The Reality of Television Today

I know it's not just me. I know it's not just my family and immediate friends. Almost everyone I talk to these days about shows on television say about the same thing. "There aren't very many worthwhile shows on TV anymore." (or words similar to that.)

I know that television goes through different eras. When a TV show becomes popular, the competing networks, sponsors, etc. immediately climb on the bandwagon and copy the idea. We have had the era of the "Doctor Shows", the era of the Westerns, the era of the "Variety Shows", the era of the Movie of the Night, etc.

Yes, and now, this is the era of Reality TV. I can't say that I can remember which was the first of the "Reality Shows". And there must be a lot of people that like them (me NOT included), because the airwaves are filled with them each night. But, do we have do be flooded with them?

What happened to the Westerns? Couldn't we have just one? I long for the just one Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Cheyenne, Big Valley type show. Heck, I'd settle for the Lone Ranger. And, please can it not have a "social message"! Just let it be a good old western.

Remember the Doctor Shows? There was Marcus Welby, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, and Emergency. Couldn't we have just one like those that we could watch with our kids and /or our grandkids? One that wasn't a soap opera with plots and sub-plots that carry from week to week and where we have to be presented with the intimate details of the characters lives and where we even know the styles and colors of their underwear.

And, of course there were the Variety Shows. Our television screens were graced by the performances of Dean Martin, Dinah Shore, Andy Williams, Sonny&Cher as well as others and their guests. I know there is MTV, CMT, and other similar networks, but I have a hard time understanding why there isn't even one of these shows on one of the big networks. I can't believe that it would not be popular and successful. Surely the success of Dancing with the Stars (even though it too smacks of the Reality Era format) should demonstrate that entertainment shows would succeed.

I am not saying that there are absolutely no good shows on television. That would be preposterous, but PLEASE, could we have one variety show - no, American Idol is not a variety show, and PLEASE, LET'S HAVE AN END TO THE REALITY ERA!