Rant #3,541: 57 Channels (And Nothin' On)

We are right smack dab in the middle of the TV show premiere season!

You didn't realize it? I am sure you are not alone.

It just isn't the same anymore.

When we had just the three networks--CBS, NBC and ABC--this was a pretty important time for TV viewing.

Favorite shows returned for another season, and new shows debuted, trying to entice us to watch.

There was a lot going on even though there were just three networks, and the scorecard we all used was TV Guide.

Those Fall Preview issues were always as thick as a local phone book, and they contained brief summaries of all the new shows.

And, of course, these issues, and all issues of TV Guide, had the TV schedule of your local area.

There was really nothing like it, and those Fall Preview issues always were instant collectibles.

And I know that I looked forward to this time of year, when all my favorite shows came back, and I had my choice of new shows to watch.

Things are so different today.

With a multitude of networks, streaming channels and shows, this time of year for TV is really very diluted.

There really is no set time for a show to debut or start another season, so there is way less excitement.

And if you miss a show, no big deal--

You can stream it later on when you have time to watch it.

And TV Guide certainly isn't the same, as it tries to cover what is going on, but it is no longer the Bible of TV that it once was.

And it is no longer digest size, either.

So at least for me, the excitement just isn't there.

I still watch "Survivor"--heaven knows why--and I also watch "Blue Bloods."

I will give the latest "Big Bang Theory" spinoff a look-see, but really, as far as current shows, the TV landscape has kind of passed me by.

I cannot get into the new shows, and the shows that are streamed generally are nothing to write home about.

In fact, as the TV landscape has expanded, my interest has waned.

I, personally, would prefer to watch the old shows than the new ones, and evidently I am not alone, as the proliferation of oldies TV channels would attest to.

And don't get me started on the reboots ... nothing but retreads trying to appeal to the modern audience, and not very good at all.

(And the inclusivity nonsense with just about all of these reboots has got to stop!)

So while this was once a very exciting time for me--and for millions of others--now, it is just another time to go from channel to channel, trying to find something--anything--to watch.

With all of the technological advances we have experienced during the last 30 years or so, I simply do not think TV is as good as it used to be--

Not by a long shot.