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And Now, Shows I Hate!
February 20, 2011  | By Diane Holloway  | 48 comments
 

Keeping-Up-Kardashians-Poster.jpg

The appeal of writing for TV Worth Watching has always been the chance to steer readers to good shows -- and there are quite a few out there that are extraordinary. It feels like a noble calling.

This is not the easiest task in the wonderful world of TV criticism, mind you. Spinning out a snarky pan is a hundred times easier than trying to craft a cogent explanation of what makes a TV show worth watching. Anyone who has read my offerings here may remember some of my current favorites: The Good Wife, Southland, Dexter, Men of a Certain Age and Justified, just to name a handful.

Now that I have been playing by the implied rules of this website's name for two years, I figure it's OK to veer off path and spew. (Just a little.) It's no surprise to anyone that there are plenty of TV shows decidedly NOT worth watching -- and most of them comes neatly bunched in the loathsome reality genre.

I'm pretty much opposed to that entire assortment, mostly because the shows are the TV networks' excuse to air cheap stuff that requires little to no thought, writing or performance. But there have been exceptions. Before American Idol went to hell in Steven Tyler's personal handbasket, I enjoyed watching young singers shine. And before Dancing with the Stars decided to join the Tea Party by hiring Bristol Palin, I enjoyed that competition, too. No more.

real_housewives_of_beverly_hills.jpg

Just so I'm on the record (because inexplicably, people have asked!) about TV that's NOT worth watching, here are my most worthless programs.

Real Housewives, whether they're in Atlanta, Beverly Hills or Washington, D.C. They're all terrible, spoiled brats who ought to be ignored instead of celebri-fied. (Bravo, be ashamed.)

Jersey Shore, because anything with Snooki in it is vile. Plus, none of those tacky people has an actual name. It's like a kennel populated by semi-humans. Woof.

The Bachelor gets no pass from me even though Brad Womack owns a bunch of bars right here in Austin. The concept of a bunch of women begging a guy to marry them is just wretchedly condescending.

The Biggest Loser puts fat people on display and then tortures them, all in the name of ratings. If some of you find sobbing fat people inspiring, so be it, but I don't. Maybe this show will be pulled when someone actually dies on camera.

Anything (absolutely anything) that features a Kardashian of any persuasion. There's not an ounce of talent or appeal in the entire family of Kardashian women. I realize it's probably a "guy thing," but I haven't found a single guy who can explain to me what's to like about a Kardashian. I've tried to the point of embarrassment to understand, and now I quit.

toddlers-tiaras-tlc.jpg

Toddlers & Tiaras makes me actually hate children, and that's not a good feeling. The truth of the matter is, the parents of these screaming beauty pageant contestants are worse than the kids and should be punished, not put on TV.

The Apprentice and I'm-Running-for-President Donald Trump are both pointless. Stupid and pointless. If Trump were as successful as he claims, he wouldn't be hosting a reality show on NBC.

Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy is pathetic on the surface. But the fact that it's on the History channel, which used to be my fallback, where I could always find something interesting and smart to watch, makes it despicable.

Fox News Channel, all of it all the time. Not worth watching unless you're a Tea Party fan looking for someone to vote for in the next presidential election.

OK, that's enough whining and griping for now. See, I told you it's a lot easier to be negative and snarky than to praise the worthy. But it feels good to get the nasty out of my system, so thanks for reading!

12 Comments

Ryan H. said:

"FOX News Channel"

Miss Holloway are you another biased, stuck-up, liberal, left-wing FNC hater...?

OK Miss Holloway you just stick with "MSNBC: The Place for Propaganda" and main-stream media (ABC,CBS,NBC), CNN & PBS: all the Obama-liberal media propaganda sycophants

Comment posted on February 21, 2011 11:21 AM

Finally! Someone who hates the reality shows as much as I do.

