Whatcha Watchin’ – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Reality programs

May 12, 2026

I have a problem with so-called reality shows. Can there be a survivor when no one dies? Everyone on the show is a survivor. The title should be Survivors. Big Brother just shows a group of people whose every move is recorded. And they know it. Keep in mind that a reality TV show may not have a script, even though each participant has an agenda.

They write their own scripts. I create dialogue as every writer does. Often it is done in our heads. Sometimes we write it down. Other times, we save it until we can use it at the appropriate time. I have certain lines I like to use. If you say, “That drives me crazy,” I reply, “That’s not a drive it’s a short putt.”

Saying that there is no written script for these shows does not make them reality. If you want reality, put together a program made of 100% security videos where all or most of those on camera do not realize they are being recorded. The problem with this is that it would be eavesdropping and therefore illegal.

If you want true drama, comedy, and spontaneity you should watch game shows. Especially the daytime ones where there are few questions that could be studied ahead of time. Jeopardy and the other knowledge related shows can be rehearsed with many different types of questions.

I think shows like that require the contestants to try out and prove that they will not stand there with a dumb look on their faces. Shows such as “Let’s Make a Deal” or “The Price is Right” allow people to act however they want and they encourage weird and unusual behavior.

The question I have about these folks is that they always look at the audience to receive help. Especially on Drew Carey’s program it appears to me that they select contestants that cannot or will not make their own decisions. When Wayne Bradey asks his players about their jobs, very few are managers that are required to know how to make split second decisions.

Even the women who look like they know the prices of groceries seem to know little about cars, vacations, or electronics. The men that shop for these products seem not to buy their own groceries, snacks or drinks, that’s why they are always looking at wives or girlfriends in the audience.

I’ve noticed some actual reality on these games. Some use their minds to weigh the odds and not take chances that are almost always easy to predict as losers. That brings me to another long-time contest called “Wheel of Fortune.” This is supposed to be like the brain busters with a gambling twist.

When someone risks their turn and what money they already have for the chance at a ten-thousand-dollar wedge which they never get to claim I cringe. LMAD also thrives on those who are into taking chances. I don’t understand risking a twenty-five-thousand-dollar car for a one out of three chance of gaining a prize that is not that expensive. I guess not everyone in LA drives.

Dumb Donald

May 6, 2026

I know that Bill Cosby has been disgraced for the crimes he has been convicted of. As a kid, I listened to his albums and watched him on television. I predate some of you enough that I remember him in the sixties when he first talked about Fat Albert, Russell, Weird Harold, and Dumb Donald.

You don’t remember these friends of Bill? You might have seen them on “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” in the seventies and eighties. Dumb Donald was the one who wore the stupid-looking stocking cap that covered his entire face. Many comedians use characters that are not intelligent.

This is a common tactic with writers of books and scripts. Tim Allen’s Tim the Toolman character in his stand-up comedy routines became the situation comedy “Home Improvement.” Allen played the bumbling, often imbecilic host of a local cable television show called “Tool Time.” His sponsor was Binford Tools; all of this is from the minds of Mr. Allen and his writers.

The point I want to make here is that we all have our times when we are not highly intelligent. Al Borland is Tim’s assistant on his tool episodes. Al is a qualified contractor and extinguishes his boss when he sets himself on fire, rescues him when he glues his head to a table, or helps him repair the house that he blew up with a clapper device.

The problem is that, like this pair, we all need someone to help us. Al may be an excellent carpenter and contractor, but he is boring, hence the name Borland, and a failure in relationships. Sometimes Tim sabotages his own marriage and must go to his neighbor, Wilson Wilson Jr., for advice.

With all his knowledge, we soon learn that Wilson also has his own flaws. He is not intelligent about everything, either. “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” “Home Improvement,” and Tim Allen’s second series, “Last Man Standing,” all serve to educate us that we are all good at some things and really dumb at others.

Albert is obese, Russell is too timid and lets his older brother and others bully him, and Harold has his strange yet funny and endearing moments; these are what made that cartoon a classic, which became a live-action movie in 2004. Television and movies have many critics, but they can add to our knowledge and experience if we pay attention.

Think about what you watch and analyze what it can teach you. When “The Neighborhood” was first aired, we viewed it, and even though I thought Calvin Butler and his new friend Dave were both idiots in their own ways, they have spent the last few years teaching me more about friendship and race relations than most of us can grasp on our own.

