It’s been three weeks, and I can’t keep living this lie.
It’s time to stop avoiding the issue.
I’m never going to watch CANE.
Sure the easy way out is to continue the facade. Keep on telling myself that this week will be different. But deep down inside I know it won’t.
There are only so many hours in the day that one can sit glued in front of a television [Even if that television happens to be a gorgeous 42″ Sharp Aquos High Definition one]. And the unfortunate reality is that CANE — or as I like to call it — DALLAS on a sugar plantation — simply isn’t cutting it.
It’s nothing personal Jimmy Smitts. After-all you were fantastic on THE WEST WING. But the big five networks have left me no choice. By premiering 40 new shows over the span of a mere few weeks, some shows were bound to get lost in the shuffle.
And If I want to recapture any semblance of a normal life — you know, one that involves actual conversations with people outside of the glowing box in my living room. Bailing on CANE is the first step.
Which brings us to step two and the much larger issue. What show’s up next on theTVaddict.com chopping block?
Think of it as your very own reality TV show.
Do I bail on CHUCK, DIRTY SEXY MONEY, PRIVATE PRACTICE, BIONIC WOMAN, JOURNEYMAN, MOONLIGHT, REAPER, LIFE IS WILD, THE BIG BANG THEORY, WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB, LIFE or K-VILLE?
Sandwiched between the brilliance of PUSHING DAISIES and the boredom that is BIG SHOTS are a whole crop of shows that aren’t exactly ‘Must See TV’ but certainly not ‘Must Flee TV’.
Which I believe is part of the problem.
Television networks have stopped taking chances. Rather than give us more shows like PUSHING DAISIES, they’ve decided to develop the most inoffensive, generic and ordinary television shows in the history of the medium. All in an effort to ensure they offend the least amount of potential viewers and attract the largest audience possible.
LIFE and WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB are yet again two more cop shows with a twist. CHUCK is ALIAS meets THE OC. PRIVATE PRACTICE, a spin-off of an already popular show GREY’S ANATOMY. And the season’s worst offender — BIONIC WOMAN, a re-imagination of a 70s classic.
Nothing says originality like a re-imagination.
If networks really wish to ensure viewers don’t tune out their new crop of shows, perhaps they should take a page from the cable channel playbook.
For years HBO, SHOWTIME and FX have been taking chances, providing viewers with original and exciting programming options not available on the big five networks. Sure shows like DAMAGES, BIG LOVE, THE RICHES and CALIFORNICATION may not attract as many viewers as say a DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES or GREY’S ANATOMY. But what they lack in audience share, they more than make up for in critical acclaim and excitement.
Said the Houston Chronicle recently about FX’s latest offering DAMAGES. “… FX has landed the next in a continuous line of can’t-miss shows. Based on the first two episodes, DAMAGES may be the best of a ballyhooed bunch that includes The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me and The Riches. …”
Which brings us back to the issue at hand. What show should join CANE on theTVaddict.com chopping block? Is it time to get a life and give up on LIFE? Send REAPER to meet its maker? Close down the PRIVATE PRACTICE?
It’s Sophie’s choice for TV Addicts. 
