Sharing my life with you, is what I do.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Why I stopped watching some of my once favorite tv shows

Let me start out by saying that I have absolutely NOTHING against any of the shows I will be talking about today. I wish them continued success and I especially love the fact that Empire keeps filming in Chicago, because it keeps a lot of talented people I know employed(myself included). Okay, now that that is out of the way, I'll start.

I watch a LOT of television. I always have. I love all kinds of shows except for the vampire, witch, zombie ones. Just not my thing. Anyway, I started out watching Scandal, How to get away with murder, Scandal, Empire and totally enjoyed them. But, recently I started really feeling "icky"after watching the shows. I am not sure if it was the constant impending doom, the gratuitous sex scenes    (and I do mean GRATUITOUS!!), the extreme violence,or the combination of all three in the same show.  I'm not quite sure what it was. I mean, I am no prude,okay?  I don't mind adult drama one bit. In fact,I like them. I think I have justgotten overwhelmed by how television has changed, lately. It isn't only those shows. I watched the 3rd episode of Heroes Reborn on my DVR and was shocked by the graphic violence right at the beginning of the show. I won't mention the scene in case you haven't seen it yet, but it was like,WHOA! I think I am longing for a simpler time. The time of my youth. When the entire family could sit together and watch prime time. Now, we weren't without our shows back then. I remember when SOAP came out. Oh my goodness! People had a fit. However, If that show had come out today, it would be shown on Nickelodeon.  The thing is, those shows were few and far between, back then. Nowadays, the majority of the shows are like this. And, like I said before, I watch a lot of them. I have been trying to figure out my change. I think of lot of it has to do with the fact that I can literally watch those shows and then see a lot of the same scenarios later that night on the evening news. The line has gotten very thin between reality and drama shows. Maybe it also has something to do with the fact that I live in Chicago and we just had the most violent September in decades. I truly believe I have a case of sensory overload. It is difficult to take in these situations day in and day out.

So, some of you might say, "Just stop complaining and turn off the tv!" I have thought of that. Believe me I have tried. A better solution for me has been to stop watching certain shows and start watching channels like MEtv. MEtv shows a lot of classics like Laverne and Shirley,Welcome Back Kotter, MASH and so many more. I look for my favorites like; Living Single, Everyone Loves Raymond, Night Court, Barney Miller and A Different World. I have even started buying some on DVD so I can have entire seasons.

The thing about tv is, despite the change in content over recent years, there is still something for everyone. But, Prime time definitely isn't what it used to be. And for me personally at times it can be a bit rough. So tonight, I will probably watch NCIS and someone will die before the first commercial. So knowing this,I will make sure not to watch the news tonight, so I can sleep. I guess I just need to find that balance.And, while I probably still won't start watching Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder and Empire again,because I have grown tired of their story lines. I will continue to peruse what's out there and determine just how much my, "child of the 70's system" can take.