Television

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This article is about the household appliance. For Secret Base decoration, see TVs.
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Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: missing sections within shows in the Pokémon world

Televisions (also abbreviated TVs) are part of the furniture in most houses in the Pokémon world. They debuted in Generation I, but were merely for decoration until Generation III. They have also appeared in the Pokémon anime.

In the games

Generations I and II

Television in Red and Blue

The TV in the player's house displays a movie. Other televisions in these generations were merely for decoration purposes and, unlike later generations, the television is in the middle of the room. Televisions normally appeared in residential houses. The same applies in FireRed and LeafGreen.

Generation III

Television returned in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, replacing Generation II's radio broadcasts and served a purpose unlike the Generation I TVs. They were present in most houses in Hoenn, but had a limited function, only showing programs when an event occurs, such as swarming Pokémon, or when the player changes a Pokémon's nickname at the Name Rater. They may also show interviews with the player character, who answers by selecting words from a drop-down list. When a program is airing, the television screen will flash, and will not cease flashing until the program has been watched. If an event has not happened to activate a television program, the screen will remain blank and the phrase "Mom/Dad might like this program... better get going!" will be played. The programming is organized by Hoenn TV.

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, a key item called the Teachy TV is given to the player at the start of the game. It airs the Poké Dude Show, where a character called the Poké Dude will instruct the player on basic gameplay elements like how to catch Pokémon and how to battle.

Generation IV

Television in Diamond and Pearl

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum television screens flash constantly. Jubilife TV produces many television programs broadcast all around the Sinnoh region, including the Trend Tracker show, Trainer Research, and Sinnoh Now. Each program includes information about events happening around Sinnoh, including swarming Pokémon and weather conditions affecting different routes. They may also contain information about the player which is customizable by speaking to a number of interviewers which can be found scattered around the region. Like in the previous generation, the answers to the interviewers' questions are limited, but more answers can be added by learning trendy phrases in Snowpoint City. At the conclusion of each program, a series of advertisements can be watched.

The events of the main storyline in Diamond and Pearl are encouraged by a television program, The Search for the Red Gyarados. Later, at the Survival Area, the player will encounter the cameraman responsible for this story. In Platinum this person can be found blocking the entrance to Lake Valor hoping to see Azelf before Team Galactic detonates the Galactic Bomb there.

There is also a TV in the Old Chateau which contains a wild Rotom at night (after obtaining the National Pokédex in Diamond and Pearl, and at any time in Platinum).

Generation V

In Pokémon Black and White, televisions show a variety of different programs. The type of television shows that are broadcast at any particular instance depend on the in-game time.

For the first ten minutes of every hour, documentaries and a cartoon focusing on the player character are broadcast. Each program acts as a view of in-game statistics, telling the player how many times he/she has had a Pokémon flee, how much money he/she has spent at shops, how many Trainers and Pokémon he/she has defeated, and so on.

From ten minutes past to thirty-five minutes past each hour, educational shows are broadcast. These are "The Waving Weaving Walk", which describes various Abilities; "Moves for Living", which describes various moves that are new to the game; and "What's That?", which inspects held items that are new to the games.

For the last twenty-five minutes of each hour, other shows such as human interest pieces are broadcast; these include "Eyes on Unova", "Your Pokémon", "Personality Assessment and Horoscope", "National Gymquirer", and "Unova News". Other programs shown at this time are "Koukan Talk", which teaches Japanese in the North American games; and "PokéQuiz", which quizzes three kids on the Japanese names of Pokémon. There are even infomercials advertising overpriced items.

In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, all the previous shows are retained, and new shows, such as "The Pokémon Whisperer" and "The Pokémon Live Sports Broadcast" have been added. Instead of airing programs based on the hour, the player can choose from three channels to watch: Celebrity, Battle, and Variety.

Generation VI

In Pokémon X and Y, televisions show a variety of different programs. Unlike in Generation V, The television shows that are broadcast do not depend on the in-game time and are completely random (though you will never watch the same program twice in a row). If you watch the same television and do not exit the room, repeats of an episode you have already watched won't reappear. If all episodes of a program have been watched, the television broadcast will skip that program entirely and move on to another un-watched program; these cannot be viewed again until you exit the room.

