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ABC Cancels 'Politically Incorrect' (1 Viewer)

Mike Broadman

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Maher mentioned his cancellation at the top of the show. He basically said that it was because of what he said, not because of the ratings. He offered no apologies, and thank god for that.
 

Ashley Seymour

Supporting Actor
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Jun 29, 2000
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My favorite episode was when he accompanied a lovely young girl, playmate or singer, to visit Yoda, errr Hugh Hefner at the mansion. Bill kept cracking jokes about how the sweet young thing would like to make it with a talk show host and then give her a hug. All the time I was wondering what was going through Bill's head. "Look at this old fart, he still scores with the babes. What gives? I'm as ugly as he is. I has to be the mansion. Well the bathrobe and pipe help, but I'm younger doesn't that count? Not only that but this girl I keep huging is pulling away more and more. I guess I have to ask him if I can visit his library where he keeps his magazines."

Maybe a little hash on Bill. I have always though this show was misnamed. A show titled Politically Incorrect should have Rush Limbaugh as the host. Bill can handle a show, but he needs to tone down his attitude for this format. It works better on the radio where you have to shout and be outrageous to be heard. It also gets tiring when all the guests have the intellectual capacity of Carot Top. But then again this is ment to be entertainment, not Nightline.
 

John Thomas

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How about switching back to the Comedy Channel? Wasn't that the original station it aired on?

I sometimes agreed/disagreed with Maher but it did appear that he 'sold out' after the show went to ABC. He's seems to be swayed by popular opinion moreso than he was then. I saw the controversial show but really didn't believe that it was that big of a deal. I can see how people would blow it out of proportion, however.

Ashley: Some of the guests they've had on the show are actually pretty intelligent. There's been some ringers/dullards but I'd say that I've been more impressed with the diversified, intellectual guests that they've had on.

MikeM said:
it's one of the few shows on television where the guests aren't simply reciting the witty little "experiences" they had that are all rehearsed in a pre-interview
Good point.

HBO: If they P.I. up, they have to pick up SportsNight as well. Why did this show not continue? Ack!
 

Mike Broadman

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I'll tell y'all one thing: I tried to watch "serious" political talk shows or listen to such programs on the radio. They are no more "intellectual" than P.I.; in fact, less so, since they are dripping with propoganda and half-truths. These hosts have an agenda. Bill Maher just has his own arrogant opinion, and it's funny to watch. It's basically a circus. They pit two extreme opposites on all the time. I'd much rather have a comedian than a "political expert" hosting the show anyway. It's a fun piece of fluff at night when you want to relax and have a chuckle.
 

John Berggren

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Fool placating move on their part. Bill misspoke once, and his point was not without purpose. His guests were always interesting, and his topics were great. It's too bad PI didn't stay on Comedy Central. Perhaps HBO can pick it up.

I won't be watching Jimmy Kimmel. That's just crazy.
 

Steve Clark

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Nov 26, 2001
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P.I. allowed many different cultural, ethnic and religious voices to be heard, and for the diversity alone of the panel, it should be commended.
Except for the conservative view point. This IMO was one of the most biased shows on TV. It should have been named "Politically Correct". A typical show consisted of 3 liberals and a conservative. Bill Maher would set up the conservative and allow the 3 liberals to engage in a feeding frenzy. Bill Maher would usually step in on the side of the liberals and allow the conservative to be lynched, yelled and screamed at. Very little tolerance of opposing view points and very little intellectual discussion took place. And Bill Maher is the only one I know who is more smug than Letterman. A total pompous jerk. He got what he had coming. His comments after 9/11 were inexecusable and his refusal to apologize sealed his fate. This show was taken off the air in my market shortly after his comments in September and has not been missed at all. IMO he is damaged goods and his only chance for employment would be on cable.
 

MickeS

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Well, if they were inexcusable, there was no point in apologizing anyway, right? :)
I didn't think his comment was so off the mark, and even if it was I don't think it should have been enough to warrant the level of criticism it received.
As for him always lynching the conservatives, well, I don't think that's true. Some of his views are conservative, most of them are not (I wouldn't necessarily call him liberal either, more like libertarian). The conservatives on the show usually did a pretty good job of defending their opinions, IMO.
 

