Current TV Shows - what do you watch?

[Jerry_Atrick]

As I was working from home today, I marvelled at how technology has changed our lives - largely for the better, but, of course, in some ways for the worse. I was on a webex listening to and watching my team, and to use a BS Bingo term - "collaborating" as good as we do in the office on some vexing questions. After work today, after family and doggie duties done, I opened up Youtube and watched some of my favourite Aussie current TV shows.. Media Watch (and Bites) is one of my favourites. I skimmed through an AFL360 episode (too much gushing about the AFL players these days.. makes me want to puke).

 

I then watched a youtube channel on preparing mortar and masonary on old buildings for installation fo wood burning stoves, that went into the materials/chemistry of what happens with chimneys, etc, of older buildings. I wrapped up with a bootleg upload of The Front Bar - as Channel 7 don't like us watching from their player from overseas (no soubt some copyright issue).

 

The realised, those two AFL TV shows, Media Bites/Watch, a UK comedy chat show called Have I got News for You, are about all I watch on TV these days that is current and not repeats. Except, I don't watch them on TV.. but through Youtube. I will sometimes watch them on the 40" HDTV I bought - again, through Youtube. I last flicked through TV stations about 6 months ago and, let's say, media lecturers would have failed their first year students for producing better stuff that what was being aired.

 

So.. what current stuff on TV do you watch - and do you watch it on TV - or through some other media (such as YouTube)? If you were paying advertising dollars, would you send any of it to TV stations?

[nomadpete]

Last question first..... NEVER !

I once ran a small retail business back in the late 70's and a TV promotion worked well. But that was then. Now, I wouldn't waste a dollar on it.

As for content..... all we get on TV is crappy quiz shows (cheap content), shameless infotainment thinly cloaked as 'news' (more cheap content), and sport (again cheap content) that I don't follow. With rare exception, an insult to the viewer's iintellgcence.This month my better half is absent for work, so I don't turn the TV on. I can get better news and music on my phone.

I too get sucked down the information rabbit hole of youtoob. Mostly DIY stuff - avoid "news" there! Oh, also, we aren't into netflix stuff either. Too much exaggerated BS. I used to watch Discovery channel when travelling for work, but can't justify the expense at home for only one channel.

 

We recently had visitors - they are well educated folk - they were mortified to see we only had a 40" TV and only 2 speakers. When they left, wife said "Don't even think about wastng money on a bigger TV!"

 

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by nomadpete
Usual - last proofreading done after hitting 'post'

[nomadpete]

Addendum -

 

I do sometimes watch something on SBS On Demand or ABC Iview after I go to bed. Usually when I discover there was something interesting on TV and I missed it.

[red750]

Firstly, TV advertising. Ask Clive Palmer how much value he got from millions of dollars spent on advertising.

 

TV. I watch Sunrise on 7 in the morning for weather, traffic and news. Not too interested in the music or lifestyle (health and diet stuff). I like programs such as Who Do You Think You Are (depending on who is featured), Long Lost Family, Would I Lie To You, Anh Do's Brush With Fame. Sport programs don't interest me, a small grab here and there, but I don't sit and watch a full game or F1 race. Not interested in horse racing, could not be bothered with talking heads pushing their own agendas and opinions (Sky BS), and reality shows (Big Brother, Married at First Sight, The Batchelor(ette), The Voice, etc make me puke, although (wherever's) Got Talent is good. Otherwise, I watch repeats (Two and a Half Men, Golden Girls, etc.) Only watch the occasional video on Youtube, usually aviation related.

[octave]

I don't watch free to air, I don't even have an aerial.  We watch mainly subscription TV Netflix etc.   We enjoy good quality British police series such as Line of Duty, Forgotten, Trigger Point etc.   Good quality Sci Fi,  comedy and docos.   I also watch loads of Youtube channels, too numerous to list but science,  music and music analysis and other documentary stuff. 

[facthunter]

No matter how costly your TV set is, the crap programmes are still the same. Nev

[willedoo]

Where I live, you lose the digital TV signal if there's any rain about, so watching TV is done free to air or via the internet depending on the weather. The shows I watch are a bit corny . Top five in order of preference: 1. Death in Paradise  2. Shaun the Sheep  3. Heartbeat  4. Scorpion  5. Escape to the Country.

 

 

[Marty_d]

20 minutes ago, octave said:

I don't watch free to air, I don't even have an aerial.  We watch mainly subscription TV Netflix etc.   We enjoy good quality British police series such as Line of Duty, Forgotten, Trigger Point etc.   Good quality Sci Fi,  comedy and docos.   I also watch loads of Youtube channels, too numerous to list but science,  music and music analysis and other documentary stuff. 

Line of Duty and Trigger Point were excellent.

 

My wife and I are on the last season of Last Kingdom - that's a quality show, based on Bernard Cornwell's book series.  I've just read the first book and will read the other 11 or 12 or however many there are.

