Two more things I hate ....

[Julius Leonard Marx]

That is in addition to stations, networks and cable channels routinely not following their own schedules....

(1) Cropping the credits to run something else in a large frame or in a crawl at the bottom of the screen. The program frame always gets re-shaped and distorted. Sometimes I'm interested in reading the credits. I also don't appreciate getting distracted in the middle of a show by some so-called news-crawl which is really just a promo for the late news.

(2) Stations and cable channels running episodes of shows out of sequence. TV Land in the worst at this (as they are about item number one). They've been jumping all over Cheers: Part of Season 1, Part of Season 3, back to more of Season 1 and some of Season 2, then the same episodes from Season 3 again, now they've gone to Season 8. It's one thing to break the sequence for seasonal episodes or to do some special sweeps week stunt scheduling but otherwise, run the shows as they were intended to be seen.

Yes, I know! They can do what they want. And I can not like it and complain about it. Total On-Demand is coming and we won't need channels any more.

 

[BRNout]

Oh yeah! Agreed on all counts. The credits are now so brutally cropped, squeezed and misshapen that they are illegible on MOST networks. It was one thing when there was merely the distraction of a crawl; but now you can't read them at all. Not to mention that they often blast through them at supersonic speed!

That being said, the two things I hate most (aside from all that insipid reality programming) are:

1) The on-screen promos that pop up and all over whatever you are watching. God how I hate those!! They could not be more invasive and annoying. And, in some cases, they even add sound to them taking them to a new lower than low, low. Some of the sound sweepers actually make you jump!

2) The ever increasing commercial loads, particularly on cable networks. It's to the point that there is no escape because using your clicker only results in finding ads on all of the other channels too. They give you about 15-20 minutes straight during the first half hour (to get you hooked) then proceed to have a long break at :20. Fine. Then a short break at :30. Okay. Then a loooong break at :41, followed by another at :48 and still another at :55 or so. It's gone too far!

 

[1069_KIFR]

Wow...All I can do is agree!

As with those shows being shown out of sequence, the worse is when the show is a two-parter. Then the next show isn't even the second part! That is simply wrong!

Here in the Bay Area, KTVU FOX2 runs Family Feud back to back. If you watch the first episode, at the end John O'Hurley announces that (the winning family) will be back to defend their championship. Then the next show immediately following, there are two new families!

 

[anotherguyTN]

Not only are most of the cable networks jumping around with episodes of reruns, but now many of them are only showing certain episodes over and over again and not showing others at all. TV Land was showing all episodes of MASH, but now they've been jumping around and showing only certain episodes since the beginning of this season. At least Hallmark still seems to be showing them in order, although I don't get to see it there as often because of the time that they're on.

As for the game shows, the second episode is usually a rerun from a previous season for most of them, not just Family Feud. At least on Millionaire they say it is a "classic episode" at the beginning.

 

[KML0224]

Oh yeah! Agreed on all counts. The credits are now so brutally cropped, squeezed and misshapen that they are illegible on MOST networks. It was one thing when there was merely the distraction of a crawl; but now you can't read them at all. Not to mention that they often blast through them at supersonic speed!

That being said, the two things I hate most (aside from all that insipid reality programming) are:

1) The on-screen promos that pop up and all over whatever you are watching. God how I hate those!! They could not be more invasive and annoying. And, in some cases, they even add sound to them taking them to a new lower than low, low. Some of the sound sweepers actually make you jump!

During Monday's episode of "Chuck" NBC placed a 1/3 screen ad for Matt Damon's movie from the "Bourne Supremacy" series. Sure enough...the movie is from Universal Pictures. Worse yet, what ad ran during the next stop set? An ad for the same movie. WTF?

 

[MarcB]

Alot of the syndicated shows that are double-run i.e. Family Feud, Millionaire, Crosswords, Family Guy, Judge Mathis, Maury, etc. have what's known as The Primary Run and the Secondary Run. The primary run show all the new episodes. The secondary run are older episodes.

 

[Skynet74]

Watch Entertainment Tonight. The credits go by so fast that it is totaly useless to even show them. It's not possible for anyone to read them. It's a blur.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Watch Entertainment Tonight. The credits go by so fast that it is totaly useless to even show them. It's not possible for anyone to read them. It's a blur.

You can find out who provides Mary Hart's shoes and jewlery, if you watch real close.

 

[azumanga]

During Monday's episode of "Chuck" NBC placed a 1/3 screen ad for Matt Damon's movie from the "Bourne Supremacy" series. Sure enough...the movie is from Universal Pictures. Worse yet, what ad ran during the next stop set? An ad for the same movie. WTF?

Saw it tonight (12/5) during "Deal or No Deal" -- very tasteless. I expect NBC's own shows to be advertised this way, but to push a DVD?

Watch Entertainment Tonight. The credits go by so fast that it is totaly useless to even show them. It's not possible for anyone to read them. It's a blur.

Saw it once -- couldn't make out anything. They only paused a second for the clothing credits. I wonder hat would happen if this was back in the early-1970s and they used those old-fashioned credit roll machines -- you probably would hear its motor loud and clear over the credits, and when it reaches the end, you could hear the end flapping, not unlike a reel of film when it reaches the very end.

Seriously -- sometimes I wonder if they're showing the credits this way (among other techniques by other channels), just as a statement saying that they have to show the credits, but they couldn't be told how to show them. On the same token -- I wonder if it's possible to to include specific clauses regarding credits in the contracts for the shows and movies?

