Dear TV: Give us back our Sundays!

The Outline

The scheduling of the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Oscars in consecutive weeks for the first time is too much to handle, says Jeremy Gordon. In 2010, the Grammys were held in January, the Super Bowl in February and the Oscars in March. This year, the Oscars -- which usually air two weeks after the Super Bowl -- are being held on their earliest-ever date, on Feb. 9. Sunday makes sense for these big TV events because it's the night that most people are likely to be home. But why not space out these massive TV events or move them to another night? "I know there is probably oodles of data supporting this idea," says Gordon. "But the joy of being home on Sunday with nothing to do is that you can spend it however you want, doing anything. You don’t need to be locked into watching all four to five hours of one thing, which is what all these events are: immensely long and unskippable, a feeling that doubles if you happen to be at someone else’s house, and can’t just sort of idly mess around when you’re bored. Maybe one evening frittered away on an awards ceremony is fun, but three Sundays in a row? When I could really use that night to pass out a little early, and get a good start to the week? (All of these events usually run past 11 p.m. on the East Coast, where I live, and occasionally even midnight.) Torture! Okay, so you don’t have to watch these things, and just go to sleep. But communal participation is what makes society hum, and it’s only natural to want to pay attention along with everyone else, not because you’re some kind of sheep-brained follower, but because it’s fun."