Is Family TV Extinct? Blog Post

I don't usually mention posts from my other blogs here, but I thought this one might be of interest to some of you. An article about the plaque donated in Michael Landon's honor in his home town of Collingwoods, NJ and the lack of things to watch on TV with the kids got me to thinking about this: http://booktoursandmore.blogspot.com/2012/01/free-for-all-fridays-is-family-tv.html

Good article. Unfortunately, family tv is pretty much extinct unless you count that goofy stuff on Nick or Disney where the parents are total goofs or play minimal roles in their children's lives.

I recently started getting the kids into Little House and the Brady Bunch and will probably introduce them to more of the shows I grew up with. I used to love the Hallmark Channel and I've been bumming ever since our provider, Uverse, dropped them in September of 2010. Luckily, just this week, I found INSP TV who just acquired the rights to Little House. Their lineup includes four of the five shows you mentioned in your article: Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Bunch, and The Waltons. We are totally loving that channel in the afternoons. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've found any channel that plays Diff'rent Strokes.

Good topic Cheryl. I haven't mentioned anything here about Michael Landon's plaque, but I do SO agree that if the values of the shows we watched were spilled over into this generation more it wouldn't have been bothered. A memorial is to honor someone ...it's not to be tossed aside. It needs to stay for all to see....and remember.

I know my kids like to watch other things that are so unlike the shows you mentioned but I try to help them stop to take a good family friendly movie in every once in a while. Reality tv needs to go....

I remember when i was a teen.I used to watch the TGIF on ABC.It had shows like step by step,family matters, sabrina the teenage witch.full house, perfuct strangers.Just some of the nice shows i grew up with,You didn't need to flip the channel if a parent came around. LOL

The shows back in the 80s/90s may have been corny/lame least they are were funny.They had a message in them.

Todays teen shows are just about money.sex.drugs.

It's all about sex and violence now a days. Even the comedies are all about sex. How many CSIs and Law and Orders do we need!? It's getting old. What ever happened to the good old shows like Full House? There has not been TGIF in years. Just junk of Friday nights now.

I'am glad i grew up hAS a teen in the 90s

Toby wrote:

Good article. Unfortunately, family tv is pretty much extinct unless you count that goofy stuff on Nick or Disney where the parents are total goofs or play minimal roles in their children's lives.

I recently started getting the kids into Little House and the Brady Bunch and will probably introduce them to more of the shows I grew up with. I used to love the Hallmark Channel and I've been bumming ever since our provider, Uverse, dropped them in September of 2010. Luckily, just this week, I found INSP TV who just acquired the rights to Little House. Their lineup includes four of the five shows you mentioned in your article: Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Bunch, and The Waltons. We are totally loving that channel in the afternoons. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've found any channel that plays Diff'rent Strokes.

Yes...I share your opinion. I just HATE those shows in which parents are showed as stupid people who have nothing to teach to their children, and tends to be considered as idiots by them, only for they didn't know so much about informatic as they did...I think that nowadays, TV shows are setting bad examples before children's judgement.

Vanesa.

Vanesa wrote:

Toby wrote:

Good article. Unfortunately, family tv is pretty much extinct unless you count that goofy stuff on Nick or Disney where the parents are total goofs or play minimal roles in their children's lives.

I recently started getting the kids into Little House and the Brady Bunch and will probably introduce them to more of the shows I grew up with. I used to love the Hallmark Channel and I've been bumming ever since our provider, Uverse, dropped them in September of 2010. Luckily, just this week, I found INSP TV who just acquired the rights to Little House. Their lineup includes four of the five shows you mentioned in your article: Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Bunch, and The Waltons. We are totally loving that channel in the afternoons. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've found any channel that plays Diff'rent Strokes.

Yes...I share your opinion. I just HATE those shows in which parents are showed as stupid people who have nothing to teach to their children, and tends to be considered as idiots by them, only for they didn't know so much about informatic as they did...I think that nowadays, TV shows are setting bad examples before children's judgement.

Vanesa.

agree

There is alot of crap on tv today, isn't there?
It will probably get worse as time marches on. But we will always, ALWAYS, have the classics in re-run. We need to cherish those.

Toby wrote:

Good article. Unfortunately, family tv is pretty much extinct unless you count that goofy stuff on Nick or Disney where the parents are total goofs or play minimal roles in their children's lives.

