TV is dead, long live TV

TV as we know it from basic cable and air broadcast is dying. About time.

I have been watching some episodes of Tiki Bar and Diggnation. One led me to the other, in a weird warped way. But that’s not my point. My point is, the last two new things I have been watching have both NOT been on broadcast TV. In fact, I’m to the point where “old style” TV pisses me off enough that I only watch it when I’m trying to stay off the computer and a DVD won’t cut it, or there is something I really want to watch. Scratch that, there is nothing I *really* want to watch. I don’t pay attention to the previews. There are way, way too many commercials, there is too much “reality” TV – you’ve heard these complaints before.

The difference now is I have alternatives. I can just be patient and buy my TV on DVD. I can watch clips on YouTube. I can watch “Podcasts”, which I’m still trying to figure out what they’re all about. If I’m really stuck I can just “borrow” a copy of an episode off the internet that I missed on TV, which I’m having to do more and more often because I’m just totally out of the habit of scheduling my life around TV, even as far as taping goes.

Oh, it helps too that stuff on the web doesn’t have the evil emp-, er, CRTC/FCC watching their backs, so you get some cool shit. Take Diggnation. Two guys on a coutch, talking about the latest popular stories on their parent website, digg.com. Oh, and they drink beer while doing this, with an informal review of said beer during the show. There is even a website showing all the beers they have drank on their show. They’re not always sober, and they’re not always on topic, PC or PG13. But they do come up with some funny shit, just sitting there shooting the shit. Never would make it in any form that preserves the entertainment value if ported to regular TV.

I’m hoping for more of this kind of stuff, some low budget program typing things, something different. Cuz I ain’t seeing it on TV.