Cable vs The Big 3

[supraman]

So I figured do this separate from the TV Thread because it isn't discussing shows in detail. I just realized this morning outside of three sitcoms everything I watch is on cable.



This is sorta a debate/discussion on who does what better. And honest I think cable does a better job with dramas and action shows. The big 3 are too formulaic for my tastes. Take NCIS a show I watched for years. The cast is great the concept is great but too little emphasis on the characters and their stories I guess you could say. Sure they would do those episodes every now and then but mostly it was just a CSI clone and after several seasons it just got old. But take a look at Southland and it is another cop show but it focuses on telling the cops' stories instead of focusing on the crimes.



The show Elementary's previews looked awesome I couldn't wait to see it. A modern take on Sherlock Holmes? SOLD. But I lasted 15 minutes into the show before I just lost complete interest in it. As soon as I realized it was going to be a procedural I was done. I don't care how interesting the crimes were or how they were solved it was going to be the same god damn thing every week.



Hell if you get into Premium cable then you are talking about killer quality shows. Game of Thrones is masterfully done, Boardwalk Empire had a very boring last season but so far (I'm way behind) this season it came roaring back and deserves all the critical acclaim it has received. Strike Back is a great action show wish it was more popular. Homeland which I missed half of season 1 and all of season 2 due to dvr issues is a great show.



But now to sitcoms. Everyone's sense of humor is different that's a given and I'll probably be in the minority here but the big 3 still really shine when it comes to sitcoms. The Big Bang Theory is hilarious, HIMYM has its moments but I think is just about done running its course, NPH carries the show. Charlie Sheen Two and a Half Men was the funniest show on TV in my opinion. Two Broke Girls has its moments but usually when they are making fun of the Korean guy or the Eastern Euro guy is saying something. Kat Dennings has excellent delivery but the blonde just sucks at everything, I wish she'd get eaten by a zombie. But the cable comedies to me just aren't funny (well neither are FOX comedies). The humor is just lost on me. Even South Park which is a show I like has more bad episodes than good. Take a look at Sheen's new show Anger Management, it sucks, it really isn't all that funny. Sheen is best as a drunken womanizer i.e. playing himself. The only comedy on cable that stands out to me is Archer, that show is awesome.



I guess the way I'd put it is cable comedies have more over the top humor and for me in live action it just isn't funny, put it in a cartoon however then it becomes freakin' hilarious.



Alright share your thoughts and tell me how wrong I am

 

[TSD]

I prefer the Cable channels personally. Only dramas/action. I simply don't watch sitcoms. I am aware of them and the actors involved, sitcoms to me are just time wasters if you literally have nothing better to do other than watch TV. On average I maybe watch an hour of TV a day. I do watch alot of movies though.

 

[LordKOTL]

You also have to factor in that the big 3 networks (and Fox) are 100% freely accesible to anyone with an antenna and a TV.



Unfortunately, in modern-day america there's more of an emphasis on the networks and shows policing their actions for inappropriateness then there is for parents to monitor their kids' viewing habits and the times kids' watch TV. That being said, cable, even basic cable, is far less accessible and contians far better controls than something that's Over The Air (OTA).



For instance: Brickleberry. Some may say a show where the plot is secondary only to see how much vile, offensive, and disgusting humor they can jam into 20 minutes of airtime. Personally, I find the show hilarious. Comedy Central can get away with it. Maybe AdultSwim as well. Try to play it on any OTA Network, even after Midnight, and it's definitly not going to fly.



As such, anything cable can push the envelope a bit more and as such, their shows can come off as edgier while the networks have to come up with a façade of family friendliness.



But as for sitcoms, I think the concept is dormant kinda like game shows between the 70's and when "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" debuted. I think there won't be a sitcom that is really good until the market becomes very oversaturated with carbon-copy shows attempting to cach into a TV concept (i think we're almost there with reality shows) and the populace en masse gets completely sick of them. Unfortunately, the populace still graves that bilge.

 

[TSD]

You also have to factor in that the big 3 networks (and Fox) are 100% freely accesible to anyone with an antenna and a TV.



Unfortunately, in modern-day america there's more of an emphasis on the networks and shows policing their actions for inappropriateness then there is for parents to monitor their kids' viewing habits and the times kids' watch TV. That being said, cable, even basic cable, is far less accessible and contians far better controls than something that's Over The Air (OTA).



For instance: Brickleberry. Some may say a show where the plot is secondary only to see how much vile, offensive, and disgusting humor they can jam into 20 minutes of airtime. Personally, I find the show hilarious. Comedy Central can get away with it. Maybe AdultSwim as well. Try to play it on any OTA Network, even after Midnight, and it's definitly not going to fly.



