In a conversation with friends this weekend we talked about TV shows that we used to watch. There were not any recording devices or an internet to store all the shows. There was not even replays that I remember. On Sunday night, we all watched Disney and Bonanza. The kids watched Captain Kangaroo. It was great to remember all of those shows. The memories of the entire family sitting down to watch a show together and 50 years later, it seems that we were all watching the same ones.
It is so different now. I already watched the Sox games earlier, which is my default viewing lately so I was at a loss for what to watch. I started to watch some PBS, since I have had enough news for the day and then noticed that a Facebook friend was watching the hockey game so that is what I am watching now. There was a point in my life when I would never watch a hockey game unless Boston was in the Stanley Cup finals. I have actually grown to like watching hockey. But I digress.....
There is such a variety of shows to watch and times to watch them that there is not the same common language around TV. Sure, there are shows that a lot of friends watch, Mad Men, but even that can be watched On Demand after the show airs.
Our discussion also included listening to the radio as well as watching TV. I don't remember that as much as our first TV which we got in Colorado in 1960 to watch the JFK inauguration.
I actually don't watch that many series and I hate most reality TV, except Dancing with the Stars of course.
TV is also a background activity for me. Sometimes it is on while I read my email, or quilt. As an extravert, I want background noise most of the time, so it serves that purpose.
So, TV watching has changed and I am not sure how I feel about that. I much prefer Lucy or My Three Sons, to most series today. We did watch West Wing recently and that is great TV. House of Cards was OK, but not great. And somehow I have become a sports fan. Maybe it is to be able to converse about sports, but I really enjoy the Sox games, and as I blog this I have the LA vs CHI game on in the background. I don't really care who wins, I am just happy Montreal is out of the running, because they beat us.
Last note. It is funny to see how deep those old TVs were. Technology sure has change, which enables this different TV viewing.
