Why do certain shows or TV networks insist on showing you what’s coming up next, WHILE you’re in the middle of the show? Syfy seems to be the worst at this. I love watching Face/Off where special effects artists compete to make the best Hollywood makeup each week. Every time the show goes to a commercial break, they show a “Coming up next” snippet of what you’re going to see after the commercials are over. Why?!? I am already here, I am watching the show, I am excited to see what amazing creatures these competitors are going to create. Don’t show me the end result in a teaser, I want to see it as the show unfolds, presumably the same way the show’s creators meant it to be revealed. Stop it!
This is a huge pet peeve and mine, and it is actually having the opposite of the intended effect on me, because when I know a commercial is coming, I turn the channel in order to NOT see the teaser–I don’t mind the commercials, but I do mind having the surprise spoiled for me.
I’m also not one to watch the “On next week’s episode” which runs after the show ends, for the same reason. I don’t want to know what’s coming, I want to enjoy it as it happens. Don’t you dare tell me what’s going to happen on next week’s episode of Breaking Bad!
Another pet peeve of mine is when the TV networks show totally inappropriate commercials during “family time.” If I’m watching Law & Order, go ahead and show me a commercial for CSI (Yes, I know different networks, yadda yadda yadda), but if I’m watching the Wheel of Fortune, I don’t want to see graphic fictional crime scenes while I’m eating dinner with the kids — I’m trying to catch the sports and weather! Guess what TV geniuses? We have pretty much stopped watching your networks during 9am-9pm when the kids may be in the same room — way to go! Our TV is now tuned to NatGeo or the History Channel most of the time.
I love watching football, and my kids are starting to get into it too, which is great, but every time Fox cuts to a commercial, I can pretty much guarantee a headless horseman is going to gallop across the screen and kill someone, so I have to scramble to turn the channel. You are losing me as a viewer of your commercials! Don’t you want me to be exposed to all those ads??? I don’t want to see dead people during a football game on Sunday afternoon! I just don’t understand why the commercials don’t need to adhere to the same TV viewing rating as the show you are watching.
Sorry for the rant, but this week, we’re talking about our pet peeves, so there you go.
I am a cable TV cord cutter so this isn’t as much an issue for me (Netflix!). The second part is something that has been occurring to me as of late with my boy arriving soon. I keep finding myself thinking “Hmm cant watch this much longer”. The ad placements seem to be troublesome as well. Stupid TV.
Oh, you can forget about watching network TV altogether for the next 10 or 12 years. 😉
The days of “Must See TV” and TGIF are long gone unfortunately.
Never have to worry about this because i record everything and fast forward pass stuff like that.
I typically do this myself, but some shows are fun to watch live so you can follow the live tweets that are going on at the same time. And you can’t watch a sporting event on delay in this day and age.
I’m a cord cutter also (go Netflix!) my 17month old loves the PBS shows. Commercials can be wayyy too inappropriate for the little fellas I agree, but I do miss them sometimes. Especially when someone says “hey, did you see that hilarious commercial”.
Isn’t it amazing how we might actually search Youtube for a good commercial? When an ad is done right, we want to see it! I can’t tell you how many times my kids have had me load up the Snuffy the Seal commercial. 😉
Yeah, I dislike the “Coming up next” scenes. Not only do you see the contestant’s work, but there are also the clips where you end up guessing who will end up in the bottom. I don’t like that stuff. With shows like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, and Mad Men, I don’t even know why they bother with previews. They never make any sense anyway.
You also bring up a really good point about live chats on twitter, there have been some fun reasons to still watch tv live.
The one that really ticked me off is when my daughter turned and asked me what a “Male Enhancement” drug was while we were watching a Harry Potter movie on TV.
ugh. Yeah, that’s bad.