Colony House on PBS

Paul in Cannon Beach

If you have watched any of the past PBS "reality" series (Frontier house, Manor House) you know how interesting they are.

A new series focusing on what it would be like to have lived in an American colony started Monday night and will air Mondays and Tuesday, 8 pm and 10 pm for a few weeks.

Nobody gets voted out and nobody sings but I positively guarantee you will learn something and enjoy yourself at the same time.

I hope nobody says "What is PBS?"

Parabeagle

I've seen the promos for Colonial House, and have wanted to watch. I watched Frontier House a couple of years ago, but the thing I hated about that show was all the whining by the people complaining about how hard it was to live like that - DUH!

Hopefully no one says "what's PBS." If they do, it'll probably come from some out of the way little corner of the country with disadvantaged infrastructure - like New York. x;-)

Whatever

Hate to boast, but actually we have two PBS stations in the NYC area (and their programming schedules and some of their programs are different) I just wish they didn't have pledge week at the same time. In any case, I watched the show for a while, but once they were all settled on land, I got tired of the whining and the "my child is having a hard time andwants to go to home" routines.

LarryC

What is PBS?

Parabeagle

I stand corrected. Apparently it's Minnesota. x;-)

LarryC

Oh c'mon, Para. Is that the thanks I get for serving up a cream puff for you on a silver platter? You needed a good straight guy. Bud Abbott and Dean Martin would have been proud of me.

rad

I did catch a few episodes of one, but I'm not sure which. All I remember was the women complaining that they could not wear make up. Duh. Who the heck wants to wear make up when they are chopping wood and tossing the poop pan?

I will watch the new season though, it is so interesting to see how people lived back then (even if maybe not 100% accurate).

FHR

Complaining about not being able to wear makeup! I complain if I have to wear makeup (special occasions)
This show sounds interesting.

ray a

OH, oh, I'm from NY and I know what PBS is. It stands for "Private Beggars Society". How'm I doing Beag?

I too found all the griping on the Frontier House to be silly. Read a history book before you sign up to participate. I missed last night's episode, I'll catch tonight's.

Don D

I have a question regarding why PBS even should exist at public (taxpaper) expense in competition with the private sector. If I wanted to watch the programs mentioned here, what could I expect that might teach me more about life than I learned watching Mayberry, Little House and The Waltons? It might be said (by someone) that "All I ever needed to know I learned watching those three shows."

So, my question is not 'What is PBS?', but rather 'Why PBS?'

Parabeagle

Uh, oh. Sharp left turn ahead! Don's hijacking the thread toward a public policy discussion of PBS!x:o

ray a

Actually Beagle, Don would never ever take a sharp "left" turn. He took a sharp right turn.

ray a

I guess my question is, is PBS a valid service? Is it worthwhile? Does PBS, in its current format, deserve to exist? If the answer is yes, then it must receive public funding because it would never survive in the market place. But, then in a free market society, maybe it doesn't deserve to exist and many would not bemoan its demise.

HRinNH

>I guess my question is, is PBS a valid >Service? Is it worthwhile? Does PBS, in its >current format, deserve to exist? If the >answer is yes, then it must receive public >funding because it would never survive in the >market place.

YES! Sesame Street was my kids favorite show. They just loved Big Bird and the gang!

Yahoo

AMEN!!!

I had a two word answer to Don's question, "Why PBS?" and that was SESAME STREET. Not to mention Mister Rogers, the Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact........ These are the shows that made me who I am today! xclap

Parabeagle

Not to mention This Old House, The Woodwright's Shop, My Hero, Keeping Up Appearances, Kiss Me Kate, Globe Trekker, I could go on and on.

Oh, yes - and Wishbone. x;-)

Yahoo

I have to admit that I don't regularly watch PBS anymore........but I LOVED the Ken Burns documentaries on the Civil War and Baseball - priceless!

I don't know if all PBS stations do this or not, but KCPT has an annual auction that I'm glued to for one week each year.

LarryC

Or the Red Green Show.

rad

That's right - let's hear it for Sesame Street! My sister in law told me she taped the 35th anniversary of Sesame Street (which was born in the same year as I), and I can't wait to watch it. Grover is my favorite. I have so many shows I like on PBS - This Old House (the reason I am a Craftsman tool junkie) Nova (who can present the cosmos like Carl Sagan could?), Psychology Today and I'll Fly Away, to name a few. I actually didn't realize they received any governemnt funding, I always assumed they were supported by viewers like me who get sucked in by their airing of Riverdance at pledge time.

Parabeagle

You mean there's someone out there who actually WATCHES Riverdance????? On PURPOSE????

ray a

Hey, I love Riverdance - have 2 different versions on tape and always watch it during pledge drives. Celtic music - good stuff.

Parabeagle

I love Celtic music (Irish, remember?) and even enjoy going to the Highland Games and watching some dancing. But the homogenized, pasteurized, purified, generic, choreographed-for-consumption-by-the-masses Riverdance just makes me want to hurl (I can say "hurl" can't I?)

Hope I didn't offend anyone. x:-)

rad

I DO like it! Although I didn't like that guy, Flatley was his name? Thought him arrogant. Hey, I'm Sicilian, what do I know about Irish dancing? x;-)

MOMANUFACTURER

OK I must admit that on occasion I watch the Lawarence Welk show on Saturday nights on PBS. It takes me back to my childhood when we'd spend Saturday evening watching that, HEE HAW and the Mandrell Sisters. Sometimes it's nice to think back to simplier times.

HRsage

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-18-04 AT 09:36PM (CST)[/font][br][br]This sounds like an interesting show. I'll have to check it out.

IMHO, before cable, PBS was needed. After cable, DISH, DirecTv, Tivo...PBS is no longer needed.

Any show worth watching can now find a home somewhere out there and be paid for by the advertising dollars. There's Discovery, History Channel, HGTV... you name it.

I watched Sesame Street as a young'n and it learned me good too. x:D
But I think even Sesame Street or Mister Rogers could find a home and get top dollar support from the advertisers these days.
And don't even get me started on NPR. x}>

NaeNae55

I am sure there are lots of advertisers out there who would love to sponsor Seseme Street or other PBS shows. The problem with advertisers funding your programs is that they begin to have control on the content. Not a good idea.

IMHO, even if we could do without PBS, having it keeps the others a little more honest.

Whatever

Reading Rainbow. Repeats of Burns and Allen and Jack Benny. Antique Roadshow
However, who says it's not commercial. Look at the beginning and end of every program.