No Right Answer: Most Disappointing Television Channel

[BaronIveagh]

Sci-Fi should have won for one reason:


cancelling




Mystery Science Theater 3000




"We'll ditch our highest viewership show because NBC executives don't get it."

 

[Endocrom]

Discovery is starting to do the same too, sadly. I almost had my "last straw" when they advertised their new special "Mermaid: The Body Found".

I mean...really Discovery? Really?!

Oh my god, my brother was glued to that one. So stupid. The Future is Wild and Alien Planet were cool and all, but crappy CG mermaids on handycam footage? that's just not even trying.
[hr]If I could nominate one channel that fell the furthest I might say The Disney Channel. Seriously, it was a premium channel once, scrambled and everything just like Playboy.

What did they show that was worth charging extra for? Cute movies from the 50's and 60's, that's power. Now, they are basically throwing knockoffs of Saved By The Bell at the public, hoping something sticks.
[hr]Also G4 was a lot better when it was TechTV. The Screensavers, Big Thinkers, Call For Help was okay, even Robot Wars (sigh)

 

[Ashley Blalock]

I'm almost ancient so I've seen the very first years of these networks, the height of their popularity and their decent into mediocrity. So I'm going to have to say Sci-Fi was the bigger let down.

M-TV has always been hostage to what is popular with the pre-teen to teen movement of the moment. My parents and their generation found M-TV just as pointless and stupid as post-teen adults do today. The saving grace for M-TV was that some insanely talented acts put out some well made videos and M-TV was the only place to see them. Now music videos can be found all sorts of places so M-TV isn't really needed for music as it once was.

Science fiction, now that's a fairly rare breed. The geeks might have inherited the Earth and superhero movies might make more money than some nations, but it hasn't translated into a great wealth of sci-fi and fantasy TV shows. We still need a place that can gather 24/7 geekdom under one TV station.

The problem is one that is seen time and time again. A network will start out with a shoe string budget but people who are passionate as hell over music, science fiction, history, cartoons, or video games. With limited resources these passionate people will find a way to put out some fantastic stuff. But when things look profitable the parent company will gut the network in the hopes of making something so bland and generic that it will appeal to everyone. When that fails the station becomes cheap reality TV and cheap re-runs.

Honestly it's gotten to the point where there are just not enough new and interesting TV shows for me to have cable. Too many nights each week I couldn't find anything new on worth watching on any of the cable channels.

 

[BBboy20]

If they ever revisit this one, I think we can almost all agree that it should be cartoon network vs G4TV. I think this matchup will be even closer since probably more people watched cartoon network but it seems like g4tv had a bigger fall.

Cartoon Network wouldn't work because there are plenty of people here and across the web that seems to enjoy shows like Regular and Adventure Time.

 

[Varya]

This video embodies the tagline of Alien vs Predator:

"Whoever wins, we loose"

 

[Korolev]

Okay - I was going to side with MTV as the worst channel, until they started talking about Metal Tornado. SyFy - worst channel.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

In my personal opinion?

Disney/Cartoon Network/Nickelodeon (for caring more for crappy Tween comedies than good cartoons), "Scyfy" (seriously? And what does wrestling have to do with science fiction?), and MTV/2 (While I admit to liking some of the shows on now, they aren't really music-related).

Also, Verizon sucks for taking the Funimation Channel off TV, leaving us with channel after channel of little kid shows and channels for the same movie over and over and over again.

Fuckin' TV executives...

 

[TallanKhan]

M....T.....V......,
Guarantee any time i turn to it its dissapointing and awful. And I'm like: EVERY FREAKIN TIME!

 

[SkullKing84]

Mtv hands down.. bad bad bad. I watched Mtv when i was a kid (late 80 and the 90s). By late 90s i was "well this is getting just sad". I haven't watched Mtv in about 10 years. Early 90s shows on Mtv like The Maxx, liquid television and the Head... now those were good shows.

I still watch Syfy for Alphas, warehouse 13, Eureka, Lost girl, and the terrible movies.If i remember correctly scifi turned into Syfy for copyright reasons. They couldn't international get Scifi copyrighted... or maybe i'm getting swiss cheese brain in my "old" age.

 

[ProtoChimp]

WRESTLING IS NOT FAKE YOU CU- sorry. It's staged, I hate the word fake. Why the fuck it's on the Sci-Fi channel (fuck syfy) is anyone's guess.

