Cover Story by Paul Challen Air(time) pollution Our readers speak out about the TV shows they just can’t stand! Back in June, we asked our loyal readers to tell us which TV shows bug them the most. And they did! By regular post and e-mail, we received a slew of responses, ranging from the mildly disappointed (“How could a major network put such nonsense on the air?*) to the out-and-out disgusted ('After five minutes, I was walking out of the room.*). And now, we present a selection of the feedback (letters have been edited for space and clarity) from our armchair critics: One of the worst shows on TV is Friends. What was once fun and games between a likable group of people has turned into a mindless soap. Did they really have to drag out the wedding between Chandler and Monica to the very end of the season? They made every episode so predictable. Sarah Deslaurier. Kamloops, B.C. A big. boring loser had to be Big Brother. Spying on a group of strangers trying to live together in confined quarters can hardly be construed as entertainment. While it might have served to satisfy someone’s peep-hole urges, the entertainment value had to be somewhere between zero and minus 10! Dale Boire. Orleans. Ont. I enjoy game shows...but Weakest Link is the worst I have ever seen. Having contestants vote each other out of the game is degrading Robinson: weak and humiliating. Looking at Anne Robinson’s expressionless face makes me feel ill. E.M. Campbell, Lloydminster, Alta. When it comes to “stinky reruns,” Home Improvement has to take the cake. How many times a day do we have to watch this idiotic show? My dog is funnier than these so-called actors! As for stupidity, 2 - The Prince George Citizen TV TIMES ABC’s Making the Band was the most pretentious piece of programming this season. Why exactly were we supposed to care about yet another manufactured group of spoiled pretty boys and whether they got a record contract? It’s the ugliest marriage of reality TV and public relations ever. Pedro Eggers, Montreal Dharma <6 Greg should take top honours -very un-funny and senseless! Russel Wilson, Windsor, Ont. This past season’s big loser was Three Sisters. 1 have watched it occasionally and find it hard to tell which is the mother - she looks too much like two of the daughters! Why it has been renewed is beyond me... Irene Jones, Edgeley, Sask. Danson: grump I’d like to nominate Becker. If the lead character (played by Ted Danson) wasn’t such a grumpy pessimist, maybe then I could enjoy the other elements to the show. Dianne Boutin, Saskatoon In my opinion, the Canadian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was the bottom of the barrel. Apart from the borrowed set, it could have been called Quiz Night in Hicktown. Charles E. du Plessis, Surrey, B.C. It’s a no-brainer - the biggest loser has to be Vince McMahon’s XFL Football'. High-profile hype couldn’t save the disaster waiting to happen when NBC joined the WWF for a football league of low-talent players and quirky rules. Bernie Swift Parksville, B.C In my opinion, this season’s big loser was Sunivor: The Australian Outback. I’ve tried to watch it several times but found it terrible and changed channels. A. Boleychuk, Calgary I’ve heard ABC is moving 20/20 to Wednesdays to help ratings for Once and Again. The only way to help that show is to take everything else off the air. It is so bad, it could have been used to extract secrets during the war. Terry Dodds, Deseronto, Ont. Spin City made its first mistake by bringing in Heather Locklear, and then a bigger mistake by bringing in Charlie Sheen to replace Michael J. Fox. Mike’s good-bye show was perfect and it should have closed out the series on a high note, so his reruns would be as good as Seinfeld s. Locklear and Sheen are just miscast - Mike deserves a better legacy! Gayle Hebert Victoria Locklear: mistake No. 1 T-shirt Winners A big 'thank you* to all the readers who sent in their comments. After a random drawing, we've selected the following 10 winners, each of whom will get a nifty TV Times T-shirt: Dale Boire, Orleans, Ont.; E.M. Campbell, Lloydminster, Alta.; Sarah' * Deslaurier, Kamloops. B.C; Pedro Eggers, Montreal; Irene Jones, Edgeley, Sask.; Christopher Lortie. Cornwall, Ont.; Tom Mar, Edmonton; Robert Pariseau, Montreal; Russel Wilson, Windsor, Ont.; and Joan Young, Stewiacke, N.S. The absolute worst show 1 have ever seen in 40 years of watching television has got to be that idiotic Drew Carey Show. What a waste of prime time! W.D. Swift. Grande lie, Que. Carey: idiotic