I Just Watched...

[jimimac71]

The CinemaInternational post brings back great memories.
I went to school in St. Helena, CA.
I've been to the Falcon Crest winery.
My first experience with Jane Wyman was long before this thing called TCM.
She was one of many fine looking ladies on the show.
I seem to recall she got her way and ruled the roost.
Being twice CinemaInternational's age, I knew some shows when they were new.
Dallas was too strange with the whole Patrick Duffy thing.
Jessica Fletcher and Ben Matlock both knew who the guilty one was but dragged it out until almost the end.
Jessica would need help to prove it sometimes.
Ben waited to prove it in the courtroom.

[kingrat]

As for Holden and Diane, there are numerous big name shows I either haven't seen or don't like. I barely know Seinfeld or Big Bang Theory. Okay, The Simpsons too.

Another trifecta for me! Haven't seen any of those 3 either. Probably 'cause I mostly don't like sitcoms or animated stuff.

Same here, Diane. Never watched Big Bang Theory or The Simpsons. I've seen a few Seinfelds, enough, to use CinemaInternational's fine phrase, to get the lay of the land.

Have seen many of the classic sitcoms, not so much the recent ones. I did think the first two seasons of Superstore were hilarious.

[Lorna]

the ONLY things I recall about SEINFELD all these years later are the episodes and moments that revolve around ELAINE BENES, honestly, it was really HER show.

people talk about "THE SEINFELD CURSE" and I sometimes wonder if maybe they just didn't see the obvious truth right in front of them the whole time: JERRY SEINFELD and MICHAEL RICHARDS are terrible actors with no charisma, and while JASON ALEXANDER is good- he REALLY needs THE RIGHT PART.

But JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUSS just has it- looks, timing, a gift for physical comedy: SHE is THE SHOW.

also, she's a better dancer than RUBY KEELER.

(edit- tried to post a GIF of her yelling at KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS to "JUST DIE ALREADY" in THE ONE ABOUT THE ENGLISH PATIENT, but I guess they're all copyrighted.

[Lorna]

IT'S FUNNY, there were a lot of MALE-ORIENTED sitcoms in the 1990s where the LEAD ACTOR is by far the least memorable or gifted performer among the cast- it's everyone else carrying the water. (see also: HOME IMPROVEMENT, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND or MAD ABOUT YOU)

EDIT- I hate all three of those shows, but my point still stands.

[Lorna]

Speaking of Murder, She Wrote, I saw the Snow White, Blood Red episode yesterday. One of my favorites with a great twist at the end! Jessica snowed in at a ski lodge with a killer on the loose!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0653616/

And it turned out to be an unedited version. Apparently when I saw it on other stations they cut most of the blood out on the second killing. I'd forgotten how grisly it originally was.

1. I love that episode SO GD MUCH.

2. I REFUSE to watch any TV show on NETWORK TV because THEY EDIT THE LIVING HELL OUT OF EPISODES to make room for more ad space. One of the "good " things about STREAMING is that you can actually SEE the eps in their entirety, even though they have commercials, because they don't have to work with scheduling and time constraints. trying to watch THE GOLDEN GIRLS on lifetime is pointless as they RUIN PUNCHLINES, misplace MUSIC CUES and even cut important plot points, and they don't edit out the laugh track- so they'll just be sitting at the table and there is a HARD CUT and the audience is GUFFAWING and you know it's over a raunchy joke they cut.

3. network tv and news are dying, and frankly they deserve it- and the honest to God #1 culprit for this is ADVERTISING. I actually paid to get YOUTUBE PREMIUM with no commercials, so now when a news story breaks, I immediately go there because I know I won't have to sit through an APPLEBEE'S AD or one for FEMININE DRYNESS to find out whether something BIG has happened.

[TikiSoo]

I've never seen an episode of MSW and I do like Angela.

Me too- I feel so left out!

Also in the camp of never seeing Big Bang Theory, Home Improvement, Raymond and very few Seinfelds, Simpsons and Golden Girls.
Obviously never been a TV sitcom gal.
Last one I watched episodes “as released” was BBC’s GHOSTS and can’t find the most recent Season 4.

I do think Lorna is correct, network TV is dead due to commercials. I tried watching the US version of GHOSTS on TV and could NOT EVEN FOLLOW the story line because of the interruptions that were longer than the actual scene!

[txfilmfan]

Most network shows now have about 9 minutes of breaks per half hour - ads, promotions for other shows, PSAs. That's nearly a third of the time slot wiped out. Older shows had about 5 minutes of breaks per half hour - even less in the 1950s.

The FCC doesn't regulate this, except for children's programming. Any restraint imposed on ads by US broadcasters was self-imposed by membership in the NAB. Unfortunately, the Justice Department sued the NAB in 1979, and as a result, in 1982, the NAB dropped ad restrictions. The old rules were:

- one product per 30 second ad
- no more than 5 consecutive ads
- no more than 8.5 minutes of ads per hour (Note that it's typically double this now).

There are now essentially no rules.

