Channel Surfing

Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a true TV Addict as they’re catching up on hours worth of DVR’d material? Let’s listen in, shall we?

Why do they call it 48 HOURS? Sure, when the show started years ago, the pseudo-news program followed stories over a two-day period, but this weekend’s 48 HOURS MYSTERY – about two girls killed on Halloween night back in 2004 – might just as well have been called CSI: NAPA VALLEY, right down to the opening credits and unfolded over months.

Beach-side community… teens played by 30-year-olds… sure, it ain’t as witty or self-referential as THE OC, but FALCON BEACH does sorta fill a void. As long as no one ever finds out you’re watching it.

Who the heck watches THE INSIDER and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT with their constant “coming up in 11 minutes!” followed by “tomorrow on ET!” The entire show is a commercial for what’s coming up.

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER may well be the best show on television. The episode-ending segment NEW RULES should be required viewing for everyone. Period. [Click for Bill Maher’s most recent NEW RULES].

JERRY SPRINGER may well be the worst show on television. How is it that the FCC caused an uproar over a flash of Janet Jackson’s nipple during a football game aired at night, but Springer’s trashfest – featuring an endless parade of foul-mouthed freaks and airing during the middle of the day – has never come under fire?

Why do reality shows like THE APPRENTICE and AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL always come back from commercials with some contestant telling us what challenge they are in the middle of? Do they think we inbibed a mind-erasing drug during the commercial break?