TV Networks are digging their own graves.

It’s no secret that traditional TV networks are on the decline. In an age in which online screaming networks like Netflix and Amazon Prime, TV networks are struggling to keep ratings up.

Why do people prefer to watch their TV shows from platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime? Well I would say the top reason is ease. It is so easy to simply download an app, pay monthly for a subscription and claim all the benefits not available to you when purchasing TV packages along with your broadband.

The top three reasons I use online streaming platforms is because they work out cheaper these days, the selection is better and you have the benefit of not having to view ads. Now, I wouldn’t solely blame TV networks for their own decline. We evolve and change, just like the ‘walkman’ turned into the ‘cd player’, the ‘mp3 player’ and most recently Ipod. Radio isn’t as popular now because of these music streaming platforms like Spotify. Radio still exists of course, it just isn’t as popular as it was 20 years ago, so I don’t believe TV networks will go extinct – not any time soon anyway. That being said, most are killing their remaining viewers with shit content which has been brought onto the network to try and boost ratings and therefore bring in more money. But that’s where they’re killing their own networks. They’re hanging the noose around the already battered network.

You ask people all around the world why they watch TV and most will say ‘for entertainment purposes’. Some people watch TV for a thrill, for a laugh, for a cry. They watch for an escape. An escape from reality and the world we live in. And, lets face it, we live in a time in which an hour escape each day would be of benefit. The reason I personally feel so strongly about this subject is because I have been there. I used TV shows as a vise. A fictional world in which my problems didn’t exist and I could lose myself in a story. Growing up watching fictional characters like Olivia Benson have shaped who I am today and those characters are IMPORTANT. They’re so fucking important.

So, why are TV networks like CBS and Fox cancelling shows that have a massive fan-base and tell important stories? Money. It all comes down to money. I know how the world works, the world wouldn’t function without money. But why are already *filthy* rich networks cancelling shows with amazing content and actors for reality tv? More money. What they do not realize is that they’re digging their own graves by cancelling these shows for more reality TV. Why? Well, because we already have dozens of reality shows across all the networks. Another reality show is just going to flop in an already busy current genre type.

Simply, networks are cancelling shows from Drama, Scifi, Crime, Fantasy, Comedy and Action because they aren’t getting the rating for them anymore, which is probably because of the online streaming services that are taking over – this isn’t the networks fault though. They’re replacing these shows with reality TV with the hopes that it will get their ratings back up, meaning money, money, money.Which, is their fault. But, why can’t they see it is this very action that is causing the decline of their network? Cancelling shows and replacing them with reality shows that WILL flop is a massively stupid move to take, and they’re all slowly doing it. They’re all making the same mistake and soon TV will only be good for one thing – reruns.

I wrote a post a few months ago when FOX decided to cancel Brooklyn Nine Nine even though it was still reeling in a good amount of views each week. Why did they cancel a show that clearly has a HUGE passionate fan base? Well, to make space for more of the same that will flop after a few seasons. They had a solid show with Brooklyn Nine Nine, the show was doing everything right. The cast was right, the characters represented important people and the story-lines were enjoyable every week. It was a great 20 minute comedic escape. Thankfully for us fans and probably to the regret of FOX in a year or so, NBC picked it up for another season.

NBC is a network I still very much respect in terms of their ability to understand the importance of a good TV show. NBC brought us shows like Friends, The Fresh Prince, the Chicago One franchise (med, fire and pd) and the Law and Order franchise, including the impressively long aired spin off Law and Order Special Victims Unit which is about to go into its 20th season this coming September.

This blog post was wrote after I found out about the cancellation of a newly found show I have come to love – Code Black. There are a lot of medical dramas out there right now, but Code Black did it different. They didn’t add all the unnecessary love drama that most medical dramas include these days *cough* Grey’s Anatomy *cough*. I know, it’s shocking right… a medical drama that included no sex in the hospital! Instead, it was loved for its fast paced, intense view of what a hospital looks like when it is in ‘CODE BLACK’, which is described as ‘an infux of patients so great, there aren’t enough resources to treat them’. But, of course CBS cancelled the show – prematurely. The show was made great by the actors and stories. It was a medical drama that was more medicine and less drama and I liked the change of pace that this show offered. I am kind of pissed it was cancelled to be honest.