It's not much better for commercial TV in the UK these days. The more recent Britcom imports from ITV and Sky shown by my local PBS station run about 22 minutes without ads. Some recent commercial dramas (like Nolly) run about 45 minutes per episode.

[Hibi]

I don't watch any network shows, but the news shows (network and cable) are also awful. Many long commercial breaks. It seems there are more commercials than actual news stories. Often they'll come back from a commercial break, tell one news story and go on break again! I'm constantly switching stations as I refuse to watch commercials!

That Lume broad drives me crazy. It seems she's a sponsor in everything I watch. She's so disgusting! I run to the tv every time she pollutes it! It seemed for awhile her spots had died down, but she's worse than ever right now.

Hitch had the right idea.

[Hibi]

The CinemaInternational post brings back great memories.
I went to school in St. Helena, CA.
I've been to the Falcon Crest winery.
My first experience with Jane Wyman was long before this thing called TCM.
She was one of many fine looking ladies on the show.
I seem to recall she got her way and ruled the roost.
Being twice CinemaInternational's age, I knew some shows when they were new.
Dallas was too strange with the whole Patrick Duffy thing.
Jessica Fletcher and Ben Matlock both knew who the guilty one was but dragged it out until almost the end.
Jessica would need help to prove it sometimes.
Ben waited to prove it in the courtroom.

Most of the time Jessica doesn't come up with the solution until the 45 min mark. Then often she has to lay a trap for the killer to prove it. Then, of course, they break down and confess. (If they had kept their mouth shut and hired a lawyer some of them may have beat the rap in court). Once in awhile the killer doesn't confess but the evidence is enough for the police to cart the villain(s) away.....

[txfilmfan]

I don't watch any network shows, but the news shows (network and cable) are also awful. Many long commercial breaks. It seems there are more commercials than actual news stories. Often they'll come back from a commercial break, tell one news story and go on break again! I'm constantly switching stations as I refuse to watch commercials!

Takes a lot of ad revenue to pay the high salaries of stars (whether actors, news readers or athletes)

[kingrat]

IT'S FUNNY, there were a lot of MALE-ORIENTED sitcoms in the 1990s where the LEAD ACTOR is by far the least memorable or gifted performer among the cast- it's everyone else carrying the water. (see also: HOME IMPROVEMENT, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND or MAD ABOUT YOU)

EDIT- I hate all three of those shows, but my point still stands.

I would never have cast Paul Reiser as a lead in a romantic comedy. He seems better suited for serial killer roles. However, I understand that Reiser developed MAD ABOUT YOU as a vehicle for himself, so that makes sense.

[Hibi]

I don't watch any network shows, but the news shows (network and cable) are also awful. Many long commercial breaks. It seems there are more commercials than actual news stories. Often they'll come back from a commercial break, tell one news story and go on break again! I'm constantly switching stations as I refuse to watch commercials!

Takes a lot of ad revenue to pay the high salaries of stars (whether actors, news readers or athletes)

YEP! Maybe if they lowered salaries........Nah!

[Hibi]

IT'S FUNNY, there were a lot of MALE-ORIENTED sitcoms in the 1990s where the LEAD ACTOR is by far the least memorable or gifted performer among the cast- it's everyone else carrying the water. (see also: HOME IMPROVEMENT, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND or MAD ABOUT YOU)

EDIT- I hate all three of those shows, but my point still stands.

I would never have cast Paul Reiser as a lead in a romantic comedy. He seems better suited for serial killer roles. However, I understand that Reiser developed MAD ABOUT YOU as a vehicle for himself, so that makes sense.

HAHA!!! I'll always remember him as the creep in Aliens who got his just desserts! Enjoyed that.

[jimimac71]

IT'S FUNNY, there were a lot of MALE-ORIENTED sitcoms in the 1990s where the LEAD ACTOR is by far the least memorable or gifted performer among the cast- it's everyone else carrying the water. (see also: HOME IMPROVEMENT, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND or MAD ABOUT YOU)

EDIT- I hate all three of those shows, but my point still stands.

I never enjoyed Home Improvement.
Last Man Standing before it went to Fox wasn't all that bad, but insulted even my intelligence.
Don't know Mad About You.
Lorna: Spot On! Everyone else in Everybody Loves Raymond was better than Raymond.
"It's a Man's World, but Women run it."
I was told that by an Old-Timer (a man) back in the 1970s.

[CinemaInternational]

the ONLY things I recall about SEINFELD all these years later are the episodes and moments that revolve around ELAINE BENES, honestly, it was really HER show.

people talk about "THE SEINFELD CURSE" and I sometimes wonder if maybe they just didn't see the obvious truth right in front of them the whole time: JERRY SEINFELD and MICHAEL RICHARDS are terrible actors with no charisma, and while JASON ALEXANDER is good- he REALLY needs THE RIGHT PART.

But JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUSS just has it- looks, timing, a gift for physical comedy: SHE is THE SHOW.

also, she's a better dancer than RUBY KEELER.

(edit- tried to post a GIF of her yelling at KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS to "JUST DIE ALREADY" in THE ONE ABOUT THE ENGLISH PATIENT, but I guess they're all copyrighted.