RTN = A-OK (So far)

Caring for a sick daughter and a sick wife this past week limited my ability to sample the newly arrived (at least in my area) Retro Television Network in its debut week, but I saw enough of it here and there, plus I have a DVR full of programs to watch when I get some more time.

(I know what you're thinking: "Rick, wouldn't an 'Ironside' marathon be the perfect tonic for whatever ails your family?" I don't disagree, but others in the family do.)

So far, despite some snafus in the schedule, with many programs temporarily replaced by "Leave It to Beaver" (much to the frustration of Ivan over at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear; by the way, Ivan, you were right--no "Kraft Suspense Theater" yet), I love RTN. I still regret missing the bounty of Paramount classics they aired until just recently, but I can't complain about "Alfred Hitchcock," "Rockford Files," and rarities like "Bachelor Father."

The network's presentation is charmingly low-budget, with cheap-looking graphics and promos. I love it. I want RTN to do just well enough to stay afloat but not well enough to reach the point where it goes the TV Land route and starts chasing "better demographics." Actually, RTN's retromercials and (at least partially) idiosyncratic programming selections are reminiscent of TV Land when it was decent.

For now, RTN's programming has limited commercial interruption, and those ads it does run are for older-skewing products like HoverRound and in-house ads for parent station WLJA. There aren't annoying bugs plastered all over the screen. There does appear to be some time compression going on in their programs, but fortunately I don't notice enough to let it bother me.

Sure, I see some notable dogs in the weekday lineup, and the heavy load of infomercials from 1:00 AM to 10:00 AM is weak, but overall RTN is a great addition to an increasingly bleak rerun landscape. It's so good that after just one week, my natural pessismism is already kicking in, and I'm dreading the inevitable downfall. A recent article at Sitcoms Online (which promises those missing shows like "Kraft Suspense Theater" are on the way) claimed that RTN is going to move to a national schedule, as opposed to the current model that lets affiliates choose their own, and this worries me, as I'm afraid it'll lead to a blander, younger-appealing lineup.

But, hey, why stress over that now? I have a host of decent reruns to choose from, which means even more excuses to avoid chores (but not taking care of ill family members, of course). I am going to try to enjoy this while it lasts, at least until "McHale's Navy" is replaced by "Dharma and Greg."