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Gifts for all occasions in the Galleria! Subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list. The "What is the Deal?" Deal-of-the-Week: New products at The Sharper Image May 16, 2004 What is the Deal with Network Television? By Jan A. Larson The final episodes of the two long-running NBC sitcoms, Friends and Frasier, aired last week. I would like to offer my comments as to how these two productions added to the tapestry of American television history, as many pundits have, but unfortunately I can't. I never watched them. Actually, I did watch about one half of one episode of Friends eight or nine years ago. It only took those 15 minutes for me to realize that this was another shallow, inane, pointless piece of drivel that would only steal precious minutes from the lives of all who dared watch, leaving nothing of value in return. My mother warned me to choose my friends carefully, and those six losers didn't make the grade. I may have watched Frasier three or four times in its early seasons. I really enjoyed Kelsey Grammer's performances on Cheers, but once he got himself screwed up on drugs, I determined that he wasn't worth my time. I'm glad that he's gotten himself straightened out, but his show just never did it for me. As with Friends and all too many network sitcoms today, just too much of the same insipid nonsense. The quality of network television has been in freefall for the better part of the past two decades. The explosion of 24-hour cable networks has put the "big three" networks under pressure to maintain ratings and, as a result, they have resorted to an apparent attempt to appeal to a class of television viewers of which I am not familiar. I really don't know anyone that goes out of their way to watch anything the networks broadcast these days. About the only network show that I view with any regularity is the Late Show with David Letterman. I've been a Letterman fan since he debuted with his morning variety show over 20 years ago. His stunts and irreverent comedy remains cutting edge even after many years. The same cannot be said for the remaining vulgar, imbecilic tripe that passes for "comedy" on the networks these days. Of course the current "concept of the day" in network programming is the so-called "reality show." The only thing real about these shows is that some people really are that shallow, self-centered, calculating and stupid. I'm sure many viewers of these programs derive pleasure in knowing there are people dumber than they. Personally, I don't find the affirmation of that fact worth several hours of my time each week. The 30 minutes of left-leaning news offered daily by the big three networks seems inconsequential by comparison to the vast amount of news available 24 hours per day on cable. Even without the ideological spin that is not uncommon on the network news broadcasts, 30 minutes simply isn't enough time to present the news of the day in sufficient breadth and depth to make it worthwhile for many people today. I suspect that each of the networks would prefer to drop the nightly news and fill that time slot with something more appealing to the masses, but given their history and competitive nature, it isn't likely to happen any time soon. The networks' "news magazine" shows offer occasional worthwhile programming interspersed with sensationalistic scare stories and insipid celebrity interviews. I used to be a regular viewer of CBS' 60 Minutes, but since Andy Rooney decided to spend his two minutes each week spouting left-wing propaganda instead of complaining about the amount of coffee in a one pound can, I've crossed it off my "must see" list as well. It has come to the point where almost all of my television viewing is confined to the Discovery Channel, Food Network, the 24-hour news channels, primarily Fox News and an occasional sporting event on ESPN. In 1961, FCC Chairman Newton Minow described network programming as a "vast wasteland." Nothing has changed.. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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