Horizon

On the contrary, it's tried so hard to be exciting in the last 10-15 years that it's turned itself from a modest but dignified educational resource into a vehicle for financial services, agrotech and Saab commercials. It makes the fatal mistake of trying to speak to what it considers to be its audience with insipid commercials for itself, thereby alienating anyone not in their demographic.

Most of the interesting adult programming (like Nova, for instance) has been slowly transformed into children's programming (in the case of Nova, into a recruiting ad for Young Scientists of America, if there is such a thing -- "look, kids, science is cool!"). This is probably at least in part a recognition on PBS's part that their strongest rhetorical counter attack is their children's programming. As long as they can keep claiming to provide wholesome entertainment for children they will be able to keep most of their funding. And that says something extremely depressing about American culture today.

Most of the interesting adult programming (like Nova, for instance) has been slowly transformed into children's programming (in the case of Nova, into a recruiting ad for Young Scientists of America, if there is such a thing -- "look, kids, science is cool!").

I would call that being boring in an Al Gore sort of boring way.

It's bad enough that PBS relies to such a large extent on British imports (and with the rise of file-sharing sites using Bit Torrent et al, that is going to be an increasingly pointless reliance), but they're usually not even interesting British imports. I couldn't believe it when I arrived here in 1994 and found that they were still showing Are You Being Served?, which was put out to pasture on the BBC in the early 80s. Hell, they're still f***ing showing it.

I have a feeling they've become boring in self-defense because when they become interesting they become loudly debated on the Senate floor.

And even "Are You Being Served?" is better than "Antiques Road Show" or the time KQED did a flattering feature on a local winery that had also given them money.

The people they get to host the Roadshow are frightening. I'm serious, now, next time you have a chance, watch their eyebrows when they talk. They may be using them to send covert messages to their extraterrestrial overlords. The most chirpy and soulless little show I think I've ever seen, it makes the nightly news seem authentic and sincere.

I used to catch some of the original British show on BBC World and it wasn't quite so offensive. Just a little balding man hosting it, as I recall, one who seemed not altogether like a dangerous android. And the American version just can't compete on the actual antique front for obvious reasons.

And as for Are You Being Served, ugh...at least we didn't create the damn thing.

I have a soft spot for the UK Antiques Roadshow because I once interviewed a very nice man who was (is?) their Art Deco expert.

There's a nice scene in The Royle Family - a series PBS ought to be importing - in which the Royles, a bunch of Liverpudlian and Mancunian tracksuited slobs, sit around the TV while Roadshow is on placing bets on the value of Chesterfield furniture.

I have a feeling they've become boring in self-defense because when they become interesting they become loudly debated on the Senate floor.

I think demographics have more to do with it - their audience is ageing and they haven't come up with a formula to attract younger viewers, so it's anodyne Britcoms and Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights.