock kill me…
My wife got me into watching Damages and the plot seems liike they’re making them it up as they go along, it periodically devolves into a Cadillac commercian (not kidding – the product placement is shameless) but it’s paying the bills for some great actors and is a lot of fun (in a creepy way.) Another train wreck I still watch is 24 – it hasn’t just jumped the shark, the shark is producing the show – but I’ve gotta have my Monday night faux-adrenaline fix. (Since the last video game I played was Pacman 20-odd years ago, I guess I’m not making the most embarrassing admission about how I abuse the tube.)
April 4th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Randy – I love Rescue Me, especially the earlier seasons, but the commercials for the new season seem like they’re trying too hard. But, of course, I’ll watch.
April 4th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Not to worry, Marc, there in Phoenix.
You can go on Hulu.com and watch the original Outer Limits! (The remake was a bore.)
April 4th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Marc: TiVo and watch World Poker Tour, Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker.
NewScientist – Poker skills could sway gaming laws
April 4th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I’m surprised that some of you didn’t list South Park. They explained our current economic situation so well.
http://www.tv.com/South+Park/Margaritaville/episode/1259937/recap.html“>Margaritaville recap
April 4th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I gave up cable a few years ago. In addition to saving hundred of dollars, I’ve missed out on exactly ZERO content.
Anything of value is available almost immediately online. I have high speed internet that I pay for and gives me much more value for my money. Endless hours of news and entertainment, commercial free.
April 4th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
“Anything of value is available almost immediately online.” More like a year later on DVD for anything that’s not ephemera, but there’s definitely an excellent argument for Netflixing the great series and watching them at one’s own pace.
April 4th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I’ve been a lurker most of the last 6-7 years, might have emailed Marc about something at one point. Although I only agree about 80% of the time, I really enjoy the blog, probably read about 90% of it during that time. for some reason, I guess because in general I love TV, I thought I’d comment on this.
Although I’ve barely watched TV the last four years for personal reasons, here are some thoughts:
favroite TV Shows- Seinfeld, frasier, Just shoot me, Cheers, wings, Simpsons, futurama, Family guy, Greg The Bunny (for some stupid reason it only lasted less than a season), Third Rock From the Sun, SNL, probably a few others. I used to love Law and Order SVU and most of LandO, but stopped watching a few years ago.
Favorite sit-com- Roseanne. My thoughts on that are at http://devlin-mcaliskey.blogspot.com/2009/02/cool-image-and-two-more-songs.html (it’s the second song, about half-way down the post)
The last 8 years I’ve watched about 50% of the Daily Show, and probably about 1/10 of Colbert.
I get almost none of my news from TV, I just watch sit-coms, Comedy central, movies, that’s about it.
I’m basically a trekkie, although I don’t think I’ve seen a single episode as it originally aired, I’ve seen each episode an average of twice, it’s actually about three times if you ignore the Original Series, which sucks, and about 4 times if you ignore Enterprise, which isn’t much better than the Original series. I’ve actually been meaning to type up a left-wing guide to star trek, episode by episode (I’d probably be the 100th person to do that, but it would still be fun); it’s a very progressive show.
tom
April 4th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Randy, do these camera streams look familiar? — View One and View Two
April 4th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
CNN International is actually pretty good, especially with some of their specialty shows like Inside Africa, International Correspondents and Inside the Middle East. They also have a great series with celebrities talking about their hometowns: Hugh Masekela talking about Johannesburg, Mathieu Kassovits on Paris, etc.
Woody, the first ic learly from WAAY’s studios on Monte Sano and the second one did not open in my browser.
April 4th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Bill Maher’s original Politically Incorrect was one of the great programs of all time, IMHO.
And Marc: it’s overdue, but thanks for the shoutback a while ago about your recent poker results. Here’s a poker blog I enjoy, written from the POV of (what seems to me at least) a real person grinding out a living at the no-limit Hold’em Vegas table:
http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/
April 5th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Randy, it was a traffic cam near UAH.
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qdpsteve, a friend of mine is a CPA who wrote a book on gambling and taxes and represents very successful poker players througout the U.S. At a tax seminar last fall, she demonstrated internet gambling and won every time with terrible hands by suckeriing the other players. I don’t agree 100% with her tax approaches, but she sure knows more than most people.
April 5th, 2009 at 8:47 am
BTW, Randy, I may have told you before, but I was in the administraton building at UAH one evening when a tornado went through the airport flipping planes and grazed our building taking the roof off and leveling the oak trees front.
John Moore, one of reg’s favorite people besides me, actually chases storms, so one of his favorite shows must be “Storm Chasers.”
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How many of you want to see more minorities in televsion? If you do, watch COPS.
April 5th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Eric Kelly is one of the minorities you won’t see on Cops as he was a Pittsburgh police officer coming off an overnight shift early Saturday morning and heard a call of a shooter in the neighborhood. Rather than go home, he responded and was shot and killed by a wingnut loser high school dropout, dishonorably discharged from the USMC.
Kelly, a 14-year veteran leaves three daughters.
Sometimes it would be wise to show a little restraint from your incessant trolldom, Woody. I believe I’m being far more charitable to you than you deserve.
April 6th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Hey — what about ‘Big Love’, the greatest show on earth. When I was living in Israel, Prime Min. Begin, a hard-core ‘Dallas’ afficionado, claimed that the show was better than Shakespeare. I disagreed with him on that and on just about everything else. But if he’d lived to see ‘Big Love’ and made the same claim about it, I would have been tempted to agree.
April 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
My goodness, when do you find the time to watch all these shows? I dvr all sorts of stuff but then end up deleting most, if not all, of it.
April 8th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
It hurts me that you don’t recognize the power and the glory of “the wire.”
April 10th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
All right! A fellow Wii fan!
What was your take on Route 66, Marc? (Personally, I loved the show…)
I’m impressed by Woody’s choice of shows. Woody, give Adam-12 a try, if you haven’t already. Seasons 1 and 2 are out on DVD…
March 5th, 2010 at 11:31 am
For the past three months, I have been waiting for that DVD edition from the Frasier series. I’m nevertheless fourth in line at my local library to receive these so I was extremely excited to learn that I can Watch Frasier Online.. My plan was to watch the DVDs around the train while commuting to and from work so I’m hoping I have Internet access through the tunnels and stations on my route. My wife laughs about my obsession with this, but she is hooked on certain Television exhibits herself. I’m wondering if I should tell her that she can watch her exhibits online also.
June 18th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Here is a impressive film quote: Billy Wilder: “Shoot a few scenes out of focus. I want to win the foreign film award.”