Shows Worth Watching.....Fall Apart That Is :D

Hello fellow bloggers! It's Monday and we all know the reason I'm here.

Before I even get started I have to note an important moment in history:
Today at roughly 5:28 p.m. the song We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel was played on the radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D Sorry, it's just that I haven't heard that song since like 8th grade!

Okay, lets get started on this weeks article. So yesterday I was looking at the newspaper (I know!) and found an interesting article in Parade. It may not be important to most people, or even entertaining but it got me fired up. It's about the new fall lineup (we're talking TV here). It's not really so much that I'm going to watch these shows, as it is what they are that concerns me. The 2008-09 season includes 10 dramas, 4 comedies, and 3 reality/game shows. This sounds great right? Surely with all these "new" shows there's going to be something for everyone to get pumped about. WRONG! The truth is- 7 out of 14 scripted debuts are original concepts! That's only half! :[ Ah, tis a tragedy indeed!
So, the reason I, along with devoted "artists" of all kinds, care is because of the fact that creativity is officially dead! 7 out of 14! America seriously needs help, pronto! Where's the creative process these days? Are Americans to lazy to entertain themselves? Or should the lazy ones step in and demand something worth plopping on the couch for!?! A couple of my previous articles are about certain things (good and bad) becoming obsolete, but TV shouldn't be one of those things. Since we are in the age of technology (love it or hate it) there should at least be something worth sending a satellite signal over.
So, what are these shows? Well they are either updated versions of old shows (the same concept with a "hotter" cast) or shows popular in other countries (same concept........."hotter" cast). (What? it's the truth, it seems like all Americans care about is looking at a pretty face, instead of actually coming up with a show worth watching!)

• First up is (drumroll please).............NBC's Knight Rider. Yes, that's right, apparently we didn't get enough of talking cars and David Hasselhoff in the 80's!
• Then there's 90210 on the CW. I don't know about you but I just can't get enough 90's high school drama (yes, this is sarcasm!).

Then there's the shows adapted from other countries. I'm not saying these are going to be horrible, just look at The Office, it's doing great and it's hilarious. All I'm saying is we need to come up with our own ideas instead of stealing them from other countries and hoping they won't care/notice.

• First there's Life on Mars adapted from a popular English drama about a present-day cop that wakes up to find himself in the crime-ridden 70's. Wooo, but can they pull it off?
• Next, Worst Week (also English) about a hapless would-be groom trying to impress his future in-laws. A little piece of advice, if this concept hasn't worked by now, STOP TRYING!!!
• Eleventh Hour (yet another we stole from those poor Brits) about an elite scientist investigating experiments gone wrong. Why didn't we think of this? (probably b/c we can steal it easier!)
• Kath & Kim an Australian comedy, featuring a relentlessly tacky mother-daughter duo.
• The Ex List from Israel(!) about a thirty-something finding love with one of the men she's already dated. Sigh, another hapless (not to mention hopeless!) dating comedy.

Then there's the "new" show that doesn't fit into either category but doesn't seem any more exciting:

• Crusoe, yeah you guessed it, based on the 18th-century novel! Wow, is this really going to work? It's like Pocahontas meets prime time! This time around Crusoe next up Moby Dick!! (haha)

Aside from there being few new shows there are also fewer big stars. Instead we're hiring unknowns (who don't know what they're getting themselves into), or we're stealing other countries actors as well as their programs! Most likely because actual stars see the pathetic stab we're taking at entertainment and get the vibe that America doesn't care, so why should they.

A few shows that are original:

• Do Not Disturb
• Fringe (the only one that has a slight chance of making it in my opinion)
• The Mentalist
• My Own Worst Enemy

But will these be any better, honestly. I'll be surprised if any of these shows go further than a single season! Is anyone actually excited about any of these shows?

Like I said before I obtained this information through Parade in the newspaper, it's the Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 issue. Hope you enjoyed reading! I'm excited to hear your comments about this one!

-Brittany <3