Unintelligent Programming

Isn't it just crazy?  You get interested in a show and then after you see a few episodes it disappears.  That seems to happen to me on a regular basis.  I'd been watching a program on Thursday afternoons called Nightwatch which followed the first responders of New Orleans on the overnight shift.  Suddenly it vanished and I couldn't find it anywhere on the schedule.  One can view the episodes on the A&E web site but it's not the same.

In any case, A&E is a shadow of what it once was.  The weekly schedule is dominated by multiple episodes of Duck Dynasty, The First 48, and Criminal Minds.  The potentially more interesting shows (to me at least) have been relegated to Sunday nights which is not conducive for viewership.  I really miss the old Breakfast with the Arts show which featured art and classical music on Sunday mornings.

There has been a similar trend for what used to be specialty channels.  The History Channel doesn't show much history; it's mostly reality-based programming and M*A*S*H* reruns.  TLC isn't really The Learning Channel any more.  And so on.

Even the mainstream networks don't keep good shows on very long.  Shows that do turn out to be well written, popular, or both, end up being quickly replaced by clones of other shows that appeal to the lowest common denominator. (My personal favourite, Person of Interest, has been left hanging by CBS and nobody knows when or if the next season is going to be broadcast.)  It's little wonder that viewers are flocking to direct streaming services like Netflix, because the programs there are worth watching.

It's unfortunate that the network execs just don't get it.

Here are just a few other shows that I became interested in before they were axed far too soon.

The Flash, 1990, CBS
The Critic, 1994, ABC
$#*! My Dad Says, 2010, CBS
No Ordinary Family, 2010, ABC
The Chicago Code, 2011, Fox
Young Justice, 2011, Teletoon