Originally Posted by Jonathan Peterson

LOST will go down in history as one of the greatest shows ever and even totally goofy shows like MXC give me a reason to smile.

Originally Posted by Bert Greene

I generally have a problem with the relativist view that all eras automatically have the same quotient of bad television. Plus, 'what' constitutes poor programs in peoples' eyes? The classic era obviously has its aesthetic high points, like "Playhouse 90," "US Steel Hour," "Omnibus," and whatnot, which the critics championed. But what was downright BAD? Was it things like second or third-tier westerns? Innocuous fluff like "Celebrity Bowling?" Was it the local kiddie programs, with hosts wearing sailor caps or cowboy hats, dragging out old Popeye cartoons? Teen dance party shows? Back then, the critics seemed to razz things like genteel party-game shows like "What's My Line?" and "Masquerade Party." But are these shows really bad? I find them rather charming myself. Was it the mild-mannered silliness of "Mister Ed" that was so egregiously lacking? Not my cup of tea, but nice fare for the kids to watch at grandma's house on an early Sunday evening. Just what it aspired to be. I've seen all sorts of old-time obscurities, including many short-lived shows, and I just haven't encountered much that was all-out awful. I really have to grasp at straws to find examples, like the tacky, made-for-syndication "Night Court USA" or the notoriously idiotic "My Mother, the Car."

Proportionately, I find that nowadays, at very least, 75% of television to be gut-wrenchingly unwatchable... the horrid daytime talk shows with their degenerate subject-matter, the grotesque self-absorbedness of characters on reality shows, the sitcoms that can't go for more than 60 seconds without flinging out a crude sexual innuendo, the ever-increasing length of commercial breaks and the ever-increasing abrasiveness of said commercials, the crime shows that wallow in perverted subcultures each week between putrid autopsy footage, and now even the news channels deem that the asinine exploits of Spears, Lohan, etc., constitute legitimate news. I used to enjoy just the simple daily presence of television in the house, but it's now just too obnoxiously vile for my tastes. It reached a point that it was no longer worth navigating through, even if there were a few hidden gems scattered around. Oh, well. Does any of this define 'bad tv?' I dunno. I guess I don't even particularly care. But when making comparisons, I just can't accept that the percentage of all-out drek is some kind of steady constant from decade to decade.

Anyway, I think one of the reasons classics fans (like me) are so spirited in these discussions is that DVD's, for us, are the only game in town... the only viewing option. Couple this with the fact that in many cases, we haven't seen some of these old favorites in ten, twenty, thirty years. That's a LONG wait. By the way, is it all that much of a 'personal' insult that someone slam modern television? I do know many people who have all but abandoned current tv, as it either didn't address their tastes, or they feel it's an affront to their moral standards, something they naturally refuse to compromise. Sure, they are mostly older folks, so naturally they don't count for much in the current pop-culture paradigm. Considering the dismissive treatment they receive, I can hardly begrudge a bit of curmudgeonly griping. In fact, it seems downright warranted at times.