In 1961, Newton N. Minow, then Chairman of the the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), referred to the television industry as “a vast wasteland.” And the name stuck.

There was then, and is now, a great deal of pure, unadulterated crap on TV. But is it all bad, mostly bad, or are we just over-emphasizing the bad stuff and overlooking the good? And which was worse — the 1961 bad stuff, or the 2023 bad stuff? Let’s take a look and see just what was what back in the day.

In 1961, there was no cable or satellite TV; there wasn’t even Public Broadcasting (PBS) until 1970. We had three nationwide network channels — NBC, CBS and ABC — and one local channel where I lived, in the Washington, D.C. area: WTTG-TV (now owned by Fox). That may sound grim to today’s cable and satellite viewers accustomed to hundreds of channels (most of which I’ll bet you never watch). But we had variety. Sure, we did. We had a dozen or so family-friendly shows, though sometimes it was hard to tell them apart, as for example:

– The Dick Van Dyke Show: About a married couple with a young son, a stay-at-home mom, and twin beds.

– My Three Sons: About a widower bringing up . . . you guessed it . . . three perfect sons.

– The Andy Griffith Show: Another bashful widower, bringing up another perfect son, this time with the help of a spinster aunt in a town called Mayberry.

– The Donna Reed Show: A happily married couple this time, also with perfect kids.

– The Danny Thomas Show: Same as Donna Reed.

And for something a little different:

– Hazel: I don’t remember the plot exactly, but I do recall she was somebody’s very bossy housekeeper.

– Mister Ed: A talking horse. No comment.

– Candid Camera: Possibly the first reality show. Not sleazy, but sometimes embarrassing in its own way.

– The Ed Sullivan Show: At last, something actually entertaining — a true variety show featuring various musical, acrobatic, and other acts; best remembered for the American debut of The Fab Four (the Beatles, of course).

And there were a number of westerns: Wagon Train, Rawhide, Have Gun – Will Travel, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke. Plus some evening dramas for the grownups: Dr. Kildare, The Avengers, Ben Casey, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Perry Mason come to mind. And the kids had The Flintstones, plus every parent’s built-in baby-sitter: Saturday morning cartoons.

Well, Mr. Minow, I’m beginning to see what you meant. America’s favorite family pastime in the ‘60s seems to have consisted largely of a gigantic serving of mindless pap. The only positive thing I can say about it is that it was clean and non-violent. In fact, violence, sex and swearing apparently didn’t exist then . . . although smoking certainly did, on the shows and in the commercials.

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In contrast, today’s fare is overwhelmed with people blowing up buildings, eviscerating other people, sabotaging their teammates in order to be the last one left on the island, and everyone jumping into bed with everyone else’s mate. Much more realistic, they say . . . but is it entertainment? I suppose the answer to that is in the eye of the beholder; lots of sex and violence seem to be what draw the big audiences today. Just be sure you don’t show anyone smoking.

And don’t forget all those 600-pound people exposing their lives (and themselves) to the world, along with the desperate hoarders and others in dire need of real, caring, professional help. How can we stand by and watch them being exploited for the sake of . . . what? . . . a bit of money they’ll just spend on more food, or trinkets from the nearest flea market? What kind of sadistic person thinks of these things?!!

Of course, there are a few good, clean shows — well, clean, anyway — like the endlessly repetitious Hallmark made-for-TV movies . . . and especially the Christmas series, usually beginning in July. And the world-wide phenomenon of talent shows, where the judges — and the viewers — have to sit through the ranks of screeching contestants in order to find an occasional real talent. Or the fake shows: the home renovations with the beautiful furnishings that aren’t really included in the deal; the “chefs” who travel the world, gorging on mountains of food that would destroy the average person’s stomach lining; the unreal housewives from everywhere; and those talk show hosts whose sole purpose in life seems to be the demolition of other people’s last remaining shreds of dignity. It’s a wonder our brains haven’t melted.

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On the plus side, though, the kiddies do still have Sesame Street and Nickelodeon.

And amidst all of the drek, there actually is much for the adults to thank the television gods for. What would so many of us do without the educational and cultural programming of such networks as PBS, the History Channel, TCM (Turner Classic Movies), and the news outlets like CNN, MSNBC and the others? Or the reruns of some of the better shows of the ‘80s and ‘90s, like M*A*S*H, The Golden Girls, and The West Wing? I guess we’d just stash our TV sets in the attic until they became collectibles worth a small fortune on eBay, and do something really drastic, like dive into all those books we’ve been collecting for years.

Come to think of it, that’s not such a bad idea. Look out, John Le Carre and Will Shakespeare . . . here I come!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/23