Once Great Cable Channels That Have Gone Downhill

[MFer 0]

If you mean every once in a blue moon during that 5-9 A.M. time frame, then yeah.

 

 

Even worst, MTV2, which was initially created to make up for the decreasing number of hours that the regular MTV was putting for music videos, has in recent years, degraded into purely a backhaul of the regular MTV's programming (a la ESPN2).

I wish they still had The Box.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

*BET some time after Viacom took over

 

Aside from Rap City, what on earth did BET ever have going for itself? And don't say Comicview or I'll kick you in the nuts.

[King Kamala 0]

Sanford and Son reruns? Actually, last time I tuned in about six months ago, they were playing a marathon of Sanford, the short-lived sequel series where Redd Foxx ran the junkyard with a lovable fat southern hick.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

Well, I meant in terms of original programming. Technically speaking, MTV introduced me to The Young Ones, but it wasn't an MTV program.

[the max 0]

The History Channel. Between shows about the future, shows about the paranormal, shows about ice road truckers, do they even cover history anymore?

 

Sure. If you like watching show after show on Hitler and Nazis.

[migoli 0]

*BET some time after Viacom took over

 

Aside from Rap City, what on earth did BET ever have going for itself? And don't say Comicview or I'll kick you in the nuts.

 

 

 

I'm getting ready for a swift kick!

 

 

Sure it wasn't all good but they had some good no names enough for me to give it a peek or 2 everynight.

[spman 0]

VH1 Classic used to be great when it was just non-stop videos. Although I suppose that format only realistically works for so long, it saddens me now that there are now fewer music videos, and they have a greater emphasis on other music related programming.

 

I've been a fan of GSN since it's inception, but I hate how lately they seem to change formats every couple months. Sometimes they emphasize on classic gameshows, sometimes they focus more on modern ones, sometimes its reality shows, other time it's original programming. Regardless, considering the endless amount of footage they have the rights to air, there's no excuse for them to show as much Richard Karn / John O'Hurley Family Feud, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as all the late night poker / blackjack crap that barely even qualifies as a game show. I guess a channel like this needs to air the crap to appeal to a larger base in order to survive, but I still miss the old days of Match Game, Dawson Family Feud, Password, Pyramid, etc.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Is any major cable channel still good according to you goons? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm having a hard time thinking of one that I haven't heard someone say is going downhill.

 

Honestly, no. I stopped watching television on a regular basis.

[King Kamala 0]

Yeah...I pretty much stick to VH1 Classics, news, and sports these days. The only scripted show I watch it with any regularity is Saturday Night Live. The shows I do watch, I watch when they come out on DVD. 'Course it doesn't help that I don't have cable when I'm off at school.

 

Actually know what's an awesomely bad channel? Fox Reality Channel. Got to love the endless showings of When Animals Attack, Celebrity Boxing, and Man Vs Beast.

 

Still I hate to be one of those goofs that say I don't watch/hate television. There's a lot of wildly entertaining and/or genuinely high quality stuff out there, you just have to wade through a lot of crap to get to it. Hence why I like watching television on DVD so much.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

TLC used to actually be "The Learning Channel" and would show cool engineering and science, or military, or nature shows. Then over a couple of years it devolved to the point where it shows nothing but wedding preparation and makeover shows

 

This one is the worst to me because I used to watch it all the time and now it is the same old makeover crap.

 

Discovery Civilization has gone downhill too. I used to watch it all the time when it was focused on ancient, medieval and early modern history, especially since the demise of the History Channel as mentioned above, but lately it has been going down the same path as History has. At least the Nazis are a big part of history, but keep this paranormal garbage on the sci-fi channels where it belongs.

 

Next thing you know NFL Network is going to start showing bowling all day to really piss me off.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Is any major cable channel still good according to you goons? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm having a hard time thinking of one that I haven't heard someone say is going downhill.

