Daytime Television... Hell in a Box

flogen

What is it that makes Daytime television so very, very bad?
I'm currently waiting to go back to college and start my new job, so I'm doing nothing all day. Given that most other people I know are working/in college, and I have no money, my options are extremely limited.

boards.ie has kept me sane for some time, but sadly there is only so many threads you can find an interest in, and only so many games etc. you can get your hands on. My PC and xbox collection have both stalled, and so we come to TV.

What is it that makes tv planners think that a mixture of Antique shows, car boot sale shows and house decoration shows is good television? Or that couch-potato fix-it shows like Dr. Phil with his southern charm and obvious statements like "your over-weight because you eat too much. Get some exercise, hug your father and stop eating so much chocolate." Or Ricky Lake, this mecca for red-necks who seem to think sleeping with your girlfriends mother is OK, and the women who seem to think they're decent human beings. Then there's Murder She Wrote, a show that should have been killed after the pilot (along with Jessica Fletcher), and Diagnostic Murder, a show that stars Dick Van Dyke, but features little to no tap dancing!!
And don't get me started on the kids shows. I love some kids shows, but this stuff is crap. The Morbegs? 3D Noddy? Where the hell is Earthworm Jim, The Tick, or even that freaky new show where the multi-coloured stars spend their time dancing and sinking their faces into their bodies?

Now, here's the thing. Daytime television has always been there for old people, and the unemployed, at least in my opinion. But doesn't the end of Open House prove that the elderly aren't interested in this crap anymore? And since when do the unemployed give up their taste along with their paypacket?
You can't even turn to MTV for music, it just has cribs and dismissed! Sky News is busy telling us all the same story again and again.

I'm not suggesting I'm stuck with this crap, naturally I flick around, see there is nothing on and turn back on again (or worst case scenario, turn to Setanta and listen to Newstalk, because my downstairs stereo is borked).
Its just that everyone seems to accept daytime television is crap, but no one seems to want it to change.
Why can't they even use daytime TV as a repeat time for some of the better prime time shows? I'd love to watch stuff like Scrubs, Simpsons, Malcom in the Middle, etc.

I figure, its a government conspiracy. If daytime television was worth watching, there would be even less reason for someone to go and get a job..

flogen

aphex™

flogen wrote:

I figure, its a government conspiracy. If daytime television was worth watching, there would be even less reason for someone to go and get a job..

It's to stop the housewives from uprising... A steady stream of antique shows and those Build-a-house-out-of-MDF shows & loose weight shows keeps them busy.
I didn't tell you though, sssh, it was Bertie's idea

Mossy Monk

i had a look at Live! tv's afternoon output today.

patethic

OfflerCrocGod

All TV output is pretty bad, I've stopped watching TV for the most part. Whatever I may want I can download from the net sans ads and in reality there are very few shows I have any interest in. TV is dead long live the internet!!!

Crucifix

Diagnostic murder is a masterpiece, and many episodes have managed to fit in tap dancing some way or another. But yeah, they really could do with a lot more variety in day time tv.

mike65

Daytime telly is for looooooosers! Whereas spending hours online here is clearly an indicator of full life...

I guess it depends what channels you have but afternoon telly can mean The Sweeney/Minder/Lovejoy/Cricket/All Day Rising Damp/Interesting Space docs/A Kitsch Classic Movie on TCM. The possibilities are endless and you're clearly not trying!

Mike.

parasite

i read in the examiner that rte are replacing open house with two debate type shows, one was described as like ricki lake and another of more topical stuff ... well they did pilots anyway, it might never happen

flogen

parasite wrote:

i read in the examiner that rte are replacing open house with two debate type shows, one was described as like ricki lake and another of more topical stuff ... well they did pilots anyway, it might never happen

An Irish Ricki Lake?? Oh good glory!
"Me fella is wit me mate Jesinta. He go' a roide off 'er and now she's up de duff"
"I didn't bleedin tutch 'er, she's a bleedin skank! State of 'er"
"Shurrup you"
"No, ye sap".
"ye did give me a roide, it were bleedin deadlah"
"Dat was Deco, ye sap... sure you were locked"
etc etc etc.

Riveting stuff... and what a great place for our tax euros :rolleyes:

flogen

eggshapedfred

One word: Countdown!
Also Sky have started reshowing the X-Files (the early series) and Buffy. Two episodes of each, every day. Channel 4 are showing eps of ER at about 10am.

Other than that you could try fixing that borked radio (where did i put that spare piece of MDF.....)

Cactus Col

Go For a walk

smoke.me.a.kipper

flogen wrote:

An Irish Ricki Lake?? Oh good glory!
"Me fella is wit me mate Jesinta. He go' a roide off 'er and now she's up de duff"
"I didn't bleedin tutch 'er, she's a bleedin skank! State of 'er"
"Shurrup you"
"No, ye sap".
"ye did give me a roide, it were bleedin deadlah"
"Dat was Deco, ye sap... sure you were locked"
etc etc etc.

Riveting stuff... and what a great place for our tax euros :rolleyes:

flogen

lol, excellent!

Healio

I just log on to betfair and watch the horse racing on attheraces

Karl Hungus

This is one of the reasons I've done away with TV in my life completely.

Thanks to the marvels of DVD and my PC, I can have re-runs of Blackadder, Family Guy, Futurama The Young Ones, Bottom, YOU NAME IT any time I want and I never have to sicken myself with tripe like Ricky Lake and various DIY shows ever again, never mind the terrible horde of adverts. *Hugs dvds*

ChumpStain

Loose Women is the worst, 4 old slappers trying to feel young by gossiping and bad mouthing men. If men had a program like this it would be accused of being sexist. And another trend I've noticed is therea not that many make-over programs but loads of antiques crap now. It just goes from bad to worse.