I used to have a list longer then my arm of shows that I watched on daytime and evening tv but now – except reruns, its very rare I will actually watch tv anymore. I have now got to put all my hope on online screaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime with shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to bring me good quality content in future.

Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw are leaving Grey’s Anatomy.

Anyone who hasn’t seen or heard of Grey’s Anatomy will probably be very confused about this blog post. I have done blog posts about TV shows before, and today I wanted to talk about Shonda Rhime’s decision to get rid of two of her most beloved characters, April and Arizona.

A month or so ago, it was announced that Sarah Drew (April Kepner) and Jessica Chapshaw (Arizona Robbins) wouldn’t be returning for season 15 of the medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy. Fans of the pair weren’t happy to hear this news, including myself. A lot of them speculated as to why these two were let go by the company owned by Shonda Rhimes called ‘Shondaland’. Some thought maybe they were being fired because they could no longer afford to keep them on. That caused people to take it out on Ellen Pompeo, claiming that the reason they can’t afford to keep the pair on was because Ellen (Meredith Grey) was getting a massive pay rise. Ellen Pompeo went on the record to clean up the rumours on twitter, tweeting “I’m a big girl @DEADLINE can take shots at me if they want but to the fans please don’t fall into that trap. This is above my pay grade,” and “Its unfortunate that @DEADLINE chooses to try to pit women against each other on #InternationalWomensDay #ShameOnYouNotMe,”.

I do believe Ellen, I do believe that this is WAY above her pay grade. I cannot imagine her going to her producers and telling them she wanted a pay rise. Even if she did, it’s her boss’s job to say ‘we cannot do that’. I highly doubt that Ellen knew or had anything to do with Jessica and Sarah’s exit from the show. I do think it is the fault of the producers and writers though. An inside source stated “Ellen Pompeo was given a pay raise to recognize her incredible contributions to the success of the show. She more than earned the producing role, and frankly, it was long overdue. There was this incredible mad dash to try and find Ellen a male co-star after Patrick Dempsey left. What the network quickly learned, was that Ellen didn’t need another McDreamy.”  That same source stated “Sarah and Jessica’s story lines had just run their course, and the decision was made to not renew their contracts,” That is of course something I do not understand. They can keep finding stories for Owen Hunt – the man that married two women who don’t want children and then cheated on them because he isn’t getting his own way? Let’s get rid of him, Amelia can do better and Christina deserved better.  But, they can’t find more stories for the only gay character left on the show and the only devout Christian character on the show? Ya, right. I don’t know the full ins and outs of the logic behind the departure for these girls leaving, I just believe they have made a MASSIVE mistake in firing these women.

April has been on the show for 9 seasons, Arizona for 10 seasons. They represented people that are hardly represented on TV. Arizona being a gay woman and April a devout Christian. April has had some amazing storylines. She has lost her son, Samuel, gone to a war zone and battled with the disbelief of her religion. Like April, Arizona has also has some great storylines. Being in a plane crash, losing her leg, the crumble of her marriage and dealing with being a co-parent. She has lost many people. The only thing I never agreed on was when she cheated on Callie. Both women have become close friends in recent years, having had both gone through a divorce and having to co-parent their children.

I don’t know how they’re going to ‘get rid of’ these characters. It could go either way, Grey’s Anatomy aren’t strangers to giving people dramatic ‘send offs’. Killing George O’Malley – via bus, when T.R Knight wanted to leave the show. Killing Derek Shepard – via truck, when Patrick Dempsey wanted to leave the show. Killing Lexie Grey – via plane crash, and Mark Sloan – via aftermath of plane crash. Izzie, Preston, Christina, Callie, Steph, and Nathan weren’t killed off (shockingly). Their characters left to start new lives in new places. Christina went on to run her own hospital, Callie moved away with her new girlfriend, Steph didn’t want to spend any longer in hospital after the fire, and Izzie left after having survived cancer, leaving behind divorce papers for husband Alex Karev. The actor who played Preston Burke was sent away because his character was rumoured to have said homophobic comments targeted at T.R Knight (whom is gay).