No wonder why the writers are on strike, and the techs are itching to join them next year -- they're not getting their proper due -- in money or in credits.

 

[sack]

Cropping credits to run a promo is bad enough, but sometime last week I saw the credits of one show smushed onto the right 1/8 of the screen, and the next show was starting on the left side.

ANd those damn bugs they use for promos during shows. I was watching some movie and all of a sudden there was a third person in the scene,, it really looked like another person just showed up,, but it was the promo bug.

Why should we care about the shows on TV if the people that run them don't care about them. Pretty soon, 22 minutes of commercials and 8 minutes of program (with bug promos).

I think I'll read a book.

 

[BlueWanderer]

E! gets on my nerves when they show the credits at the beginning of the show. They also re-copyright shows from a few years ago to make it as if it was copyright this year. Sci-fi's credit squeezing practices is down right ridiculous. I loathe TNT and TBS so much because like I explain earlier in the year, they were the front-runners of the bug promo revolution and the reason why tv watching sucks these days.

The only channel that I seen, well actually a block, Adult Swim actually respects the ending credits to shows (if the shows have any ending credits, some don't) and doesn't annoy the viewer with useless bugs. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network is the complete opposite.

 

[upn38fan]

It's rather awful how these stations must advertise when a show is on. Then when that show that was advertised comes on finally, the station starts a new hype with another show promo. Can't they just let you watch the damn show.

Also, it's bad enough that most channels have promos at the beginning of the scene after the commercial, but I hate when the bug goes away and 5 seconds later, another promo pops up, and by that time it's time for another commercial break.

Just awful.

 

[icstephen]

I dont know how anyone can watch a movie on non pay tv anymore...tbs shows a few good movies but I cant handle the constant commercial breaks every 8 - 10 min, we mostly only watch new shows on tv and either buy the dvd or rent it from netflix for the rest...I could probobly just put up an antenna and be done with cable/sat its not worth the constant barage of advertising. I also have a habit of muting the commercial breaks and putting up the guide so I gont have to see the ads at all, but I am also using the poor mans tivo (vcr) and just zip through most of what we watch...in fact that is the only way I can watch Ramseys kitchen nightmares on FOX becouse it usually has 21 min of commercials & promos in the show.

 

[MarcB]

Maybe if enough people write or email the networks with these complaints they'll stop doing it. Okay I know I'm living in a fantasy world.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Related to credit squeezing, it really bugs when you're watching a commercial for a movie, and you want to see who's in the movie, and you can't because the stars' names are shown for a tiny fraction of a second at the end of the commercial. Of course, there's plenty of time for the release date and the movie's website...

 

[easttxtv]

Watch Entertainment Tonight. The credits go by so fast that it is totaly useless to even show them. It's not possible for anyone to read them. It's a blur.

You can find out who provides Mary Hart's shoes and jewlery, if you watch real close.

BUT, they give you *plenty* of time to see that Paramount logo --after you're dizzy from trying to make out the credits!! Something tells me I wouldn't want to work behind-the-scenes at ET --no one would know I ever worked on the show if they depended solely on watching for my name at the end!

Another credits issue: when the nets show the main airing of one of their soaps, the credits are squeezed. But later in the day/week, when the same soaps come on SoapNet, that channel actually goes to the trouble to show readable full-screen credits at less than 70 mph.... Almost the same with Deal or No Deal, NBC squeezes at the end, while the CNBC reruns show credits sometimes squeezed, sometimes not.

I remember reading a while back in this here forum about how bad TBS/TNT are about credits, but hadn't had the pleasure myself until one day not long ago. In the lobby area of the office at my apartments, one of those channels was going on their TV, and lo-behold, as one movie's end credits rolled, the next movie's starting credits showed up--both on the same screen. I had to wipe my eyes and make sure my glasses were working. Stunned wasn't even the word for it. They couldn't wait to make some more $$$$$ long enough for anybody to go to the bathroom or grab something to eat!! I'm still shaking my head about it.

 

[RicoGregg]

I don't remember the exact year ('98 or so), but during one episode of Dharma & Greg, ABC started running a scroll on the bottom of the screen. It at first appeared to be a weather bulletin, but it turned out to be a promo for Stephen King's "Storm of the Century", a mini-series that ABC was going to run.

D & G executive producer and creator Chuck Lorre was so pissed that he started calling ABC suits that very instant, at home, at night, yelling at them to never do that again on any of his shows. They listened. They didn't.

If only there were more Chuck Lorres out there producing shows.

 

[Oldiesaholic]

Something new I've noticed on the screen in recent months....putting the title of an upcomming program in the corner next to the station I.D. bug. Trying to do the subliminal bit, I guess.

 

[Markxxx]

I used to hate that about the credit but now you can get that info online if you really want it. It's like I hated when the didn't put lyrics in albums and CDs, but you can get that online. I do realize not everyone has 24 hours access to the Internet, but it does seem to be the trend, if you can get something online don't give it time over the air.

 

[BlueWanderer]

I agree with MarcB on calling and emailing the networks. However, I imagine they already get enough complaints so they just ignore them and move on with their "push, push, push" mentality until their ratings tank to 0.

In the lobby area of the office at my apartments, one of those channels was going on their TV, and lo-behold, as one movie's end credits rolled, the next movie's starting credits showed up--both on the same screen. I had to wipe my eyes and make sure my glasses were working. Stunned wasn't even the word for it. They couldn't wait to make some more $$$$$ long enough for anybody to go to the bathroom or grab something to eat!! I'm still shaking my head about it.

Welcome to television hell in 2007!