Everybody has that one friend. The one who would would take things too far sometimes and embarrass themselves in front of everybody, but man, they were so much fun to hang out with. But then they got into meditation or yoga or hot yoga or some kind of mind-body crap and now they’re eating clean and going to bed early and spouting inspirational phrases they read somewhere. And while that’s probably for the best, you can’t help but think that you liked them better when they were a mess.
That’s pretty much what’s going on with TLC right now.
The cable network, which in recent years has become known for televised freak shows like My Strange Addiction, Strange Sex, and, of course, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, has announced its intention to clean up its act. And while the “freak show” thing may seem harsh, those are the exact words TLC Group President Marjorie Kaplan has used to describe the network she’s been running since February of last year. But no more. Kaplan says that the network is going in a new, more positive (i.e., boring) direction, airing inspirational series featuring sympathetic characters like My Big Fat Fabulous Life’s Whitney Thore and All That Jazz’s Jazz Jennings as well as (literal) family-oriented programming like the upcoming Long Lost Family and I Got You Babies. “This is a world without judgment,” Kaplan said. “We put our arms around everybody.”
Between this and the Discovery Channel declaring that it isn’t going to air pseudoscientific bullshit anymore, soon viewers might be in danger of actually learning something from “educational” TV.