Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 20, 2017 11:56:11 GMT
Television is evil, but we all watch it. And even if we don't watch it, we hear about it.
So I thought I would start a thread about television shows.
My favourite TV shows are Star Trek (The Next Generation and Voyager) and the US version of The Office.
Star Trek might seem like an ultra-progresive show, and in many ways it is. But there are conservative elements to it that I really like. First of all, national identities persist into the 24th century-- people are still Irish, French, etc. And heritage and tradition are a big deal, to both humans and non-human species. The shortcomings of scientism are also a theme of the show. At one point, the main protagonist Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard says to a young cadet: "Anyone can be trained in the mechanics of piloting a starship. It takes more. Open your mind to the past. Art, history, philosophy. And all this may mean something." The crew of the various ships are also a model of community.
The US Office doesn't really have deep or consistent themes-- it's just very funny. It generally avoids political correctness, which I like. It's quite warm and sentimental, which I also like. The first series was just warming up, series one and two were the zenith of the show, it was very variable after that (they increasingly had to come up with zany storylines, given the strictures of the situation-- the life of a paper company), and the last season wrapped it up very nicely-- the last episode was brilliant.
What TV shows do you like? Do you agree that TV is evil? Do you think it has an ongoing effect on society or has it shot its bolt now?
So I thought I would start a thread about television shows.
My favourite TV shows are Star Trek (The Next Generation and Voyager) and the US version of The Office.
Star Trek might seem like an ultra-progresive show, and in many ways it is. But there are conservative elements to it that I really like. First of all, national identities persist into the 24th century-- people are still Irish, French, etc. And heritage and tradition are a big deal, to both humans and non-human species. The shortcomings of scientism are also a theme of the show. At one point, the main protagonist Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard says to a young cadet: "Anyone can be trained in the mechanics of piloting a starship. It takes more. Open your mind to the past. Art, history, philosophy. And all this may mean something." The crew of the various ships are also a model of community.
The US Office doesn't really have deep or consistent themes-- it's just very funny. It generally avoids political correctness, which I like. It's quite warm and sentimental, which I also like. The first series was just warming up, series one and two were the zenith of the show, it was very variable after that (they increasingly had to come up with zany storylines, given the strictures of the situation-- the life of a paper company), and the last season wrapped it up very nicely-- the last episode was brilliant.
What TV shows do you like? Do you agree that TV is evil? Do you think it has an ongoing effect on society or has it shot its bolt now?