Poll -- the golden age of television addiction, how bad are you hooked?

[swissie]

"Good shows" covers a broad spectrum. I myself only watch documentaries. By doing this, sometimes I feel like I am missing out on "cultural-life". Making me a cultural "bottom-feeder", so to speak.

As a counter-measure and to lift me out of those cultural doldrums, I sometimes watch shows on "you porn". AND WHAT SHOWS ONE GET'S TO SEE THERE! After that, I feel culturally "up to date" and soaring like an eagle.

No, I am not bold enough to suggest anything specific. JT will suspect that this is a crude attempt to hijack the thread. Hence, I would get to feel his wrath.
Cheers.

[Jingthing]

Porn can be included in video watching but it's generally a more active pursuit not lasting hours and hours. Unless you're addicted to the porn associated activities and yes many people are. So really porn addiction is a tangential issue but it is socially significant. Many men prefer porn to real life.

 

To conclude porn addiction might be worthy of a separate thread but I'm pretty sure such a thread would be against forum rules.

 

No porn please.

 

We're Thai.

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

JT's OK in raising this thread but some would argue that the 'golden age' of US TV was back when we had I Love Lucy, the Jack Paar show, All in the Family, the Mary Tyler Moore show and etc...(I also like Fools and horses, Dr Who (Tom Baker) and etc for our UK friends who's regular TV offering is superior to any in the US, must have somethin' to do with stayin' inside outta the bad weather)...

 

I got my own living area where I live so that I'm spared the local thai stuff...with my own TV unconnected to reception of any kind...available to watch items from my extensive film collection stored on the hard disk and etc...(recently with Mike Leigh's Another Year, check it out, a magnificent performance from Leslie Manville...)

 

then I'll read a review of a book or a movie and a thematically/artistically related TV show will be mentioned...which I can usually download on demand...and some of that stuff is really good...

 

one presumes that TV is for 'mass audiences' and that it should be avoided...but hey; Upstairs, Downstairs, Scenes from a Marriage, and recently Olive Kitteridge...it's become increasingly hard to generalize...

 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[balo]

I surf the net more than I watch shows on TV  . 

I watch Youtube videos and play games , I guess like the younger generation would also do .

But I do watch documentaries , and news programs. And sports. 

But it's not a big part of my life anymore.

When I was younger I was more addicted to TV series and comedy shows like Friends and Seinfeld. 

  

[tutsiwarrior]

I useta watch Ally McBeal sometimes to see if there was a scene where I could look up Calista Flockhart's skirt...same fer Lucy Liu...the women in Friends were a bit too chaste...

 

 

[The manic]

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It used to be higher level actors thought doing "tv" was a step down from film and stage. That's long over! 

And directors and producers. .Scorsese  producing Broadwalk Empire..to say nothing of film budgets...The pilot of Boardwalk Empire was 18 million dollars..And the complexities of Black Mirror echo serious politcal cinema.

[Ulysses G.]

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Many men prefer porn to real life.

 

 

Only the ones without access to beautiful women/men. In USA, porn is the only chance for anything decent one has at a certain age.

[Ulysses G.]

7 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

JT's OK in raising this thread but some would argue that the 'golden age' of US TV was back when we had I Love Lucy, the Jack Paar show, All in the Family, the Mary Tyler Moore show and etc...

 

 

You really think that stuff compares to The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Sons of Anarchy and so on? To me, no comparison at all.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 3:52 PM, Jingthing said:

 

I guess the only thing that doesn't quite count is what I call "background" television. Like sort of listening to the Daily Show while doing some household chores. 

 

That's what I mainly have the tv on for unless watching news, or movies, which I consider outside the remits of this survey, but can't be classified as not watching tv, as I watch the box from time to time if interested. I'll have the tv on while posting on TVF or cruising the internet, but it is literally background, unless something interesting comes on, which I'll watch, and then go back to the internet.

When I was in the village I'd even watch Thai soaps as life was vacant after dark and couldn't work outside. Doesn't mean that I watched it because I wanted to, just as filler between dusk and bedtime.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 6:51 AM, Ulysses G. said:

You really think that stuff compares to The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Sons of Anarchy and so on? To me, no comparison at all.

Just me, but those shows you quote are no better than "I love lucy" etc. They are all just bait to get people to watch ads.

I hardly watched Sopranos as it was just a bunch of bad people doing what bad people do, never seen breaking bad as had no desire to do so, the shield likewise, parenthood was like mind junk food, sons of anarchy- give me a break!

 

What to me was great tv was the first series of The Avengers with Diana Rigg. It went downhill fast when it was in colour, Man in a Suitcase, Danger Man etc. Since then, China Beach, Twin Peaks ( till the money men ruined it because it didn't have enough advertisement slaves ),  Black list series one and two- it's junk now. BBC has great shows, because they don't have advertising.

 

If one wants great tv, it's the documentaries on channels like Al Jazira, because they aren't out for the advertising $.

