Ancient Aliens on History Channel

I confess to you that I really love (and hate) this show. It is by far the most unintentionally hilarious show I’ve seen in a while. The show’s premise is that key historical events and archaeologically significant sites across the world are the result of alien intervention. The cast of “experts” chime in on how impossible event X or site Y could have been made by man between a seriously toned narrator. Well, the episode I watched had me howling was when the aliens killed the dinosaurs in order to assist in our creation. The experts are so wildly speculative that I just don’t know how they keep a straight face. Also, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos’ hair is awesome and is evolving apparently to people who seem to have the time to document it. There are also some memes that capture the essence of the show. I particularly love this one:

It is so spot on funny.The ridiculously circular arguments they advance make my head spin more than Linda Blair’s head in the Exorcist.

It is a form of entertainment but in a documentary style. What worries me is if this show were to be taken seriously its format gives an aire of credibility. The history channel was one of my favorite channels. I am a fan of documentaries…good documentaries based on evidence. Lately there has been a few shows that have given me pause. One is America Unearthed. I would have liked this show if it disseminated archaeological research in America, whether geological or cultural. They could even get a little hokey and segue into cultural myths of the Hopi, Pueblo and such. The show actually is an examination of obscure urban legends by a geologist. This could be interesting if it wasn’t so far-fetched. One episode had him examine evidence that “The Ark of the Covenant” could have made it to America. This is so obviously not true that it isn’t worth debunking. I have an open mind, but c’mon… Two other shows are Monsterquest and UFO Hunters which come across as straight bull sh!t. Monsterquest is a snooze fest and they never find anything except stupid startled faces in night vision.UFO Hunters is a very over the top drama of Ancient Aliens set in modern times.

I don’t know why History Channel has gone in this direction. I’ve watched a show on Animal Planet called “River Monsters” and I think that show is pretty good without resorting to gimmicky sleuthing for imaginary creatures. You learn something in “River Monsters” and he tells a good story about the significance of the species he is after. Ancient Aliens still asks interesting questions about archaeological sites even if the conclusion is downright ridiculous.