Black Sails keeps me entertained too.  Apart from that - Lego Masters with the kids (best reality show out there!)  and of course Grand Designs, with Kevin McCloud of the clan McCloud.

Oh, we're watching another British series - "Life" which is quite good.  It's on free to air at the moment (ABC I think) but we generally only watch shows on the catch up channels.

[rgmwa]

Mostly news and current affairs programs on ABC or SBS, and some documentaries. The wife loves all British crime and drama series and comedy quizzes, but even though they're generally quality programs, the endless sameness bores me to tears, although I don't mind the odd Outback Truckers, Wheeler Dealers or Alone type programs and Foyles War re-runs on 7.  We also have Netflix but I've only watched a handful of movies in the last couple of years. If there's nothing worth watching on TV - which is often,  I usually turn to music, aviation related, documentary or how-to videos on uTube. Failing that, I read a book.

 

[Yenn]

News on SBS and ABC, then look at what is on offer and usually read a book. I don't turn on until after 6pm and it is usually off by 7.30pm.

[old man emu]

My TV is still not connected, so at night I watch stuff on YouTube. I watch "Forgotten Weapons" because the material presented deals with the design and development of firearms. It's an American show, but not at all 2nd Amendment. Sometimes the presenter takes a firearm he has discussed to a shooting range, but the idea of that is to display how the firearm performs, or to display some unique operational feature.

 

Then, of course I watch DIY stuff across a wide range of topics. Finally I watch docos about history, science ... yadda, yadda.

 

Do I miss TV broadcasts? Not overly, but I would like to watch some of the dramas on the ABC. It seems a shame that the ABC produces good material, but it doesn't have the audience draw of the commercial channels. Perhaps anything more cerebral than "Home and Away" is too much for the average Aussie.

[kgwilson]

I absolutely loathe commercial TV. Anything even remotely watchable is peppered with advertising. I used to have Foxtel mainly for sport, movies and drama but got rid of it (don't need to line Murdochs pockets) & now have a good LG OLED 4K Smart TV & subscribe as required. I watch ABC news & current affairs (4 corners & Foreign Correspondent) Mediawatch, Gardening Australia, Grand Designs (NZ & UK)  & some of the dramas (mainly British). Otherwise it is Netflix or Stan mostly for good Movies & Dramas. Mostly British productions & some locally produced for the quality of production. There are a few American movies/dramas that are good but the bulk are awful with predictable plots (if there even is a plot) crappy acting and too much gun violence. Can't stand any of the super hero stuff.

 

We are currently watching an 8 part BBC series on Netflix "Black Earth Rising".

Edited May 27, 2022 by kgwilson

[Yenn]

Gardening Australia is usually good and I half watch it. I used to like comedy, but in the last few years it has degenerated into US style rubbish. What is missing is shows like Dads Army. The Two Ronnies, To The Manor Born, and The Irish Comedian with his drink, his name eludes me at the moment. Not that I want to see these shows now, but something up to date and of the same quality would be good, or even The Bill and Minder.

[spacesailor]

DAVE ALLEN ,!

Also try "  mrs Browns Boys ".

I watched Bruntingthorpe,  the only airshow of the cold war arcraft actually being run up to takeoff speed.

EXCEPT ONE !.

That one took to the air like an eagle,  the pilot had a job to get it back on the runway.

He was the first to pilot it AND the last pilot to fly it. Very interesting side story. 

spacesailor

 

[onetrack]

I haven't watched TV for any more than about 10 mins in the last 25 years. Shaun the Sheep is about it. TV is full of utter rubbish, commercials produced by idiots, aimed at idiots, comedy shows that aren't funny, and endless, endless talking heads, spouting perennial BS!!

Even news items are ramped up with language that no-one uses in everyday discussion. It truly has degenerated into an awful medium.

 

I watch the odd doco on Netflix (I like the WW2 stories), the occasional Youtoob video sucks me in (most are a waste of time, and designed as clickbait), and I like good documentaries about interesting places.

My better half loves the British murder mysteries, I can't be bothered with them, I'd rather watch something educational or technical. She'll sit on the couch playing Patience on the laptop and surf through a dozen channels an hour, looking for something to interest her. She found a doco about the Po River Valley last night, that was interesting.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Well, this is a BBC show I watch, which puts Andrew Denton well and truly to shame.. This week even mentions SFM...

 

Some of the jokes will be very UK centric, but I would guess most of you will get them.

[nomadpete]

On 27/05/2022 at 9:29 AM, octave said:

 other documentary stuff. 

Docos are the closest we get to 'true stories'

22 hours ago, rgmwa said:

Failing that, I read a book.

Books? I thought they were banned for being subversive. I've got some books. Right beside the TV. They bring the set top box up high enough to reach the antenna cable. And a couple of hundred on an e-reader.

