Has TV got better or worse since you were younger..... In my opinion its MUCH WORSE!!

1) Digital instead of analog (Not as nice an experience (Natural,etc))
2) CRAPPY PROGRAMMING!!!!!!! (Nothing worth watching)
3) OLDER SHOWS SHOWN DIGITALLY JUST ARE NOT THAT APPEALING TO ME....... (I prefer to see them how I saw them then OR NOT AT ALL) -- They were FINE on analog cable in the 80s :)

No offense but I don't think this question even needs to be asked. I think everyone on here will answer with "worse", including myself.

The fact that 85% of what's in my library were produced between 1950 and 1990 bears testimony of what my answer would be. :angryfire

No offense but I don't think this question even needs to be asked. I think everyone on here will answer with "worse", including myself.

I agree.

I agree.

Third...it went down because of reality shows!

Third...it went down because of reality shows!
Yep that was the final nail in the coffin for me, I hardly watch any network shows that I'm mostly watching old reruns or I have a DVD popped in while I'm on my computer.

Third...it went down because of reality shows!
Another who agrees! Reality Shows suck!

WORSE. VASTLY, VASTLY WORSE.

Years ago, I used to enjoy the simple, generic presence of having the television set on. It was like a welcome, easy-going visitor to the household den. But over time, it grew increasingly abrasive... louder, more nerve-wracking commercials, programming that was more and more obnoxious and sickeningly vulgar, people on talk-shows and reality-shows who were viscerally repellent. TV, which used to be that pleasant friend and neighbor who'd drop by for a nice visit, somehow became more like a grotesque lout who barged in, grabbed food out of my refrigerator, barked profanities at me, and then dropped his trousers and urinated on my carpet floor. I no longer like to have the television set on at all, unless I'm specifically watching one of my dvd's.

No offense but I don't think this question even needs to be asked. I think everyone on here will answer with "worse", including myself.
Agreed!:lol:

Has TV got better or worse since you were younger..... In my opinion its MUCH WORSE!!

1) Digital instead of analog (Not as nice an experience (Natural,etc))
2) CRAPPY PROGRAMMING!!!!!!! (Nothing worth watching)
3) OLDER SHOWS SHOWN DIGITALLY JUST ARE NOT THAT APPEALING TO ME....... (I prefer to see them how I saw them then OR NOT AT ALL) -- They were FINE on analog cable in the 80s :)
You nailed on the head with reasons. Number 3 bothers me the most. I think when the audiences were given so many tv stations around 1980, most tv shows lost me. 90 percent of my tv viewing is 1950- mid 1985 shows. I can't think of 10 shows of the last 20 years I have watched. The shock button pushed me away from current shows. You just never know if a crude rude line will be said. Do people in real life talk like that in families. ?

Every decade has its share of duds but the glut of reality TV and giving airtime to people like The Duggars, Duck Dynasty hillbillies, all those catty Real Housewives, Jon & Kate Plus 8, etc. has really caused a huge decline in TV these days. Sitcoms are unfunny with unlikable characters. But I think where TV is doing great is the dramas. Many of them on TV right now have quality acting, writing and production.

No offense but I don't think this question even needs to be asked. I think everyone on here will answer with "worse", including myself.

i concur

You nailed on the head with reasons. Number 3 bothers me the most. I think when the audiences were given so many tv stations around 1980, most tv shows lost me. 90 percent of my tv viewing is 1950- mid 1985 shows. I can't think of 10 shows of the last 20 years I have watched. The shock button pushed me away from current shows. You just never know if a crude rude line will be said. Do people in real life talk like that in families. ?
And that's the biggest problem. Everything is done for shock value anymore. I'm immune to it because it;s everywhere. Nothing's shocking anymore so you'd think they'd go back to giving a show heart. If I don't like the characters, I'm not watching.

You nailed on the head with reasons. Number 3 bothers me the most.Thank you for being honest........ No one on ANY OTHER SITE I have posted this one has been!! (They call me names,etc (But its expected))

Has TV got better or worse since you were younger..... In my opinion its MUCH WORSE!!


2) CRAPPY PROGRAMMING!!!!!!! (Nothing worth watching)

I agree that tv has become worse. The programming is indeed crappy and I attribute it to these factors.


There are too many commercials and useless filler material like recaps after commercial breaks (as if we can't remember what happened four or five minutes ago.)
Scripted reality lacks substance and creativity.
Sitcoms are not given enough time to 'find an audience' or develop before being cancelled.
Forced diversity and political correctness severely restrict creativity and originality.

Yea its very sad..........

What is nice now is that I can watch a televsion program whenever I want, instead of having to wait until the time the show first comes on. Now, there are many, many more choices of shows to watch instead of the old days of the three (and then four) networks.

But as I said before, I only watch ONE current prime time network show, Young Sheldon. Most of my viewing comes from YouTube or watching old TV shows online.

I'm younger myself, so i can't really answer. Though in 20-30 years people my age will be saying a show from 2020 was better than stuff on now

Far worse today. No charm, no laughs, no wit, no positivity, no reassurance, no attractive actors, no escapism -- only pretensions, reality porn, and politics non-stop.

Television, almost everything about it used to be this big,
beautiful, comforting thing. Over the past few decades It has become and is now the complete opposite. It has become so ugly.

For generalistic television: worse.
Quiz and entertaining variety had all lost their last bits of cleverness and are dull if not insulting.
Reality are trashier each day, and political talks are done on the same way.
There aren't anymore family-friendly time slots. There isn't anymore something that can be seen together by the whole family.

