A new level of annoying in-show ads

We’ve all seen the lengths some channels will go to advertise their own shows, and the Turner networks are the worst offenders.

During last year’s NBA playoffs I grew to hate Kyra Sedgwick. Not because I really hate her, she was in the only movie that really captured the 90s generation – Singles, but because she would just show up on the lower-left of the screen ALL THE TIME. You’d see the flashlight, the caution tape and then all the sudden, in the middle of a fast-break, Kyra Sedgwick is staring at you. And yes, TNT Knows Drama (TNT, TNT, TNT, TNT).

Today it’s a certainty that if you watch a show on TNT or TBS you’ll get a visit from Bill Engvall or Tyler Perry or someone else from a show you never intended to watch in the first place. But last night I saw the ultimate in in-show atrocities. While watching Family Guy on TBS, the show stopped, like the pause button was hit on the DVR. Only problem was I was in the kitchen and the remote was on the couch. And then it happened, the screen shrunk, and Bill Envall popped up with a remote in his hand. TVs Bill Engvall had paused Family Guy!! He even told me he had the power to pause TV whenever he wanted.

How can this be ok? It’s like TBS thought “No one is watching the show when it’s on, so let’s force them to watch Bill by pausing Family Guy.” I was appalled. There’s enough annoying trends on TV as it is (stretch-o-vision, shows that run 62 minutes to mess with your DVR, programs like “Cavemen”), let’s not pile on with more. The next thing you know Tyler Perry will be putting his show in picture-in-picture on top of Friends, or Frank Caliendo will super-impose himself over the President during the State of the Union (ok, maybe that’s not a bad thing).

The point is, we need to make a stand. Here’s a link to the Contact Us page on TBS: http://support.tbs.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5475. Let them know you’re tired of having to deal with C-list celebrities forcing their way into your favorite shows. Let’s take TV back, people!