TV Land has Become Blighted - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 04-22-2009, 03:00 AM

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TV Land used to be a gem of a channel. An outlet for classic TV shows that those of us old enough to remember loved as children; a home for great shows that remain appealing to and appropriate for all generations.

But today, TV Land is less like a precious diamond and more like a lump of coal.

Over the past few years, classic black-and-white TV series have been largely shoved into the backseat, while more recent, less watchable shows have taken their place. To some degree simply because they're in color.

In recent months, the channel's schedule has been filled with shows like "George Lopez" and "Family Matters." Now, I know that what constitutes good television is a matter of taste — but "George Lopez" and "Family Matters" are definitely not classic TV.

Neither is "3rd Rock from the Sun." Neither is "Married … With Children."

Yes. TV Land is airing the often risque "Married … With Children."

And, to be really selfish about it, TV Land used to be an insomniac's dream, with classic sitcoms playing all night long. Now, the schedule includes three hours of infomercials every night — and that's definitely not something worth tuning in to see.

Eight years ago, when TV Land (a spinoff of Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite) was celebrating its fifth anniversary, TV Land president Larry W. Jones couldn't contain his enthusiasm about the channel.

His team spent a lot of time crafting campaigns to bring viewers to both individual shows and the entire channel. And it was a big priority "to make these shows palatable or update them for today's audiences and create a really wonderfully rich, entertaining environment," Jones told the Deseret News. "It all holds together like a really good, united piece, is something that only comes from people who are passionate. You can't just make an assignment for something like that to happen. If people don't believe in it, then you don't get those kinds of results. It's something we're all very, very proud of."

The channel has not abandoned its roots altogether. You can still find a lot of good-to-great shows on the schedule, including "All In the Family," "Andy Griffith," "Bonanza," "Cosby," "Good Times," "Gunsmoke," "Leave It to Beaver," "M*A*S*H" and "Sanford & Son."

But the channel is increasingly relying on original, so-called "reality" programming. And, instead of something to be proud of, TV Land's reality shows are an embarrassment.

How far has TV Land fallen? Let's do a quick rundown of those original productions:

• "The Cougar," a tacky dating show in the tradition of so many tacky TV dating shows. The conceit of this one is that a bunch of 20-something guys are competing for the affections of a 40-year-old woman.
(And, no, this isn't sexist criticism. The show would be equally tacky if the gender roles were reversed.)

• "High School Reunion," a show that rarely reaches up to the level of tacky. It's about a bunch of mostly 40-ish former classmates who went to high school together and have never managed to mature much beyond the level of 16-year-olds.

Since many of these folks seem incapable of being embarrassed by their own behavior, it leaves us to be embarrassed for them. It's one of those train-wreck shows — watching it is like being unable to turn your head away from a horrific accident.

• "She's Got the Look," a rip-off of "America's Next Top Model," featuring women past the age of 35. It's supposed to be celebrating the idea of "older" women, but it succeeds in degrading them with the simple idea that being 35 is somehow geriatric.

It's the least offensive of the lot by a long shot, but least offensive is hardly high praise.

Ah, well. At least "Chasing Farrah" and Mr. T's "I Pity the Fool" didn't last long.

On Sunday, TV Land will present its seventh annual awards, designed to honor "the best of TV," past, present and future.

The list of winners itself could certainly be debated, but it's not without merit: Don Rickles (legend award); Lucille Ball (legacy of laughter award); "Magnum P.I." (hero award); "Married … With Children" (innovator award); "M*A*S*H" (impact award); and "Two and a Half Men" (future classic award).

But the awards might mean more if they didn't come from the folks who think that "The Cougar," "High School Reunion" and "Family Matters" are classic TV.

Jack1000 · 04-22-2009, 04:13 AM

Stations like ME TV and RETRO-TV NETWORK. (I have ME TV, not RTN) are now what TV Land once was. They represent the trend of Baby Boomers who grew up with generations of 50-70's pop culture. It is stations like ME-TV and RTN, who rightfully believe that classic television does not go out of style. ME-TV is expanding in markets by the day and the MGM franchised Movie Network, THIS TV, showing over 4000 MGM movie titles and classic shows like Patty Duke and Mister Ed, know the market for classic TV. The problem is that TV Land's president Larry Jones does not realize that.

Mr. Jones claims that TV Land cannot survive on classic TV alone and was forced to modernize its line-up. I can live with some modern shows, but they must represent a strong standing of sitcom or comedy tradition that defines great television. Married With Children was certainly a cutting-edge humor program, but the classics are important as well like All in the Family, The Munsters, The Addams Family, Leave it to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, and so forth.

