Dear TV,
I understand I don’t pay for your premium channels. I haven’t seen Homeland, or Boardwalk Empire, and I paid for the first season on Girls on iTunes. I can’t speak to everything that comes out of you. What I will say is you are disappointing me. I was taking stock of the shows I watch and I realized that I really only like 2 or 3 of them (yes, I watch a lot of tv). I have always loved you, tv. I don’t want to give you up, but frankly, I’m going to need you to work a little harder.
Usually at the beginning of the season I pick up a couple of new shows. That has not been the case this season. Instead I’ve got season 27 of Grey’s Anatomy and The Bachelor, season 15 of Modern Family, and Private Practice which totally went off the deep end in preparation for its finale (holy crap, were you guys watching that? What the hell happened?). I watch these shows because I’ve watched them for this long, but I don’t even think I’m enjoying them anymore. Grey’s is like the same nonsense over and over. If I were Meredith Grey I would never leave the house for fear of the next HUGE CATASTROPHE! How many times is she going to almost die? How many family members is she going to lose before I stop watching? And, Shonda (Rimes), stop trying to make the new interns happen. They are not going to happen! ::end rant::
I watch because I feel an obligation to these shows. I’ve stuck around this long, I may as well see how they end. Not the mention the fact that someone is always agreeing with me on twitter, making me feel validated in my rage. And not all of it is bad. New Girl, Happy Endings, Parenthood and Scandal are probably the best shows on TV for me (though Scandal is walking a fine line between good TV and going the way of Revenge. Don’t get me started). New Girl, thankfully, will be around for a long time, as it should be because it’s amazing, but Parenthood’s season is already over and it’s JANUARY! Happy Endings is always touch and go. ABC doesn’t know what to do with it, but it’s probably the funniest show they have. Even Modern Family, which I guess is funny, is feeling flat and worn out. Come on, Networks! Get your shit together!
TV, I can tell you’re wondering what brought this on. I’ve been so faithful and uncomplaining for so long. But I read Anne Donahue’s Old Lady Movie Night, and Erin Mallory Long’s Five Ways Something Ruined My Life on Hello Giggles all the time. They both write about shows and movies that had an impact. Entertainment that made us think and feel and stood the test of time. Sure I cried during Parenthood (every week), but not the way I cried during the movie Stepmom. And what about shows like Friends and Dawson’s Creek. I grew up with those characters. I felt things watching those shows. I wanted to watch them over and over and live and breathe in those worlds. Meredith Grey’s Seattle? No thank you.
What are you trying to say, TV? Are you saying I’m old? I have a life now so I don’t need to live vicariously through these TV personalities. You may be right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be entertained and thoroughly! I’m just asking that the networks try and get a little smarter about their programming. I really don’t want to pay Time Warner more money so they’ll give me the good stuff. Especially since they can barely give me the mediocre stuff on a regular basis now.
Thanks for listening, TV. Hope to see more from you in the future.
Lara
p.s. Did you know I write for Crazy Town now! Check me out on Fridays!
Think well. Love well. Dine well. 