Let me just point out that it is no longer the History Channel, just “History” by itself, but to avoid confusion, I am going to refer to them by their older name.
Just last week, when I ripped into the Emmy Awards for giving the History Channel’s latest bust-documentary, Gettysburg, the award for outstanding non-fiction special, I mentioned that although this channel is slipping each and every day in regards to the quality and ideas behind their programming, at least one of their sister-networks was still around for us die-hards to relive the glory days of the mid-1990′s and early 2000′s. This network, as I have written about and lauded on several occasions, was History International, a network that replayed the older shows that put the History Channel on the map, before their obsession with aliens, the apocalypse, and reality shows took hold. However, just the other day, I realized that this channel has been renamed, changing to H2, and the amount of older programming has been almost all cut out.
Mornings on H.I were very enticing for me, as I would DVR most of the shows to watch later in the evening when I had free time. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Leonard Nimoy narrate Ancient Almanac from 1995 and a few years after, as the show covered various mysteries and amazing tales and stories from the ancient world. Next came Vanishings, a story about famous disappearances, then one of my favorite shows, the informative and quirky Naked Archaeologist, which made history and archaeology fun for everyone, no matter what their educational background. Lastly, History’s Mysteries, one of the main network’s most popular shows when they aired more than 150 episodes between 1996 and 2004, has been pretty much narrowed down into one day. The one thing I could never understand about that show, is that of all the episodes filmed, only the same 20 or 30 continued to air. Maybe this is something they can fix, if they are indeed going to keep them on the air. There were other shows too, a lot to name here specifically, but you can see how disappointing it would be if this lineup were to come to an abrupt end with almost no warning.
Just when I couldn’t get anymore closer to stop watching this network completely, they pull this stunt. Perhaps I am overreacting, but maybe I prefer the older greatness to this newer crap. The first show I just happened to view on this new network? Mega Disasters. Terrific. Want to know what is airing on Friday night at 8pm? Gettysburg!
I really hope that these old shows will make their way back, and that this new lineup is just a way of ushering in the new channel. I am tired of apocalypse and how the aliens built everything on ancient earth. I am tired of all the speculative nonsense. I want straight-up history; is that too much to ask for? Please, give us back our network, and know that not everyone is captivated by Ice Road Truckers and Swamp People (see one episode, you’ve seen ‘em all), and not everyone is in a paranoid frenzy like Ancient Aliens.
What ever happened to the history channel. “History”!!!!???? They’ve jumped on the reality wagon. I could handle American pickers, pawn stars, but the mud cats and animal hunting, crocodile killing. It’s sad, I can’t watch some toothless rednecks hunt and kill crocodiles and hogs. It makes Americans look like uneducated idiots! I’m just about done with this channel and I know I’m not alone. Fucking killing and tortureing animals is not history nor is it cool in my book.