With a few exceptions, I find staring at inane television programming for hours on end to be a complete waste of time. So, in our domicile you will almost always find the lilting sounds of music. We vacillate between jazz, electronic dance, 80's, disco and pop. Musical variety rules. However, there are certain shows we are devoted to, hence the DVR is our friend. There are only a few, and they are of the fictional variety. My loathing for most reality shows is intense, and the dumbing down demonstrated in these offerings is shocking (well, it could be if we were not so accustomed to the nonsense of it all). Here is my point (yes, I do have one, thank you very much)...I miss the comforting reality television shows of a few years ago. Remember when Suzanne Whang hosted shows on HGTV? She was lame as could be, and I loved her. I miss Suzanne. Yes, the Property Brothers are divine, not gonna kid you. Love their family vibe. But, we know the drill. Drew and Jonathan make it happen, and everyone loves it in the end. Just once I wish they wouldn't. Yes, Fixer-Upper is cloyingly sweet, but Chip and Joanna do seem genuine enough. Yet, how many times can we see her do the SAME design to a house? Exactly. Remember when The Food Network presented a simple show featuring that adorable, Tyler Florence? We still use his fabulous recipe for fish tacos. What happened to Tyler? Does he ever appear on TFN? I have given up even searching. I tried to watch Tricia Yearwood dish up her "country" what-have-you, and while I am sure her food is fine, the blandness of the show reaches new heights. Mostly, it seems TFN is now all about the food competition shows, that just brings stress, not relaxation. In my opinion, cooking should be about enjoyment, relaxation...good food and good conversation should be the name of the game. I can not even begin to tell you how many times the show, Chopped, made me so squeamish I could not watch. Exotic food is one thing, bringing out the head of a dead animal is another. With all the turmoil in the world, wouldn't it be grand to find programming without competitive, plastic, mercenary people, fighting, tweeting nude photos (and I'm no prude, just sick of seeing the same dumb people in their birthday suits) and trying to make everyone feel inferior? So, what if we could do a grassroots movement for more relatable programming? What would it be? What type of show would be comforting and entertaining? Well, let's think back to the early days of The Food Network and HGTV. How about a show where the pleasant chef is housed in a uniquely designed kitchen (please no granite countertops), with soft music in the background--preparing a delicious dish almost anyone would enjoy. They should be sipping wine, wearing a black apron with a white towel tossed over one shoulder. The lights should be subdued, but light enough for proper food prep. Meanwhile, the camera switches to a couple (please make them an ordinary looking couple) looking to buy or renovate a property in a locale we enjoy seeing (how many times do we want to see the same looking couple buying a place in Chicago?). There you have it. The beginning nugget of my grassroots for more sane "reality" programming. Maybe I will tackle fictional television next. We need another "I Love Lucy," don't you think?
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PB JournalBy Pamela Barker Archives
August 2016
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