If there is a common thread defining great tv as opposed to mind junk food, it's advertising or not advertising.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 4:37 AM, The manic said:

And directors and producers. .Scorsese  producing Broadwalk Empire..to say nothing of film budgets...The pilot of Boardwalk Empire was 18 million dollars..And the complexities of Black Mirror echo serious politcal cinema.

Another example of multi million $ pilots was Lost. An excellent show till they lost the plot near the end. I guess every show has a point at which they run out of ideas.

They always claimed MASH was stopped before it went down hill, but, trust me, it had become PC mind junk long before they put it out of its misery.

Shows like House of cards had the potential for greatness, but they ended up kowtowing to the advertising cabal and it lost its chance.

 

If there was ever a series begging to be made it was "Lord of the Rings". They could have made it same time as the movies ( but with other actors as the main characters ) and shown the story in its entirety. It always annoys me that they made one book into 3 shows ( The Hobbit ) and the LOR which deserved 4 or 5 shows as only 3.

Edited September 29, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[Jingthing]

This thread is really focused on the ADDICTION issue. Not so much intended as a debate about what specifically is quality video and what isn't. There is another thread here that's all about that.

In starting this thread, I wanted to call attention to video watching addiction which I do think is on the increase now at least partly due to the almost obscene GLUT of very watchable shows. Even more so in Thailand due to the WAY in which expats often get their video content (which we're not really supposed to talk about).  Meaning, for many, the access is almost UNLIMITED here. 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Jingthing

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 3:58 PM, Jingthing said:

 

It's important for this thread to have any meaning that people get that it means all video entertainment.

An "excuse" people might use to overindulge is that there really is more HIGH QUALITY stuff now than in the past. So it's entirely possible to overindulge with HIGH QUALITY stuff though in real life I'm assuming most people don't limit themselves to that. 

Which is exactly my point because news and documentaries should NOT be classified as entertainment, but you seem to be including them.

 

I also maintain that there is VERY LITTLE high quality stuff on now. Most of it is Game of thrones type mind junk food to attract the advertising slaves.

I'm not saying that one shouldn't watch mind junk food- it can be very entertaining, but at the end of day, it's still junk. Great thing about recording mind junk food shows is that one can fast forward through the ads- good outcome.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

This thread is really focused on the ADDICTION issue. Not so much intended as a debate about what specifically is quality video and what isn't. There is another thread here that's all about that.

In starting this thread, I wanted to call attention to video watching addiction which I do think is on the increase now at least partly due to the almost obscene GLUT of very watchable shows.

Had you made that clear at the start, I'd have clicked on the "I'm addicted" choice and saved myself the trouble of responding to a completely different category of "quality shows are being shown now".

Certainly there are many very watchable shows, which I'm getting though on DVD, but quality- not much at all. It's like junk food- we don't eat it because it's healthy.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 1:52 AM, tutsiwarrior said:

I useta watch Ally McBeal sometimes to see if there was a scene where I could look up Calista Flockhart's skirt...same fer Lucy Liu...the women in Friends were a bit too chaste...

 

 

Yes, her skirts were very short- most enjoyable.

Lucy Liu

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 5:09 PM, Jonnapat said:

Why is it necessary to play the national anthem at every sports game in your country?

Has something to do with patriotism; a thing in short supply in most western countries.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 6:13 PM, i claudius said:

I suppose that i am lucky as the wife does not like tv much although having lived in the UK there are series that she enjoys and those we can watch together she also likes things like "the pickers" and pawn stars and adires a series called shaun the sheep .dont ask!! So while she reads i can watch stuff ive downloaded. Also i have a walking machine so can watch and walk at the same time and get some exercise lol . But to be honest there is just far to many good shows including old series that i like watching again like Morse and Frost etc.

Love Shaun and all those Wallace and Gromit shows. That's quality entertainment!

The thing about Morse and Frost etc is that they were NOT made to attract the advertising $, which is why they are brilliant QUALITY tv shows.

Not forgetting Midsomer murders, the Agatha Christie stories, Lynda La Plante stories, and on and on. None of which were made for advertising purposes.

Best tv drama I ever saw, EVER, was Edge of Darkness ( back in the black and white days ). Most will only remember the poor quality remake by Mel Gibson though, unfortunately.

Edited September 29, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[Gecko123]

About six months ago I switched to True Vision's Happy Family package for 299/baht per month  which has mostly Thai language programing, plus three or four channels with English language stations. This has drastically reduced the amount of time spent watching TV, not to mention the cost savings. I have become a regular watcher of Thai news, and my Thai listening comprehension has benefited from this as well.

 

I also discontinued my at homeinternet package for 899/baht per month, and instead go down to the local internet shop (where I am now). I go down to the shop about 2-3 times a week (about 10 hours a month), check my email, and download news articles for reading back home. This costs me 200 baht per month. This can be somewhat of an inconvenience because the internet shops are filled with video game playing school kids yelling expletives back and forth at each other as their players get gunned down, (I try to avoid after school hours and weekends). The upside is that you don't have the at home distraction. I definitely have noticed that my attention span and focus have improved considerably without the lure of internet access sitting right in front of me on my desk. With all the freed up time I have been doing more reading and have been working on my French as well. With all the savings on cable bills and internet access, I have subscribed to the NYTimes and Le Figaro (for language study).