At least Sci Fi has one or two good shows like V and Smallville (after season 5 when they finally got their fucking act together, though Clark and Lana are both boring bitches) while MTV only had Death Valley, which was just sex on steroids on toast... too far?

 

[gphjr14]

History Channel needs an honorable mention. From actual history spanning several eras, to mostly WWII and Hitler to Aliens and now

Spoiler

This shit. The show may be interesting but it isn't history.

Main reason I don't have cable.

 

[gamegod25]

Reality TV killed television in general. That's why services like Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, etc. are so popular is because you can cut out the crap and watch only what you want when you want. The only reason I even have basic cable still is because it was a package deal with my internet service.

Reality TV is the herpes of modern television.

 

[katsabas]

I was never a fan of either channel. But I dislike MTV with a passion. Not because of stupid shows and the like. But because nowadays, video clips like this


are being tossed aside to make room for more of these



I...what am I watching ? A music video or the intro to a porno ? Worst thing is, coffee places back home are filled with tv screens so in order to spare my eyes, I have to actually scan the place to find somewhere to sit even when it is empty.

 

[Whispering Death]

SciFi is absolutely the most disappointing channel. They had a tentpole in Battlestar Galactica to build around and completely blew it.

They should have pivoted to become the "nerd culture" channel. Get the rights to show the Marvel and DC comics movies, find ways to make shows out of George Takei-like beloved B-level celebrities, and fund interesting shows like Battlestar to bring in cult followings and keep the word-of-mouth alive.

Too bad they just gave up after Battlestar started losing ratings and just decided to mail it in.

 

[Waaghpowa]

You can't live without basic cable? I've had an antenna on my TV for 24 years and I'm still alive. I just use this magical thing called the internet where I can find a way to watch anything that interests me

 

[FinalHeart95]

The Science Channel has basically become a bunch of "How It's Made" reruns. I like to watch that channel to actually learn about stuff I'm interested in, not how to make a heart-shaped spur.

 

[mykalwane]

Got to say one of your better episodes. Even though I don't agree with you on MTV being more disappointing, I do agree with the set up.

The thing with MTV outside of the music videoes everything else on it was pure crap. It started out as this crap with some good qualities till it blossomed from a sh!t stain to full out turd. It was stupid entertainment even when it was good. Celebrity Deathmatch being the best example of this. So MTV being a worse version then it was doesn't surprise me. This may have to do with my tastes, but they never played anything I care about when it was good.

Before SciFi channel science fiction shows would only come on Friday nights. This would be your X-files, Sliders, Star Trek, Outer Limit, Farscape, ect. There would be that one night where me and my dad would get together watching science fiction. Now when my parents first got divorced, that was all my dad and me had. That one night we get to be together, often with pizza enjoying the show. Now when SciFI became available it started off as just rerunning old shows.This gave the excuse to be with my dad more often. Allowed me to see shows that were before my time. Voyage to the bottom of the Sea for example. Now I have had the advantage of being with my dad latter in life so we have those moments whenever a new Zombie movie or cool science fiction movie comes out on DVD. We don't have a day set aside to do that. We had every day to do that. Something that was sad to say, didn't last. SyFy and other channels don't see us as an audience member worth having. SciFi did, it was the last refuge of having a channel in which there was going to be something for us to watch. When it was gone, there was a big chunk of familiar interaction. That family gathering over something more then you was lost in the change from SciFi to SyFy. That is why it is a bigger disappointment to me.

Now this is experience I don't think many have had, and probably why SyFi isn't as bad of a disappointment. Most have had their cool stuff replaced with crappy stuff is why MTV is a bigger disappointment to them. This is the primary reason I disagree with you on MTV is a bigger disappointment. Though on what is a bigger disappointment to others you be right on the money.

 

[Group Grope]

MTV was never good or cool nor did it invent music videos anyone who says otherwise ether wasn't alive in the 90's or wasn't paying attention

also where's the hate for faux news

but ya syfy /sigh is all there is to say

 

[Orange Lazarus]

Mtv has never disappointed me personally. I don't really care to watch it or care about what is airs. Sci-Fi, on the other hand, canceled my favorite television program of all time, Mystery Science Theater 3000. So If I had to pick from the two, Sci-Fi is the most disappointing, Mtv is just the most horrifying.

P.S. I can't remember the last time I learned something from The Learning Channel.