It has become impossible to follow sports if you don't pay a satellite subscription, and even with that it is hard to follow.
The list of films broadcaster is definetely thinner than before: as a kid I discovered classic and cult movies with the main channels, now it would be impossible to do.
Tv series are easier to follow, but also here a satellite subscription is mandatory.
For film and tv internet subscriptions are far better.

Things that are better.
The are way more channels (but what they broadcast ugh).
The role of women: they no more have just to be beautiful and stand in bikini.

Far worse today. No charm, no laughs, no wit, no positivity, no reassurance, no attractive actors, no escapism -- only pretensions, reality porn, and politics non-stop.

Television, almost everything about it used to be this big, beautiful, comforting thing. Over the past few decades It has become and is now the complete opposite. It has become so ugly.

100% agree

If you're talking about current TV programs being offered then I vote worse. The only thing I watch on network TV are sports, news and The Price is Right as well.

Now if you're talking availability the it's much better. Streaming services, digit channels like METV and Antenna TV, etc has created a way to pick and choose what you want.

For me it's kind of like moving from one area of the county to another. Personally I loved in the Pittsburgh area up until the early '70's. Programming was limited to probably 5 to 9 TV channels depending on where the antenna was pointed. Of those choices there were no independent channels only networks ( ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS). None of those channels didn't run 24 hours a day.

Then I moved to the New York metro area. So there were the network channels, PBS, and 3 independent stations. Most ran nearly 24 hours a day. They at least ran a longer day of programming than the Pittsburgh stations. And that was before getting cable TV. Then the options grew. Yet that would be the case in Pittsburgh as well.

Does anyone beside me dislike/hate the modern TV design itself? Flat screens to me are just ugly. I liked the family TVs we had in the 1970's-1990's, those huge floor models, where one could put family photos on top. That's a TV, not a dark wall hanging.

As some of you know, I live abroad, but neither my wife or I watch TV, we watch stuff from our mobile phones. She watched mostly Tik Tok and I watch YouTube. If I moved back to America, would do (and have done the same thing back at my parent's house), the Ipad or Iphone is the TV. I wouldnt miss having a TV ever again.

Modern TV blows way too left leaning especially when portraying law abiding gunowners
Overreliance on sex and gross out humor
Reality shows don't need to see the same old trailer park trash I can see every day

Better todayBetter??

Only if ya think crap is good and I hope ya dont buddy!!

If Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer and especially Maury Povich are any indication, American television today truly is in the toilet bowl.

Beam me up, Art Linkletter!

Does anyone beside me dislike/hate the modern TV design itself? Flat screens to me are just ugly. I liked the family TVs we had in the 1970's-1990's, those huge floor models, where one could put family photos on top. That's a TV, not a dark wall hanging.



I agree about modern flatscreen TVs. They are very unsightly.

Maury is (finally and Thank God) is now cancelled. That show was pure trash. The same with Jerry Springer (a similar formet that Maury basically copied. I wonder if Springer's show isnt fake, and the "guest" are just acting. Do they go to trailer parks and housing projects to find these clowns?

I actually enjoyed talk shows since the days of Donahue, most of them used to be good in the 1980's. I like Dr Phil. Lots of idiotic people on there too.

Much much worse!

Ed.

I agree about modern flatscreen TVs. They are very unsightly.

I like flatscreen TVs, they have clean and simple lines. I don't know why anybody would have a problem with that. All it's for is watching movies and TV series. I mean what else would like them to do? And they take up less space too, unless you get a really wide one that is. LOL.

Ed.

If you were to ask anyone the same question about TV today the most common answers people would most likely say would be yes and there would few no answers. Because when you look at the general picture when television was first invented many people thought that this new invention was interesting and different than the radio of the 40's. But as television grew in popularity TV stations were launched enabling people to see different channels with different shows. And with sitcoms news shows game shows sporting events and other genres of shows television took off like a rocket. But I think with cable TV service becoming a popular trend in the 1980's that's when TV started to get worse because cable TV services would offer interesting stuff like Pay-Per View where you could see the newest movie releases for a fee and sporting events like WWE Wrestlemania and music concerts but as cable became more popular TV began adopting a new image and from the 50's to the 80's there was great sitcoms like The Honeymooners Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy but I think once the 90's began we saw a new image to sitcoms while there were sitcoms geared to families the other 90's sitcoms started focusing on adult oriented storylines and it continued through the 2000's. But it was the debut of reality shows that really caused TV to go downhill and if it wasn't for Survivor reality shows would not have become so big in TV. And the same with the game show genre too because when TV came out people liked game shows because they were fun and interesting to watch but ever since the million dollar game show craze of the 90's and 2000's you will not find any decent game shows worthy of watching on TV today. I also think that when the TV stations chose to add Digital TV and High Definition TV it caused TV a worse downfall as well. But as streaming TV gets more popular today I think the traditional TV will disappear in a few years and almost everyone will see the classic TV shows on streaming services
Bestie

There's still some good stuff on. Chicago Fire is good and some other long running mainstays are still fun to watch ( The Amazing Race, Law and Order, Grey's Anatomy). I don't like how so many television shows are dark and dreary these days, though. One of the main problems of modern television is that there isn't many good sitcoms anymore

Me again!

I live overseas and watch TV from my Iphone. The Iphone is my TV. There are FREE websites where one can watch just about almost any TV show dating all the way back to I Love Lucy. Today, I am rewatching a miniseries called "Nine Perfect Strangers" which came out in 2018. I was thinking about that program this morning...to myself "What was that weird show where Nicole Kidman plays a weird cult leader in a spa?" Google it, found the name, go to my website, about to watch the second episode.

This is the Golden Age of TV.