Back when I was a kid we watched a lot of television in the evenings intended for family viewing. Shows like Happy Days, The Brady Bunch, I even remember watching old movies like Abbot and Costello and the Monkees. All of these wire similar in that they were funny most of the time and other moments serious. Overall lighthearted shows that were fun to watch then and I’m sure I would still enjoy then today. Well, maybe not so much the Monkees, but I’d be willing to give them a chance.

Many sit-coms I watched as a kid were silly, funny, some a little over the top, but they concentrated on one of a handful of characters with a great supporting cast. I can’t point to one older show I used to watch and think… wow, this is just stupid.

Then there are the shows my favorite daughter likes to watch. It started with the Hanna Montana days and The Amanda Bynes show. These shows played a lot on older plot lines from the shows I used to watch so I’d know what was going to happen long before it happened. The shows were funny and often times silly. Playing on the success of these shows many other shows spawned off. Drake and Josh came directly from the Amanda Bynes show. It was alright, but sometimes dipped into the “are they really doing that” realm, but was still a watchable, even if predictable, show.

Yes, I watch a lot of TV with my favorite daughter. Often times against my will and many times while I’m sitting and writing. As my favorite daughter would say. “DON’T JUDGE ME!”

Recently she’s started to watch a number of newer shows on both Disney and Nickelodeon. From shows like Big Time Rush that plays on the story lines from the Monkees, but dipping into the really dumb humor. Not just dumb, but downright stupid. Even then there are still points in the show that I feel are alright as this a band doing silly things. I get that. It’s what they’re trying to do.

But then I see some newer shows she’s watching. Each character no matter how minor has an over the top personality and does things that no real person would do. Not just silly or dumb things, but stupid and annoying. To the point it makes the shows unwatchable. At least to me. When my favorite daughter would watch Hanna Montana she would laugh, giggle, and sometimes even think. These new shows I’ll watch her as she watches the shows and she doesn’t laugh, she more wrinkles her face in confusion. I finally had to ask.

Me: Are you even enjoying this show?

MFD: Not really. This is kind of dumb.

Me: Dumb? How so?

MFD: People don’t act like that. This is just stupid.

I don’t think she’s canceled any of her recordings, but it’s nice to see that she’s at least steering away from these shows. Much like some reality shows I can feel my IQ dropping the longer the television is on. There’s no moral. There’s no point. There’s little entertainment. I see almost nothing of conversational value.

Who are these shows hoping to attract? Is there really a generation of kids out there that feel this is quality entertainment? That this is a good way to spend their time? I used to think that all movies and TV shows were aimed at 13 year old girls (and sometimes boys) but now I see these shows and can’t understand what their target audience is.

I try to avoid television as much as possible. I really do. But it’s not always that easy. I think I’ll throw another book at my favorite daughter and see how she responds. Perhaps I need to write faster to she’ll have more to read. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I’ll go write something.

Until Next Time!

WOO WOO!