Where all the good television programs?

Whatever Happened to Good Television?

I found my answer on the side of a milk carton under the label, "Missing." Thankfully, after a rough day at work, I can still find episodes of Seinfeld, Star Trek, and Bonanza.

Thank God for syndication!

My satellite service provides me with hundreds of channels and all I can find are programs about: cops, doctors, lawyers, or reality shows.

Today, most people either have cable or satellite so they can select from hundreds of different channels. When I was growing up, there were only a handful of channels; we had ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS…the Dark Age of television.

We were also in the Dark Age when it came to getting reception and changing channels.

Our family used rabbit ears and aluminum foil to get reception; otherwise, we just got static.

Before the remote control, I was the remote control in my house because my father didn’t want to leave the couch.

After changing the channel so many times, the channel knobs eventually wore out and disappeared into the Twilight Zone.

Enter the rusty TV pliers.

Before the remote control, it was common to see a pair of pliers next to every television set. Without a knob, you had to use pliers and twist the piece that changed the channels. The rusty pliers became the most important tool in the house. Without it, people turned into Neanderthals trying to figure out how to switch channels.

With television focusing on reality, the networks seem determined to bring suffering into our living rooms. We can watch former celebrities degrade themselves for a few bucks or drug addicts try to overcome their demons…it’s all there for us to watch from the comfort of our homes.

Are we supposed to watch these people and be thankful we live normal lives? Why do people enjoy reality shows?

Don't we watch television to get away from reality?

I know how to keep things real…I can turn off my television and pick up a book.