Despite the fact that I'm part of MTV's target demographic, I don't really watch the network. I only tune in as I'm getting dressed in the early morning and MTV's running its morning music video block. For the rest of the day, MTV seems to avoid actually playing full music videos like the plague. Instead, they fill their programming schedule with awful reality shows about spoiled pre-teens and dating shows so depressing that contestants are even willing to pee all over themselves to get out. Now, please allow me to frolic about in my own fantasy world, in which I create my idea of MTV's perfect programming schedule. There are only five -- FIVE -- MTV shows that I would keep. That's right. Everything else should be full-on music videos. In my own MTV, there will be no Laguna Beach, no Pimp My Ride, and certainly no Yo Momma (how did they manage to pitch that?!)
The Real World: I currently despise this show but can accept keeping it if it goes back to what it originally was: a genuine social experiment. Nowadays, The Real World is just a blatant attempt to show hot tub orgies week after week. I want to see the tension that comes naturally when seven strangers live in the same home and stop being polite and start getting real. If I need to see boobies and pixelated genitalia, I'll turn to just about every other aspect of our culture.
Daria or Clone High: Okay, so neither of these shows are on the air anymore, but I guess I have had a hard time letting go. Both of these cartoons were amazingly clever and even to this day, I get an occasional urge to dig up an episode on YouTube. Seeing as how MTV's last animated endeavor was Where My Dogs At?, I doubt they'll reach that level ever again.
TRL: I hate TRL. I have always hated TRL. I will continue to hate TRL as long as it is on the air. However, I can understand that celebrities need some place on my new MTV to promote their crappy movie or album or fragrance line. Plus, if teeny-boppers don't have some place to scream about their favorite former boy band member, they will take to the Internet, in the form of poorly-designed blogs.
Made: This is one of the greatest make-over shows I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Sure, there is not always a massive physical transformation, but that's not the important part of the show. The kids always seem to learn something about themselves, managing to transcend their normal social standing or personal difficulties. Honestly, it's quite inspiring and a lovely change from the sex romp attitude of the rest of MTV's programming. It's heart-breaking, heart-warming, and even kind of beautiful, sometimes. I wish more of MTV's audience had the attention span to enjoy this show. Keeper.
True Life: I like documentaries. I'm boring like that. MTV usually does a pretty good job of picking subjects that are relevant to youth culture, and they present it all in a normal documentary format, without jazzing it up and making it MTV-ized. Of course, this is one of the more bearable programs on the network and can even be a real eye-opener to the different kinds of lives that young adults lead in this world.
Additional Notes On Music Videos: No James Blunt videos, no more than three ass-shaking videos per hour, videos cannot be played more than once within two hours, I must be featured in at least five videos per day.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-06-2007 @ 11:39AM
ATLarchitect said...
Good Choices!
The Real World with REAL people was fascinating and very enjoyable. True Life and Made actually push viewers and participants to look outside of themselves - something that much of the other current programming seems unwilling to allow. Daria had its time and sadly, that has passed. I would rather remember it then than force the issue now.
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4-06-2007 @ 12:30PM
mendelini said...
How about Super Sweet 16? The premise lends itself to mindless repetition, but I think that next season, they should introduce new "factors" to create a little more drama. Like sending a lion loose onto the dancefloor!
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4-06-2007 @ 12:29PM
DougE said...
MTV still plays music videos?
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4-06-2007 @ 1:10PM
rob said...
Run's House rocks. It should stay.
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4-06-2007 @ 11:14PM
Cthulhugus said...
I wish They hadn't canceled Wrestling Society X that show was bad ass. I never did get to see that piranha death match cause MTV didn't show the last episode. Oh well maybe it will end up on DVD.
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4-06-2007 @ 1:04PM
justelise said...
Rob and Big is funny and relatively harmless as far as MTV programming goes. I love Xzibit but Pimp my Ride is no longer exciting to watch. They should rename it "After we clean out this nasty ass beater of a car lets see how many 7" monitors we can stuff into it."
Other than the ones you named and Rob & Big, the rest of the lineup should be wiped clean. I understand that MTV wants to be a network full of cool programming but truth be told it's a network full of reruns. I think they should ditch some of the shallow stuff (Sweet 16 garbage) for more positive programming like Made and True Life. It is also time for Road Rules to die. I don't mind the Real World Road Rules competitions, but after the 20th one it gets kinda played.
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4-06-2007 @ 1:01PM
David said...
Yeah one thing that mTV needs to keep (or bring back) is music videos, something this gen knows nothing about.
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4-06-2007 @ 4:59PM
Zach said...
No Human Giant?
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4-06-2007 @ 3:13PM
drew said...
Wonder Showzen and Human Giant.
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10-13-2007 @ 11:55AM
Eyecandy said...
The Channel you need to watch is "The Tube." All music videos, all the time. I haven't watched MTV in years for the very simple reason they don't have anymore music. If they do play some videos they are usually cut short.
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4-07-2007 @ 12:04AM
Kyle said...
Hey, about the Real World, I might have some good news for you. The casting call for the 20th season (the 18th is currently on the air) asks for motivated people. Meaning they are going back to the original formula. Read about it here: http://realworldroadrules.blogspot.com/2007/03/real-world-is-casting-for-its-20th.html
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4-06-2007 @ 6:52PM
Nicki said...
I demand that Daria return.
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4-06-2007 @ 10:35PM
Jason said...
Well Punk'd will be airing it's final season.
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4-07-2007 @ 5:09AM
scotty said...
#6 -- Music videos
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4-09-2007 @ 12:40AM
Jonathon said...
The correct answer is "The Maxx".
They only animated, like, the first 13 issues or so.
There's at least 50 or so IIRC. Cheap, good, thoughtful filler that would bring pseudo-intelligence back to MTV.
And then reruns of AeonFlux.
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4-09-2007 @ 12:48PM
nemali said...
You make a good point about the current state of MTV. Its just shy of horrible now. Although I would disagree with your show choices. Tom Green was the best show they ever had. Brilliant laugh out loud comedy that opened the wounds of social inappropriateness and transcended cultural and communication boundaries. Its sad that they let that one go. The second best show I have seen is Wonder Showzen, which accomplishes more of the same but takes it to a new level with political and religious undertones. It makes one question their beliefs and their place in this world. It forces us to look at ourselves from a different perspective, but rewards us with humor when we do. Fortunately for us we have the internet, which has sites like ManiaTV.com, which plays videos all the time and actually has a live Tom Green show that you can call into. Its great. If only MTV still had flavor like that. Unfortunately it was lost along time ago when it allowed itself to be run by corporate greed.
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4-09-2007 @ 1:09PM
San said...
Run's House and Making The Band are great MTV shows.
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4-09-2007 @ 6:01PM
C. said...
Saturday at 4:00 a.m. I learned about the effects of steriods on True Life.
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4-10-2007 @ 12:16AM
mooh said...
True Life and Made are 2 of the best shows MTV has made - they are positive and they really shows young people nowadays what life is like outside of their world (like you said). I think young people these days are too spoiled and they need to understand that life is not just about material things and that parents are not terrible creatures who only go against their wishes. I love Daria too; I think that's a show teenagers can relate to.
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4-09-2007 @ 8:40PM
jennifer said...
Nice choices. Though i have to say, their should be a variety of music videos instead of just an hour filled with just rap/"hip-hop". Oh, and you forgot to add the shows where it's the Real World kids and Road Rules Kids (i.e. The Inferno, Fresh Meat), that's always intresting to watch.
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