In one of the early episodes, Marty, Calvin’s youngest son, makes a statement that blacks cannot be racists because they are racial. As you watch these shows, you see that Cedric the Entertainer and the cast and crew are pointing out to their audience that none of us knows as much as we think we do. To some extent, we are all Dumb Donalds.

America reads the Bible

May 1, 2026

When I first heard of this program, I thought it was a wonderful idea. Reading my Bible is a daily occurrence for me. Numerous folks were to share scriptures until the total sixty-six-book anthology was finished. When it started this week, the Facebook post showed President Trump.

Those of you who have read my columns already know that I have never been a fan of our current Chief Executive. When he was just an executive of businesses, I viewed him as one of those owners that I would never want to work for. I listened to him lie to his employees on TV.

I heard interviews where he was asked if he thought about getting into politics, and he said he did not think that was something he wanted to do. Then he was given a TV show and showed how kind and considerate he was by telling celebrities, “You are fired.” I never watched the show, but I heard that line on the commercials for it.

Then I heard him tell people he thought he could win the presidency. He said he was a Democrat. I guess the Republicans gave him a chance, and he changed his platform. He began lying to more than just his employees. In 2016, I could not believe that the Republicans and Democrats both chose candidates who should never have been nominated.

From the time he was elected the first time, I knew he would not win again unless the Democrats did something else stupid. Trump continued his lies by saying that the only way he will lose is if the election is stolen from him. He continues to maintain this lie.

And this man is chosen to be someone who reads the Bible to us. Why not get a Buddhist, Muslim, or atheist as well? Now we are told that a man tried to assassinate him because he is a Christian. Give me a break. Let’s read the Bible again and look for what it says about the people who say and do what he has said and done.

Think back to when Trump said that if he were able to solve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, then he would know he would go to Heaven. His religious right friends did not seem to have a problem with that. I now wonder about them.

“For by grace are you saved by faith” is what my scripture says. More than one Biblical writer tells us that what we do has no bearing on whether we go to Heaven or Hell. Your belief in and relationship with Jesus the Christ is the only criterion. Anyone who believes otherwise is not someone that I can listen to.

If you, like me, did not bother to listen to this reading of the Bible, please read it for yourself. Begin with the gospels and then the rest of the New Testament. Notice what Paul and the other disciples say in their letters. The book of Hebrews is another book to study to understand what Jesus told us. The Bible is good reading. Remember that anyone can read it. Not everyone believes what they read.

The sound of musicals

April 29, 2026

While watching the sing-along version of “The Sound of Music” broadcast on a Sunday evening on ABC Channel 33-1 in Springfield, MO, thoughts returned to a live production of this musical. Before attending Southwest Baptist College and studying the Bible, high school studying journalism. Full-time Christian ministry was the change in focus that took the creative writing major from SMSU to Bolivar.

While a student at Central in the fall of 1968, “The Sound of Music” was the fall production by the music and drama departments. For some reason, it still holds a fascination that cannot be shaken. A love for live theatre was born and has been passed on to the next generations.

A critic was not created. One must be able to distinguish the good from the bad to judge. Tone deafness prevents this ability. However, it cannot restrict the enjoyment of the songs. Even though my voice does not bring applause, I do like to sing along with Oklahoma or any of the other musicals from which I still remember the lyrics.

“Sixteen Going on Seventeen” is my favorite from “The Sound of Music.” The sentiment of a young woman being told that a young man who is “seventeen going on eighteen” will take care of her is humorous to adults. As a young man, that sentiment was one to take to heart. To be the protector was a fond possibility.

“The Music Man” and its “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Marian the Librarian,” among others, are also excellent. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember the Elvis movies, which were not called musicals but were. If you went to a film starring a singer, you wanted to hear them sing.

And you had to have music so Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire could move around the floors, walls, or even ceilings. Grace Kelly was not Fred’s only partner in crime. Gene was also able to share the floor with Jerry, the mouse. You millennials think you have good movies. You have nothing on us, baby boomers. We lived during the heydays of cinema magic and creativity. They could not just punch a few computer keys to find special effects.

Life would be dull without musical entertainment, and we no longer must call friends and neighbors to join us. Thanks to Thomas Edison and Mr. Victor, we now have a band in a box, with their singers. That box has been shrunk to a size that fits in a pocket and doubles as a phone or TV screen.

