Noisy Silence
You know that random rainy day in the fall, when you end up staying home all day, doing the little things you have been putting off for a while? Well, once the laundry list is completed, you know the feeling you have when you realize that you now have the remains of the day to fill and not a single activity to keep occupied? Depressing, isn’t it? Well, that is exactly how I feel from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Every day.
Why would I feel like that during summer in NYC? It has little to do with the weather, which is fantastic usually (not so much this year…freaking Al Gore), but more to do with my schedule. Namely, my weekly TV schedule. It is on life support right now and there isn’t much hope to be had. Of course, once the fall season starts again, the networks will bombard us with promising new shows, perennial favorites, and some hidden gems throughout the mix. But until then, what are we to do?
Summer used to be a time to present some new ideas to viewers in hopes of generating buzz. At the very least, I can recall not to long ago that there would be numerous summer shows which would help satiate our starving appetites, as well as give us something to look forward to each week. A few of these shows have even broke through into exclusive best current shows category. They provide that small spark that burns greater as time goes by. We watch these episodes, quote them, and rewatch them. It has such potential because the offerings are so slim.
WTF happened to the formula? Why must we be subjected to an abundance of drivel and a just a small nibbling of worthy programming? Sadly, it doesn’t look as though the status quo will revert back to its old ways. Maybe it is simply because executives are always searching for the next big TV hit and most of the garbage reality TV shows are super inexpensive to produce. Or, perhaps they are just a bunch of jerk stores.
Nevertheless, I want to offer a couple alternative solutions for your blue summer:
- Movies - there are some great new flicks coming out in the next few months that I suggest you make a mental note of, such as: BRUNO, Funny People, and Inglourious Basterds.
- DVD’s can be an awesome way to spend some time, whether it be a film you love or one that you may have missed while in theatrical release. If you happen to own a collection like I do, why not peruse through it and see if there is a title you haven’t seen in a while to offer up the perfect amount of nostalgia. Hey, I even came across 6 discs that I owned but have never seen, so now I have something to strive for.
- TV Series DVD’s are fantastic too. Some of my all-time shows got there due to me getting into them via DVD. You can also catch up on several seasons in order to be up to date when fall TV resumes. I’ve come to spread the gospel of more than a few of shows by going down this route; including: LOST, The Wire, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and more.
We can all hope for a better future in television but until that time comes, I don’t think my boy Maximus should be asking this anymore, because the answer is “Uh, no, not really, dude.”
