--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The good television of today is probably…" description: "\"The good television of today is probably better than the best television of the old days. The bad television of today is worse. It is not only bad - it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/john-humphrys-29221_cynical_the-good-television-of-today-is-probably_839820.jpg" --- # The good television of today is probably better than the… ![“The good television of today is probably better than the best television of the old days. The bad television of today is worse. It is not only bad - it is damaging, meretricious, seedy and cynical.” quote by John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/john-humphrys-29221_cynical_the-good-television-of-today-is-probably_839820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/john-humphrys-29221_cynical_the-good-television-of-today-is-probably_839820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/john-humphrys-29221_cynical_the-good-television-of-today-is-probably_839820.jpg) > “The good television of today is probably better than the best television of the old days. The bad television of today is worse. It is not only bad - it is damaging, meretricious, seedy and cynical.” [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern TV often lacks depth, while some new content surpasses old classics, but overall quality is declining. **In simple terms:** TV quality is mixed. Key Takeaway Seek content that informs and uplifts. Themes media quality culture technology Mood reflective concerned Type critical observational When to use this quote - family viewing - news consumption - streaming choices - advertising impact Key Concepts Content degradation nostalgia bias Questions to Reflect On - What defines "good" television? - How does media shape societal values? A Different Perspective Bad TV can reinforce harmful stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/) [Old days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-days/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [That crossover of whether it's entertainment or news is the biggest crock of b.s. in television today, because it's all entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-mcmahon/that-crossover-of-whether-it-s-entertainment-or-news-is-the-biggest/) [Vince McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-mcmahon/) > [The radio for these women is like television is for us today, which is really like looking at the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-allen/the-radio-for-these-women-is-like-television-is-for-us-today-which-is/) [Debbie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-allen/) > [That is the godawful thing about television today. Performers don't have any place to hit and miss. You're either in or you're out; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-connor/that-is-the-godawful-thing-about-television-today-performers-don-t/) [Donald O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-connor/) > [I liked television in the old days. I liked that everybody knew every episode of 'The Brady Bunch,' everybody knew every episode of 'Cheers.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schneider/i-liked-television-in-the-old-days-i-liked-that-everybody-knew-every/) [Dan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schneider/) > [I don't watch much television. My old TV agent used to always get mad at me because he'd send me out on auditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zosia-mamet/i-don-t-watch-much-television-my-old-tv-agent-used-to-always-get-mad/) [Zosia Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zosia-mamet/) > [I don't really follow television so much, but in the old days there was a certain way TV was, and it wasn't really like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-don-t-really-follow-television-so-much-but-in-the-old-days-there/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [“Television is not old enough to have matched printing’s output of junk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/television-is-not-old-enough-to-have-matched-printing-s-output-of-junk/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“We chose younger and younger politicians to lead us because they looked good on television and were sharp. But really we should be looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/we-chose-younger-and-younger-politicians-to-lead-us-because-they/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Why should people go out and pay money to see bad films when they can stay at home and see bad television for nothing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/why-should-people-go-out-and-pay-money-to-see-bad-films-when-they-can/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [It's too bad that television needs so much material and does not leave time for quality writing. That's one of the things I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/it-s-too-bad-that-television-needs-so-much-material-and-does-not/) [Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/) > [I have never seen a bad television program, because I refuse to. God gave me a mind, and a wrist that turns things off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-paar/i-have-never-seen-a-bad-television-program-because-i-refuse-to-god/) [Jack Paar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-paar/) > [I grew up in the world of bad television, on my dad's sets and then as a young schmuck on dating shows and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-grew-up-in-the-world-of-bad-television-on-my-dad-s-sets-and-then-as/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I was living in London and I thought, 'There's nothing here for me anymore.' I don't want to become this actor who's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/i-was-living-in-london-and-i-thought-there-s-nothing-here-for-me/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [We all are who we are. We're not necessarily good, and we're not necessarily bad. So much television, in the writing, is so one-dimensional,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schmid/we-all-are-who-we-are-we-re-not-necessarily-good-and-we-re-not/) [Kyle Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schmid/) > [Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/life-doesn-t-imitate-art-it-imitates-bad-television/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) ## More by John Humphrys > [Think about how much skateboarding opens your eyes to see the world differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/think-about-how-much-skateboarding-opens-your-eyes-to-see-the-world/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“once computers gain good language understanding and we can speak to them, then reading and writing are going to seem cumbersome’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/once-computers-gain-good-language-understanding-and-we-can-speak-to/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“Incidentally, it seems that ‘apartment’ has finally taken over from ‘flat’; I fancy they’ll soon have ‘closets’ rather than wardrobes. Anyway,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/incidentally-it-seems-that-apartment-has-finally-taken-over-from-flat/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“The more clearly we are able to express ourselves, the less room there is for ambiguity. The more elaborate and the more precise our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/the-more-clearly-we-are-able-to-express-ourselves-the-less-room-there/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [It is largely on television and radio that real probing of what politicians are up to has to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/it-is-largely-on-television-and-radio-that-real-probing-of-what/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [ It is no good saying we \[journalists\] must report only what is true because what is true cannot always be proven. