FX’s line up sucks, so I won’t be watching them any longer once this show is done.

FX is making a huge mistake, likely from the pressure of people who know neither how to change the channel, nor set their parental controls. This is mature content of the best caliber, and its loss will cost them millions of viewers.

At least we have 1 more season left….

Rev. Angelle Keiffer
Mentor, Ohio

Most, if not ALL, shows, on most, if not ALL, networks, today, do not get much of a fair chance for success. However, before we can even examine that, we must first recognize that, with VERY LITTLE EXCEPTION, the quality of ALL, but a select few television shows, are no more than INANE DRIVEL, (not unlike the spirit with which this may have been written-you decide!) compared to the writing/scripting of shows that were ending a mere 5 to 10 years ago. These were shows that ended a golden age that began to accelerate, when the brilliance of ensemble casting, beginning with say “MASH”, for instance, began to screetch to a halt, with the completion of, say, NYPD Blue. Since that time, TV has NEVER been the same.

TV has however, been sprinkled with some good, through some of the Seinfelds’, Friends’, CSIs, Law & Orders’, Criminal Intents’, SVUs, Criminal Minds’, Cold Case Files’, and Without a Traces’ of just a few years ago (some of which are perhaps withering on their vines). All good, but none, save maybe Seinfeld, early NYPD Blue, & early Law & Order, of them being even close to on a par with shows like that of OZ, Deadwood, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Sex & The City, Curb Your Enthusiasm and more recently, like that of, Brotherhood, Dexter, Californication, Weeds, and In Treatment, All, for which you must PAY.

Add that to blogger Melissa’s commentary above (and below),

“melissa Says:
July 19th, 2008 at 10:51 am

There are only a few shows that i watch (nip tuck, lost, october
road, desperate housewives, greys anatomy) Ever since March for
some reason i have pretty much cut my tv time to almost 1 hr a
week if that and its because of stupid crap like this cancelling good
shows (nip tuck, october road, alias, tru calling, the practice etc..)
They dont even give these shows a chance and with them skipping
weeks or months people forget about the shows ( not to mention
that they keep switching times and days, sometimes without
announcing it)
im annoyed, who runs these tv stations cause seriously they do a
Shi**y job.”

and you can see how Hollywood collectively continues to shoot itself in both feet, if you will.

Lastly, we should ALL maintain high levels dignity and self respect when it comes to spending, that’s right SPENDING our precious, irreplaceable, and hard earned 30, 60, 90, and 120+ minute units, of television watching. If a network or those with programming control, begin unduly raising their “pricing,” irrespective of their “product’s” (their respective episodic, serial television programming) quality (as measured by the quality of a show’s writing, acting, and/or regularity) by starting to:

1) mix old with new episodes, on the same channel, on the same day, at the same time, and in the same season;

2) skip episodes, for reasons other than presidential speeches or extremely GOOD or BAD immediately breaking news;

3) shorten seasons by 25% to 65% less episodes (arbitrary numbers) (allow your perception to be your guide);

4) break seasonal continuity by more than 1 year;

5) arbitrarily change the days and times of your shows, ESPECIALLY without any verbal announcement;

6) excessively advertise before, during, and/or after a shows original airing AND maybe its subsequent airings, too; and lastly

7) blatantly insult your and everyone else’s intelligence, by generally running roughshod over your well honed sensibilities, when it comes to what YOU know crosses the line of what is and is not a quality television viewing experience

then do not allow it to continue. There are a few things you can do.

1) Change the channel. There is more programming (not much good) on today, than there has been, at any other time in TV history. So, at least the odds of finding a quality program have theoretically increased;

2) Pop in a blank VHS tape, blank VCD, blank DVD, blank BluRay disc, turn on the DVR or TIVO or whatever and “timeshift” the show. Allow several shows to accumulate before you begin to view them. This will enable you to to regaining a great deal of the control AND COST that has been taken and foisted upon you; or lastly and most effective

3) Turn the television off and read a book, spend time with your kid, wife, etc., learn a new language, get some of that sorely needed exercise you have been hearing about and always wanted to try; but

4) Most importantly, make a steadfast vow to yourself and to your family that you will never ever again be at the mercy of television. Then, take all of the steps that are necessary to make that happen by always having quality programming on hand. Accomplish this through one of the many amazing recording technologies, through the internet, through “on demand” services, through satellite, cable, and fiber optic programming services, and/or through borrowing from your local library’s media collection (a HUGE and UNDERUTILIZED RESOURCE), just to name a few, that we have available to us today.

Good luck. DO NOT LET THOSE ******** WIN! Your time on this earth is short. Never trust any executive in pursuit of dollars, to dictate how you spend yours. Hazzaah