I've been watching this show from the beginning and I could only agree with the statement when it applies to Norm, Tommy, and Richard. Those three are seriously talented and timeless.
Bob Villa was an obnoxious pseudo-knowitall. Steve was probably the best host, and Kevin is just plain irritating. It's painfully obvious that Kevin is a light-weight amongst the three giants. Plus, his voice is too nasally and he uses very annoying speech patterns and phrases.
There are a few (IMHO) deteriorating trends in this show.
First is the excessive time spent with Roger and the yard/landscaping aspects. It's important, but many of the landscaping jobs are for show (showing off for TOH) and will require unbelievable maintenance efforts going forward. Most jobs will look like crap in a few years, plus, it's This Old House...not This Old Yard. This excessive devotion is impractical for most homeowners and shows what a runaway production you'll get if you hire a silly "landscape architect". UGH!! Give me a break!
Second, the whole tone of the show has shifted from a basically masculine-based show to a rather gay feel, not that there's anything wrong with being gay. It's just that a construction/renovating show like TOH (IMHO) is more appropriately masculine than a "Sewing with Nancy" feel or "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". Too much emphasis and time is placed on interior decorating, landscape architecture, fabrics, draperies, etc. It's silly.
Lastly, the show has drifted way too far from it's main purpose. The producers spend way too much time on tours, especially non-home construction-based tours. Some episodes will spend over half a 22 minute show on a tour of a library in some city! HUH?? It shouldn't be a travel show. There's also too much emphasis on so-called "green" crap. I'm a big supporter of recycling and conservation but the producers are so over the top that it's more like a religion than a good industry practice. The Austin and New Orleans projects were the worst ever.
I still watch Ask This Old House which is much better now than the original TOH show. Also, New Yankee Workshop is still worth watching although the same idiot producers seem to be spending more time on tours at the beginning of the show than the actual project. Sad to say, but "Hometime" and "Holmes on Homes" are more informative now than TOH.
I'm not saying that these other efforts aren't worthy of air time, but if showing interior decorating, landscaping, gardening, etc. is the purpose, then create appropriate shows for those subjects. Don't ruin an otherwise decent format by trying to do all things.
And it's important to remember that each year new viewers tune in to learn, so complaining that you can only show the same construction practices so many times before it gets boring, isn't a good argument (IMHO). It never hurts for expert professionals like Tommy, Norm, and Richard to constantly reinforce GOOD construction practices to new and old viewers alike. Plus every year, new research and products come out and, better construction techniques and practices are introduced. That's what TOH should get back to
JMHO.
reply
share
TheCheezWhiz
16 years ago
I missed only the first couple seasons of TOH and agree that Villa was the weakest link. The show does seem to have lost some of its flavor for actually demonstrating construction. It's to be expected on the short out-of-New England projects but even the main projects have become too much of a travel log.
Hopefully, this season will return to heart & sole of TOH even though it's another tear-down project. That's not all bad considering that one of the most popular projects was the Concord barn with Steve Thomas at the helm for the first time. The current project, like in 1989, features the timber frame construction of Tedd Benson so I have high hopes that we'll actually SEE stuff being built.
___________________
And here... we... go...
reply
share
doorkeeper
15 years ago
>> First is the excessive time spent with
>> Roger and the yard/landscaping aspects
I suspect this is because Tommy & Richard are usually involved with the project house on 'This Old House' and that takes away from the time they can/will spend doing segments for 'Ask...'
reply
share