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Is it just
me, or has anyone else noticed the dumbing-down of the so called
arts and documentary channels? I mean, sure TLC (not The Learning
Channel, as anyone remotely involved with the cabler will tell you)
went down-market ages ago. With the exception of a few decent shows,
it's now the FOX of basic cable. Death, destruction, robots and
variations on Cops fill out the majority of its schedule,
and we won't even mention those execrable "baby birthing"
shows that populate its daytime schedule.
Still, TLC's sister channel, Discovery, isn't much better. Do we
really need to see yet another 'documentary' in which either (a)
alien abductions are probed, or (b) some non-scientist/archaeologist
is given a platform for his loony-tune "theories?"
And then there's A&E. The granddaddy of them all, A&E used
to have more in common with PBS than PBS. So much so, that as it
grew more wealthy it began snagging the BBC classic series that
were the staple of Masterpiece Theatre for so many years.
Shows like Pride & Prejudice put the cabler on the map,
but their tendency to promote the shows as "A&E productions,"
instead of giving credit to the BBC, eventually pissed off the Brits,
who withdrew their stuff and started their own channel. Now they're
reduced to showing British period dramas made by independent UK
companies, when they show classic drama at all. The shift away from
such fare and towards the more lucrative cop shows and serial killer
how-to's, has been rapid and very nearly complete.
But it's in their flagship series, Biography, that the greatest
changes can be seen. Remember back in the beginning when Biography
was more than a watered down version of E! True Hollywood Stories?
When they used to actually cover historical figures, instead of
still-living celebrities who might sue? Now, I'm not suggesting
that they give up on the celebrity hagiographies, but guys, how
about a little variety? In August every single night of Biography
covers stars of movies, tv, or tabloids. Every night except two.
During "Something About Mary Week" they have scheduled
Mary Magdalene and Mary Queen of Scots. Presumably because there
weren't enough celebrities called Mary. The Mary Magdalene one is
a crock, of course, because nothing is really known about her, so
it will perforce have to be one of those somber-music, old-paintings
episodes, punctuated by the same pontificating "religion"
experts that get trotted out for every show.
Biography profiles are always so lily-white that they tend
to gloss over major character flaws, resulting in shows that only
a publicist or rabid fan could love. The E! True Hollywood Story
has undermined this aspect of A&E's little earner, by telling
the whole story (whatever it may be) in salacious detail. Or, for
the ADD among us, there's the cut-to-the-chase version in E!'s Mysteries
and Scandals. Either of those shows have more verve than any
of A&E's "documentaries."
Of course,
the reason for A&E pursuing this course has to be that those
are the shows that people want to see. And who are we to argue with
commerce. But, wouldn't it be nice if just once in a while (or maybe
once a week) at least one show could actually try to show us something
new...or old? Certainly, trying to take some kind of intellectual
high ground with this sort of bland pablum does a disservice to
the viewer and ultimately no favor to the network either.
Perhaps Congress would be better occupied in examining the programming
that purports to be educational, rather than the content that is
aimed (and timed) for adult audiences.
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