I hope you enjoy all the clips I’ve included with this column. Maybe you’ll find ones you haven’t experienced before. These modern conveniences have been around for almost one hundred years now. Between sound recordings, movies, TV, the Internet, and our phones, we are good to go almost anywhere with the sound of music.

Watch the commercials

April 6, 2026

I know. Who wants to watch the ads on TV? You can learn a lot by viewing the advertisements during and between the shows. Did you know that everything you could ever need or want is sold in the media these days? Except for world peace. Advertising is the way the American public finances its broadcast companies.

Newspapers and magazines sold advertisements, and when radio began, they had to develop spots that were totally verbal in nature. I remember in the nineteen sixties listening to the disc jockeys read on air copy for the local ads. As high school speech students, we learned how to be radio announcers and competed in tournaments.

For many years now, one of my classmates has been an anchor on our local NBC affiliate. In school, he was not a speech student. He was working at a local radio station. Our coach invited him to join us at tournaments and compete in radio speaking. He won first place in every competition he was able to enter.

It did not bother me. He was better than all the other competitors. One of my first jobs after college was as marketing director for a small company. We were a direct marketing firm and produced catalogs and flyers, and accepted orders by phone.

Some modern commercials fail to do the one thing I have thought essential. An ad is not successful unless it makes you remember the company’s name. When I see an advertisement repeatedly and cannot remember who ran the spot, I know it failed.

Funny scripts are great, but not all humor is funny to everyone. Some types of comedy just make me think that whoever produced it is stupid. Looking stupid to prospective customers is not a good idea. I always thought it was a good idea to put your best foot forward.

Local commercials about lawyers are a perfect example of what works and what does not. Some attorneys brag about the amount of money they can get for you. Others criticize their competitors and try to denigrate them. This is never a good idea to encourage people who know nothing about you and your business practices to see that you are willing to say things that are hurtful.

Some of my favorite ads just tell me what these businesses can do for me and let me know that they want to take care of anyone who wishes to do business with them. Offend no one and show everyone that you know how to get their business.

There is one commercial that I view regularly today about a perfect gift. It is for a shower head. I’m sorry, that would never be the present my wife would want. This guy must be buying this for his parents. It is a standard comedy schtick to buy your wife something you think she needs. This is against the idea that it is the thought that counts.

Which types of advertising encourage you to buy their products or services? Our economy is a free market, which is supposed to mean that we make our own decisions about what we buy from whom. Few techniques are illegal, but many that are not ethical. When a business fails to present enough information or lies about their products, I just decide not to do business with them.

Spencers, Waltons, and Hamners

March 20, 2026

The only name you may recognize in this list is the Waltons. Earl Hamner, Jr. created this TV series that first aired in 1972. I graduated from high school in May of that year. The first episode of the Waltons aired on CBS television on September fourteenth of that year. You can say that my adult life began with this creation of Mr. Hamner.

This was not the first incarnation of this story by the author. “Spencer’s Mountain” was first published in 1961. He had begun his writing career as a script writer. His first short play that was produced was “The Hound of Heaven” that aired January 15, 1953, on The Kate Smith Show.

Spencer’s Mountain became a movie in 1963 starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara. The plots are similar. The characters are familiar from the Waltons series. This book was the story that John Boy wrote about his family. As writers, we are told to write what we know.

The character John Boy in the original book and movie was named Clay Boy after his father Clay Spenser, Sr. This makes me wonder if Earl Hamner, Jr., was called Earl Boy when he was growing up. He was the first one in a large family to go to college and become a writer.

Most of The Walton episodes were not written by Hamner. He was the Executive Producer and had final say on the scripts. While every story was not his he did make sure they were true to his concept of who his family was. As always, literary licenses were issued as needed.

Many of Hamner’s personal beliefs appear in these episodes. He was constantly exposing problems to those who were trying to take advantage of others. The Ballwin sisters, who were bootleggers, even though they did not know it, were not viewed as criminals. Blacks and orphans were seen as being oppressed.

Walton’s view of World War II was very much the way my mother remembered things as she was growing up at that time. Walton’s was a favorite of hers. She shared with me that many of the news reports of things that were occurring in Europe were viewed with doubt by her family as well.