 

Travel Channel has actually gotten better over the last couple years. This is due entirely to the fact that they added the best show on TV (Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations) to their line-up.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

VH1 Classic used to be great when it was just non-stop videos. Although I suppose that format only realistically works for so long, it saddens me now that there are now fewer music videos, and they have a greater emphasis on other music related programming.

 

I've been a fan of GSN since it's inception, but I hate how lately they seem to change formats every couple months. Sometimes they emphasize on classic gameshows, sometimes they focus more on modern ones, sometimes its reality shows, other time it's original programming. Regardless, considering the endless amount of footage they have the rights to air, there's no excuse for them to show as much Richard Karn / John O'Hurley Family Feud, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as all the late night poker / blackjack crap that barely even qualifies as a game show. I guess a channel like this needs to air the crap to appeal to a larger base in order to survive, but I still miss the old days of Match Game, Dawson Family Feud, Password, Pyramid, etc.

 

As soon as GSN de-pushed sweet, sweet Shandi Finnessey and pushed all the Combs era Feuds to a time I don't even know (since it's always Al Borland when I check it out), I got pretty angry with them. Their hour long decade specials on the 70s, 80s, and 90s last fall (summer?) were pretty good though.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

mtvU is pretty much all videos all the time.

 

Palladia is also very awesome. Concerts and specials in HD, and latenight there are music videos in HD.

 

[SuperJerk 0]

Someone's already beat me to saying everything I had to say on this subject.

 

TSM, you complete me.

[The Niggardly King 0]

*BET some time after Viacom took over

 

Aside from Rap City, what on earth did BET ever have going for itself? And don't say Comicview or I'll kick you in the nuts.

 

 

They used to have the late night music videos that was nothing but chicks shaking their asses which they couldn't show the rest of the day.

[foleyfanforever88 0]

VH1 Classic used to be great when it was just non-stop videos. Although I suppose that format only realistically works for so long, it saddens me now that there are now fewer music videos, and they have a greater emphasis on other music related programming.

 

I've been a fan of GSN since it's inception, but I hate how lately they seem to change formats every couple months. Sometimes they emphasize on classic gameshows, sometimes they focus more on modern ones, sometimes its reality shows, other time it's original programming. Regardless, considering the endless amount of footage they have the rights to air, there's no excuse for them to show as much Richard Karn / John O'Hurley Family Feud, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as all the late night poker / blackjack crap that barely even qualifies as a game show. I guess a channel like this needs to air the crap to appeal to a larger base in order to survive, but I still miss the old days of Match Game, Dawson Family Feud, Password, Pyramid, etc.

 

As soon as GSN de-pushed sweet, sweet Shandi Finnessey and pushed all the Combs era Feuds to a time I don't even know (since it's always Al Borland when I check it out), I got pretty angry with them. Their hour long decade specials on the 70s, 80s, and 90s last fall (summer?) were pretty good though.

 

Ohhhh Shandi. How I miss her.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Also, Boomerang used to be great but now they have gone to playing more recent stuff instead of the old stuff. As far as I know they dont air Looney Tunes regularly anymore which was the last network to run Looney Tunes on a regular basis. They had a marathon on New Years and they usually do a Bugs Bunny marathon in June (June Bugs) but still..

[DMann2003 0]

Is any major cable channel still good according to you goons? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm having a hard time thinking of one that I haven't heard someone say is going downhill.

 

TCM, Seriously, I think it's gotten better, it's not just Time Warner library works anymore. And we're in the middle of their best stretch, 31 Days of Oscar. Two nights ago they showed 'Network', Damn I love that film.

[A.BUTCHER'S HOUSE OF RIBS 0]

Chiller channel on Direct TV used to be pretty good. They'd show Night Gallery and Alfred Hitchcock presents. Now, their becoming just like the SCI Fi channel and that's definitely not a good thing. I still love VH1 classic just for Metal Mania. And I have to agree TCM is amazing. Especially TCM underground. In the last few months they've showed Freaks, Terror in Tiny Town, Sonny Boy, The World's Greatest Sinner, The Fabulous Stains, and Night of the Hunter.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

I figured I mention this here, since both the show I'm about to mention and the channel I'm about to mention were mentioned.

