Entertainment: tv shows with commentators, part0

Self-tutoring about tv shows: the tutor reflects about the role of the commentator.

Back in the early 80s, Dukes of Hazzard was a phenom of a show. Virtually everyone seemed to know about it, and numerous of my friends were big fans (though not everyone). It might have been the first show I liked whose actors were grown-ups. It was probably still a kids’ show, but to a kid it seemed fun yet grown-up.

Interestingly, Dukes of Hazzard had a commentator: he had a deep, country-style voice. He didn’t say much, nor did he give away information that you couldn’t already see; rather, he would just fill in details as they happened.

Dukes of Hazzard was folksy and inclusive – a “feel-good” show. Folksy and inclusive could be cool enough in the 70s, but by the early 80s, society was taking another direction. Miami Vice, for instance, was all about how picking up on the right information elevates some people over others. The people who know the key information won’t share it, of course, because it keeps them rich. Miami Vice didn’t have a commentator: if you didn’t catch what was happening, you missed it.

The days of the commentator are not over, of course; however, the “in crowd” knows that, in real life, what separates them from the others is information they hope a commentator won’t share.