alright, well, i've been planning out this project since january since, well, i don't really know how i should go about it.
probably should explain what it is first. well, since i was a kid, i was obsessed with vintage tv programming. naturally since i was a kid it started with nickelodeon and cartoon network but it later spilt over to cbs, nbc, abc, hbo, comedy central, mtv, nearly any tv station you can think of. this context is important because i stumbled upon this video right at the start of 2026:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDW1wokbRiQ
and i knew i had to make my own. i started planning, deciding what channels i wanted, but i've been indecisive on whether i wanted to make an authentic 80s-90s lineup or something completely custom. i've thought about what i wanted to do for the news (archival programming instead of live news i ultimately decided), what channels i wanted, etc.
so my plan now is to create a lineup based from the 80's to 90s (might extend a little to the 2000s), but with my own spin. the schedules won't be 1 to 1, i'll take a few creative liberties, but i'll still make sure it's authentic. i'm planning on adding a lot of shows i've never watched but, i think it would be interesting to just stumble upon a show i've never seen and maybe get into it. i feel like that's a big part of cable anyways.
i still haven't decided on what specific shows i want, for the most part, but as for the channels, i think i have an idea for a lineup. pretty much all the channels are going to be based off real life tv stations. i got the main broadcast channels (nbc, cbs, abc, fox too), hbo if i'm in the mood for a movie, mtv if i want to listen to some music, tnt for some action, nickelodeon or cartoon network if i want to watch some cartoons, pbs, tlc or discovery if i want to watch a documentary and learn something, or comedy central if i just want a good laugh.
but yeah, seriously i'm pretty sure i'm autistic. i've only just started getting back into my television obsession after seeing the video i listed. every channel back then felt like it had it's own personality, and i want to try and replicate it.
anyways, let me know what you think or if you have any questions or suggestions.