20 hours ago, old man emu said:

It seems a shame that the ABC produces good material, but it doesn't have the audience draw

That is so true, and it annoys me because it is a reflection of the way the majority of the voters think.

19 hours ago, kgwilson said:

I absolutely loathe commercial TV.

Can't add to that!

19 hours ago, kgwilson said:

I watch ABC news & current affairs (4 corners & Foreign Correspondent) Mediawatch, Gardening Australia, Grand Designs (NZ & UK) 

These are the core of my brain's screen input. BUT, is it just me. Or did ABC news change its culture for the worse this year?

11 hours ago, onetrack said:

Shaun the Sheep is about it. TV is full of utter rubbish, commercials produced by idiots, aimed at idiots, comedy shows that aren't funny, and endless, endless talking heads, spouting perennial BS!!

And that, sadly, is a reflection of what the ratngs told the TV stations to do. Ratings, unfortunately, are the closest that we get to having some form of honest election process. And look what it causes!

11 hours ago, onetrack said:

news items are ramped up with language that no-one uses in everyday discussion. It truly has degenerated into an awful medium.

And unfortunately, has infiltrated ABC news. I tire of hearing misused superlatives for mundane news events.

11 hours ago, onetrack said:

My better half loves the British murder mysteries,

This puzzles me because my dear wife is obsessively drawn to almost every whodunnit on the screen. To me, they are all presenting gruesome murder as if it is the most common event in society, and that the whole western world's police forces have bottomless funds to solve every case.

 

Thanks, guys

Edited May 28, 2022 by nomadpete

[old man emu]

13 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

And that, sadly, is a reflection of what the ratings told the TV stations to do. Ratings, unfortunately, are the closest that we get to having some form of honest election process. And look what it causes!

Shaun the Sheep is a good description of the average viewer. 

 

Those ratings are mainly drawn from the responses of Anglos. I wonder what the people of other ethnicity watch.

[nomadpete]

That's DISCRIMINATION !

 

I'm a sort-of Anglo. Nobody has ever asked me to rate any programmes.

 

My cynical mind says 'ratings' are statistics made up by accountants to keep the TV station's running costs down.

[onetrack]

If the rating were drawn up by the Indigenes, Slim Dusty and Country Music shows would rule the TV programmes. If the ratings were drawn up by ethnic Chinese, we'd have Taiwanese soapies endlessly. If the ethnics of Indian heritage ruled the ratings, Bollywood would be all we'd see. If the ethnic vote was aggregated, SBS would be the only channel we'd get.

[willedoo]

12 hours ago, onetrack said:

I haven't watched TV for any more than about 10 mins in the last 25 years. Shaun the Sheep is about it.

It's quite enlightening to view the credits at the end of an episode of Shaun the Sheep. You would think you were viewing the credits of a two hour Hollywood blockbuster, and not a ten minute animated kid's (+ some adults) show. At first glance, you wouldn't think the show would earn enough money to pay all those people involved in the production.

 

Just as an edit, I guess a number of the people listed in the credits are employed by the studio, and work on multiple productions of different shows, which would spread the production cost.

Edited May 28, 2022 by willedoo

[spacesailor]

onetrack

There,s lots of ethnick, bolliwood & a mirid of lesser films on Netflix.

And

Lots of docoes on Utube !, when l watched " Bruntingthorpe " cold war aircraft museum,.

I got heaps of links to the other aviation docoes.

Smart TV has google search.

spacesailor

[onetrack]

I should have written, "I haven't watched TV for any more than about 10mins at a time, in the last 25 years". But those 10 min periods are few and far between, probably once a week, at most.

The beauty of watching something on the computer screen is the ability to can ads with Adblock, and the ability to enter into discourse with others (as if forums) - rather than being perpetually talked at.

 

I must say I really admire the creativeness of the people behind Shaun and the dogs exploits, it's just simple old-style funniness, which is in short supply today. Farmageddon was pretty good, as well.

[willedoo]

2 hours ago, onetrack said:

I must say I really admire the creativeness of the people behind Shaun and the dogs exploits, it's just simple old-style funniness, which is in short supply today.

The format is fairly standard. No matter what happens, Shaun always saves the day. Poor old Bitzer is the meat in the sandwich and gets in more strife than Flash Gordon; lucky he's got Shaun as a mate. When the sheep talk, they remind me of Strop. They've even got the Welsh farmer down to a T with the red hair, coke bottle glasses and sideburns. I recon they'd have a lot of fun making that show.

[Marty_d]

12 hours ago, old man emu said:

Shaun the Sheep is a good description of the average viewer. 

You obviously haven't watched Shaun the Sheep.  (Unless you're trying to be complimentary to the average viewer!)

 

He's a real problem solver who's smarter than the farmer who owns them.