No Decision TV

On Saturday Night Live during Weekend Update, Colin Jost said this on the subject of TV viewing.  

Disney announced that in November they will launch their new streaming service, Disney +. As now you'll  have to get Disney PLUS Hulu PLUS Netflix PLUS Amazon PLUS a Playstation PLUS cable. Although in the end you'll go, "Eh, there's nothing good on. Let's just watch Law & Order.”

SNL made be made for young people but yeah, Colin was talking to me. 

There is stuff that I will watch because it’s on. Yes, I have a plethora of viewing choices available to me but after a hard day at work, the last thing I wanna do is to have to make choices.

I plop down on the sofa at the Fortress of Ineptitude and turn on the TV. Look, MASH is on TV Land. I guess I’m watching MASH.

Nothing against MASH. It’s a fine show, one of my favorites actually. I think one day I might do a MASH themed blog post. 

But the thing is I rarely seek out something. If it’s on in front of me and I find it reasonably entertaining, why make choices? Not having to make a choice is why I watch MASH, Friends, Big Bang Theory, Everybody Loves Raymond and (yes!) Law and Order. 

Which explains how Andrea and I came to be watching Who’s Line Is It Anyway? Friday night.

Andrea and I had returned from dinner and we were oozing into the couch. We had the house to ourselves with our daughter Randie on her trip to Louisiana. We could do whatever we want. We could watch whatever we want.

Andrea and I circled around about a dozen movie options, unable to make a commitment.  Then I flipped on the TV and somehow landed on the CW and an episode of Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

Sinking further into the well worn cushions of our sofa, we reached a mutual understanding: Oh hell, we’ll watch this.

The show is hosted by Aisha Tyler and I think it is impudently rude of her to refuse to age. I’ve heard the expression that “black don’t crack” but this is ridiculous. Aisha Tyler is still hot! And I said that out loud. To my wife.

The premise of the show is a group of comedy actors improvise their way through a series of silly situations. In one sketch, Colin Mochrie attempts to put his head up Wayne Brady’s butt. Not exactly high art but hell, it fills a couple of half hours in between commercials on network TV and it’s good for a few giggles. Andrea was entertained and I was content that I had avoided having to make a decision.

Howie Mandel once did a bit as the world’s worst improv comic: “OK, give me an occupation, a weird situation and something funny to say.”

Then Who’s Line Is It Anyway gave way to Penn & Teller’s Fool Us. Andrea and I had a chance to see Penn & Teller live back in the 1990s. That was back in the day when Penn was still working with the original Teller. It’s a dirty secret that no one wants to talk about but the original Teller lost his life in a tragic “accident” involving a platypus, a harmonica and a trampoline. The current Teller is an impostor! 

The premise of the show is that magicians come on to try to fool Penn & Teller. Whoever can successfully fool Penn & Teller get a trophy with the giant letters “F” and “U” emblazoned on the top.

What’s weird is when Penn and Teller are not fooled. Since magicians don’t reveal their secrets, Penn has to babble obliquely in such a way to communicate to the magician that yeah, they know how the trick was done WITHOUT saying how the trick was done. Then host Allyson Hannigan (who is also impudently rude in her refusal to age) will ask the magician, “Did Penn & Teller figure it out?” And the magician will nod knowingly, copping to Penn & Teller had figured out the trick even though we do not know what the fuck Penn just said. There’s some strange honor system at play here where the magicians have to take Penn at his word that they were not fooled.

After Fool Us went off, local news came on. It’s Friday night and Andrea and I are watching local news because it was on and we weren’t prepared to make a decision to find something else to watch.