The slow death of television

I just read that Jay Leno is moving to prime time.

NBC is thrilled. They have a cheap "unscripted" show to replace very expensive-to-produce dramas. Since the rise of reality T.V. and with the writer's strike, scripted shows have been on the decline.

This makes me very sad.

Although I'm not a huge watcher of T.V., I have a few favorites (LOST, the office). My list is very small as more and more shows become over-the-top inappropriate or simply disappear. Two shows which have really caught my attention are Pushing Daisies and Crusoe - both cancelled. These two definitely qualify for "The Best Shows You're Not Watching". (Although I stopped watching Pushing Daisies because it just couldn't stay clean. It had to throw in something every week.)

I blame a lot of factors.

I blame reality T.V., especially the ones that are pure junk, like the Mtv dating-type shows. These shows remind me of the National Enquirer or junk food. (Not that I haven't been known to peruse a STAR magazine or munch on a Twinkie or two, but that's another story!) I know mindless entertainment is fun, but people react to it as if they actually know the people getting booted off. It's the Facebook version of intimate, authentic relationships. I think good T.V. actually requires you to engage your brain, and for many Americans, that is painful. That they are very cheap to produce is a plus not easily overlooked by the networks.

I blame TiVo. Love it. Advertisers hate it. And since the advertisers pay for my T.V. shows, they get the final say.

I blame our short attentions spans. Dramas and even good comedies require you to tune in show after show or risk becoming lost. You have to remember who the characters are and the back story. The busyness of our lives comes into play. Who has time to devote to a show? We'd rather just tune in for a few seconds of ridiculousness, then flip to something else.

I blame the bubble that T.V. writers and producers live in which leads them to present everything from a singular point of view. I loved the West Wing, but how much Republican bashing can I take? It is the EXTREMELY rare show that doesn't have unmarried sex, and when they do, it's treated like a freak show. No one on T.V. has a serious faith or if they do, they, too are treated as a novelty rather than like the normal American they are. (I know I sound a bit hypocritical after saying the office was one of my favorites, but I have already cut out House, CSI, and Pushing Daisies for content. I need one vice!)

So where to go from here? I'm loathe to engage with another well-written, yet short-lived show (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) only to see it rejected by viewers and networks.

T.V. as we know it is dying a slow, painful death.

What to do now? Read a book?