It's not so much that there isn't quality programming anymore. The problem is that there is so much other shit on your standard 80 channel cable hook-up that you've got to spend way more time sifting through the crap to get to the quality. Think of it like a TJ MAXX.
My Beefs with Quality Television (or lack thereof)
Nothing is real on reality TV. Everything from Man vs. Wild to The Real World reeks of staged events and over-scripted dialog. When you see how the show is made and how Survivor is filmed 500 feet away from air-conditioned Mac editing bays, it seems to take the wind out of our falsified tension-building sails.
Nothing actually matters. Entertainment Tonight, ESPN, and CNN 24 Hour News are all guilty in some form or another. Shows like Entertainment Tonight and E! News do nothing more than show you explicit and semi-normal photos with an “I can't believe they did this” slanted storyline. ESPN takes the honor of being able to drag a storyline out better than any other station in history. For the most recent examples, see Brett Favre, steroids controversy, or the NFL Draft. All of the 24 hour news stations have this amazing power to create stories when there is seemingly nothing else to talk about. All day and all night, these stations need to be talking. By this point, I have seen every possible angle of the 2008 Presidential Election spun from every type of person imaginable on CNN. I really just want to tell them that nothing matters anymore...at least until November.
The television “directed” at me doesn't relate to me. Honestly, how many 21 year olds can relate to the life that is led on The Hills? The show shows 20-somethings leading posh, BMW driving, credit-card dependent lifestyles where the most controversial issue to ever have surfaced revolved around “those ugly socks that I can't believe Jason wore with those shorts.” I mean, yeah, people want to be whisked away once in a while to their own little fantasy, but is this the kind of fantasy we should be promoting to our 12-24 year old demographic? It smells like awkward combination of silicone and Chanel.
Nobody wants to cut the bullshit. The important issues that matter for the development of our own well-being aren't ever brought up. Instead, people with the power to actually do something would rather not be so controversial or not choose sides. What we need is a live show that springs unscripted questions on important people. Sure, you'll probably only get one show out of the deal, but you'll have some amazing and not-so-amazing answers that truly reveal how a person in the spotlight thinks without cue cards.
Like I said before, there is quality television. It's just that right now, I don't have the time or resources to sift through the clearance bin. I've got more important things stimulating my brain...like chewing gum, for instance.
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