Extreme reality shows or beauty make-over shows have no place on a comedy and sitcom driven network, period. Neither do split-screens and credit-crunches, neither do the annoying edits, which are even WORSE than five years ago. TV Land should open its vaults for more 1950's-1980's programing. I seriously doubt people are going to miss Extreme Make-Over when it is yanked from the schedule. Put those shows on The Fox Reality Channel, and leave TV Land to its origins of classic TV!

Jack

Zoneboy · 04-22-2009, 04:40 AM

jehobden · 04-22-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Perfect way to summarize the channel now!

To be fair to TV Land, the author listed two Nick-at-Nite shows (George Lopez & Family Matters) as TV Land shows, but that goes to show how much farther Nick has strayed from its original roots.

TVFactFan · 04-22-2009, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack1000

Stations like ME TV and RETRO-TV NETWORK. (I have ME TV, not RTN) are now what TV Land once was. They represent the trend of Baby Boomers who grew up with generations of 50-70's pop culture. It is stations like ME-TV and RTN, who rightfully believe that classic television does not go out of style. ME-TV is expanding in markets by the day and the MGM franchised Movie Network, THIS TV, showing over 4000 MGM movie titles and classic shows like Patty Duke and Mister Ed, know the market for classic TV. The problem is that TV Land's president Larry Jones does not realize that.

Mr. Jones claims that TV Land cannot survive on classic TV alone and was forced to modernize its line-up. I can live with some modern shows, but they must represent a strong standing of sitcom or comedy tradition that defines great television. Married With Children was certainly a cutting-edge humor program, but the classics are important as well like All in the Family, The Munsters, The Addams Family, Leave it to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, and so forth.

Extreme reality shows or beauty make-over shows have no place on a comedy and sitcom driven network, period. Neither do split-screens and credit-crunches, neither do the annoying edits, which are even WORSE than five years ago. TV Land should open its vaults for more 1950's-1980's programing. I seriously doubt people are going to miss Extreme Make-Over when it is yanked from the schedule. Put those shows on The Fox Reality Channel, and leave TV Land to its origins of classic TV!

Jack

I'm sure that Retro Network will change at some point

RapunzeL · 04-22-2009, 10:00 PM

It's a shame that TVLand hasn't recognized the abscence of family sitcoms, and added a few of the more modern sitcoms. Yes, "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Yes, Dear" are on other networks, but they would follow the family programming lineup that we used to enjoy from TVL.

Coffeecup · 04-23-2009, 10:53 AM

I do watch of bit of Bonanza and Gunsmoke but nothing else. Sad to Lucy left daytime. . I can't stay up til 2:30am . The station has lost its pep. If the owners of the station keep putting odd ball reality shows on the viewers will, if not already will disappear.

TVFactFan · 04-23-2009, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coffeecup

I do watch of bit of Bonanza and Gunsmoke but nothing else. Sad to Lucy left daytime. . I can't stay up til 2:30am . The station has lost its pep. If the owners of the station keep putting odd ball reality shows on the viewers will, if not already will disappear.

I always felt the LUCY was more suited for Sunday Afternoons. Same with Leave it To Beaver

MickeyMac · 04-23-2009, 05:41 PM

TVLand how about Sh*tLand. That decribes that channel perfectly.

hippiechick60 · 04-23-2009, 05:46 PM

yeah i like tv land only really cause 3rd rocks on it but other than that..no thank you! i mean come on they don't even show the monkees!! if they did then yes!!! it would become my fav channel thats for sure!
we want the monkees tv land!!! we want the monkees,we want the monkees!

ekkostar · 04-23-2009, 05:49 PM

I'd be happy with WGN as the new TV Land if they got rid of the contemperary shows because they've already got a few classics on there and if they got rid of Scrubs, Becker and the weekend reruns of Masshole Legal [STFU, it's already on ION], they would have space to show WKRP, Newhart and ALF all the time.

McGillicuddy · 04-23-2009, 07:55 PM

It looks like The Cougar bombed in the ratings! Any surprise here?

TVFactFan · 04-23-2009, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markway895

It looks like The Cougar bombed in the ratings! Any surprise here?

do you have anything to post supporting that?

Mee_Too · 04-23-2009, 08:23 PM

Zoneboy, your original post reflects my thoughts about TVLand. My wife and I have just been discussing this recently.

We got hooked on Nick at Nite years ago, and enjoyed shows that we hadn't seen since we were children, such as Dennis the Menace, The Donna Reed Show, Mr. Ed, and others.

