Yep, must be pledge time

A couple weeks ago, I stumbled on a pair of new--well, new to me--Britcoms airing on one of the local public broadcasting stations. "The Old Guys" is about--spoiler alert--two old guys who exchange banter about old guy stuff while fantasizing about a neighbor played by Jane Asher. It's chock full of familiar and talented performers, so that's a good thing. It's a funny show, one I plan to check out each week.

I also enjoy "Outnumbered," a comedy about a harried husband and wife who struggle to keep on top of, or at least just keep up with, their 3 young children. I really like the POV of this show. As opposed to most family sitcoms, which take a broader view of the world in and outside the subjects' houses, this one takes place entirely in the brood's flat. There are definite traces of the adult world in the conversations Mum and Dad have, and the adult world sometimes makes its way inside, but most of the show revolves around the kids, just as life itself must necessarily revolve around the kids when you have 3 of them. It has a certain realism about it that hits home with me; more importantly, it's quite funny without being cloying. In fact, the kids are not standard cute kids at all, and they certainly seem to be working against the parents, not with them--hence the series title.

So this week I sat down and watched episode two of each of these series, and afterward, I looked at the program guide to make sure I had the series recorded and that I would get next week's installments. Turned out, there would be no installment next Tuesday. OK, some Motown at the White House concert thing. That's kind of a big deal. Can't get too bent out of shape about a preemption there.

Moving on to the next Tuesday, though, I saw ANOTHER week without the two Britcoms. Here I saw a Suze Orman special. Uh-oh, I thought, I see what's going on here. Finally I logged on to the channel's website and discovered each series will resume with its third episode...on Tuesday, March 22.

Tuesday, March 22?

I looked at the rest of the program listings and saw more financial advice shows, the ubiquitous My Music concerts, some self-improvement program called "The Amen Solution"...looks like the kind of show that spreads throughout a public broadcasting lineup every other month or so. What kind of channel dumps its quality programming in the middle of its limited run and replaces it for weeks with overplayed boomer-baiting "specials"?'

Yep, a public broadcasting station during pledge week/month/whatever. This channel apparently wants to lure my dollars by yanking the shows I like for a month so it can harp at me to support those shows. It's either a misguided form of blackmail or just a stupid form of marketing.