Spring Break
Televisual mind set
by Mike Epstein
Arts | 9/4/07
Posted online at 11:25 PM EST on 9/3/07
Readers, treasured and few, welcome to The Epinion. It is my goal to inform and direct your television-viewing habits, making sure that instead of watching Gilmore Girls and Full House re-runs, you actually gain something from that crappy box you bought at Target for $60. Heed my words, for I am one of the few who has hope for that wretched soul-sucking box we call TV.
All of that may confuse you. You might be thinking that television hasn't ever done anything for you and it probably never will. But that's just not true. Television is the single media that has shaped the consciousness of our generation more than any other. While they may not be the memories that stick out, a lot of your memories were made in front of, or were related to, the television. Stories were told, discussions were had, friends were made, hearts were broken. Your televisual life is a life in itself. These seemingly insignificant stories, in a lot of ways, are a reflection of who you are. People who want to be popular watch what's popular. People who like sports watch a lot of ESPN. People who like music don't watch MTV. With that in mind, isn't it important to know and pay attention to what you're watching? Socrates said, "Know thyself." There is no better way.
We are at a critical moment in the world of television, a turning point. Not a crossroads, really, but more like a five- or six-way intersection. Within the networks, there is a push to make the most grandiose programming possible. The era of the sitcom is over; we have moved into a more complex, intelligent age. Spending more and more on Hollywood talent and special effects, a good network drama is more like a serialized movie than the episodic adventures of the past. And while some comedies still use the same tried-and-true storylines of decades past, shows like How I Met Your Mother and Burn Notice have found ways to put that episode-sized humor in a frame that ties the whole show together; a series of real moments rather than piles of interchangeable life-like scenarios.
All of that may confuse you. You might be thinking that television hasn't ever done anything for you and it probably never will. But that's just not true. Television is the single media that has shaped the consciousness of our generation more than any other. While they may not be the memories that stick out, a lot of your memories were made in front of, or were related to, the television. Stories were told, discussions were had, friends were made, hearts were broken. Your televisual life is a life in itself. These seemingly insignificant stories, in a lot of ways, are a reflection of who you are. People who want to be popular watch what's popular. People who like sports watch a lot of ESPN. People who like music don't watch MTV. With that in mind, isn't it important to know and pay attention to what you're watching? Socrates said, "Know thyself." There is no better way.
We are at a critical moment in the world of television, a turning point. Not a crossroads, really, but more like a five- or six-way intersection. Within the networks, there is a push to make the most grandiose programming possible. The era of the sitcom is over; we have moved into a more complex, intelligent age. Spending more and more on Hollywood talent and special effects, a good network drama is more like a serialized movie than the episodic adventures of the past. And while some comedies still use the same tried-and-true storylines of decades past, shows like How I Met Your Mother and Burn Notice have found ways to put that episode-sized humor in a frame that ties the whole show together; a series of real moments rather than piles of interchangeable life-like scenarios.
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