The Puppy Bowl Returns

Nine years ago, I happened to discover somewhat by accident one of the most bizarre, yet wonderful (and not for everyone) TV show.  The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.  This was the network's attempt to counter-program the Super Bowl.  It proved so wildly popular that it's back for the IX-th year.

I won't go into too much description, but it can't do it justice.  It will sound utterly insane because...well, it's utterly insane. 

Basically, they build a miniature football stadium, stick about a dozen adorable puppies in it with toys and a rubber football and let them run around, and...  Hmm, no "and", that's pretty much it.  It runs for several hours, and then they repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it for the rest of the day, for 12 hours!  So, you have plenty of time to tune in for a few minutes and decide if you want to stick around...

Coverage includes the Puppy Water Dish Cam, with a camera that shoots up into a water bowl, so you can watch a puppy when it stops by to lap up a drink.  There are other humorous tweaks.  And at "half-time," they bring out some different toys and equipment for the Kitty Half-time Show.

The show has become so popular that the network starts having fun with it on their website long before the broadcast, with sports-like "profiles" of each of the "competitors," along with a Hall of Fame of the greatest, and highlights from previous broadcasts and more.

Clearly, not everyone will want to stick with this very long -- let alone check it out at all.  It's really odd.  But I find it a joy (within reason), and especially admire anyone who tries programming that is different.  And this is very different.  And it's really worth at least checking out, if only during a commercial.

The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 3PM in the East and 2 PM in the Midwest.  I would assume that means noon on the Pacific Coast, since it's timed to counter-program with the Super Bowl, but the website says 3 PM.  So -- check your program guide...

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