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‘Vanity Card’ Aired on CBS Includes an Obituary for Network Television

Nov 20, 2015  •  Post A Comment

A provocative “vanity card” appeared during the credits running at the end of the CBS show “The Big Bang Theory” Thursday night (Nov. 19, 2015). The message, presumably from producer Chuck Lorre, was an obituary for network television.

The card included a header reading: “R.I.P., Network Television, 1948-2015.”

The message reads: “CBS recently announced that it was bringing back the series ‘Star Trek,’ but not for the CBS network, for a streaming video on demand system called CBS All Access. In lieu of flowers, CBS has requested that mourners send them six bucks a month.”

The so-called “vanity card” is a message that flashes briefly on the screen, and can typically be read only by taping the show and playing it back on a device that enables the viewer to pause the playback.

The cards have been used extensively by Lorre on “Big Bang” and on his other shows, such as “Two and a Half Men.” Lorre’s messages have a following of their own and on occasion have sparked controversy or have been censored by the network.

big bang theory-title-cast

4 Comments

  1. Lorre also posts vanity cards on his website, including those that are censored or otherwise edited by network request. Here’s a link to the card in question:
    http://www.chucklorre.com/index-bbt.php?p=509

  2. Let’s put the word “taping” to rest. R.I.P. Unless the editors of TVWeeks still have a VCR humming… I’d say “Recording” if we’re referring to DVRs or “Downloading” or “Streaming” where appropriate for other content devices. 🙂

    Film at 11.

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