Television - Still a Wasteland

Strange, isn't it, that cable TV brings hundreds of channels into our homes but when you want to relax for a while and watch something there's nothing on? Oh, sure, all the channels are broadcasting. That doesn't mean there's anything worth seeing. So 60 years or thereabouts after television was called a vast wasteland it not only is still true but the wasteland has expanded from three channels to 300.
After spending most of the day working and then reading for a while, I sometimes like to lean back and see what's on the tube. There are a few shows I like and Turner Classic Movies often is a great source of relaxation. And there seems to be an endless parade of crime shows. Even to someone who approves of crime and writes about it, enough is enough.
I don't watch sports except for Indy car racing. Reality shows have no appeal although I occasionally watch Amazing Race because it amazes me that people willingly put themselves through such an ordeal. I like Bones, drama with comedy thrown in. I like The Office. We both watch House, a show featuring a great British comedian playing the role of a real bastard.
There's one show I rarely miss, American Idol. What? That's what people say, especially Jackie. I'm supposed to be too old. Too old to see real talent separated from no talent? Here again is real-life drama, and at times the judges unwittingly provide comedy. Some of what passes for music is atrocious, yet those performing it are not.
By watching American Idol I have seen a farm girl from Missouri rise from being a little unsure of herself at first to being the top country singer in the nation. I have seen two others become successful in the country field and a couple of others do the same in rock music. Rather than seeing a mostly fictional biographical movie in the future, I have seen the real thing first hand.
So TV is a wasteland, at least for the most part. Here and there, though, you get to watch something worthwhile. That may make it worthwhile.





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