Shows that are broadcast include:

  • The Ability Warrior: Poké Ranger!
  • KOUKAN TALK
  • PokéQuiz
  • Best of Sinnoh TV
  • I-See News
  • Gym Freaks
  • What's That?
  • Unova Sports Spectacular!
  • The Pokémon Whisperer
  • Nadia Reports (note this show is not given a title)

In Gym Freaks, the Gym Leader April interviews will always be rotated around in a certain order every time, moving in Badge order from the one you started at. Each Gym Leader has two different possible commentaries, and after one of these is watched the other one can be viewed after cycling though the other Gym Leaders until you come back to same Gym Leader you started with.

In the anime

Television has been present in the anime since the first episode, where Ash saw a Pokémon League battle on television. Ash and his traveling companions have met several television and film producers on their journeys, but televisions remained largely unseen until the Advanced Generation series. Once, however, in The Rivalry Revival, Jessie and James pretend to make a live broadcast on Ash's special dinner in his house in Pallet Town. The meal commemorates his departure for Johto, which will happen the next day. During the report, they devour some of the food, trap Ash's Pikachu inside the supposed camera, and soon flee from the house. Fortunately for Ash and his friends, Tracey's Scyther frees Pikachu by cutting through the camera.

Max mentioned watching the Silver Conference on television when he first meets Ash in There's no Place Like Hoenn!, and thus learned a lot about him. Several characters mention watching Pokémon Contests and Grand Festivals on TV, and in Saved by the Beldum! several supporting characters watch Ash's battle on TV. Like in the games, Sinnoh Now is broadcast in the Sinnoh region, with host Rhonda. She and the Sinnoh Now staff have appeared in The Champ Twins!, All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go, A Secret Sphere of Influence!, Top-Down Training!, Mass Hip-Po-Sis!, Our Cup Runneth Over!, Losing Its Lustrous, Pursuing a Lofty Goal!, and Beating the Bustle and Hustle!.

Television shows in the Pokémon world

Kanto

In Kanto, specifically in Generations I and III, all televisions except the one in the living room of the player's house cannot be interacted with. The one that can be interacted with displays a movie.

Movie
Red Blue Yellow FireRed LeafGreen
There's a movie on TV. Four boys are walking on railroad tracks. I better go too. There's a movie on TV. Four boys are walking on railroad tracks. …I better go, too.*
There's a movie on TV. A girl with her hair in pigtails is walking up a brick road. …I better go, too.*
The movie from Red, Blue, and Yellow and FireRed and LeafGreen (if player is male) is a reference to the movie Stand by Me.
If the player is female, the movie from FireRed and LeafGreen is a reference to the movie The Wizard of Oz.

Teachy TV

The Teachy TV, which exists only in FireRed and LeafGreen, airs the Poké Dude Show, where a character called the Poké Dude instructs the player on basic gameplay elements like how to catch Pokémon and how to battle.

  • Start of the show
"Hey, all you Trainers out there! HELLO, Trainers! ……… ……… ……… Come on, let me hear you! HELLO, Trainers! It's me, the Poké Dude!"
  • Before moving to a particular aspect of the show (aside from TMs)
"All righty, here goes! Keep your eyes glued to the super/sorta super Poké Dude Show!"
  • End of the show
"Remember, Trainers, a good deed a day brings happiness to stay!"
"Teach me how to battle."
"What are status problems?"
"What are type matchups?"
"I want to catch Pokémon."
"Teach me about TMs."
"How do I register an item?"

Johto

There are no television shows in Johto as they are replaced by radio programs.

Hoenn

Hoenn was the first region to have multiple TV shows available in a single game. However, they only show programs when an event occurs. In that case, they will be flashing. Otherwise, the TV usually displays "Mom/Dad might like this program... better get going!"

Player's house

The following program only displays on the lower floor. The TV does not flash for this program.

There is a movie on TV. Two men are dancing on a big piano keyboard. Better get going!

