Are They Done Moving Our TV Shows Yet?

Rant #2 The musical chairs of TV programming. And by that I mean the way networks are always shuffling their most watched shows. First it’s at one time slot for a few weeks, then the very next week it’s at some other time slot… AND, probably on another day! What kind of shit is that? What’s most frustrating is that they wait until you get settled into the new season and your schedule is all set up to watch your favorite program, then BAM! It’s on a different day and time, usually your bowling or card night, your one night out and your TiVo, DVR, PVR or whatever isn’t even set for that night. And that’s another thing. You set up your recording device and for weeks you’re not missing anything while you’re out. Then all of a sudden that fateful week comes when you get home and get everything read to watch your favorite show, turn on the your device for playback, and what do you see, some OTHER program. Damn! What’s this shit?!

I’ve been watching TV since I first opened my eyes in 1966, and back then a program might change days or times, or both, maybe once, then that show was there until it was cancelled. Like Sanford & Son, that show changed days and times once (I think it was from Tuesday night, don’t know what time, to Friday at eight o’clock) and there it stayed until it was cancelled. At least that’s the way I remember it. For years my family would gather around our old black & white TV (until we got color in 1976), on Friday to watch Sanford & Son. You could depend on that show being there, at that time, and not be surprised on Friday with Laverne & Shirley (which was a good show too). Nowadays you have to constantly check the TV listings just to make sure your program is even still airing at all.

It’s gotten so bad that shows now, not only jump days and times, but they can also jump channels. I’ve seen shows go from a local Network Channel to a Cable or Satellite Channel like the Scifi Channel after only a couple of weeks without notice. What the HELL is that? What if you didn’t have the Scifi channel? I guess your just screwed. The hell with us and what we want to watch, who cares if we can’t afford cable or satellite, we shouldn’t be so poor, after all this IS America… Right? And what about when they play all the new shows back to back, two in one night, or one the first night and the other the next. Then for the rest of the season they show reruns. Why use up the new stuff right away? Why not give us something to watch for the entire season.?

And why do they kill off the Black people in TV shows? I’ve seen several shows in the last few years where they started out with one Black person in the whole cast, then after a season or two, they’re killed off. What’s that about? Is it just to get the Black folk watching? It’s bad enough that the Black people are often the first to die in the movies, now we’re being killed off first on TV as well.

So that’s my rant, gotta go now, my favorite show is on… Maybe?