Being Jim Davis

I do not accept the idea that the present over-all programming is aimed accurately at the public taste. The ratings tell us only that some people have their television sets turned on and of that number, so many are tuned to one channel and so many to another. They don't tell us what the public might watch if they were offered half-a-dozen additional choices. A rating, at best, is an indication of how many people saw what you gave them. Unfortunately, it does not reveal the depth of the penetration, or the intensity of reaction, and it never reveals what the acceptance would have been if what you gave them had been better -- if all the forces of art and creativity and daring and imagination had been unleashed. I believe in the people's good sense and good taste, and I am not convinced that the people's taste is as low as some of you assume.Today's strip

You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials -- many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it.Is there one person in this room who claims that broadcasting can't do better? Well a glance at next season's proposed programming can give us little heart. Of 73 and 1/2 hours of prime evening time, the networks have tentatively scheduled 59 hours of categories of action-adventure, situation comedy, variety, quiz, and movies. Is there one network president in this room who claims he can't do better? Well, is there at least one network president who believes that the other networks can do better? Gentlemen, your trust accounting with your beneficiar

Like everybody, I wear more than one hat. I am the chairman of the FCC. But I am also a television viewer and the husband and father of other television viewers. I have seen a great many television programs that seemed to me eminently worthwhile and I am not talking about the much bemoaned good old days of "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One."I'm talking about this past season. Some were wonderfully entertaining, such as "The Fabulous Fifties," "The Fred Astaire Show," and "The Bing Crosby Special"; some were dramatic and moving, such as Conrad's "Victory" and "Twilight Zone"; some were marvelously informative, such as "The Nation's Future," "CBS Reports," "The Valiant Years." I could list many more -- programs that I am sure everyone here felt enriched his own life and that of his family. When television is good, nothing -- not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers -- nothing is better.But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your s

It probably says something that Jon and Chris are clearly more interested in "Steve Hansen of Cincinnati," a nonexistent listener they made up, than in any of this week's Garfield strips.Today's strip

In today's episode, we crack this thing wide open. We expose a conspiracy that goes back generations and spans continents. And it all -- as so often it does -- comes down to one very special orange cat. And Drew Barrymore. And listener Steve. Of course. Today's strip

Here's a thing we talked about: Today's strip

There's a lot I could say about today's episode, but in the end, I think history will remember it as the first time we mentioned (and almost immediately begin insulting) fan-favorite hypothetical listener "Steve". Also, here's this:Today's strip

Uh oh, A PODCAST!The nice thing about today's podcast is that if you get bored, you can always turn on the Super Bowl instead, which is of course a thing that's happening today in 1979 (the year that it is right now). Will the Cowboys beat the spread? Will Chris find something to shout about unnecessarily? What article of furniture will disappear in today's Garfield strip? Tune in to find out the answer to none of these questions!Thanks again to Emily Kojis for co-hosting this week!Today's strip

For April Fool's Day, I forgot to write a description for this episode.Today's strip

Ok, so the use of the word 'but' here STRONGLY implies that Jon believes that his owning a cat means that he is NOT a bachelor, doesn't it? Which means, ipso facto, precisely one of two things must necessarily be the case: Either Jon Arbuckle is a man who does not understand what words mean, or Jon Arbuckle is a man who is in a romantic and/or sexual relationship with his cat.Oh wait, did I say "and/or"? No, we've definitely established through the course of this show that Jon is a guy with tremendous sexual appetites; he's clearly not the type to stick around in a committed, monogamous relationship with his cat and NOT have sex with it, OK? That would be ABSURD.Today's strip

This is another Garfield strip.Today's strip

1. You won't actually hear it in this episode because I cut it out, but in the pre-roll to today's podcast Chris tells us an anecdote about buying tupperware at IKEA in which he refers to the plural of same as 'tupperwares'.2. Since you mention it, yes, I totally grant that that anecdote sounds more entertaining than anything that actually made it in.Today's strip

For more info regarding the use of isometric projection in video games, check out this delightful wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IsometricgraphicsinvideogamesandpixelartWhen you're done, how about playing a little Zaxxon? That's totally a thing you could do. http://www.classic-retro-games.com/games/shooters/zaxxon-70Today's strip

Today we delve once again into the ever-deepening mystery that is Jon's friend Lyman, and the question of whether or not he appears in this comic strip. In the event that your podcast app doesn't display pictures in episode summaries, I know you'll want to click through to our blog so you can follow along as we go through the evidence. We also FINALLY address the controversy of the inconsistency of the United States Postal Service's uniform policy. A number of you have been writing in asking that we address this issue for some time and we regret that it's taken this long.Special thanks to this week's special guest host @EmilyKojis.Special apologies to all previous guest hosts for probably neglecting to thank them. Exhibit A Exhibit B Exhibit C Today's strip

In today's episode of Being Jim Davis, we earn that "explicit content" tag as early as the strip synopsis, and it's pretty much downhill from there. Anyhow, here's some Art Tatum:Today's strip

Legend has it that there was a time -- before you were born, in the long long ago, before the darkening, before the great scorching, before the rise of the night creatures -- legend has it that there was a time when Jim Davis produced Garfield strips wholly unrelated to sweaters. That's the legend, anyway, but frankly, I don't believe it.Today's strip

Yet more sweater humor today. Embarrassingly, in today's episode we erroneously refer to John Cage's "Preludes" for prepared piano, when we clearly mean his "Sonatas and Interludes." What a couple of maroons! Here's the specific one we're talking about:Today's strip

More animals-wearing-inappropriate-clothing humor today. Enjoy!Today's strip

Today's episode opens with Jon asking the very pertinent question "What are we doing?" Then after the theme music, we say some other stuff. Also, more sweater humor.Today's strip

More sweater humor today.Today's strip