I have some ideas on how they will send off these characters. I have a suspicion they will kill off April. Like a lot of people have stated, April would never leave her daughter, which leads me to believe they kill her off. There are two options to April’s departure in my opinion. Either, they’ll kill her off or they will do what they did with Callie, send her off to a new place and she will co-parent her daughter with Jackson like Arizona and Callie have done for years now. Somehow, I don’t believe they’ll do the same thing twice though, I hope they do though, as there would be hope for a return in the future for April. As for Arizona, I don’t think they’ll kill her off. I believe they’ll send her and Sofia to wherever Callie is living now. Having watched last weeks episode of Grey’s, it is apparent Sofia is probably sad because she misses Callie. Arizona will probably leave for another hospital so Sofia can be close to both parents. But, we will find out in a few weeks as we are currently in the last leg of the season 14 of Grey’s Anatomy. 

I am very upset that we are losing these two women, I am. But, there is nothing we can do now. The decision was made, the episodes have been filmed and now we just have to wait and see the exit that has been planned for these women. I just hope that they give these girls a good send off. I will continue watching the show, because I do love Meredith, Bailey, Alex, Jackson and Jo. I just don’t see this show lasting much longer. It has been renewed through season 16, however I don’t know how their ratings are going to go come season 15, so it could go either way. It could remain the same, or decline. We will see I guess.

What are you views on Sarah and Jessica’s departure from the show? 

Shannon x

Fictional Characters EVERYBODY should admire

Like most of my generation, I grew up watching TV. There are probably hundreds of studies that tell you watching too much TV is bad for you, they’re most likely right. However, I learned a LOT about life and myself through fictional characters and storylines. Some of the actresses behind these fictional characters have even become some of my favourite idols, and they do deserve the title “idol” because they are doing some amazing work in the activist world, and I am so happy with the fact that I get to admire the actress as well as the character. Whether I related to the character or they made me feel like I could face my own demons, I want to thank these women for making these characters so relatable and playing them so well!

Brooke Davis – Played by Sophia Bush
I admire the woman behind this character so damn much! But, before I knew who Sophia Bush was, I started watching One Tree Hill. I think most people will say that Brooke wasn’t their favourite at first, and I never thought I would warm to her. However, over the seasons, I grew to love her. The character development from spoilt, bitchy rich teenager to a successful, strong, caring and loving woman was truly amazing to me. Brooke went through A LOT and I have always admired how she always fought for herself and the ones she loved. Her battles during high school, being cheated on and losing her best friend to her unbearable mother, being attacked, losing her business, and almost dying in a trapped car are all a lot for one person to take in during their lives. Somehow Brooke always managed to get back on her feet, say something kick-ass and smile. She was an amazing character to grow up watching, learning how to deal with my own demons from a character likes hers really helped me. Although One Tree Hill is long over, I can always look back at Brooke and re-watch her strength and power through the seasons, and remember that I can get through the crap in my life.

Olivia Benson – Played by Mariska Hargitay
I started watching this wonderful woman on Law & Order SVU when I was in high school. Her soft and understanding nature with victims, and her amazingly ruthless attitude towards abusers made me love her. I went through an abusive relationship when I was in high school and for a long time I felt ashamed and at fault for what happened to me, but this show changed those views. The show has opened my mind massively and I think it’s a show that is needed so much in this day and age. I am always amazed when I watch an episode of Law & Order SVU and see they have yet another educational episode for me ( and everyone else) to watch. In a recent episode, Olivia stated she had been doing this for 19 years and it hit me that this show has been going for so long, educating us on sex crimes. I will always have so much respect for Mariska’s character and her too. She is doing great work and helping us open our eyes in the real world to the reality of sexual crimes. She recently stared in I Am Evidence and what she is doing to end the rape kit backlog is truly inspiring.

Callie Jacobs – Played by Maia Mitchell
Out of all these characters, Maia Mitchells character on The Fosters is the closest in age to me and her past is very relatable to me. Callie was my favourite character on the show from the very start. Coming across as this young girl who didn’t care about anything and had given up on being happy, fitted with my current situation at the time I started to watch the show. Callie was able to finally open up and begin to be happy when she got to the Fosters home. The whole storyline with Liam hit me hard, going through something very similar years earlier. Callie was strong and tough from the start and her kind heart and caring nature made her an amazing character to admire. She cared about everyone, always fighting for what was right even if it meant her own freedom was taken away. She taught me that just because something gets hard doesn’t mean you give up, you fight harder, you don’t give up on what you believe in and that your opinions matter.