As such, anything cable can push the envelope a bit more and as such, their shows can come off as edgier while the networks have to come up with a façade of family friendliness.



But as for sitcoms, I think the concept is dormant kinda like game shows between the 70's and when "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" debuted. I think there won't be a sitcom that is really good until the market becomes very oversaturated with carbon-copy shows attempting to cach into a TV concept (i think we're almost there with reality shows) and the populace en masse gets completely sick of them. Unfortunately, the populace still graves that bilge.

I do not understand people who watch reality shows. I really don't. When people ask me if I saw the latest "insert reality show here" I just want to say why are you an idiot.

 

[Creature1958]

Got rid of cable over a year ago and just went and got good antenna's. Got rid of Xfinity altogether and am more than happy with the $200.00 I keep every month. The land line phone was nothing but solicitors,all the speed they have for the internet does not serve my purpose I don't need it and the cable channels were more sales and religious channels than I needed....1 was more than I needed. AT&T's packages were no better of a deal even being a wireless subscriber for over 15 years so I just went with the $14.95 a month internet. The speed is more than enough to stream the Hawks games and If I want can stream anything from the cable channels although not that night they are usually there the next day or so. ION channel will keep me entertained they have some pretty good shows on Flashpoint,Leverage,numbers and criminal minds are always on along with some monk and burn notice. Again I'll keep my 2 grand a year until they make what should be free TV (commercials or sponsors) more reasonable.

 

[Creature1958]

I do not understand people who watch reality shows. I really don't. When people ask me if I saw the latest "insert reality show here" I just want to say why are you an idiot.

I watch reality shows all the time.......They are called Hockey games,football games,baseball games etc.... If it's edited then it's not reality.

 

[TSD]

Got rid of cable over a year ago and just went and got good antenna's. Got rid of Xfinity altogether and am more than happy with the $200.00 I keep every month. The land line phone was nothing but solicitors,all the speed they have for the internet does not serve my purpose I don't need it and the cable channels were more sales and religious channels than I needed....1 was more than I needed. AT&T's packages were no better of a deal even being a wireless subscriber for over 15 years so I just went with the $14.95 a month internet. The speed is more than enough to stream the Hawks games and If I want can stream anything from the cable channels although not that night they are usually there the next day or so. ION channel will keep me entertained they have some pretty good shows on Flashpoint,Leverage,numbers and criminal minds are always on along with some monk and burn notice. Again I'll keep my 2 grand a year until they make what should be free TV (commercials or sponsors) more reasonable.

I did the same. most of the TV shows I watch are available a day later on amazon to stream for 2 bucks. SO what I used to pay over 200 a month for, i might drop 30 a month to watch just what I want to watch.

 

[supraman]

You also have to factor in that the big 3 networks (and Fox) are 100% freely accesible to anyone with an antenna and a TV.



Unfortunately, in modern-day america there's more of an emphasis on the networks and shows policing their actions for inappropriateness then there is for parents to monitor their kids' viewing habits and the times kids' watch TV. That being said, cable, even basic cable, is far less accessible and contians far better controls than something that's Over The Air (OTA).



For instance: Brickleberry. Some may say a show where the plot is secondary only to see how much vile, offensive, and disgusting humor they can jam into 20 minutes of airtime. Personally, I find the show hilarious. Comedy Central can get away with it. Maybe AdultSwim as well. Try to play it on any OTA Network, even after Midnight, and it's definitly not going to fly.



As such, anything cable can push the envelope a bit more and as such, their shows can come off as edgier while the networks have to come up with a façade of family friendliness.



But as for sitcoms, I think the concept is dormant kinda like game shows between the 70's and when "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" debuted. I think there won't be a sitcom that is really good until the market becomes very oversaturated with carbon-copy shows attempting to cach into a TV concept (i think we're almost there with reality shows) and the populace en masse gets completely sick of them. Unfortunately, the populace still graves that bilge.

I think the bolded is the big issue. shows on the big 3 just cant get into the nitty gritty of dramas due to that. So instead they focus on the case of the week whilst the characters aren't very complex. I mean NCIS would still hold my interest if it stopped being a procedural and focused more on telling the stories of the main characters, they are great characters with some decent depth to them.



Take TWD it would never fly on anything but cable and it would do even better on a premium channel. They would have to really water down the content and I'm not talking about just the blood and guts and violence, I'm talking about the characters. Shane's descent into madness was award worthy I thought he did a great job becoming a villain. Actually was my favorite character by the time they killed him because he was the more interesting. If you look at the characters we commonly hate on that show, they were very two dimensional.



