Winning a championship is usually a big deal in any city, but the 2016 World Series defies description. Okay, the Cubs won; it had to happen sooner or later but the aftermath has been astounding, media-wise.
WGN broadcasts about ten hours or so of news programming every day, and except for a few breaks for traffic and weather, it has been absolutely nothing but Cubs today. Maybe I missed something as I haven't been constantly glued to the tube; perhaps other stations have been less relentless in their coverage. It seems so strange to me, but a lot of sports fandom seems strange to me.
Last night after the game I flipped to the other local network stations (ABC, CBS, NBC) and they all broke into their regular programming with the game results and extended coverage. Maybe the hype will peter out during the weekend; there is a rally and parade scheduled for tomorrow and perhaps some normalcy will return to our fair city afterwards. Uncle Ken, true-blue fan that he is, may still be celebrating.
Damn good seventh game, though, maybe the best I've ever seen despite my usual lack of enthusiasm for baseball.
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I remember Northern Exposure, but I didn't watch it regularly. Whatever happened to the female lead? She was quite a tomato, as I recall. I didn't realize it ran so long, 110 episodes over six years. Some programs run too long and get repetitive; they should have ended sooner.
Although they don't make shows like that anymore I think some of the newer stuff is better due to original programming on cable, Amazon, Netflix, and others. There seems to be a trend to have programs with a definite story arc; they tell the story and that's it, the end. They don't keep cranking out episodes once the well runs dry and the plots get stale, despite how profitable the program may be. This throws the broadcast networks in a state of flux but allows greater variety and better opportunities for new writers and directors, but I don't know show business. Take these thoughts with a grain of salt.
Online viewing is great for these type of programs as it allows binge watching, following a good story in multiple hour chunks instead of waiting a week for the next episode or months for the next season. You can forget a lot about the characters or plot devices if you have to wait nine months for the story to continue. I didn't like Breaking Bad the first time I watched a couple of the early episodes, but I tried it again a few months later, gave it another viewing and it clicked for me. A few slow spots with some plot holes but still a hell of story. I eagerly await the next season of it's spinoff, Better Call Saul, which is a prequel and is better in some respects.
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