John_Lee

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Mar 31, 2000
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As someone whose local ABC affiliate took the show off the air clear back in October, I am glad it was cancelled. At least now there is hope that it will reappear on a network I can actually GET.
 

TheLongshot

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I always looked at PI as being a more entertaining version of The McLaughlan Group. About as opinionated, but far more entertaining. Yes, Bill Maher is an opinionated bastard, and I don't always agree with him, but shows like that don't work unless they have an opinionated bastard to start off a topic. I often thought that he took on difficult positions to get more interesting arguments out there.

What hurt the show the most was how late it was on, and the fact that it was only a half hour long. Things would just get interesting, then a commercial break would happen.

As for his 9/11 comment, I don't have that much of a problem with it in context. It was blown far out of proportion.

As for it being a "bash the conservative" show, well I certainly think it was needed in response to all of the "bash the liberal" shows that are out there. Otherwise, it is ok to attack if you are a conservative and not a liberal? Okay....

Jason
 

Mike Broadman

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The funny thing, the whole "controversy" thing only came about because of some DJ in Texas with an axe to grind and a way to bring attention to himself by distorting what Maher said and exploiting people's post-9/11 sentiments. When Maher said that stuff, the audience and other panel members didn't gasp in horror or anything like that, because they followed the context of it.

If anything, it only showed us how easily manipulated people are. It's frightening how some jerk with a big mouth can have so much power.
 

ryan_m

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Jun 22, 2000
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It should have been named "Politically Correct".
Ah so I guess if you talk about more conservative issues it's "Politically Incorrect" but if it's liberal issues it's automatically "Politically Correct"? Hmmmm

Please point me to the conservative leaning shows that give as much air time to totally opposing views, I'd love to have something new to watch.
 

Shane Gralaw

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I think politically incorrect would mean that you go with whatever position you think is true, regardless of what anyone thinks. Ideally, that would mean you would hold both liberal and conservative views, depending on the issue at hand. With Limbaugh, you already know what his position will be when he introduces a topic, it's always strictly party line.
 

Martin Rendall

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As BM is a libertarian, he will naturally agree more with true conservatism (which conservatives seem to have lost in the US). He's stated in the past that the reason he ends up with more liberals on the show is that he needs to have Hollywood actors on, to keep ratings up. And those people tend to have a more liberal bent (and most often, haven't a clue what they're talking about).
And for the record, I can't, in good conscience, agree with his contraversial stance on Milk. ;)
Martin.
 

Jodee

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Jun 13, 1999
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I agree that people too often lump the terms "politically correct" with liberal.

Political correctness is a sign of the times. For instance, it is currently politically correct to be a flag-waving, patriot, and to not question the government or the war.

50 years ago it was politically correct to support segregation, etc.

So being politically "incorrect" is to say what you feel, regardless of whether it's a popular viewpoint or not.
 

MikeM

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I think Bill said it best on one of his shows, he defined being politically incorrect as "placing the truth over the sensitivity of others." Well said.
 

James_G

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He's stated in the past that the reason he ends up with more liberals on the show is that he needs to have Hollywood actors on, to keep ratings up. And those people tend to have a more liberal bent (and most often, haven't a clue what they're talking about).
I also read a magazine/'net article in which Maher said that the only reason that there are more liberals on the show than conservatives is that, since Hollywood is very much a liberal place, conservative actors don't want to ruffle any feathers or get on the nerves of any higher-ups in the industry...so they just keep their views to themselves. Of course there are the exceptions like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, but they're 20-million-dollar-men...they have clout.
 

RobertR

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Bill is better because he tries to act libertarian, with an interesting combo of positions, like pro-death and anti-drug-war.
Bill Maher is not a libertarian. His preferred candidate in the last election was Ralph Nader, a man who is anything but a libertarian, and who would never get the vote of any libertarian. Being anti-drug war no more makes BM a libertarian than being pro-death penalty makes him a conservative.
 

Eric F

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Sep 5, 1999
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Right. Bill's political ideas were all over the place, just like most Americans. So, it was interesting to hear him mouth off occasionally (although far too often).

The statements he made about 9/11 touched a nerve. They came at the wrong time, but look at the reaction he got from the Fed gov't! They (was it Ashcroft?) actually had the audicity to state that now is a time "people should watch what they say". That is far more shocking than any comment Bill could ever make during the show.
 

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