Fine Programming on Fox

August 23, 2006

And now, an outrageous yet right-wing session of…

Here’s to You!

So I lift my glass and say, “Here’s to you, Fox shows!”

Oh, I know you’re all just about dropping your jaws and possibly your excrement at that. Oh, noes, I’m supporting teh eval Fox network! 🙄

If you pay attention, this is not about Rupert Murdoch or Fox News or conservatives or American Idol or anything like that. Although I do find it interesting that what I’m praising the network for is something not typically associated with conservatives.

I’m talking about our two-dimensional yellow skinned gods who live in a stateless burg called Springfield. I’m talking about the proud propane selling Texan and his family and neighbors. I’m talking about the boy genius living with his idiot brothers and wishy washy father and oh-my-God-somebody-please-shoot-her mother. I’m talking about the 1025-year-old delivery boy complete with one-eyed, Martian, robot, and crustacean friends. I’m talking about the matricidal one-year-old trying to get around a sophisticated talking white dog. I’m talking about the misfortune-prone family of a shoe salesman complete with nagging unsatisfied wife, two horny kids, and a toilet in their living room.

It goes on. You see what I’m talking about. No, wait, you don’t. I guess I have to explain it so your minds can grasp the concept. Fox shows rule. Okay? I may not especially like all of them, but even the ones I don’t care for fall under the reason I’m lauding this programming.

Fox shows actually “go there”, so to speak. I mean, look at Married with Children. The random and raunchy humor now and then. You would never find that on ABC, CBS, or NBC. MwC doesn’t usually have a point to make nor does it seem obligated to. Kelly Bundy is a whore. That’s obvious. There isn’t some “special” episode in which she sees the error of her ways (I don’t think, admittedly I haven’t seen every episode). She like all the other characters are what they are unashamedly, and the humor and storylines play off that.

Another example. War at Home. When it first came out, I grumbled at the idea of yet another typical family comedy with all the same exact recycled story lines over and over. Okay, it’s like that to a point, but it touches on issues in ways the “liberal” networks will not. In one episode, one of the sons was smoking pot. It was also revealed both the parents smoked pot. The episode went with that. Nobody quit. No big moral message saying how pot is bad and will kill you. None of that annoying crap. Now, I can’t say the same for a horrible episode of ABC’s “8 Simple Rules” I saw one time. The mom (sigh, why did Katey Segal go from a couple of great shows [Married with Children, then Futurama] to this John Ritter shit?) found pot in her daughter’s backpack, and went into this whole rant about how pot is dangerous and deadly and blah blah blah. And she was “right”. That’s not an entertaining show. That’s a 30 minute anti-drug ad.

Family Guy? Look at all the religious, cultural, sexual, pedophilic, zoophilic, incestuous, and all kinds of other humor they get away with. All in good fun and just plain silly. ABC and the others wouldn’t touch that with a 60 foot pole. Not unless there was some family values moral behind it.

King of the Hill? If you pay close enough attention, it has its many shameless risky bits too, and that’s with keeping such steady, down to earth characters.

Futurama? Come on, Fry went back in time and impregnated his own grandmother!

Malcolm in the Middle? I don’t even know where to begin with that one!

House? More badass than ER, Grey’s Anatomy, or even Scrubs could ever hope to be.

It goes on. Seriously, look at Fox shows. The general reaction to them is that they’re immoral and stupid, but much of that is what makes them great. They take the risks. They don’t have to explain themselves. They don’t have to preach. They just do it and expect you to enjoy the ride.

And with the Simpsons about to start its 18th season, King of the Hill on its 10th, Married with Children having gone like 12, X-Files having gone 10 I think, Melrose Place for however long it went, Malcolm in the Middle for 8 years or so, 21 Jump Street’s run, 90210’s run, That 70’s Show’s run, Family Guy’s strong revival… yeah, I’d say we’re enjoying the ride.

Other networks? Oh, what “great” long running shows have they had? Um, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, ER, probably Judging Amy and Law and Order, and, oh, that’s it! Yes, M*A*S*H ran for twelve years, but it was a long time ago. I’m obviously not counting shit from the seventies and early eighties. I’m talking the past fifteen to twenty years.

Now, in spite of my having given a big ass explanation, I’m sure you insecurely-liberal folks are still rolling your eyes at me, thinking I’m full of shit. “OMG! You’re so wrong! Fox is conservative! They’re the family values ones! Not the liberal stations! NEVAR!!” Not surprising. And you’ll probably start rattling off some of the dumbass shows on other networks that you like. “Oh, I like Lost! I like CSI!” Whatever. Don’t care. Missing the point. You’re usually the same idiots who stay off MySpace for the SOLE reason that Murdoch owns it now. Either way, I’m not saying some shows on the other networks can’t be good sometimes. I’m saying they’re all the same fucking thing that follow the exact same formula and recycle the exact same “humor” and preach the exact same messages that the old people that watch them want to hear. Not that it matters. The old people would still bitch that family values are lost because a 17-year-old girl said the word “sex”.

Careful, though. They just might shit themselves to death if they heard Peter Griffin telling his daughter Meg that after he’s taught her how to attract guys she’ll be “beating guys off with both hands”.

While the “liberal” networks of NBC, ABC, and CBS are hiding behind their little morals to the story and watering themselves down over and over, essentially shitting all over any freedom of speech, Fox is giving a big “Fuck you! We’ll show what we want!” to everyone (as far as a national television station can anyway). And THAT is why the fine programming on Fox is just that, fine, as it is anything but “fine”. :b:

This has been Day 92 of the 100 Days of Summer, Round 6.

3 thoughts on “Fine Programming on Fox”

  1. The programs on Fox are pretty good… but the fox cable news network is something alltogether different. All cable news is awful, but fox is the worst.

  2. [quote]You’re usually the same idiots who stay off MySpace for the SOLE reason that Murdoch owns it now.[/quote]
    😆 I think I made a comment like that not so long ago.

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