Syndicated TV

Why do we have a blog devoted to local news, particulary one local weatherman? In part because we're cheap and get by on the $10.33 cable package, meaning we have a limited channel selection with a lot of local TV. So this subject applies.

I have a love-hate relationship with the sitcom. At its best (Seinfeld, Arrested Development) it aspires to the label of "art"; at its worst (too many to mention) it is unspeakably horrible; even at its mediocre (Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond) it is barely--but just--watchable. And when you have a cheap local cable package, you get a chance to really explore the studio space that is the sitcom, because you're watching A LOT of syndication. Sure, we could do something else, but when you're holding a baby, it's a lot easier to just have that TV on with something or other.

My favorite "fat bumbling husband with a hot and responsible wife" show? It's easily Still Standing. It may be just another "fat bumbling husband with a hot and responsible wife" show, but it actually makes me laugh out loud uncontrollable in ways that The King of Queens or According to Jim or any of the other awful ones could never dream of doing. I laughed out loud when fat husband said "Why did I marry for looks and not for money?" and hot wife responded, sneering at him, "Why did I marry for neither." I laughed out loud when fat husband made his kids his slaves, and said "The job will pay ten dollars and hour. And you'll be paying me, so work fast....that's funny. Laugh, slaves, laugh." It's actually a funny show, capable of some inspired jokes, even though it's in a mediocre and predicable format.

There's a lot of other syndicated stuff out there. For reasons I can't explain, TNT is a part of our cheap cable package. Law and Order is on virtually constantly. I often skip the first part and watch the last half hour; the lawyer part interests me in ways the cop part doesn't. One thing that bothers me about Law and Order? While the cops are interviewing people, the people just keep walking around and going about their business while the cops follow them listening. It's like the people are so busy with their lives, and have such contempt for police officers, that when a cop comes and says "Excuse me, we're investigating a murder. Could we ask you a few question?" rather than stopping to say "Murder! That's serious. Sure, of course I'll stop and aswer a few questions," the people are like "Yeah yeah yeah, I'll deal with your stupid questions, but you'll have to follow me around while I work because my tedious job is so jam-packed that I can't possibly stop and concentrate on the questions you're asking me about a murder."

A syndicated show I hate is Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? I don't see the appeal. They barely ask any questions. They stall on all the questions. They don't bring particularly smart people on. And Meredith is Meredith. It's a bad show and I don't understand why anybody watches it. Jeopardy is a hundred times better--of course, they've done a teen tourny recently, which makes that show blow too. Sure, who doesn't like to feel smart because he or she knows the answers to the easy questions they ask during the teen tournament? But it doesn't make you smart.

Frazier operates pretty much the same way every episode: somebody overhears somebody else and usually misunderstands the context of what was said. Hilarious results ensue. Frazier and Niles act pretentious and get themselves into trouble.

When they show movies on the broadcast channels, they turn "goddamn" into "damn" and "asshole" into "ass." I never understand that.

I also don't like when shows get syndicated and really funny parts get cut in order to add one commercial. Like in The Simpsons, when Marge says it's good when shows go off the air before they get stale and repetitive, and Smithers runs in to tell them that Maggie shot Mr. Burns again. How do you cut that?

Thus ends today's random thoughts on syndicated television.