On Thursday, January 31st, 2013, I was listening to the hippie, liberal news radio station known as NPR…
One of their entertainment correspondents came on and discussed the end of the television show 30 Rock; its series finale was occurring that evening. The man spoke of the change in American television viewing habits, and pointed out they were not for the better.
Thursday nights used to be “Must See TV” for 30 Rock’s host network, NBC. They once dominated the ratings with smart, funny shows such as Friends, Fraiser, and Seinfeld. Today, the commentator bemoaned, intelligent television struggles. 30 Rock was another casualty of low ratings, as is the current best show on television, Community, and the last best show on television, Arrested Development. These are shows that did not pander to the audience, but instead challenged them to keep up with the pace of the writing.
In the place of smart TV came offerings like The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, kindly described as “broad comedies,” for their broad appeal. These are shows with generic jokes that never ask anything of the viewing audience; a form of “White Noise Television,” to put it another way. These are programs you can “watch” while Facebooking, preparing dinner, or doing any activity that does not involve focusing on the show while it plays in the background.
As I listened to the NPR commentator, I thought of the article I had read the night before, a piece in Bloomberg Businessweek. It was a report on the lack of innovation currently taking place in America; the lack of reward corporations receive for being ambitious. It noted that in times of economic caution, many companies cut their research and development budgets first, to protect the bottom line. In order to keep costs low, it is safer to lay off employees than risk pouring money into developing a new product. This is true across the spectrum of industry, from electronics, to retail, to pharmaceutical and beyond.
One example of punishing innovation is that of JC Penney, currently the most hated company in America. They essentially revamped their entire pricing structure for the better, but since people hate change, consumers stopped shopping there in droves. The stock price has plummeted, and in 2013 the company will shutter 300 stores. All because they wanted to provide better service to their customers.
Another example involves a story about a company that had essentially cured Lyme Disease. Unfortunately, the market for the pill wasn’t big enough, so they shitcanned the department and moved on to other things, like erection pills. Because profit > quality of life.
In my mind, I parallel the NPR take on television and the Bloomberg essay on innovation: the American public does not like quality television, and American businessmen don’t like companies that are ambitious. I find that frightening, and it makes me worry for the future. What does it say when the concept “Creating is bad” is championed over innovation?
If you look back and really study television, a downward spiral can be found: the 1970s gave us All in the Family and M*A*S*H, the 1980s Hill Street Blues, Cheers, and St. Elsewhere… today we have Gray’s Anatomy and Two Broke Girls.
If you look at innovation in the marketplace, the Boeing Dreamliner is currently grounded, while the Airbus A380 is flying high. Small minded and fearful people have tried to stymie scientific progress in America at every turn, while Asia is pushing the boundaries of stem cell advancement.
When we settle for less, we strive for less, and I find that disheartening, and a problem. Not to say that everything good is non-existent, and everything awful succeeds. Beacons of hope in the world of entertainment include the success of South Park, Archer, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, as well as the failures of Animal Practice and Terri Schiavo existence of Whitney. Technologically, the American company Apple gave us the iPod, Phone, and Pad. But it America also offered the world the Segway, so… yeah. Our bad.
I cannot completely articulate my thoughts on the matter, but maybe I don’t have to. Maybe it is enough for me to notice the trend, and put it out there for anyone reading this drivel to ponder on their own. Karl Marx said “Religion is the opiate of the masses;” Edward R. Murrow went one step sideways and changed the saying, calling television the drug that will dilute our minds. At this point, both thoughts seem all too true in the race for the decline of progress. At least 30 Rock got seven seasons. Don’t Trust the B got the shaft in the middle of year two.
I think of shows like 2.5 Men and Big Bang as popcorn television; like a popcorn movie, similar to any movie with, say, The Rock or Vin Diesel in it, and as you said, a show I can halfway pay attention to and be amused by when I look up from my laptop and pay attention for a few seconds. However, I think of them as a second tier above what I truly consider garbage, like The Bachelor or Honey Boo Boo or anything with a Kardashian in it.
I think I came up with the popcorn TV analogy when I realized how often I would get up and leave the room before these shows were over and realize that I didn’t see the plot come to a conclusion… and didn’t care.
I can see that.
I find it hard to Facebook while watching something like Archer. I have to pause, repeat, etc.
Eventually I learned to just focus on what I was trying to enjoy, and enjoy it I did.