Then, we enjoyed all the classic shows on TVLand...we still enjoy watching The Andy Griffith Show every evening, and Leave It To Beaver and The Brady Bunch on the weekends. But, we, too would rather see the hours filled with more classic shows, rather than the "reality shows" you mentioned.

Are the "reality shows" cheaper to produce than airing the classic shows?

Meanwhile, we are slowly building our library of DVDs of great shows!

TVFactFan · 04-23-2009, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mee_Too

Zoneboy, your original post reflects my thoughts about TVLand. My wife and I have just been discussing this recently.

We got hooked on Nick at Nite years ago, and enjoyed shows that we hadn't seen since we were children, such as Dennis the Menace, The Donna Reed Show, Mr. Ed, and others.

Then, we enjoyed all the classic shows on TVLand...we still enjoy watching The Andy Griffith Show every evening, and Leave It To Beaver and The Brady Bunch on the weekends. But, we, too would rather see the hours filled with more classic shows, rather than the "reality shows" you mentioned.

Are the "reality shows" cheaper to produce than airing the classic shows?

Meanwhile, we are slowly building our library of DVDs of great shows!

TV land stated that a lot of sponsors suggested they add more oiginal programming if they wanted to survive as a cable network. So TV Land realized they could not survive as a Classic TV network only

04-22-2009, 03:00 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,386	TV Land has Become Blighted Link TV Land used to be a gem of a channel. An outlet for classic TV shows that those of us old enough to remember loved as children; a home for great shows that remain appealing to and appropriate for all generations. But today, TV Land is less like a precious diamond and more like a lump of coal. Over the past few years, classic black-and-white TV series have been largely shoved into the backseat, while more recent, less watchable shows have taken their place. To some degree simply because they're in color. In recent months, the channel's schedule has been filled with shows like "George Lopez" and "Family Matters." Now, I know that what constitutes good television is a matter of taste — but "George Lopez" and "Family Matters" are definitely not classic TV. Neither is "3rd Rock from the Sun." Neither is "Married … With Children." Yes. TV Land is airing the often risque "Married … With Children." And, to be really selfish about it, TV Land used to be an insomniac's dream, with classic sitcoms playing all night long. Now, the schedule includes three hours of infomercials every night — and that's definitely not something worth tuning in to see. Eight years ago, when TV Land (a spinoff of Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite) was celebrating its fifth anniversary, TV Land president Larry W. Jones couldn't contain his enthusiasm about the channel. His team spent a lot of time crafting campaigns to bring viewers to both individual shows and the entire channel. And it was a big priority "to make these shows palatable or update them for today's audiences and create a really wonderfully rich, entertaining environment," Jones told the Deseret News. "It all holds together like a really good, united piece, is something that only comes from people who are passionate. You can't just make an assignment for something like that to happen. If people don't believe in it, then you don't get those kinds of results. It's something we're all very, very proud of." The channel has not abandoned its roots altogether. You can still find a lot of good-to-great shows on the schedule, including "All In the Family," "Andy Griffith," "Bonanza," "Cosby," "Good Times," "Gunsmoke," "Leave It to Beaver," "MASH" and "Sanford & Son." But the channel is increasingly relying on original, so-called "reality" programming. And, instead of something to be proud of, TV Land's reality shows are an embarrassment. How far has TV Land fallen? Let's do a quick rundown of those original productions: • "The Cougar," a tacky dating show in the tradition of so many tacky TV dating shows. The conceit of this one is that a bunch of 20-something guys are competing for the affections of a 40-year-old woman. (And, no, this isn't sexist criticism. The show would be equally tacky if the gender roles were reversed.) • "High School Reunion," a show that rarely reaches up to the level of tacky. It's about a bunch of mostly 40-ish former classmates who went to high school together and have never managed to mature much beyond the level of 16-year-olds. Since many of these folks seem incapable of being embarrassed by their own behavior, it leaves us to be embarrassed for them. It's one of those train-wreck shows — watching it is like being unable to turn your head away from a horrific accident. • "She's Got the Look," a rip-off of "America's Next Top Model," featuring women past the age of 35. It's supposed to be celebrating the idea of "older" women, but it succeeds in degrading them with the simple idea that being 35 is somehow geriatric. It's the least offensive of the lot by a long shot, but least offensive is hardly high praise. Ah, well. At least "Chasing Farrah" and Mr. T's "I Pity the Fool" didn't last long. On Sunday, TV Land will present its seventh annual awards, designed to honor "the best of TV," past, present and future. The list of winners itself could certainly be debated, but it's not without merit: Don Rickles (legend award); Lucille Ball (legacy of laughter award); "Magnum P.I." (hero award); "Married … With Children" (innovator award); "MASH" (impact award); and "Two and a Half Men" (future classic award). But the awards might mean more if they didn't come from the folks who think that "The Cougar," "High School Reunion" and "Family Matters" are classic TV.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