Many of the story lines resonated with me. John Jr. wanted to be a writer and went to college to study. He was always writing a story or book. The season he purchased an old press and published his own newspaper was especially interesting to me.

The idea of living with grandparents was not that familiar and I was used to having two brothers and a sister at home. I sympathized with the Walton children when they wished they were only children. The different interests and occupations the family chose were as varied as my own. The main variation was that no one in my family became a musician or nurse.

My columns do follow a similar tack that John Boy followed by writing about the family and those things that happened to them. If you are like me and wish that the producers would come up with more family programming like this, at least with our current technology, we can watch these older shows on our streaming services. Happy watching, and I’ll share others that I have watched when they were new.

“Chuck”

March 2, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TFdjgZOQrIM

Have you ever seen this TV series from 2007 to 2012? I am going to tell you something that has never been published anywhere before now. This story is about me. It has been altered greatly from my true original story. I did not go to Stanford University or work as a computer nerd.

I do not know Chris Fedak or Josh Schwartz who are the creators of this show. How they were able to link this fictional tale to my name is beyond me. I do not want any royalties or profit from their scripts. Titles cannot be copy written and I have no claim against anyone for infringing upon my privacy.

Why do I say this series was based on my life? First it is my name. Then there is the beautiful woman that I am married to. The character of Sarah Walker and Cindy do not have the same hair color. Cindy has never worked for the CIA and the way we met was completely different from what the series shows.

My best friend at the time ended up being my best man at our wedding and surprisingly, they got the part correct that we worked together. They also got it right that I have a sister. They did leave out my two brothers. Neither of my parents were spies and they were at our wedding as well.

They also got it correct that I did not finish at the university where I started my degree program. However, I was not expelled, I transferred and did receive my diploma from another college. I also never let my girlfriend drive my company car, so she never wrecked it. I played video games but not much after Cindy and I began dating. As I recall, neither did Chuck after he met Sarah.

That is another way that the writers hit my story head on. I know that if they tried to stay closer to my real life it would have been boring. I am just glad that they did not make it a situation comedy. The dramedy genre was a much more flattering format.

I can just see if they had titled it everybody loves Chuck or according to Chuck. All the crazy stuff my brothers and sister and I did would not have been half as interesting as the scripts for those two shows. I do wish that one of the characters in M.A.S.H., the Waltons, or Dr. Quinn Medicine woman had been Chuck or Cindy. In that case the show I claimed as ours would have lasted a lot longer.

Is there a show that you wish you could claim was about your life? Comment below and tell me the similarities and the differences in yours. If no one comments I will know that I am still a unique individual. Happy watching.

I don’t always understand

February 25, 2026

“I trust His ways, but I do not always understand them.” It is a line by John Ritter as Reverend Matthew Fordwick in the Waltons TV series from the 1970s. This is from season 1, episode 24, where Olivia is diagnosed with polio. This series is set in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. Polio was a devastating disease at that time that had no vaccine available to protect the population.

Reverend Fordwick comes to visit Mrs. Walton in the early days of her illness and is questioned by Grandma as to the seriousness of the disease. She replies that she thought he was a man of God. His reply is one that I, as a minister, have used myself. I have also stated when asked why God allows or causes things to happen that I am in sales, not in management.

I’ve worked in sales and management for different companies. In a position where my job was to convince customers to purchase products, there were some questions I could not answer. When I was a store manager, it was my responsibility to always answer a client’s questions to the best of my ability. I did my best in both situations.

There were times when customers would not like my decisions about how to solve a problem. I had superiors whom they could refer to. On more than one occasion, I gave the names and contact information to the complainer. Not once was I overturned. This was not the case in every management position I occupied.

I do not understand why God created human beings. I know, I’ve heard the preachers say that He needed someone to love. He already created dogs and cats. They are more lovable than most people. My cat is on my lap at this moment, and the dog is next to Cindy.

Yes, sometimes the dog doesn’t do what he is told to, but the cat never follows orders. And unlike children, you cannot beat her into submission. She’s too fast. Turn around, and she is gone, and you will never find her.

I do not understand why, when He loved us so much, we must take care of the animals. Why weren’t they created to work for us and let us lie around all day and sleep? Put a bowl of Chex mix on the table with my insulated cup of iced tea, and I’ll be fine. No one is required to take me outside or clean my litter box.

