TVSquad

It's the Festivus time of year, in which we air our grievances and try not to get hit with the phallic metal pole.

Along with the WGA strike, one of the things I noticed most about this year was the advancement of television-related technologies and how darn cheap things like LCDs and DVRs are getting. It's getting to the point where CRT televisions and VCRs will become exclusive to antique shops. We will pass them buy in the store and tell our children "I used to own one of them. This is before we had cable microchips implanted in our skulls to receive television signals directly into the cerebral cortex." But I digress...

After reviewing my personal television-related desires for this year, I have come up with eight different things I want for the holidays. Hopefully, fortune will favor me and the pole will provide.

1. I want an end to the writers' strike. Preferably one in which the writers get everything on their Festivus lists as well. While the strike is going on, nobody wins. The writers lose money. The studios lose money. Most importantly, we here at TV Squad lose new things to write about. Granted, there are always TV-related items to write about, but if this persists we're going to have the change the name of the site to Reality TV Squad.

2. I want Joss Whedon's Dollhouse to not be canceled before its inception as a result of the strike. And when it's finally on the air, I want to review it for TV Squad (Keith knows this already. I'm just letting everyone else know). Did I mention that Eliza Dushku is the star of it? Do I need another reason to watch the show?

3. I want my cable company to generally offer more and cost less. Does everybody else find this to be the case? I use Cablevision of Hudson County in New Jersey and the monthly rate is about $55 per month for basic cable (by that I mean cable-only channels such as Sci Fi and Comedy Central, not HBO or Showtime or any of those). Yet for that amount, certain channels are not offered, such as BBC America. Perhaps this phenomenon is only limited to my area. Granted, I am in a better position than most of you. Since I didn't have cable television before taking this job, I can write off my cable bill on my taxes. If this is the situation around the country, it's no wonder people are abandoning cable TV in droves for alternatives such as FIOS and Dish TV.

4. I want my fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, dammit! I know some of the fourth season is already in the can (since they showed seasons from the upcoming season after Razor), but when I read that certain shows were in jeopardy due to the strike, my heart skipped a beat. How can they allow this symphony of a show to end prematurely? That would just be a crime.

5. I want Doctor Who to be broadcast in the U.S. at the same time it is initially shown in the U.K. I think the show has enough of a fan-following in the States that we shouldn't have to wait for months after it's initial broadcast to watch it here. I would love to be able to watch it at the same time as Martin without resorting to methods that may be interpreted by some (such as the BBC) as infringement on copyright. In the end, I'd probably still buy the DVD and the BBC would still make money off of me.

6. I want less sports and "reality" on TV. I know this is a matter of taste, but I loathe reality TV. And to me, television sports is just another version of reality TV. I enjoy scripted storylines much more than having producers put a mix of people on camera and seeing what happens with results that vary from the tragic to the hilarious. With scripted storylines, particularly nowadays when television is more of a continuous drama rather than self-contained episodes, this leads to a more satisfying payoff. I recognize that I'm likely in the minority with this particular wish.

7. I want a TiVo with a built-in DVD burner. I know they exist. I prefer the portability. When I record something from cable I can carry it around with me and if necessary watch it on my laptop on a plane ride. Granted, there are a myriad of technologies that exist that enable someone to do this without the need for a Tivo, but I prefer the convenience.

8. I want all of our readers to have a wonderful holiday (whichever one or ones it may be) and keep reading. And buy stuff from our advertisers. Happy Holidays!