Format Change in 2018

I recently found an Antiques Roadshow channel on Pluto TV that plays the earliest and best episodes of Antiques Roadshow--the ones that were filmed inside convention halls and civic centers with people everywhere in the background and the hum of talking picked up by microphones.

Seeing these old episodes made me remember why I stopped watching this show around 2018-2019.

They changed the format in 2018 and started filming outside at historical sites in what appears to be seclusion. There were no more people milling around carrying their "treasures," and there was no more conversation humming in the background adding a sense that something good was happening. The producers who made the ghastly change didn't realize that the previous format was ALIVE. It was filled with visual and auditory signals that somebody in that place might unearth the proverbial buried treasure. It showcased that the attendees were regular people in a regular place intended for the common man! The hoity toity houses and grounds where they film since 2018 removed all of the essence and charm of the show! It's just the appraiser, the person, and complete silence! It's so strange. Also, the bright lighting in the original format was far superior to actually SEE the treasures which is the point of a visual medium such as television.

The other night I was watching a sweet segment with these two adorable little boys in the background watching the filming with wide eyes. What insane producer decided it was a good idea to rid the show of such moments? (After a quick research break, I've learned it was the executive producer Marsha Bemko.)

Bad, bad, bad, bad move, PBS. I bet they've bled viewers since. For people who say that the BBC version of the show films outside, I say all the more reason for us to distinguish ourselves from the British in yet another way!

Personal note about the show: It's always been a bucket list item for me to go to the Antiques Roadshow. I finally snagged tickets in Summer 2015 when the show was still good, but the problem was they were registered under my mom's name and address. She CLAIMS they never arrived in the mail. When she found out we could still attend if she showed her driver's license at the door, she didn't want to go into the convention center and do that. I pulled the plug on the whole thing in frustration. I guess I could get another chance if I tried, but the glory days I wanted to experience are gone.