BonnerSprings.com

One of the things that people try to do when they retire is to expand their horizons. While I've been involved in new activities, I still go back to the same old entertainment when I watch television, so I decided to check out some new programs.

Now my taste has always been PBS for its British comedies and "Mystery Theater" or sports, such as Chiefs football, Royals baseball or Big 12 basketball. I also enjoy the History Channel and A&E. Jeanand I decided to see what some of the sitcoms and reality shows were like. I must tell you that I quickly returned to my old standbys.

First, I found "Temptation Island" to be offensive and probably well below the standards of prime time television, which can be viewed by kids. "Survivor" was alright, but I thought it was slow-moving and unrealistic. My main interest was checking out the Australian scenery. When it comes to the sitcoms, well, I really didn't think they were all that funny. I found one about a kindergartener mooning his classmates to be particularly stupid and offensive. The others I watched seemed to have too much emphasis on sex and not enough emphasis on real humor.

Believe me, there are some good things on TV. The PBS series on President Lincoln and his wife was exceptionally well-done. A&E has its investigative report series which is outstanding and, of course, "20/20," "60 Minutes" and "Dateline NBC" are all good and worth watching.

There are some great movies out there, too. I recently saw "Chocolat" and "O Brother Where Art Thou?" and both were good. Yes, they had some parts which could be thought of as "sexy", but they were done in good taste. By the way, "O Brother Where Art Thou?" is a modern version of the "Odyssey" and if you've read Homer, you'll soon pick up the story line.

Other good movies I've seen recently include "Castaway," "Remember the Titans" and "Pay It Forward," to name just a few. What I don't understand is why movies I like are never nominated for Oscars.

Some of the old movies were risque, but they, like the modern British comedies, handled it in much, much better taste. We just saw the 1955 movie, "Teacher's Pet," starring Doris Day and Clark Gable, which is a story about the newspaper business. It was very funny and, yes, sexy in a very, very subtle way. One of the problems that I have with some of the modern U.S. TV shows is that they like the shock value of being blunt. I prefer subtle innuendoes that allow me to go where I want with the comedy.

So, what do I like in addition to the above mentioned? Well, "Law and Order" is great and I think that I could get to like "West Wing" and "The District." I tried the XFL, and I found it to be the "poster program" with what is wrong with TV and sports in general. Don't even get me started on professional wrestling, I'd rather watch a sewing show on PBS than one minute of stunt men who make fools of themselves taunting each other. Certainly, one of my favorite forms of entertainment is live theater and one of the best is the New Theater Restaurant in Overland Park. Not only do you get to see a great show, the food is excellent, too.

We recently saw five-time Emmy winner Don Knotts in "Norman, Is That You?" The play is a great example of what I like about comedy. It is risque, but done in good taste and has a very happy ending.

Knotts plays the role of an upper 1950's small business man in Ohio whose wife, Beatrice, has thrown his life into shambles by running off with his brother.

Poor old Norman heads to New York to meet his son who shocks him with his alternate life-style. Well, Norman works his way through his problems in a hilarious manner and, in the end, is reunited with his wife.

Yes, I will continue to watch TV and, yes, I realize that my tastes in entertainment are far from the mainstream. I'm just glad that there are lots of good choices remaining through PBS, cable channels, quality movies and live theater in our area.