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

On 9/28/2017 at 6:51 AM, Ulysses G. said:

You really think that stuff compares to The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Sons of Anarchy and so on? To me, no comparison at all.

 

yeah...well, I never paid much attention to them new shows so maybe I don't know the full story...

 

My Little Margie and The Gail Storm Show with Zasu Pitts as Miss Nugent...can't be beat...stone age TV entertainment...

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

29 minutes ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

yeah...well, I never paid much attention to them new shows so maybe I don't know the full story...

 

My Little Margie and The Gail Storm Show with Zasu Pitts as Miss Nugent...can't be beat...stone age TV entertainment...

 

 

It occurs to me as I look at the "top" shows touted here that most of them involve killing people.

Seems like the human race has a way to go before it gets out of the cave ( mentally speaking ).

I'm sure there are some well made non violent shows on tv, but it's a pity they aren't more popular.

[Ulysses G.]

9 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

yeah...well, I never paid much attention to them new shows so maybe I don't know the full story...

 

My Little Margie and The Gail Storm Show with Zasu Pitts as Miss Nugent...can't be beat...stone age TV entertainment...

 

 

There are a lot of amazing programs out there and some go on for season after season. Rolling Stone Magazine says the Sopranos is the best TV show of all time. That is debatable, but I would probably agree.

 

100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

 

There's never been a creative boom for TV like the one we are living through right now. Ever since The Sopranos changed the game at the turn of the century, we've been in a gold rush that gives no signs of slowing down. What better moment to look back and celebrate the greatest shows in the history of the art form?

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-w439520

Edited September 29, 2017 by Ulysses G.

[canuckamuck]

1 hour ago, Ulysses G. said:

There are a lot of amazing programs out there and some go on for season after season. Rolling Stone Magazine says the Sopranos is the best TV show of all time. That is debatable, but I would probably agree.

 

100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

 

There's never been a creative boom for TV like the one we are living through right now. Ever since The Sopranos changed the game at the turn of the century, we've been in a gold rush that gives no signs of slowing down. What better moment to look back and celebrate the greatest shows in the history of the art form?

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-w439520

Can't be the best TV show of all time, they forgot the ending. Everyone is still wondering what kind of pizza they ordered.

[Ulysses G.]

To me, Apocalypse Now is the best movie of all time (my favorite anyway) and the ending is completely flawed, but the rest of the movie pushes it over the top.

 

On that subject, Six Feet Under has one of the best endings for a series that I can remember.

[Jingthing]

Again, the purpose of this thread is really to discuss issues related to video watching ADDICTION. About the specific content, opinions about what's good and what's not, really not so much! There is already a very active thread all about that. 

[thaibeachlovers]

45 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Again, the purpose of this thread is really to discuss issues related to video watching ADDICTION. About the specific content, opinions about what's good and what's not, really not so much! There is already a very active thread all about that. 

•  

 

 

 

When YOU put

There is a general consensus that we're in the golden age of television.

A massive glut of historically good shows

in the OP, you invite comment on the content of what we are watching.

Discussing the content of tv viewing is entirely within the context of the OP.

 

Edited September 30, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

error

Edited September 30, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

wTo me, Apocalypse Now is the best movie of all time (my favorite anyway) and the ending is completely flawed, but the rest of the movie pushes it over the top.

 

On that subject, Six Feet Under has one of the best endings for a series that I can remember.

The beginning could have been done far better by having the helo blades segue into the room fan and the ending was rubbish with all "the horror" bs superimposed over a stand alone ending. One of the top movies though, for sure.

Worst ending ever IMO was Lost. Second worst was St Elsewhere.

However, worse than bad endings is when series are just not continued, as in Twin Peaks. That is disrespecting the audience that invests in the series.

Edited September 30, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

There are a lot of amazing programs out there and some go on for season after season. Rolling Stone Magazine says the Sopranos is the best TV show of all time. That is debatable, but I would probably agree.

 

100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

 

There's never been a creative boom for TV like the one we are living through right now. Ever since The Sopranos changed the game at the turn of the century, we've been in a gold rush that gives no signs of slowing down. What better moment to look back and celebrate the greatest shows in the history of the art form?

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-w439520

No serious person takes any notice of Rolling Stone now.

I refuse to believe that a series about thugs could ever be the best of anything, but that's the great thing about individual choice. If 20 million people view something, there are 20 million different opinions.

[Jingthing]

Here is the currently very active thread to discuss details about content of shows:

 

This thread is about ADDICTION. Kindly please IGNORE any blatant and obnoxious attempts to HIJACK this thread. We don't need TWO threads going at the same time covering the exact same topic.

 

Thanks! 

[Luckysilk]

Calm down there Jingy they probably have your posts on block - besides is the Pub really a place to talk about addiction if it really exists.

 

As for the Golden age of television not much appeals to me or the kids but we do enjoy feature films probably a little too much.