For me sitcoms were at a high point a few years ago. Two and a Half Men, Big Bang, HIMYM, Rules of Engagement I loved them all. Rules was the weakest of them all but Megyn Price just does it for me so I watched cuz she was in it.



Even when you have a good drama on the big 3 no one watches it. Trauma was actually a pretty good show if you ask me and it didn't even make it to the 2nd season. Rabbit was the best character of the bunch and easily the most interesting.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

I do not understand people who watch reality shows. I really don't. When people ask me if I saw the latest "insert reality show here" I just want to say why are you an idiot.

I enjoy the 24/7 programs that HBO broadcasts. The production value is high-end, and it gave the viewer a personal and uncensored look at a couple of teams before the Winter Classic.



I like the Kitchen Nightmares before it became overly reality based. When it was in Europe, it was quite well produced. The US version was a cookie-cutter reality show. I really don't care for anything else reality-wise (it's all scripted anyway), I guess Kitchen Nightmares is my guilty pleasure.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

I did the same. most of the TV shows I watch are available a day later on amazon to stream for 2 bucks. SO what I used to pay over 200 a month for, i might drop 30 a month to watch just what I want to watch.

What sucks is that I can't get HBO, unless I use HBOGO from someone I know.

The other is the hockey package online. Whenever the NHL pulls their heads from their asses I would love to go with watching it on my Macbook. Problem is that I would get blacked out of every Hawks game unless I divert my IP address.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

I also like the UK Top Gear. Not sure if it's really reality-show-ish, but I've been watching episodes on Netflix and BBC America whenever I have free time.

I have Com-crap, and I'm ready to join creature in the non-cable/satellite crusade. The money they buttfuck you for is not worth the compressed HD quality.

 

[Creature1958]

I did the same. most of the TV shows I watch are available a day later on amazon to stream for 2 bucks. SO what I used to pay over 200 a month for, i might drop 30 a month to watch just what I want to watch.

I'm still doing some research on that RoKu box that lets you stream the internet...I'm not that great at this computer stuff but I understand that you only need to plug this box into your TV to stream shows without having to hook up your computer.

 

[supraman]

I enjoy the 24/7 programs that HBO broadcasts. The production value is high-end, and it gave the viewer a personal and uncensored look at a couple of teams before the Winter Classic.



I like the Kitchen Nightmares before it became overly reality based. When it was in Europe, it was quite well produced. The US version was a cookie-cutter reality show. I really don't care for anything else reality-wise (it's all scripted anyway), I guess Kitchen Nightmares is my guilty pleasure.

See to me there are two types of reality shows. Reality game shows (X-factor, so you think you can be awesome at something but suck, etc) and reality TV (like deadliest catch and swamp loggers, etc) From someone who posted on another forum I browse and knew a couple of the fishermen on Deadliest Catch he said it was legit. This is how those guys are. So take it for what it is worth. American Loggers (or whatever the **** it is called) is fake it even comes off as fake.



I seen a preview for a show called whisker wars for IFC. It is about competitive beard growing. Okay that alone is interesting enough to watch an episode since I never knew that world existed. But they lost me when these guys were arguing and fighting and threatening to kick each others asses. Look fuckstick I can ruin your "career" with a pair of scissors, STFU. At that point it was just so lame and the height of stupidity in reality TV for me.



Those 24/7 shows are great I don't want to call them reality tv per se but more like documentaries because they are showing an inside glimpse of life as a football player (for hard knocks) or hockey player and that is interesting and at least semi educational.

 

[Creature1958]

I also like the UK Top Gear. Not sure if it's really reality-show-ish, but I've been watching episodes on Netflix and BBC America whenever I have free time.

I have Com-crap, and I'm ready to join creature in the non-cable/satellite crusade. The money they buttfuck you for is not worth the compressed HD quality.

Depending on what you watch antenna TV is not bad. A good antenna brings in the HD quite nice. Also I was a truck driver for 26 years and never really watched a lot of TV so the channels that do show re-runs.....I've never seen. Netflix seems interesting and a nice price if it has a lot of shows can also get that with the RoKu box. The high end box(about $80.00 comes with crackle???) and can also get Hulu???if anybody knows that one. It might take some adjustment but even my wife says **** cable she's happy with the antenna and savings.

 

[supraman]

I had an early roku player they are pretty slick. A few different models though



http://www.roku.com/

 

[TSD]

What sucks is that I can't get HBO, unless I use HBOGO from someone I know.