 

Apparently, sometime last year, TBS set up a pilot episode for a reincarnation of Match Game.

 

Would that get people here to watch that channel, I wonder?

[the max 0]

I'd rather just watch old Match Game on GSN.

[bob_barron 0]

Norm was in it, so I'd watch it for him

[ChrisMWaters 0]

The biggest problem with a new Match Game would be the political correctness though.

 

Something like Gene Rayburn's line to Fannie Flagg here wouldn't fly today.

 

 

Or this whole segment with Charles...

 

[Darthtiki 0]

If Disney was smart they would start a Vault Disney channel...they have enough content to pull it off. Instead it's Hannah Montana, Jonas Bros. and HSM all the fucking time.

[bob_barron 0]

If Disney was smart they would start a Vault Disney channel...they have enough content to pull it off. Instead it's Hannah Montana, Jonas Bros. and HSM all the fucking time.

 

The Disney Channel is one of the top rated channels on TV. So, they are smart.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

*BET some time after Viacom took over

 

Aside from Rap City, what on earth did BET ever have going for itself? And don't say Comicview or I'll kick you in the nuts.

 

 

They used to have the late night music videos that was nothing but chicks shaking their asses which they couldn't show the rest of the day.

 

Yeah, I used to jerk off to Uncut. Like, sweaty, two-hour unsatisfying cable television wank sessions. You all know what I'm talking about.

 

The quantity of ass was always concurrent with how awful the featured artists were.

[haws bah gawd 0]

G4 - Fuck this channel for dropping Unscrewed with Martin Sargent in 2004-ish. One of the finer points of my early TechTV/G4-viewing days. All you get out of this channel now are endless replays of the same episodes of Cheaters, Cops, Unbeatable Banzuke, and Ninja Warrior. Even X-Play, which was once at least tolerable, has become unwatchable.

 

Nickelodeon - Once a fine source of animated programming, and some surprisingly clever shows. It is now nothing more than endless reruns of Drake & Josh, and Spongebob Squarepants.

 

MTV - There's nothing I can add that hasn't already been said.

 

 

[TMC1982 0]

Ohhhh Shandi. How I miss her.

 

Indeed!

 

[TMC1982 0]

G4 - Fuck this channel for dropping Unscrewed with Martin Sargent in 2004-ish. One of the finer points of my early TechTV/G4-viewing days. All you get out of this channel now are endless replays of the same episodes of Cheaters, Cops, Unbeatable Banzuke, and Ninja Warrior. Even X-Play, which was once at least tolerable, has become unwatchable.

 

Nickelodeon - Once a fine source of animated programming, and some surprisingly clever shows. It is now nothing more than endless reruns of Drake & Josh, and Spongebob Squarepants.

 

MTV - There's nothing I can add that hasn't already been said.

 

G4 seems to think that only "Attack of the Show" and "X-Play" are enough to appease fans of the video game/technology portion of the channel's legacy. Just like MTV, they're completely abanding their bread and butter in order to sell out and appeal to the lowest common denominator!

[TMC1982 0]

G4 - Fuck this channel for dropping Unscrewed with Martin Sargent in 2004-ish. One of the finer points of my early TechTV/G4-viewing days. All you get out of this channel now are endless replays of the same episodes of Cheaters, Cops, Unbeatable Banzuke, and Ninja Warrior. Even X-Play, which was once at least tolerable, has become unwatchable.

 

Nickelodeon - Once a fine source of animated programming, and some surprisingly clever shows. It is now nothing more than endless reruns of Drake & Josh, and Spongebob Squarepants.

 

MTV - There's nothing I can add that hasn't already been said.

 

The problem with Nickelodeon today I believe, is that they seem to pay too much attention to what the Disney Channel is doing. Disney struck gold so to speak with live-action tweencoms like "Lizzie McGuire", "Even Stevens" and later, "That's So Raven", "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody", and "Hannah Montana".