Although the lights have been switched off already at Trio in prep for its going dark on 12/31 (in time for Sleuth to launch in its place), there was actually one compelling show on the network I found fascinating.
The Christmas Special Christmas Special is an hour long documentary on television's love affair with the Christmas special, from an utterly forgettable Christmas opera aired in the early 1950's to today's CGI.
It featured a number of the show participants, including some of the technical staff who created the various Rankin-Bass specials, as well as the endless parade of variety specials during the 1960's and 1970's (and you can't miss the Captain & Tenille Xmas special footage which looked like some drag performance festival). Even Pee-Wee Herman had a shot on the show, telling tales about wardrobe malfunctions on his own Xmas special.
Although they crammed too much into the hour to make any one segment have significant depth, it was still a compelling documentary about the mindset of network executives who wanted affordable and non-offensive specials for a holiday that not all of their viewers celebrated.
Produced before the fake War on Christmas nonsense hit certain cable news channels, it was far more enlightening about the rationale in place at the network boardrooms and sponsors. Simply put, specials were produced to attract the greatest possible audience (Christian and otherwise), and to be attractive to the single sponsors which frequently signed on to the special (Coca-Cola, America's natural gas industry, etc.)
Check Trio's website for scheduling - I believe the next airing will come the week of Christmas. You'll only see Trio promos during the breaks - it appears their commercial sponsor contracts have been terminated.
The Christmas Special Christmas Special is an hour long documentary on television's love affair with the Christmas special, from an utterly forgettable Christmas opera aired in the early 1950's to today's CGI.
It featured a number of the show participants, including some of the technical staff who created the various Rankin-Bass specials, as well as the endless parade of variety specials during the 1960's and 1970's (and you can't miss the Captain & Tenille Xmas special footage which looked like some drag performance festival). Even Pee-Wee Herman had a shot on the show, telling tales about wardrobe malfunctions on his own Xmas special.
Although they crammed too much into the hour to make any one segment have significant depth, it was still a compelling documentary about the mindset of network executives who wanted affordable and non-offensive specials for a holiday that not all of their viewers celebrated.
Produced before the fake War on Christmas nonsense hit certain cable news channels, it was far more enlightening about the rationale in place at the network boardrooms and sponsors. Simply put, specials were produced to attract the greatest possible audience (Christian and otherwise), and to be attractive to the single sponsors which frequently signed on to the special (Coca-Cola, America's natural gas industry, etc.)
Check Trio's website for scheduling - I believe the next airing will come the week of Christmas. You'll only see Trio promos during the breaks - it appears their commercial sponsor contracts have been terminated.