TV Wasteland

There are few things that can make you lose yourself more effectively than television.  So, when I turn on the TV expecting to enter a lesser state of consciousness, I am enraged to have lost myself and found a desperate housewife.  We are living in an age where entertainment has become less of an art and more of an accident.  The mainstream media is flooded with corrupt content while quality substance disappears from our screens.  America needs to face a simple fact.  Some TV is good, other TV is bad. 

This may appear to be a matter of opinion, but it is not.  Some shows are simply better than others.  Writing, acting, directing, and producing come together to make television worth watching.  However, let’s take a step back.  Why is television important?  It’s just mindless entertainment, right?  Wrong.  People dedicate huge portions of their lives to television.  Even if you only watch your favorite show once a week, that time adds up.  TV appeals to all ages, all ethnicities, all classes.  It’s something to look forward.  It’s something to discuss with your friends.  It’s something to gather the family together.  How can the all-encompassing phenomenon of television be passed off as trivial?  And how can the scum of reality TV, the garbage of poorly-written sitcoms, or the filth of Jerry Springer-esque talk shows be allowed to contaminate something so holy?  These shows run for years, spewing brain-dead nonsense into society.  Brilliant shows however, collapse under corporate management. 

Joss Whedon’s Firefly is exhibit A.  Written superbly, acted beautifully, and directed expertly, the gloriously original sci-fi western was cancelled before the first season was through.  How could society damn such a wonderful show?  How could Firefly—in its first year of life—be pushed into the purgatory of cult fame? 

Cult shows have it rough.  Community—the prime-time, Emmy-nominated sitcom—has been threatened with cancellation multiple times.  Dangling from its fan following, high ratings, and comedic genius, Community is in a precarious situation that some far worse shows have never seen. 

Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari 

Take, for example, BosomBuddies.  With a premise so ridiculous that not even the adorable Tom Hanks could save it, the show still managed to pull through a solid two years on air.  I’ve had enough of melodramatic teen shows like Saved by the Bell that somehow cling to existence for four years.  I’ve had enough of vampire love triangles like The Vampire Diaries that will not die no matter how many times you stake them.  I’ve had enough. 

It is time for America to wise up and develop some taste.  Support the shows that deserve your support.  For these television series, it is a matter of life and death.  As for me, I am just hoping that Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo will not run as long as House.