When I have a Family Guy re-run on, that’s when I do what you’re talking about.
Entropy is a word that used in describing the second law of thermodynamics. It’s basically when a closed system reaches a point where everything has been mixed to the point that it’s all similar. Nothing hot nothing cold. If you geek out on this a little you find that this is true of the whole universe. It started out with one reeeally big hot spot and a reeeally big cold area. Since the big bang they’ve been moving to a higher state of entropy. Everything follows seems to follow this including arts, entertainment and even business.
Take the cell phone for instance. What’s the basic things it was built for? To be a phone that didn’t have to stay in your house. Then since all the tech was there it might as well replace your watch too. It already had a speaker, why not play music on it. You get the point. It was a HOT spot in a sea of cold. So for awhile (past 15 years) it’s been burning bright and making lots of coin for Apple and Samsung. But like thermodynamics they are reaching the end of the energy that can be used in this transfer from hot to cold. The phone is at a point where they can’t really think of anything new for it to do. The cameras are as good as they can get and still fit in your palm. The apps of real value have all been created and there’s nothing left but new versions of Angry Birds.
The Cell phone is reaching it’s full homogeneity leaving nothing more to be earned from it. Once it’s fully in the lukewarm stages all the investors will move on to brighter, hotter pastures where the big bucks can be made.
Entropy is also a fantastic fucking movie.
But yeah, I had a paragraph about Apple in here, but took it out. I wondered what was going to happen to that company in the coming years, as they used to be about innovation, but now are just about making mini-versions of things they’ve already invented.
My point is apply this model to TV entertainment and you see the same thing. Survivor was a new idea and it burned HOT. Then for the next five plus years we are all stuck with reality TV. But now that has become luck warm just like the sitcom. But the there’s Downton Abbey! A PBS show making the top ranks? Could period drama be on the rise? Or is TV itself on it’s way out? I know that I watch more TV on my laptop than I do with my flat screen. I use that for PS3 games and Netflix movies. What if Cable and Networks gets replaced by pay as you go WebWroks?
My fingers are crossed for better.
Disagree on TV. Slightly. There are still a ton of great programs out there. I just hope the ones I like have staying power. Several years ago I fell in love “The Black Donnelley’s”. It got one season and it was done. Lately there’s “The Americans”, and “Do No Harm”, and “Revolution”. For comedy, “Modern Family” is a show you really have to pay attention to, or you’ll miss 3/4 of it.
There has always been fluff/popcorn on TV. Here’s proof: “Three’s Company”. “Dallas”. Even the new Dallas is just a tributary re-working of the classic overacting and soapy hyper drama that was the original series. These are the “Twinkies” in the TV diet.
You are brushing up against two major flaws in our socioeconomic model, though.
1. “Nothing’s worth doing unless there is profit in it, and if project X has more profit than project Y, then it is instantly more worthy” – Lyme Disease cure isn’t nearly as profitable as ED pills.
2. “The mass of ignorant people, voting together, with dollars or ballots, are always right.” – I hadn’t heard the JC Penney story, but that is amazing.
Neither of these are empirically true, but they certainly drive a lot of our culture and economy. Put them together and they are dangerous. I’m frustrated with both, not sure what to do, if anything, about either of them. The lowest common denominator is pretty damned LOW.
Maybe your right I’m not sure or maybe we are just going through a cycle. Maybe we don’t want to have to think so much and follow a story plot when just a little chuckle will do. Maybe we are saving that for when we are older. Talk radio and information shows are at an all time high in my home. :)
Radio is good!
(Unless it’s hate radio, like Rush or Sean)
:)
“Don’t Trust the B….” was a great show. I don’t understand why people didn’t fight for it to stay a’la “Arrested Development” and “Family Guy”… Doesn’t break my heart so much as it pisses me off. “Happy Endings” better last or I’m going postal.
Going.
Postal.
It kind of blew that VanDerBeek (sp?) actually put out a statement asking fans not to criticize ABC for the move. Maybe he was sick of working, and wanted to fade back into the obscurity he had been living in since Dawson’s Creek.
Either way, it’s a show that deserved much, much better.
I actually have thought Mr. Van der Beek (whatever) has shown himself to be a great deal more than that stupid show (which I never watched, even though it came out my freshman year of high school and was expected of me, et al…). He was amazing in “Rules of Attraction”. Seriously.
I also enjoy “Big Bang Theory” (for shame!) as they have had Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson on to legitimize. :)