I have many great memories from growing up. For better or worse, a lot of them revolve around watching television with my parents and siblings.<\/p>\n
Back then, before everyone had their own screen, we would gather together to watch our favorite shows, especially M*A*S*H. I developed much of my sense of humor from watching these shows.<\/p>\n
We watched some hour-long shows too, but I mostly remember the comedies. Most of my TV watching over the years has focused on sitcoms.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I felt terrible when the networks announced the TV schedule for next season. A half-dozen comedies I liked to watch will not return for 2014-15. One that does \u2013 \u201cParks & Recreation,\u201d perhaps my favorite \u2013 will air just 13 episodes for its final season.<\/p>\n
I feel like my best friend has stabbed me in the back.<\/p>\n
Now I know that I shouldn\u2019t get too worked up about this because of the many different ways we can experience television. I don\u2019t even sit down and watch shows when they air that often any more.<\/p>\n
But I would prefer having my favorite shows come back so I could watch them OnDemand on my own schedule instead of having to go hunting around for new things to watch.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t just watch sitcoms because the evoke a nostalgia for growing up. Comedy gives me something to look forward to, even if I have seen so many that it\u2019s often easy to see the joke coming,<\/p>\n
The skill of the writers and actors makes me feel good. They have literally proven that laughter can help improve people\u2019s health so I take my comedy very seriously. It\u2019s not necessarily a matter of life or death, but it can certainly make your life better.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I hated seeing that not only are some of my favorite shows going away, but the networks have greatly de-emphasized comedies in general. I have a lot fewer choices for my preferred television shows.<\/p>\n
I just don\u2019t have the attention span for most dramas or the stomach for most reality shows. I kept up with \u201cHawaii Five-O\u201d for a couple of seasons, but even the kitschy nature of the show and the physics-defying \u201ceverything is Hawaii is a 10-minute drive away) couldn\u2019t keep my interest.<\/p>\n
So I figure I will spend the summer trying to figure out how I can make use of my time when the TV season kicks off in the fall. I could try and sound all kinds of smart and say I will read more books, but I know that won\u2019t happen with any great regularity.<\/p>\n
I can find the full run of a lot of shows I never really invested time in on the various streaming services, but the irony is that most of those are dramas. I might commit myself to \u201cBreaking Bad\u201d now that it has ended, but that will take real commitment.<\/p>\n
I will manage to occupy my time somehow. Hopefully a comedy or two I have never seen will call to me from a smaller network or the Internet. Or I will just watch reruns of shows I love and have seen a dozen times and can quote from memory.<\/p>\n
If my wife complains, I\u2019ll tell her to call the networks because it\u2019s all their fault.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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