Have You Watched the History Channel Lately?

The last time I watched was this afternoon - Art of War also.

Didn't catch it all, but it was good for abut 40 minutes.

I watch it all the time. I used to call it 'the WW2 channel', but not so much, anymore. They have lots of good, varied stuff on there, now.

dgiharris said:

So I ask you, when was the last time you watched the History Channel?

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A couple of weeks ago while visiting my parents.

dgiharris said:

What did you watch?

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Ancient Discoveries: Death Weapons of the East
seriously cool

dgiharris said:

What do you think about the Channel, its evolution, and its programming?

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The History Channel rocks. We've been TV-less for a little while now, and it's the channel I miss most. But back when we had cable and DVR, we loaded it up with History Channel shows: Modern Marvels, Lost Cities, Ancient Discoveries, etc. They ran a miniseries on the American Revolution that was really great.

I watch the History Channel a lot, as well as History International. Love the documentaries on everything from war (the Revolution and WWII especially) to stuff on the ancient Romans and Egyptians.

Honestly, I've loved the channel for years.

I think the last time I watched, they were doing that series on the Presidents.

Last time I checked, it was still the WW2 Channel. At a guess, eight or nine years.

A couple days ago.

A show about how ancient greeks/romans/etc used hydraulics to pull off the works of the gods in their temples.

It was a repeat. I've seen it a couple times before.

I used to watch it all the time, but thanks to my hours being cut, I get pity tv from my parents, and I don't have all the same channels.

I miss it. It really gave my story ideas little shots of historic acid. There is nothing like story ideas on acid (the completely visual acid you get from the tv, I am not an advocator of drugs)

I watch the History channel every day. They have great shows on the unusual, like Monster Quest, where guys hunt for Bigfoot, etc. Of course they never find the thing they are looking for, but sometimes they will find an unusual clue or evidence. No proof, though. Same with their other shows, like UFO Hunters. Enjoy the heck out of it. Their website even has videos you can watch if you've missed an episode.

I watch now and again. Some programs I really enjoy (Art of War is one), but when it starts doing stuff that really belongs on the Discovery Channel (Life After People immediately springs to mind) I pass. I tune in to the History Channel to see history dammit.

dgiharris said:

when was the last time you watched the History Channel?

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Last night

dgiharris said:

What did you watch?

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Cities of the Underworld

dgiharris said:

What do you think about the Channel, its evolution, and its programming?

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I love the History channel, it's got some of my favorite programs on it. Next to the Space Channel, it's my most often viewed channel.

Jcomp said:

when it starts doing stuff that really belongs on the Discovery Channel (Life After People immediately springs to mind) I pass. I tune in to the History Channel to see history dammit.

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Life After People is future history.

The History Channel is probably the most-watched channel in my house. I TIVOed "The Art of War" yesterday, as a matter of fact.

I watch the History channel a lot. The last time I watched was probably a few days ago. My favorite TV show, The Universe, is on that channel. I buy episodes of that on iTunes so I can watch them over and over. I've really enjoyed some of their specials too. Probably my favorite special was their complete history of illegal drugs. It was so interesting to see the politics that surrounded banning the different drugs. Many of the original laws had nothing to do with protecting people, and everything to do with racial prejudice.

I think the History Channel has improved tremendously over the last few years. My family and I used to call it the Hitler Channel, because everything was about WW2, but now they have specials and series about all kinds of different subjects and time periods. I wish they would do more ancient history and European history, though. And I'm still trying to figure out what Ice Road Truckers has to do with history, lol.

Chasing the Horizon said:

I think the History Channel has improved tremendously over the last few years. My family and I used to call it the Hitler Channel, because everything was about WW2, but now they have specials and series about all kinds of different subjects and time periods. I wish they would do more ancient history and European history, though. And I'm still trying to figure out what Ice Road Truckers has to do with history, lol.

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Amen. Particularly the bolded. I love the more ancient stuff (I actually have the four disc DVD "Barbarians" documentary the History Channel produced some years back--yes, I'm a dweeb), and can do without the reality shows (Ice Road Truckers, Expedition Africa, etc.--that stuff's fine for National Geo or Discovery, but again, I tune in to see stuff about history).

The conspiracy stuff (Mysteries of the Freemasons, etc) is always fun, though it gets to be a little much like all its WWII stuff.

Is it owned by the same folks who run the Discovery Channel family?

Isaac Espriu said:

Double that amen. I get sick of seeing docos about WWII. But i don't get sick of seeing docos about the 5,000 or so years recorded history before that...

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Or hell, even World War I, which tends to get shafted on the documentaries compared to the attention lavished on its younger brother.

But yes, the shows that focus on more ancient history are what really captivate me.

I've studied history so a lot of the programmes on the History Channel make me vomit blood. The old World War 2 footage is pretty cool though I guess

Jcomp said:

(I actually have the four disc DVD "Barbarians" documentary the History Channel produced some years back--yes, I'm a dweeb)

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WANT.

That series was awesome!

And I agree about the non-history stuff. Last time I watched they were running commercials for some show about the crumbling American infrastructure, which, in addition to looking a tad overly dramatic, was decidedly non-historical.

I like the ancient stuff as well. Loved the Roman Empire series.

We watch it a lot. We actually watch History, Discovery, Animal Planet--pretty much anything but network tv.

I tend to like documentaries that they show on the history of religion and various social issues.

Moonshot, about the Apollo 11 voyage, premieres tonight. Been getting very good reviews so far based on the airings in Europe so far.

Today is the anniversary of the moon landing.

I can't remember. But then you could ask me that of any channel and I wouldn't remember. I just flip, if I see an interesting show I stop. More often then not I don't even know what channel it is.

If they got rid of all that Ice Road trucker crap, I'd be a lot happier. Not. History.

I also used to say that it seemed like there was no history prior to roughly 1939, based on the amount of WWII stuff that was always on.

There used to be a series on (and damn it, the name escapes me and I can't find it on the website now, of course.) but it was all about different ways to torture/execute people through the centuries (going back to ancient Greek/Roman times) and it was interesting as anything, but I had to turn it off a few times because the some of the devices literally made me nauseous. They'd show something from then, and show how it worked by using mannequins and the like now.

I love the stuff on the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and anything to do with the Revolutionary War.

I actually prefer History International - more history, less Ice Road Truckers.