Gabby interviews (In Search of Trainers)

  • Subsequent times
"Hi! Today I'm visiting an area near <place fought>. We're trying to spot some up-and-coming new talent in the field. Today, we turned our lens on the Trainer <player>. There's something about this Trainer that piqued our interest. We've battled <player> before, but we can attest that the Trainer has most definitely improved from before. I knew we were onto someone special when we spotted this Trainer! The best way to determine how strong a Trainer is… Well, the fastest way is to battle. And so we began our investigation! … … That's how we ended up in battle with <player>. In a dominating performance we were flattened, rolled up, and tossed aside! <player> is ruthlessly strong… Here's our impressions after having battled our featured Trainer. ...I lost confidence in myself as a result of our encounter. We were beaten before we could launch a single attack. Ohhh... Snivel... In spite of that, <player>'s battles are worth seeing. I recommend confident Trainers to challenge <player>./The combination of <Pokémon at the end> and <second Pokémon at the end> was divine! The sight of them--<Pokémon at the end> and <second Pokémon at the end>--selflessly supporting each other in the thick of battle… It was a marvelous sight to behold! <finishing move> was the move the Trainer used last in our battle. The move <move> is <Pokémon> and <Pokémon>'s sign of friendship!/Honestly speaking, I thought that I might even be pretty good. While we did end up losing, we did have a hotly contested battle. But if you're struggling against me, you have a ways to go, <player>! After our battle, we asked <player> for a succinct summary. The Trainer replied, "<word>." <player>'s Pokémon <Pokémon at the end> and <second Pokémon at the end>… And "<word>"… Mmm! That's deep! There's deep significance behind that quote! It's no surprise--a good Trainer has good things to say. That's all for today! See you all again on our next broadcast!"

Name Rater Show

Sinnoh

Sinnoh introduced news that was always present, along with commercials.

Sinnoh News

Unova

Unova introduces more TV shows. The types of shows broadcast depend on the in-game time, except in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.

x:00–x:09

During the first ten minutes of the hour, the TV shows are about various statistics about the player, such as how many times he or she has used the move Struggle.

Pokémon Trainer <player>
It's the cartoon "Pokémon Trainer <player>"
It’s the success story of the rookie Pokémon Trainer, <player>, who set out on a journey to become the Champion a year ago!
It's the cartoon "Pokémon Trainer <player>"
<episode number>: <episode name>
Our story begins...and then things happen...
And a year later, <statistic>
Documentary
The Number One

x:10–x:34

For the next 25 minutes, shows on Abilities, moves, and items are broadcast.

Moves for Living

Moves for Living is a program that explains what a move introduced in Generation V does and how it can be used in everyday life. The Professor is Dr. Technic Al'Machine, a professor at Castelia University.

The Waving Weaving Walk

The Waving Weaving Walk show, known as Wawalk for short, is a program that focuses on Abilities.

What's That?

It follows a reporter and a Watchog named Watchy Watchog, presumably owned by the reporter, as they find and identify held items introduced in Generation V.

x:35–x:59

Eyes on Unova

Eyes on Unova is a program about a certain resident of Unova.

Koukan Talk

Koukan Talk is a program hosted by Azusa (sometimes Toru) that explain how to use the Japanese language on certain occasions.

The National Gymquirer

The National Gymquirer collects the hottest gossip about Gym Leaders seen around town.

Personality Assessment and Horoscope
Main article: Horoscope

Personality Assessment and Horoscope is a program that talks about horoscopes and what they mean. It also mentions what item the person should hold, presumably for good luck.

PokéQuiz

PokéQuiz is a television program that asks three kids to identify the Japanese equivalent of a Pokémon's English name.

Unova News

Unova News is a news program that brings stories of numerous kinds.

Your Pokémon

Your Pokémon is a program about Pokémon who have unique traits, such as eating lots of food. At the end, the host comments that the Pokémon talked about is remarkable, but not as special as his or hers.

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Trivia

  • TVs are wider since the Generation IV games. This may reflect the general trend towards new TVs being widescreen.
  • In Generation IV, only cathode ray tube televisions have been used, as the Generation IV games did not feature plasma or LCD screen televisions, with the exception of the Villa television set. However, in Generation V, these types of televisions became commonplace, replacing cathode ray tube televisions.