I must tell you about my new favorite TV show. It's called "History Detectives" and it's on PBS Sunday evenings in my area (of the US). I encourage you to watch. It is by far the hokiest thing you will see on television, and therefore one of the best.
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Four people: cutish young chick, old lady librarian type, big bald goatee guy, and salt-n-pepper Oxford wearing guy are THE HISTORY DETECTIVES. They investigate the mysteries of histories, you see!
The show is shot in such a way that attempts to mimick CSI and other such crime dramas, but at the base of it they expend their time and energy READING MICROFICHE to discover whether for example an anti-slavery banner was used by abolitionists. Once again,
WHETHER AN ANTI-SLAVERY BANNER WAS USED BY ABOLITIONISTS. I mean, really. You think?
Of course to get to the solution you sit through rising suspenseful music, erratic jump-cuts, repeated pans across the same two photostats, and INTERVIEWS WITH NERDS who are NERVOUS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. Plus, you learn something! (Namely that anyone with a library card can be a history detective.)
It's the greatest show. I'm laughing about it as I type this up. That's "The History Detectives" on PBS. It may be the campiest thing on TV since Batman, but at least it's not another cop show!
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