< PREVIOUS ] [ 1991 Index ] [ Ed Quillen HOME ] [ SEARCH ] [ NEXT >
Some of next fall's new television programs will reflect the recession. If this trend catches on, we'll see some changes in familiar shows, too. By this time next year, the Post's TV Week might look like this:
The Really Frugal Gourmet. Host Jeff Smith explains how to salvage burnt oatmeal by using it in meatloaf. He will also make a salad after a trip to the supermarket Dumpster. His series on easy road-kill recipes continues with puppy stew, a staple of Native American cuisine.
Thirtynothing. Just after President Bush refuses to extend benefits, Elliot's unemployment runs out and his house is foreclosed. He attempts suicide, but is dissuaded by Gary's ghost, who says things aren't any better on the other side; Hell is run by Republicans, too. Hope gets promoted to shift manager at Burger World, but her elation to be making $4.50 an hour turns to despair when her apartment house is gentrified and she is evicted.
Deadend $treet Week. Host Louis Rukseyer discusses fall investments and trading. With pinto bean futures dropping, it's best to wait until December to buy your hundredweight; invest now in gleaned produce which can be dried, such as apples or chilis. Also, more Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 strategies will be explored.
This Old Hovel. Bob Vila shows you how to winterize with tar paper, scrounged plastic, strapping tape and a staple gun. He will also explore innovative techniques, such as a removable seat, to keep you from freezing in your two-holer.
Doogie Howser. A poor, but brilliant, child dreams of
becoming a physician someday. However, the school counselor
tells Doogie to plan on joining the Marine Corps, if and
when he graduates, and schedules Doogie in the
general-remedial
track instead of the
academic
track.
The Simpsons. The welfare caseworker removes Bart, Lisa and Maggie to a foster home after the discovery that Homer has been sneaking visits to Marge. Marge loses her AFDC and becomes a motel maid, where she meets a skinhead truck driver.
The Cosby Show. On his way to his job, picking up dead dogs from the street for the sanitation department, Cliff recalls a strange dream: he was a doctor married to a lawyer living in an upscale suburb, and had five children, all college-bound, even the dim-witted ones. When he gets to work, there's a lay-off notice, and when he comes home, Theo and his Crip friends are all wearing stolen British Knights.
LA Law: It's now a commercial, with Arnie asking
Getting a divorce? Have you suffered a personal injury?
Necesitas un carta verde? Call Becker &
Associates.
Perhaps these shows sound depressing, rather than entertaining. But look on the bright side. If things are that bad by next fall, none of us will be able to pay the cable bill.
< PREVIOUS ] [ 1991 Index ] [ Ed Quillen HOME ] [ SEARCH ] [ NEXT >