04-23-2009, 05:49 PM	#11
ekkostar Coffee, Tea & Larroquette! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 16, 2005 Posts: 1,077	I'd be happy with WGN as the new TV Land if they got rid of the contemperary shows because they've already got a few classics on there and if they got rid of Scrubs, Becker and the weekend reruns of Masshole Legal [STFU, it's already on ION], they would have space to show WKRP, Newhart and ALF all the time.
	__________________ "All my sitcoms had an audience, with four or five cameras, so working this way has always been appealing to me." - John Larroquette A living legend, five Emmys and a Tony award! Your favorites could never...

04-22-2009, 04:13 AM	#2
Jack1000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 05, 2001 Posts: 2,055	Stations like ME TV and RETRO-TV NETWORK. (I have ME TV, not RTN) are now what TV Land once was. They represent the trend of Baby Boomers who grew up with generations of 50-70's pop culture. It is stations like ME-TV and RTN, who rightfully believe that classic television does not go out of style. ME-TV is expanding in markets by the day and the MGM franchised Movie Network, THIS TV, showing over 4000 MGM movie titles and classic shows like Patty Duke and Mister Ed, know the market for classic TV. The problem is that TV Land's president Larry Jones does not realize that. Mr. Jones claims that TV Land cannot survive on classic TV alone and was forced to modernize its line-up. I can live with some modern shows, but they must represent a strong standing of sitcom or comedy tradition that defines great television. Married With Children was certainly a cutting-edge humor program, but the classics are important as well like All in the Family, The Munsters, The Addams Family, Leave it to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, and so forth. Extreme reality shows or beauty make-over shows have no place on a comedy and sitcom driven network, period. Neither do split-screens and credit-crunches, neither do the annoying edits, which are even WORSE than five years ago. TV Land should open its vaults for more 1950's-1980's programing. I seriously doubt people are going to miss Extreme Make-Over when it is yanked from the schedule. Put those shows on The Fox Reality Channel, and leave TV Land to its origins of classic TV! Jack

04-22-2009, 04:40 AM	#3
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,386

04-22-2009, 10:00 PM	#6
RapunzeL Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 06, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 19	It's a shame that TVLand hasn't recognized the abscence of family sitcoms, and added a few of the more modern sitcoms. Yes, "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Yes, Dear" are on other networks, but they would follow the family programming lineup that we used to enjoy from TVL.

04-23-2009, 10:53 AM	#7
Coffeecup coffeecup. Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 17, 2003 Location: snoozeville Posts: 3,183	I do watch of bit of Bonanza and Gunsmoke but nothing else. Sad to Lucy left daytime. . I can't stay up til 2:30am . The station has lost its pep. If the owners of the station keep putting odd ball reality shows on the viewers will, if not already will disappear.

04-23-2009, 05:41 PM	#9
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,006	TVLand how about Sh*tLand. That decribes that channel perfectly.

04-23-2009, 05:46 PM	#10
hippiechick60 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 18, 2006 Location: indiana Posts: 632	yeah i like tv land only really cause 3rd rocks on it but other than that..no thank you! i mean come on they don't even show the monkees!! if they did then yes!!! it would become my fav channel thats for sure! we want the monkees tv land!!! we want the monkees,we want the monkees!

04-23-2009, 07:55 PM	#12
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	It looks like The Cougar bombed in the ratings! Any surprise here?

04-23-2009, 08:23 PM	#14
Mee_Too Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 05, 2009 Posts: 66	Zoneboy, your original post reflects my thoughts about TVLand. My wife and I have just been discussing this recently. We got hooked on Nick at Nite years ago, and enjoyed shows that we hadn't seen since we were children, such as Dennis the Menace, The Donna Reed Show, Mr. Ed, and others. Then, we enjoyed all the classic shows on TVLand...we still enjoy watching The Andy Griffith Show every evening, and Leave It To Beaver and The Brady Bunch on the weekends. But, we, too would rather see the hours filled with more classic shows, rather than the "reality shows" you mentioned. Are the "reality shows" cheaper to produce than airing the classic shows? Meanwhile, we are slowly building our library of DVDs of great shows!