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Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



Rediscovering the Discovery Channel (and its sister, the History Channel)

Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 12:13 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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Is it just me, or are some of the best programs on TV running on The Discovery and History Channels?

I've always liked those channels, but while I was on my leave, I started to really get into the extreme job/freezing in Alaska/wow-I-could-never-do THAT genre of programming.

You know what I mean: "Deadliest Catch." "Ice Road Truckers." "Ax Men." "The Alaska Experiment." I like to think that someone in programming got sick to death of hearing Paris Hilton and the "Real World" kids whine about their lives and decided to show them what it's like to really have to work for a living. And those of us who have tame office jobs may complain about Michael Scott-esque bosses and Dwight Schrute-like colleagues, but we know we have it easy compared to these guys.

"Deadliest Catch" remains my favorite. I haven't seen "After the Catch," the show in which the "Deadliest Catch" captains get together and swap stories, but the bar it's filmed at, the Lockspot, is in my Seattle neighborhood. (And now sells T-shirts proclaiming itself The Deadliest Bar".)

"The Alaska Experiment" is somewhat reminiscent of "Survivor," but these contestants aren't models and bartenders looking to backstab the others -- they're real people trying to challenge the elements, for reasons of their own. Andy Dehnart and I have been writing MSNBC.com's Ask the Reality Experts column for years now, and readers are always asking us why "Survivor" always takes place in a warm-weather location. I've always figured that "Survivor" contestants were too wimpy, and the CBS insurance mavens too wary, to risk frostbite in this way. (Although the topic has been raised.) On "Alaska Experiment," frostbite is a real danger, as is bear attack and plain old hunger. And according to this story about one of the families, they weren't doing it for any big money reward -- because there isn't one.

And to tie this all in to the upcoming TV commercial contest, I'd like to say right now that the Discovery Channel ad now running ("I love Egyptian kings!") has to be in the running for one of the best new commercials of the year. Yes, technically I suppose it's a promo spot and not a commercial, but it makes me happy to watch it.

 

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Comments

My television basically never leaves the Discovery channel, and "The Deadliest Catch" is probably one of my favorite programs. It's amazing to watch men risk their lives and work so hard.
I love that commercial you brought up also, it's a very catchy song!

Dani, Salt Lake City, Utah (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 6:52 PM)

I'm so glad I'm not the only one one who LOVES that "boom-de-ah-dah" spot! At first I couldn't figure out why my TV was singing Girl Scouts songs and then I listened to the lyrics and loved it veen more!

Missy, White Plains, NY (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 9:24 AM)

No lie.  Whenever I'm channel surfing and I run across a Deadliest Catch rerun, I always have to stop and watch.

Jackie, Fairborn, Ohio (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 9:52 AM)

Hi Gael, so happy to see Test Pattern is back!  I have to admit, I am loving those shows, too.  My 3 yr old daughter sings the entire "I Love..." song every time it comes on, and often rewinds the TiVo to watch it over and over.

Heather, Wilmington, MA (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:29 AM)

I'm glad I'm not the only one that watches these channels when they are completely out of my demographic. I love the ad and even better, you can download the mp3 at discovery.com. Now it makes me happy anytime I want!

Allison, Birmingham, AL (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:43 AM)

"Ax Men" is great. We record it every week and watch it with my parents on Wednesday nights when we join them for dinner. It's a lot of fun to watch, mostly because these guys are crazy for what they do.

Cori. Dallas, TX (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:48 AM)

Hawking! How cool! Thumbs up on that spot!

Deanna, Atlanta, Georgia (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 12:37 PM)

I love that Test Pattern is back! And I love the Discovery Channel. Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs are two shows my husband and I always watch. And that mp3 will be on my iPod shortly.

Tracie, Jackson, TN (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 7:07 PM)

We were in Denmark recently and saw a reality program like survivor on Danish or Norwegian TV where the contestants were in a cold climate on a farm in northern Norway or Iceland.  We saw the very last episode where a girl won the 1 million kroner.  So there are survivor type reality shows in the cold weather.  I guess Scandanavians are used to it.  We froze our butts off at Tivoli.

Skylark Thibedeau, Charlotte NC (Sent Thursday, May 15, 2008 3:04 PM)

I thought I was crazy, my son and I love this spot and have recorded it so we can watch it over and over. It does make you smile.

Richard Turner Sierra Vista Arizona (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 11:21 PM)

I love, love, love the History Channel & the Discovery Channel (and its spin-offs). There is always something on that I find fascinating. One thing that bugs me though - my fave of the bunch was probably Discovery Times (the Discovery Channel & NY Times partnership), but it no longer exists. That channel is now called Discovery Investigates or somthing - not at all what I loved.
Also, there's the new History Channel International, but it doesn't seem that Time Warner Cable carries it.... major bummer.

Alison M, NYC, NY (Sent Monday, May 19, 2008 3:48 PM)

Hey, Gael.  Good to have you back.  I just noticed today that you were back.

I am also a huge fan of Discovery and History channels.  I am an addict of Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs.  A couple other shows that I like include Cash Cab and It Takes A Thief.

I normally ABHOR commercials and mute the TV or change channels when one comes on.  However, that Discover promo spot is so well done with a great song.  The first time that I paid attention to it, I was surprised to see Mike Rowe and some of the 'stars' of the other shows and how they had changed the words.

In another station, but along the same lines, I enjoy watching 'Ghost Hunters' on the SciFi channel.  Some of their encounters have creeped me out.

Allan G, Omaha, NE (Sent Wednesday, June 04, 2008 2:45 PM)

Love the Discovery ad and sing along with it every time it comes on. Since I've been out of work, I watch a lot of Discovery channel and Deadliest Catch is probably my favorite.  We lived in Alaska for 3 years and it makes us miss it.  I like watching people do things I could never ever do. Dirty Jobs and Man vs. Wild are also favorites in the same way.

Dianna, Nashville, TN (Sent Tuesday, June 10, 2008 12:23 PM)

I love Dirty Jobs and the Deadliest Catch...mostly because of Mike Rowe.  He's a hottie.   I try to always have my television on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel.   P.S. I too love that commercial.

cindy k., vermilion, ohio (Sent Tuesday, June 10, 2008 5:22 PM)

Cute tune and anyone who watches the Discovery Channel will get a chuckle from that one. I'll be singing that chorus all day now.

Kacia Heaney, Puyallup, WA (Sent Tuesday, June 10, 2008 7:42 PM)

My favorite is the Marine Corps silent drill team in cities across the United States commercial.

Cindy, Athens, GA (Sent Tuesday, June 10, 2008 9:24 PM)

Love it. Best commercial of all time.  Ever. Anywhere.

Bob Marley, Tampa, FL (Sent Wednesday, June 11, 2008 2:03 AM)

Here's why Survivor always takes place in warmer climes: Contestants wear far fewer clothes, can get wet without fear of hypothermia, and have greater access to exotic fauna for meals.  Twenty parka-wrapped people chewing on tundra does not a blockbuster make.

John, Baltimore, MD (Sent Wednesday, June 11, 2008 1:30 PM)



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