The other is the hockey package online. Whenever the NHL pulls their heads from their asses I would love to go with watching it on my Macbook. Problem is that I would get blacked out of every Hawks game unless I divert my IP address.

For those I just use a website to stream them free. I forgot what its called off the top of my head and I will link it here(Im on my work laptop and dont have the link). Believe me if HBO/Showtime etc made episodes available to buy right after the show airs like regular cable/Networks do, I would, but since they don't I stream them without them getting any of my money.



Its only a matter of time before TV viewing is ala carte. Lots of people nowadays are just strait up doing without, or doing what i do. The day cable lets me pick and choose what channels I want on an individual basis, is the day I will get it again.



If I had my choice:



CSN

NHL Net

NBCSports(vs)

All the movie channels (HBO, Show etc)

History Channels

Science Channel



When I had cable the above channels constituted 99% of my viewing and it was over $200 a month that is ridiculous.



Outside that I would probably still stream basic cable/Network shows depending on how these channels are priced.

 

[supraman]

Nah you dont want the history channels anymore. History runs nothing but reality TV. And History 2 just runs Ancient Aliens. Ever since they rebranded those channels are complete fucking garbage. I used to have my box setup to turn on and change to the history channel I watched it so much but now I dont even bother to see what is on those channels. The only redeeming quality left is Modern Marvels the rest of their shows are complete and utter shit. Frankly it is offensive they are still called History, their programming has dick to do with it. UGH can I just have the fucking 90s back when Discovery, The History Channel, and TLC were fucking awesome.

 

[TSD]

Nah you dont want the history channels anymore. History runs nothing but reality TV. And History 2 just runs Ancient Aliens. Ever since they rebranded those channels are complete fucking garbage. I used to have my box setup to turn on and change to the history channel I watched it so much but now I dont even bother to see what is on those channels. The only redeeming quality left is Modern Marvels the rest of their shows are complete and utter shit. Frankly it is offensive they are still called History, their programming has dick to do with it. UGH can I just have the fucking 90s back when Discovery, The History Channel, and TLC were fucking awesome.

Yeah I know. Sometimes late at night history 2 isnt running aliens, I knew it was going to turn to ass when Ice road truckers and axemen came out.



TLC was the first channel to fall into the shitter, I remember in the 90's it had documentaries. Then they got into all that home improvement crap. The problem is they saw dollar signs, they figured they would forsake the target audience for a bigger dumbass audience.

 

[supraman]

Yeah I know. Sometimes late at night history 2 isnt running aliens, I knew it was going to turn to ass when Ice road truckers and axemen came out.



TLC was the first channel to fall into the shitter, I remember in the 90's it had documentaries. Then they got into all that home improvement crap. The problem is they saw dollar signs, they figured they would forsake the target audience for a bigger dumbass audience.

Yeah i remember when TLC should have been renamed the trading spaces channel.



Science channel is the last bastion for intelligence but really it is very slowly going to the dogs, with their pumpkin chunkin crap and large rockets blah blah blah not long before they turn that into regular reality tv show.



Also science channel is too heavy on astronomy.

 

[LordKOTL]

See, I tried the antenna thing. In theory it's an awesome idea except i lived on the wrong side of Mt Sylvan from the broadcast antenna (Yes, we have real mountains here), so what comes in and when was sketchy at best. Being in an apartment a good-sizeed antenna mast was out of the question, and Dish/Directv/U-verse/fios al do not have solutions tat integrate with windoes media center. Plus, since my wife got her car, and as such the insurance went up, we decided to even the bills by getting cable, and the cablecard setup aforementined in another thread.



At least this way, if we schedule something to record, it will record something else except garbage.



As for realityTV, it's hard to flesh out anything worthwhile from complete crap. For me, there's really only 2 I watch are "My Cat from Hell", just because I want to catch the little info bites about cat behavior and possible solutions, and "World's Dumbest" because it's easy to sit on my couch and laugh at other's misfortune as a bunch of has-beens comment on the plight of their fellow man (why it's one of my hobbies). Plus, it's good for the economy keeping people like Tonya Harding, Danny Bonaduce, Todd Bridges, and the like employed.



But as for sitcoms, IMHO the heyday was Night Court.



And as for gritty dramas, I still watch SVU but it's gone downhill. Criminal Minds could be good but unfortunatey they both are trying to make both more touchy-feely with some really pithy music at the end (like something Joan Osbourne would do), and some dumb quote. At least change things up my having the end quote something like, "General George Armstrong Custer once said, "Where the **** did all the indians come from?!?!?!?!"