No Temptation in Atlanta
My friend David and I are L.A. transplants from Atlanta. David laments (and I can concur) that we "never got (insert game show) in Atlanta". It was true. Daytime game shows in Atlanta were notoriously pre-empted for any talk show you can imagine. Living in LA spoils you, because basically no show makes syndication without clearing LA.
Well David pointed out that the Atlanta trend has continued into the new millennium. Temptation has no clearance in Atlanta as of its premiere date today, probably one of the biggest markets it's not in.
Checking the Zap2It schedule, I discovered the following daytime television horrors:
*There are 12 different court shows in syndication right now. 12. WAGA alone is airing 5 hours worth a day.
*With the addition of new entry TMZ, we have 5 tabloid/celebrity obsession shows (TMZ, Inside Edition, The Insider, Extra, Access Hollywood). Entertainment Tonight is a 6th, but I'm considering them to be more high-brow (I'm probably mistaken).
*The former security guard for Jerry Springer has his own hour long show in syndication.
I was going to post about how excited I was to have 2 new syndicated games premiere this fall, but the above revelations sapped any sort of enthusiasm from me. What on earth does this say about our society? People always used to say that game shows were throw away programming, but I can't fathom how the above shows are more redeeming.
The explosion of court shows seems to mirror our own obsessively litigious nature. People sue each other in the U.S. for the stupidest reasons. And the people on these shows sue each other for even stupider reasons.
I can't seem to grasp the recent (it's been this decade) increased obsession over every move a celebrity makes. Obviously publications such as National Enquirer have existed for ages, but we never had this many TV shows dissecting every word a celebrity speaks or pound they gain.
Obviously I'm biased, but I think a solid, non-trash game show easily trumps either of these formats in terms of redeeming value. And I also know that redeeming value does not keep a show on the air. God Bless America.
Well David pointed out that the Atlanta trend has continued into the new millennium. Temptation has no clearance in Atlanta as of its premiere date today, probably one of the biggest markets it's not in.
Checking the Zap2It schedule, I discovered the following daytime television horrors:
*There are 12 different court shows in syndication right now. 12. WAGA alone is airing 5 hours worth a day.
*With the addition of new entry TMZ, we have 5 tabloid/celebrity obsession shows (TMZ, Inside Edition, The Insider, Extra, Access Hollywood). Entertainment Tonight is a 6th, but I'm considering them to be more high-brow (I'm probably mistaken).
*The former security guard for Jerry Springer has his own hour long show in syndication.
I was going to post about how excited I was to have 2 new syndicated games premiere this fall, but the above revelations sapped any sort of enthusiasm from me. What on earth does this say about our society? People always used to say that game shows were throw away programming, but I can't fathom how the above shows are more redeeming.
The explosion of court shows seems to mirror our own obsessively litigious nature. People sue each other in the U.S. for the stupidest reasons. And the people on these shows sue each other for even stupider reasons.
I can't seem to grasp the recent (it's been this decade) increased obsession over every move a celebrity makes. Obviously publications such as National Enquirer have existed for ages, but we never had this many TV shows dissecting every word a celebrity speaks or pound they gain.
Obviously I'm biased, but I think a solid, non-trash game show easily trumps either of these formats in terms of redeeming value. And I also know that redeeming value does not keep a show on the air. God Bless America.
posted by Brad @ 3:55 PM 7 comment(s)