Jo Wilson – Played by Camilla Luddington
Jo is a new woman to make this list. Some people didn’t like her character from the beginning, but there was always something about her I really liked. What I admire about this character is her bravery. She did what so many women in an abusive relationship can’t do (out of fear), she left. She ran away, she still became a surgeon, she made a life for herself. She never let him win and that is so damn admirable and definitely someone you should look up too.

Gabriela Dawson – Played by Monica Raymund
If I had to describe Dawson in three words they would be; strong, fighter, and supportive. Lets be honest, from the start of Chicago Fire, Dawson has always been someone who doesn’t let anyone walk all over her. She’s strong, she’s opinionated and she fights for what is right—much like Callie Jacobs and Olivia Benson. I love Dawson for her attitude. She’s a strong role in the show. Being one of few females in the firehouse, she makes sure the men know she isn’t any pushover. She stands her ground and follows up on what she does, I respect that.

Temperance Brennan – Played by Emily Deschanel
In many ways Brennan isn’t very similar to other women on this list, but she is admirable to me because she is strong, smart and successful. One thing I love about her character is how much she doesn’t care about what people think of her. She knows she’s smart—she doesn’t need validation. She knows she’s pretty—she doesn’t need anyone’s approval. Those are very rare qualities these days and I think it makes her an amazing woman. Women are often told by society that it matters what people think, like we need their approval for how we decide to live, it’s refreshing to see a character not give a crap about social norms. I love that.

There are so many other women on TV that I admire, both on and off screen, but these are just my top six. Maybe I’ll have some more favourites to write about soon.

Shannon x

14 Songs from One Tree Hill

Want to know my top 14 from the hit TV show One Tree Hill? Here are 14 songs to save you life from one of the best TV shows – for music and much more.

I think we would all be lost without music and a lot of people my age listen to ‘top of charts’ and quite frankly it’s a load of shit. There I said it and with that loads of people my age just got really mad and defensive, well its my opinion of course, but come on, most of the music these days is auto-tuned and not even written by the actual artist, they aren’t talented, they aren’t creative, they have ‘it’. Anyone can have a music career these days, why? I don’t know, I guess people these days would rather listen to fake shit made by pretty artists then the REAL musicians out there, excluding Ed Sheeran, I can’t stand modern music. Give me 80’s music to dance to any day, give me 90’s music for a party any day, give me 00’s music any day to sing along too.

But today I have selected some of my favourite ‘One Tree Hill’ songs. Enjoy!

Here Comes A Regular – The Replacements

Half Moon – Blind Pilot

Good Life – OneRepublic

I Shall Believe – Sheryl Crow

Can’t Go Back Now – The Weepies

Coffee And Cigarettes – Michelle Featherstone

Hear You Me – Jimmy Eat World

Always Love – Nada Surf

Stay Away – The Honorary Title

Broken – Lifehouse

I Dare You To Move – Switchfoot

Boston – Augustana

Secret Crowds – Angels & Airwaves

The Girl – City And Colour

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

I was looking for something to watch one night on Amazon Prime when I happened to come across a new segment on Amazon video called ‘ Pilot Season’, curious to see what it was all about I clicked on the link and was presented with six pilots for new and upcoming TV shows that could be contracted to become series. Out of all of these shows the one that stuck out to me the most was ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ a pilot about a young adult women in the 50’s, happily married with 2 children, when her life suddenly changes overnight. In this one night her husband leaves and she realizes she has a talent that had never been noticed before. After the episode ended, that was it, I couldn’t go about my normal activities of binge watching a TV show for hours on end because, like I said it was just a pilot episode. I jumped on the link to take the survey about the pilot becoming a series and let Amazon know my opinion on why this show should be a new ‘Amazon Original’.

I can say with all honesty if you liked Gilmore Girls you’ll like this show and it may seem weird how the script seems just as fast and witty as Gilmore Girls but that’s only because the amazingly talented Amy Sherman-Palladino directed it!

