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Televisions Future

Television's Future

What will television be like in the future? With the recent surge in see it all kind of reality shows you have to wonder what is next. Remember the movie 'Running Man' with Arnold Schwarzenegger? The film depicted how television entertainment would become: vile, aggressive and violent. What is your view, how far will producers go in the future? Will full nudity be common? Will shows now rated 'R' be shown on public TV?

Future Televisions

I'm afraid we are headed in the exact direction you described JB. In fact, I have noticed in some of my travel over seas this very thing occurring. You have to be very careful in turning your TV on at night because you never know what you will see. It seems like the standars for TV are slowing degrading. More things are being tolerated. You give them an inch and they take a mile! I especially see the media tolerance in taking the Lords name in vain. This is a BIG annoyance to me. I think it is only a matter of time before the values are completely gone.

Televisions Future Sports & Fashion Music Movies

Sorry to dig this one up,

My predictions using JB's "vile, aggressive, and violent" buzzwords:

"Vile": Success of shows like Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, and others eventually convince producers to include full-length and uncut adult rated material in prime time broadcast network lineups. Parents and community figures are outraged, and the general public is disgusted, but like watching a train wreck, no one can keep their eyes away. Network executives say: "You don't have to watch if you don't want to" and mumble something about the first amendment. "Adult Made-For-TV Movies" becomes an Emmy category.

"Aggressive": Reality shows become ever more brutal after exhausting every possible variation of "a bunch of people live together and dislike each other/act spoiled/sing/run fake businesses/or otherwise irritate me for cash and prizes." Fear Factor includes Russian Roulette contests for sweeps.

"Violent": Inspired by HBO (or Showtime, or whatever) original dramas like Deadwood, broadcast networks greenlight 30 new primetime shows about gunfighting cowboys. Users of V-Chip type systems have their television options reduced to Family Feud reruns on Game Show Network (only the Richard Dawson ones, though. Did you know he was in Running Man? It's all coming together).

In all seriousness, I imagine things'll just get steadily worse as they are with the film industry. More and more things will be considered acceptable at a lower parental warning (R rated films by yesterday's standards being PG-13 by today's), the same folks will try to stop it with the same arguments, and the same producers will make the same "hey, it's TV - no one's making you watch" argument until people turn their sets off and go outside or something.

Follow on question: which direction do you think will go (or already has gone) overboard first? Sexual content or violence?

Future Televisions

ARE G-RATED FILMS GOING TOO FAR?

A shotgun-wielding hunter mercilessly pursues his target. Angry space aliens
vaporize a defenseless town. A bloodthirsty shark preys on the weak and tiny.
Ref. https://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/...s.ap/index.html

Future Televisions

I foresee a significant change coming in the Television and Motion picture industry within the next 15-20 years. Due to the prevalence of computer aided graphics in motion pictures and indeed in all television media, added to the fact that visual media through cellphones and computers is climbing at a dizzying rate, I think that "entertainment downloads" will be the next big wave. Which I think will soon be followed by more and more Interactive programming...in a hybrid fashion of "Video Games Meets Motion Pictures" that will usher in more and more virtual reality programming.


So I expect in 20 years to be watching..."Virtual Reality TV" fed to my eyes from signals through a headset that extends small eyeglasses sized screens in front of my eyes. The streaming content signal will be generated by my...."pocket programmer" which I expect to be a more advanced combination of cellphone/microprocessor/video game unit. Live action shows will become more commonplace as it becomes easier and easier to simply bluescreen in a fantastic setting around the actors. I also expect to see an increase in the sale of .."virtual rights" to the images of now-deceased actors. We have already seen the likenesses of Humphrey Bogart used in Diet Coke commercials. Imagine a routine day of programming; 10:00 a.m. Judge Judy ( where the Judge is the only one sitting in a courtroom setting, and the litigants are simply giving their testimony from their homes while computer graphics simulate a courtroom setting around them) 11:00 a.m. Extreme Dodgeball ( where 'Viewers' can compete with the onscreen players via their tiny cellphone keyboards). Noon The Midday News....snippets of recent news, interlaced with commercials. The hottest new commercial being "John Wayne talking up the virtues of Vietti Chilli", and "Grace Kelly speaking 'sincerely' to the female audience about the splendid necessity of buying tampons with wings". Of course at any time the Viewer can switch to their choice of new movie downloads and simply take in one of the latest Hits from Paramount Studios... Resident Evil 18, or Command the Conqueror starring Arnold Schwartzenneger as the aged barbarian king fighting to unite a planet under his rule.

I really think television will change greatly in the near future. Afterall, five years ago, who would have imagined they would be playing video games on their cellphone, or downloading full songlists for play on them?

Televisions Future

I believe that todays television reflects the societies that we (the world) are living in today. Unfortunately it is mainly the negative we are seeing. In Ireland, we are open to all of the british television channels. Unfortunately it seems that the more vile & obscene it is, the more it is watched.

One of the most popular reality shows here at the moment is called 'Big Brother'. It in its seventh season approximately. It is so popular now that most european countries have their own version. It basically involves a group of total strangers living in a house for a number of weeks. Their antics & behavior are then shown to the viewing public. In the 1st season, the only one of which I took interest, it had a good natured feeling to it. It actually showed more of the better side of people than anything else, with few raised voices or bad tempers. But todays viewing is a far cry from those light hearted days. It seems nice people need not apply. I feel bad language, sex, nudity & attitude are more of requirement today. It is now rumoured that 'bonuses' are given to anybody that "gets naked" or has open sex while being watched! In fact, one girl who bared herself to the world has now become a bit of a mini celebrity and is now a regular topless photo oppourtunity for some of the english newspapers.

Sex, violence & foul language are now an integral part of T.V. And as we know T.V is a definite reflection of the world around us. It is my belief that our moral & ethical values have been hazed in the race to open the world up to each other. I am open to all comments & opinions that you may have on the matter.

Televisions Future

I am not sure why we have seen this huge rush of reality tv shows in the last few years. A lot of my friends and family love American Idol, and I just don't see it as TV. Now Steven Speilburg is going to produce a show about amateur Film Makers with the same sort of theme, and I wonder where it will stop. I remember when people watched sitcoms like Home Improvement and the Drew Carey show, and now, America won't watch it, unless they can vote for it. I wonder what TV will be like in the future. Perhaps you are right JB, and we will be watching the ultimate reality show, the death penalty, on friday nights. I really like the idea about the Virtual Reality TV, the idea of a cross between TV and a video game. On a side note, there are shows like House that have come out now which renew my faith in American story tellers. lets hope to see more of these dramatic shows in the future.

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It could almost be said to be akin to the fall of rome during the hey day of the colosseums gruesome shows. Society as a whole becomes more and more immune to things such as sex and violence and a new taboo is required for entertainment. That is essentially what running man was about or at least thats what it represents to me.