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/it-is-no-good-saying-we-journalists-must-report-only-what-is-true/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“what the pictures cannot do is express the complexity that might help us understand why these terrible things are happening. Only words can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/what-the-pictures-cannot-do-is-express-the-complexity-that-might-help/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“We stopped being perfect around the time when Eve picked the apple and started coming on to Adam. That”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/we-stopped-being-perfect-around-the-time-when-eve-picked-the-apple/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“Language so remote from the way we speak in the real world prompts the question: what’s behind all that, then? Gushing vacuity addressed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/language-so-remote-from-the-way-we-speak-in-the-real-world-prompts/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [If the semicolon is one of the neglected children in the family of punctuation marks these days, told to stay in its room and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/if-the-semicolon-is-one-of-the-neglected-children-in-the-family-of/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“The measure of human success is no longer the life well lived but the lifestyle well lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/the-measure-of-human-success-is-no-longer-the-life-well-lived-but-the/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“Funny how one little word can mean ‘full of or disposed to joy and mirth’, ‘homosexual’ and ‘rubbish’. It just shows that context is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/funny-how-one-little-word-can-mean-full-of-or-disposed-to-joy-and/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“Samuel Johnson said, ‘It is happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/samuel-johnson-said-it-is-happier-to-be-sometimes-cheated-than-not-to/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [It is the relentless onward march of the texters, the SMS (Short Message Service) vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis Khan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/it-is-the-relentless-onward-march-of-the-texters-the-sms-short/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [“Change, that all-encompassing word, has become a universal corporate mantra. We must change to survive. But change from what and to what? Change for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/change-that-all-encompassing-word-has-become-a-universal-corporate/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) [Explore all 18 John Humphrys quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) ## More Cynical quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I would say most comedians have a very cynical worldview of the way the world can work. It's almost like if you didn't, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/i-would-say-most-comedians-have-a-very-cynical-worldview-of-the-way/) [Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/) > [Sure, I’m dramatic and sloppily semi-cynical and semi-sentimental. But, in leisure years I could grow and choose my way. Now I am living on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/sure-i-m-dramatic-and-sloppily-semi-cynical-and-semi-sentimental-but/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [We're so immaturely cynical as a culture. We're not wise enough to look at an institution like marriage and to really things about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/we-re-so-immaturely-cynical-as-a-culture-we-re-not-wise-enough-to/) [Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/) > [I'm not cynical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/i-m-not-cynical/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [A well governed people are generally a people who do not think much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-siegfried/a-well-governed-people-are-generally-a-people-who-do-not-think-much/) Andre Siegfried > [I love writers who are insightful enough to be cynical but choose not to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/i-love-writers-who-are-insightful-enough-to-be-cynical-but-choose-not/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [It is a very cynical, skeptical, foolish person that suggests Israel does not need a peace process to have a growing economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-quest/it-is-a-very-cynical-skeptical-foolish-person-that-suggests-israel/) [Richard Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-quest/) > [Songwriters might write cynical, world-wise lyrics and constantly talk about money, but most of us are downright naive when it comes to business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/songwriters-might-write-cynical-world-wise-lyrics-and-constantly-talk/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [No one more cynical than an idealist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/no-one-more-cynical-than-an-idealist/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [I've actually always wanted to write like a one-person show that was sort of a romantic comedy - a show that was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-ve-actually-always-wanted-to-write-like-a-one-person-show-that-was/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [“That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/that-s-what-i-ve-never-been-able-to-get-about-religion-that-charmless/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [As the rain falls and the sun shines, they grow, grow, grow; minds so open, they go through life aware and accepting, seeing light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/as-the-rain-falls-and-the-sun-shines-they-grow-grow-grow-minds-so/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [One of the weirdest things that happened to artists and art criticism was this moment when everyone got cynical and stopped believing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-weirdest-things-that-happened-to-artists-and-art-criticism/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) [Browse all 968 Cynical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The good television of today is probably better than the best television of the old days. 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