TV Choices – the Old is New Again

In my opinion, there are just too many choices.

I grew up watching television---probably liking it too much.  So much so that in summers my mother cut out little round circles out of construction paper and laminated them, each circle representing 30 minutes of television.  We were allowed to use four circles per day.  The only exception was watching football or basketball with Mom and Dad on the weekends, which obviously took place during the school year. 

Nowadays, I'm battling the never-ending creeping of streaming services. Hulu. YouTube. Cable. Disney.  Apple.  I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round constantly making choices of which service is better based on price and selection. And to be candid, I only really want it for the sports that are shown live.

All these choices bring me to my normal evening activities. After the kids have gone to bed.  My wife and I have our chance to be just a “twosome” in those quiet hours and we've enjoyed watching Bridgeton, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ted Lasso, Virgin River, and others. But after she goes to bed, usually before 10 pm, I end up watching old-school television, over the air with an antenna.

While shot some 50 years ago, Carol Burnett and her cast are brilliant. I found more humor in watching Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore from the early 1960s than I ever imagined.  And there is an over-the-air station for just Westerns.  John Wayne and Randolph Scott can still ride a horse and save the day in 2023 just like they did in 1953.  And I've caught my wife watching as well, before she drifts off, many times saying that she's never seen these episodes or movies. Of course, she hasn't. They were produced before either set of our parents even had met.

This has been a good reminder of two important values in my life. The first is that “more isn't better. It might be just more.” Having all the streaming services and options doesn't seem to take me away from some basic really good entertainment.   

The second is that “better” does not mean “more recent.  What was “funny” in 1964 is still funny today.  And what was “interesting” about the ol’ West when Eisenhower and Kennedy were President of the United States still holds true during the Biden administration.

I grew up with Carol Burnett (I was really young) and old movies through my mother.  If you haven’t taken a moment or two to enjoy Carol Burnett or Hawkeye Pierce (MASH) or Perry Mason, then you are missing something.  And you kind of find all of those on FREE TV….and might even like them as well.