The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

[carrie mclaren <brooklynite282 AT gmail.com>]

Monkey Business: TLC Is the Most Exploitative Network on TV
A ridiculous show called My Monkey Baby is the newest addition to TLC's
outrageous lineup.
http://www.tv.com/my-monkey-baby/show/77343/summary.html?tag=content;main#

See also:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-monkey-baby/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1


Oh dear. TLC, home of the most ridiculous and probably exploitative lineup
of "entertainment" since traveling carnivals were a viable business, has
greenlit another masterpiece. My Monkey Baby will premiere on October 4.
Best Week Ever quotes the press release: "With her pink bedroom, a designer
wardrobe, the latest toys, games and makeup, Jessica Marie is like any
spoiled little girl… Except that she’s a monkey. Just what makes a couple
take on a 40-year commitment to an eternal toddler? How strong is the
parent/monkey bond? And can a monkey really become a child substitute? It's
an extraordinary look into the real lives of people parenting monkeys in
America." Here are the answers to those questions, in order: Mental illness,
shut up, absolutely not.

TLC used stand for The Learning Channel. But then they realized that more
people would watch shows about parents with astronomical numbers of
children, (18 Kids and Counting, Jon and Kate Plus 8), beauty pageants
(Toddlers and Tiaras, King of the Crown), and the universal mainstay of
traveling circuses -- little people (The Little Couple, Little People, Big
World). In theory, changing the branding of a network is fine. AMC did it,
and now they have the fantastic Mad Men and Breaking Bad. But TLC removed
its educational programming because it got in the way of the network's
terminal-velocity dive to the bottom. They now feature the absolutely most
exploitative and outrageous programming on television.

We understand that a lot of people in this country want to be on TV.
Thousands audition for American Idol every year, despite a complete lack of
singing ability. Survivor has people lining up to starve in the jungle for a
month, and let's not even try to examine the kind of person who wants to
appear on a Vh1 dating show. But most reality shows seem to exhibit some
level of restraint. It seems like most of TLC's shows revolve around people
who are not fit to decide whether they actually want to be on television,
like the Duggar or Gosselin children, the pageant kids on Toddlers and
Tiaras, or the couple who is so lonely that they treat a f--king monkey like
a daughter.

Part of this is the our own fault, we the television audience. None of these
shows would exist if people didn't watch them. But there are other ways to
get ratings than constantly trying to find an even lower common denominator.
My Monkey Baby is not "an extraordinary look into the real lives of people
parenting monkeys in America," it's a freak show. The producers went out and
found some freaks, filmed them, and sold the result to TLC. People will
probably watch it, but people watch Faces of Death, too. That doesn't mean
it should be on TV.

And that's why our outrage is justified. If there is a line that TLC will
not cross, we honestly don't know where it is. From their programming
lineup, we have to assume that their standards and practices department is
run by the network execs from Videodrome, or maybe Caligula. Has anyone
stopped to ask how the Gosselin children feel about their TV show causing
their parents' divorce? It can be argued that Jon and Kate's marriage was in
trouble before the show, and perhaps the kids are better off with their
parents divorcing, but we wouldn't be too thrilled if our Dad started
wearing Ed Hardy shirts and bro-ing down with Michael Lohan. Jon Gosselin is
certainly an asshole, but TLC gave him an outlet. And their reaction to his
transformation was simply to leak his antics to the press and order more Jon
and Kate.

So My Monkey Baby will premiere on October 4. People will probably watch it,
and laugh at its sad participants. We know there's nothing we can do but try
to ignore it. But we also hope that none of the people who participate in
its airing, from producers to viewers, feel good about themselves.