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Oh, television repeats — you’ve come a long way. Time was, a generation ago, when we might have loathed sitting through a show we’d already seen. But no more — and don’t the cable TV stations know it! (One of them, TBS, is broadcasting A Christmas Story for 24 hours straight!)
The holiday TV marathon has become an integral tradition in homes where the mammoth flat-panel LCD rules, and this Christmas will be no different. So, whether you’re fascinated by Myth Busters, want to catch up on Bones or prefer some original (NBA) programming (including the Miami Heat at noon), the networks have you covered.
Animal Planet: Blue Planet: Seas of Life (midnight-5 a.m.); Dogs 101 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.)
Bravo: Bravo’s "Big Picture," in order: the movies Disclosure, The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale, The First Wives Club, Guess Who, The 40 Year Old Virgin (8:30 a.m.-11 p.m.)
Discovery Channel: Myth Busters (9 a.m.-midnight)
ESPN/ABC: NBA quadruple-header: Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks (noon/ESPN); Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic (2:30 p.m./ABC); Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m./ABC); Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns (8 p.m./ESPN)
Fine Living Network: X-treme X-mas Decorations (7-11 a.m.)
History Channel: UFO Files (7 a.m.-7 p.m.); Banned From the Bible (8 p.m.-midnight)
Investigation Discovery (ID) Network: Solved (8 a.m.-noon)
Military Channel: Great Planes (7 a.m.-10 a.m.)
Science Channel: How It’s Made (6 a.m.-midnight)
Spike TV: Bad Santa (9 a.m.-3 p.m.)
SyFy Network: Stargate Universe (8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.); Star Trek: The Next Generation (Dec. 25, 11:30 p.m. to Dec. 26, 4:30 a.m.)
TBS: 24 hours of A Christmas Story (Dec. 24, 8 p.m. to Dec. 25, 8 p.m.)
TLC: Say Yes to the Dress (5 p.m.-midnight)
TNT: Bones (noon-7 p.m.)
Travel Channel: Samantha Brown (9 a.m.-2 p.m.)
Tru TV Network: The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest (6 p.m.-10 p.m.)
USA Network: "Holiday Character Feast," in order, the movies National Treasure, Casino Royale, License to Wed, The Pacifier, The Game Plan, Enchanted, Elf, For Richer or Poorer (Dec. 25, 6 a.m. to Dec. 26, 3:30 a.m.)
VH1: Real Chance of Love (6:30-9:30 a.m.); "Movies That Rock," with The Jacksons: An American Dream (11 a.m. and 8 p.m.) and The Temptations (4 p.m.)
The reason for the above being that TV is more of a wasteland than ever before and half the time the repeats beat any new show out there. I haven’t a clue what audience current TV is seeking–if it is the young, they have their heads buried in their blackberries–perhaps all talent has died off with nobody to replace them. Nothing works these days despite the fact that every year Hollywood continues to congratulate themselves on the worst of the worst, calling it the best.