I recently started getting the kids into Little House and the Brady Bunch and will probably introduce them to more of the shows I grew up with. I used to love the Hallmark Channel and I've been bumming ever since our provider, Uverse, dropped them in September of 2010. Luckily, just this week, I found INSP TV who just acquired the rights to Little House. Their lineup includes four of the five shows you mentioned in your article: Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Bunch, and The Waltons. We are totally loving that channel in the afternoons. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've found any channel that plays Diff'rent Strokes.

Ah, I loved Diff'rent Strokes. Nope, haven't seen that in ages either. My son (almost 17) discovered Happy Days a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. I would never have suspected that from him. So it IS true---sometimes they just have to be introduced to this stuff, to see if they might like it. However, that hasn't worked with Little House or Dr. Quinn. My son loved DQ when he was 11 and 12, but he's over it now. Oh well, I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Gin wrote:

Reality tv needs to go....

Somehow I don't see that happening any time soon.

MattLabMyLove wrote:

How many CSIs and Law and Orders do we need!? It's getting old.

For real!!



In answer to your question, Cheryl, I honestly don't think that Family TV is extinct by CHOICE. At least not by audience choice. I think the networks got it into their heads that crime/sex/violence/mystery was what people wanted. And I'm not naiive, the ratings certainly show that most seem to appreciate that stuff. But did you guys see how many shows JUST started last fall or are just one season old, (crime/violence/mystery shows) are being cancelled already?! Um, that seems to tell me something. It wasn't that long ago Dr. Quinn went off the air. It went off because the storylines were getting old/contrived. But, did anyone even think about coming up with another premise for a pioneer/wild west series? NO. Seriously, how do they know people don't want this??

But it IS true....if you have young children, good luck finding anything on the air in the evening you can watch together. As Beckie said, even the comedies revolve around sex. When my son was around 15, we watched a few Two and a Half Mens, and I had to give up on it because it was too embarrassing to watch with him! Not that he didin't 'get it'---he does go to public school, after all, lol!---but I don't have to feed into that with him. Anyway, I'm just saying that the networks need to learn from history---even recent history, with all these new 'seemingly' promising shows that bombed, and branch out into the family realm more. In the meantime, like Joe said, we'll have to be thankful we have dvds and certain stations that will play the classics.

What is sad to me is shows like Extreme Makeover that show alot of good deeds for families are getting the boot. That, if you want reality tv is the best kind to have. I've heard they have been cancelled.

I have mixed feelings on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition... mainly because they were in my town a few years ago and by the time they left I think the majority of the people were happy. I don't deny that they do good deeds, but they also waste *a lot* of money and resources. I would have liked to see them spending less money on the families so that they could have helped more families.


Amy: In answer to your question, Cheryl, I honestly
don't think that Family TV is extinct by CHOICE. At least not by
audience choice. I think the networks got it into their heads that
crime/sex/violence/mystery was what people wanted.
I agree.


Toby, have you watched Wind at My Back on INSP? It's one of my favorite tv shows and was produced by the maker of Anne of Green Gables.

Prairie Dweller wrote:

I have mixed feelings on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition... mainly because they were in my town a few years ago and by the time they left I think the majority of the people were happy. I don't deny that they do good deeds, but they also waste *a lot* of money and resources. I would have liked to see them spending less money on the families so that they could have helped more families.

I couldn't agree more with you. But we've talked about this before on another thread and it's all the 'extreme' things (hence crazy expensive things) that they think keep people watching. They were in a neighboring town of ours a couple of years ago too, and the family has since had a LOT of trouble affording to keep the house going---taxes and utilities.

Prairie Dweller wrote:

Toby, have you watched Wind at My Back on INSP? It's one of my favorite tv shows and was produced by the maker of Anne of Green Gables.

I think I need to start watching INSP!

Thanks for your comments everyone. I'm glad you liked the post. I try not to rant too much at my blogs, as it alienates readers, but I think I managed a controlled rant and I didn't name any specific shows--though many came to mind.

your welcome!!

bethandmanly wrote:

Thanks for your comments everyone. I'm glad you liked the post. I try not to rant too much at my blogs, as it alienates readers, but I think I managed a controlled rant and I didn't name any specific shows--though many came to mind.

Don't feel bad, Cheryl. It's not a rant. I feel exactly the same than you. You wrote about my EXACT feelings in your blog. Congrats! You are an excellent writer.

Vanesa.