Outrageous

Remember how I had a problem with a television station hiding and moving a show I discovered?

In fact, of late Network 10 has not only switched it back and forth between Sundays and Fridays to do Pavlov experiments on viewers of Outrageous Fortune. No indeed, they have decided a more sinister approach of stuffing any night they didn't have a clueless crap program to fill the latest shift with my new favourite show - see just how desparate viewers could be.

The answer is - Not That - I like my sleep and to plan on doing so a little in advance, so I catch every odd one when I am up to it but have resigned myself to not ever knowing the full story.

Last night, however, a new twist to my own personal Outrageous Fortune drama unfolded.

Last night, V and I were doing the last minute flick around before bedtime rituals were attended. We were on WIN (country folks channel 9) and the next program disclaimer came on - Mature Adults, all sorts of references. V asked if it were my programme, but we both dismissed that as it was the wrong station and we kept flicking. Five minutes later, the station we had landed on started spouting ads so we did another flick. Would you believe - it really WAS my new lost favourite show, but a previous season.

I have a feeling that Channel Nine may have read my blog (okay, maybe there are more than I watching it and the Summer ratings were reflecting), realised that they had a season of this up their sleeves and decided to adopt the policy of Channel 10 and fill some late night space...

Either that, or it is a conspiracy...

So now I know the background to the first ever episode I watched - and I discovered that the production qualities have travelled a l-o-n-g way since this first series.

So, have you ever discovered and lost a TV show?

I try not to take it personally, and I have already braced myself that this new-found wealth of riches will be pulled at the whim of a TV executive, but it still does sting a little, like the pain of lost love.

There was Eastenders - yes, I know it was a crap English soap opera, but it was my crap English soap opera and you never forget your first.

There was Thirty Something - whatever did happen? Apparently there were several seasons after it was ripped from my eyes, but I will forever be caught in the unfolding drama of an impending divorce between the brunette and her hubster, and the divorced ones sneaking around getting back together behind people's backs.

There were comedies whose names I forget, for my affair with them was so fleeting - but they didn't make the masses laugh and they were jerked from my screen before we could fully bond.

I know, I know - I need to return to only watch ABC and SBS as they know how to engender some loyalty and have some values - and I know how good for me their programming can be, but its like junk food - you don't watch commercial television for nutritional content but the mindlessness on offer.

Sigh - oh well, maybe Outrageous Fortune will just have to remain the programme I hook up with as long as I am able, either flash new version on Channel 10 or naive young version on Win/9, but that I never allow myself to love too deeply, because I do know how those b*st*rds operate.

But there is nothing so pathetic as steeling your heart against a holiday fling.