If I were God, I would . . . have really botched things up. I don’t even know what my wife wants for Christmas. How would I keep the seas from flooding the shores and tell the birds and the butterflies when to fly south? Maybe I should just accept that He knows best and let Him stay in charge. Especially in my life.

The Formula for Happiness

February 20, 2026

Happiness is elusive. We may be ecstatically happy one moment, and then something happens to destroy that wonderful emotion. That is why happiness is a lifelong goal for us. Finding that joy in a person, home, car, job, or lifestyle causes us to feel that peace is not possible.

An episode of “Father Knows Best” originally aired on April 5, 1959, and deals with this idea. It was titled “Formula for Happiness.” Jim Anderson, played by Robert Young, has a dream where he is going on global television in response to a request by the President of the United States to share a formula for happiness that is sealed in an envelope.

The focus throughout the next day is on this formula and the man who is trying to acquire it to keep it for only those that he and his company believe deserve it. Anderson wants to give the secret to everyone. Of course, this is the correct position because the father does know best. The question is “Where did this dream originate?”

As the story progresses, we discover that Kathy, Anderson’s youngest daughter, wrote an essay on this topic. She wanted her dad to have his secretary type it for her. Another ongoing focus of the episode is that while he knows best, father may not always do the best thing. Recurring times occur when he tells her that he is busy with something else. As you watch, look for the lessons this situation comedy teaches.

The secret to happiness is contained in Kathy’s essay. The essence of it is, “Everyone would be happier if they treated others the way they want to be treated.” Anderson words it this way after reading the paper, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Yes, that is the golden rule taught by Jesus.

When Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and the second-best was to love our neighbor as ourselves, He was restating this differently. The focus of the Bible is love. For Jehovah and human beings, if we focused on someone other than ourselves, happiness would no longer be elusive. It would be easy to obtain.

In our world of 2026, happiness is no easier to find than it was in 1959. It is still fleeting. You find it for one minute, and then whatever created it no longer has the same effect on you it did minutes before. Some of us have happy marriages or relationships, for a time. Then something happens.

There is still no formula for happiness. If you want to be happy, accept what God and life is giving you. Change it for the better where you can and be happy that there are possibilities. Ask for and accept help. That can be a difficult lesson to learn. Look for a hand up, not a handout.

Last Call for Football

February 8, 2026

Thank God. I get tired of the fall, Christmas, and New Year’s onslaught of NFL and college games. I do not like sports of any kind. I know most of you do not understand that. I do not get why some of you would rather watch TV or movies and never read a book. To me, that is crazy.

I am also tired of Christmas movies at this time of year. If I wanted to see a Christmas rom-com, I have a streaming service and can watch it there. I subscribe to the company I am with to receive specific types of programming. No news, no sports, and many channels that do not offer the latest movies and TV.

We like reruns. We also like new movies and programming from certain channels that are more Christian oriented that the typical providers. We like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and The Waltons, and we want family shows of that type.

Another one that we enjoy is Seventh Heaven. Hallmark, MeTV, Cozy, and Great American Family, where is it? Is it too expensive to purchase? I get that. I see it available for purchase on Amazon. It just isn’t one of the freebies, and we are frugal.

So, at this moment, it is Sunday afternoon, February 8, 2026, and the TV is not on. Later, when the Olympics or the Stupid Bowl is on, we will watch something else. We also have a library of Blu-ray and DVD discs to choose from. We might just watch Fraggle Rock. We have the entire Jim Henson series.

The commercial that has the line “Last call for football” is another type of ad I would like to see removed from my channels. Sports gambling is now legal in Missouri. I am sick of Kevin Hart. One syndicate uses him, and the scripts they give him make him look like an insensitive idiot. I know that is one type of character that he portrays.

I hope they paid him enough money for that so that he never needs to work again, because it will be a long time before I will pay to see him in anything. I think these spots are hurting his career, not helping it.

But what do I know? I took a job because I thought God wanted me to, and I ended up unemployed for three years because they lied about me to other companies. How do I know that? In every position I was considered for until I dropped them from my resume, I did not receive an offer. As soon as I left them off the list and made it look like I was working through a temp agency at that time, I got the next job.

Not everything you do is good for you. You can still learn something from everything you do. Maybe even watching football or Christmas movies in February. Whatever floats your boat. Just don’t invite me to your party. I will politely decline.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Category: Whatcha Watchin’