Comment posted on February 22, 2011 9:34 AM
 
 
Mac said:

Please, Diane, keep the hate on Fox News. Even without MSNBC (but Rachel Maddow may be the smartest one on any opinion show), I am a biased stuck up liberal, left wing FNC hater. I know stupid when I smell it. And anyone who thinks there is a liberal bent on the rest (most of which I ignore), all owned by mega billion dollar corporations with the sole desire to make a buck first, just isn't paying attention. Diane, and David, you don't have to post this but I gotta say it.

[Since Diane played the "hate card" with her blog in the first place, I'm allowing lots of latitude with reader posts, both con and pro. But I prefer civility here when talking about TV, even when TV talking to us doesn't feel the same. Agreeing to disagree, even strongly, is my preferred default position here at TVWW. -- DB]

Comment posted on February 22, 2011 5:49 PM
 
 
Jim H said:

Finally, someone who tells the truth. I hate Fox News Channel also. What a joke of a news channel. What happened to The History Channel? It used to be great. Now it has pawn shops and guys who drive around looking for things to buy in an old barn. Is that history? In a way I guess. Does it belong on the history channel? Not in my humble opinion.

Comment posted on February 22, 2011 6:19 PM
 
 
Erin said:

Diane--You hit the nail on the head about Fox News. I hadn't watched it in years, and I visited a relative last week who only watched that channel. I was livid--if that's fair and balanced, then Jersey Shore is Emmy-winning material.

And thanks for being a Texan, too! I thought I was the only Texan who didn't get my news from that vile channel. Now, I don't live in Travis County, so I might be the only one in hundreds of miles who watches what Ryan H. might call "liberal media"! (I call that media "respected news sources.")

Comment posted on February 23, 2011 9:54 AM
 
 

I think the only one you left off that's also on my hate list is "Dancing with the stars." Oh and Big Brother. Total trash.

Comment posted on February 23, 2011 9:59 AM
 
 
Tom said:

Oh, thank you for ALL the comments! I totally agree. And False News is simply propaganda for a billionaire right winger. How ironic that "Fair and Balanced" is their motto. The world of news is a much less truthful place than it used to be, in part because of Faux News. I'll take CNN or BBC any time.

Comment posted on February 23, 2011 2:03 PM
 
 
Debbie said:

AMEN! I hate them too.

Comment posted on February 23, 2011 4:58 PM
 
 
Mark R. said:

Having watched all of these -- albeit for less than a minute or two each -- I couldn't agree more. I'd add almost all cable news shows (but particularly FNC) in the breaking moments of any significant event.

Re Ryan H.: Cue the cartoon sound effects. Another flummoxed Coyote is skittering off the precipice.

Comment posted on February 23, 2011 5:00 PM
 
 
Eileen said:

God Bless You!

I had suggested to David B. a few weeks back that I would love to see one of TVWW's critics do a 10 Best/10 Worst Reality Shows; it appears I've gotten half my wish.

And, has anyone noticed that TLC (The Learning Channel!!) has become the purveyor of most of this trash. And Bravo should just hang its head in shame.

It doesn't speak well for humanity when Jersey Shore is beating 30 Rock in the ratings. It makes me fearful for the future of this planet.

But thank you, Diane, for doing this column to remind me again why I am repulsed by these shows. Great job...

Comment posted on February 26, 2011 1:49 PM
 
 
Riposte said:

Our hates are similar... however, you missed my hate fave Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Comment posted on February 26, 2011 5:22 PM
 
 
Dave S. said:

Diane,

I totally agree with you on the programs listed above. Concerning the Kardashians, what a bunch of self centered, stuck up, pathetic and vile low forms of life they all are! In the very short time I have seen only snipets of this show, the women although being attractive, are so incredibly shallow that I can't get past it for one minute. How on earth did they get a show! They are a bunch of talentless twits. Unfortunately, this is what we as a society have degenerated into. Every narcissistic fool that needs his or her 15 minutes of fame some how is able to get a reality show! It is a sad testament that this kind of crap is on the air. What is even more troubling is the fact that some people actually are fans of these idiots! Like the Chuch lady said in famed SNL skit "We like ourself don't we?"

Comment posted on February 26, 2011 11:44 PM
 
 
 
 
 
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