Since the cancellation of ‘Good Girls Revolt’ I have felt a little bitter towards Amazon video because why would they cancel a perfectly good show that women can enjoy, now I am not saying us girls don’t like cars and action and I do not speak for all women but I loved the show because it shown us some real history, the struggle for women while working in the 60s/70s and what life was really like. The women’s revolution didn’t end when women could vote or own property, it was still going on with work place discrimination and lower wages, this show highlighted this, it was a good show and Amazon cancelled it. So, if they want to make up for it, they need to add another show highlighting similar issues and soon, this show is it, this show is what Amazon need.

   

The show is fresh, it’s new and its different. The fast pasted, witty and funny Midge is what we need, there are many amazing shows out there, but there are many boring shows out there that all do the same thing, they follow the same plots and storylines and personally I get tired and fed up with another show just like the last, but this, this is different and I am a fan of different. Maybe it’s just me but I love a show that takes us back in time, to a time that now, in 2017 you can’t believe actually existed with the extreme sexism and double standards but amazingly at the same time, you still see these things happen in the modern world, in a time that none of it should exist, the racism, sexism and homophobes should have died out a long time again but didn’t and you can watch a show and be amazed how they used to live their lives but realize, in some ways the world is still like that to some degree.

I am not going to lie, I sat down to watch this shoe expecting good things as I had high hopes that Amy would deliver again and I was not disappointed. I loved seeing Amy’s work in this show, you could see her work through out and that fast pasted wittiness reminded me of my much beloved show ‘Gilmore Girls’. The great thing is, these 2 shows are different but if you have ever seen Gilmore Girls you’ll also see the work of Amy throughout, it’s like her brand, witty and charming, it makes this show so much better, just by her being on it. Now, this isn’t just about Amy or a strong female show, its about something new and fresh, like I said earlier something we haven’t seen before and if the TV world needs something… its something fresh, witty and different. Trust me.

     

If Amazon decides to axe this show after an amazing pilot like that, its a damn shame and they are pretty stupid for doing so. Do something right Amazon, give this pilot a series.

             

Four TV Shows you should watch in 2017

As you all know, I am a lover of good TV and I love some drama (on TV off course) and I have five shows you should check out this year!

Gilmore Girls

I could talk your ear off about Gilmore Girls, it is hands down one of my favourite shows, it has everything and if you are looking for a show to binge watch this year, this is the one for you. If you are looking for drama, wit, humour and real life mixed into one, try this show. Focusing around 32 year old mother and 16 year old daughter in a little town called Stars Hollow. Between the locals in town, the girls love life’s and the ‘grandparents’ you have enough drama in the 45 minutes each episode runs for. Gilmore Girls is on Netflix and you can buy the box set for about 40 pound online. By the way, as an added bonus, The Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life has just come out on Netflix, so we finally get to hear those last 4 words!

One Tree Hill

And the reward for most disaster’s to happen in one series goes too…one tree hill. I only got into this show this year( on a friends recommendation). You can go from hating a character one season and by the next you love them. Take Brooke Davis for instance. You will cry during the cause of this TV series though, just a warning. You will most certainly have a ‘ship’ by the end of the series, mine is Haley and Nathan!

The Fosters

When I started watching this show, I was sceptical as to whether I would like the storyline or the characters but if you love shows like Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill, you’ll probably like this one. The show is all about a same sex couple, Lena and Steph raising their 2 foster children, Jesus and Marianna and Steph’s son from a previous marriage called Brandon. The show starts with new comer Callie Jacobs, a foster child who has had some bad foster homes and just wants a safe place for her and her brother Jude, luckily she finds that for her and her brother with the fosters. Between Callie and Brandon’s secret love for each over and Marianna problems with her birth mover, Jesus’s issues with his pills and girl trouble and Jude’s sexuality, this show has everything and again, it will have you crying, laughing and sitting at the end of your seat and screaming at the end of each episode, they do love a good cliff hanger on this show.

Bones

I love crime shows, a little too much I think, but bones has been by far one of the best I have seen so far. I am so unhappy that it’s ending this year after season 12, but we still have 11 amazing season to binge watch whenever you want too. What’s different about this show is that, it doesn’t just have crime drama, it also has the wit and humour I love. It did take me about 2 seasons of binge watching too realize that Emily (who plays Bones) and Zooey (plays Jess on New Girl) are sisters. By the way, Zooey features in an episode of Bones as well.

I hope you like my top 4 TV shows you should watch this year and at least got one new favourite from this list.