The Vast Wasteland

[vakkotaur]

I remember reading a fictional story in TV Guide sometime in the 1980s about how one of the supposed major networks had trouble getting viewers to watch their admittedly shallow shows. Eventually some character suggested that rather than make better shows, which would be expensive and risky, they simply advertise them as "TV-lite" since they didn't demand much attention and let people do other things and still keep up with what little story there was. Thus they could do business as usual and ride the 'lite' bandwagon.

I now watch rather less television than I used to. I don't know what channel each network or station is on, but just a few. When I do watch, it's usually while I'm doing something else. While dressing in the morning I might have the Weather Channel on. If I'm exercising, I'll probably have a TV on. About the only program now that I make a point of watching, or at least checking on, is Nova - and I'll probably be walking on the treadmill for a good part of that.

I've looked at the TV Guide web site to see what's on and found that there's nothing much I really care to watch. If Nova isn't on, then maybe a M*A*S*H re-run if it's one of the better ones, or possibly Storm Stories if I haven't seen it before, which is unlikely. Maybe something on the History channel will be watchable. Most programming is actually annoying or even insulting ("I'm supposed to be entertained by this?"), and that's not even considering the commercials. It's TV-lite and I want something that requires a bit more than that. I want to be engaged in it enough to not notice how long or how fast I'm walking on the treadmill.

Minnesota or National Public Radio has invented a term for an effect of particularly interesting stories: Driveway Moments. A Driveway Moment happens when you're listening to something while driving and find it so interesting that after you get to your destination you stay in the car just to listen to the rest of the story. I haven't seen much of the equivalent on television. Every once in a while there is a Nova or something on the History channel or such that grabs my attention so that even after I've had enough time on the treadmill I'll sit and watch the rest. Those are exceptions.

I don't expect, nor do I want, something with a grand story arc that carries from episode to episode. I want something that if I miss one, it won't cause problems by making the next show not make much sense. I just want each show to stand on its own, be entertaining rather than annoying, and not be just more TV-lite.

Comments

[aedifica]

I've never seen it, but I've heard very good things about "Joan of Arcadia." However, it might be one of those with an ongoing plot, I don't know. Myself, I tend to watch TV only when it's already on at someone else's house (which, I admit, still means I probably get about three hours a week).