Our fiendish appetite for TV dramas and mini-series is perhaps the most virulent of our media obsessions. The imaginative desert of the most popular shows on TV, from "American Idol" to "Gossip Girl," should give even the mildly thoughtful something to critique. But despite our ostensible brains we can so often find nothing better to do but fawn over movie stars and quote the latest idiotic Will Ferrell movie with embarrassing frequency. The travails on "Gossip Girl" and the dry witticisms of the characters on "The Office" are constantly recreated and quoted. ("Ohmigod, he is soo funny, that show is soo funny. I just love it!"). Despite such laudably thorough criticism, the phenomenon seems to call for something a bit more in-depth.
Here is the theory: The lives of made-up characters, beautiful and scripted, are consistently more appealing than the menially exciting matters of collegiate who-slept-with-who and can-you-believe-I-passed-out-there's. They are, as most film and TV has always been, escapist by virtue of the access they grant to unreachable lives and unlikely drama. The TV serial is most effective because of its drawn-out ability to bring fans into a fantasy world. The time between much-anticipated episodes gives anxious viewers the time to contemplate the choices and outcomes of various scripted situations (much like real life!). The stress of characters is, at least superficially, translated to the realm of the viewer, where various outcomes can work themselves out.
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Thanks a lot for ruining my day. Do I watch television because my life is mundane? Do I live my life vicariously through the episodes of TV drama because my murky personality leaves my own life uninteresting and fruitless? Hell yes on both counts! Not all of us live the fast-paced and drama-ridden lives of newspaper columnists. (Continued…)
I think I understand what you're getting at. Leading too many fictional lives can be dangerous to your real life. In fact, I had a friend that was so into President Bartlet from the West Wing, he began leading all his staff meetings as if he were the Emmy-winning president. (Continued…)
2008 Woodie Awards
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Anon
posted 4/14/08 @ 11:19 AM CST
wow, a very accurate portrayal of the escapist culture that i love so much. nicely done!
Sasquatch M
posted 4/14/08 @ 3:09 PM CST
Dear Mr. Sleamaker,
Thanks a lot for ruining my day. Do I watch television because my life is mundane? Do I live my life vicariously through the episodes of TV drama because my murky personality leaves my own life uninteresting and fruitless? Hell yes on both counts! Not all of us live the fast-paced and drama-ridden lives of newspaper columnists. (Continued…)
Peter
posted 4/16/08 @ 9:41 PM CST
I think I understand what you're getting at. Leading too many fictional lives can be dangerous to your real life. In fact, I had a friend that was so into President Bartlet from the West Wing, he began leading all his staff meetings as if he were the Emmy-winning president. (Continued…)
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