Why I don't watch 24

Email from Toto today.

"You know what pisses me off? When people are obsessed with shows like 24, or Alias, or Grey's, or what have you, and they flip shit if you talk during the show and act like their entire week has been building up to that one hour of television, and then they act like a show like The Hills or some such is so beneath them and such a waste of time. Like hello at least I'm only watching tv because I want something to do during my half hour knitting session instead of just staring at the wall, not because I actually think the show is of good quality. You are the one with terrible taste, not me. Unfortunately I can't read Christopher Hitchens whilst knitting, or else yes, I'ddo that over watching LC agonize over Brody. Inevitably these people will leave the room during a show like the Hills citing "not being able to take it anymore," "wanting to do something productive with [my] time," or after saying something like "I can't believe you watch this." At least I know when my entertainment is entertainment and when it's quality fare. hate!"

I took this opportunity as a jumping point to discuss my feelings about 24 and fare weather tv watchers, namely 24 fans. I admit i have never watched 24 and i refuse to watch it. It's not that i think the show is bad or poorly made. on the contrary i'm sure it is a fantastic show with lots of excitement and suspense and i am almost positive that i would love it and become addicted and watch the whole series in a 5 day period. My main problem wiht shows like 24 and shows that have a very big following are that these are generally not people who watch a lot of tv. Yet people who watch things like 24 assume that because they watch one good show that gives them carte blanche to have opinions on everything that's on tv. Let me explain it in different terms. It's like the movie shawshank. It's a really good movie! But people who see it and never watch good movies suddenly think they are avid film watcher. Or another example, the movie "run lola run." Again an excellent film but peopel who watch it think that it suddenly gives them foreign film cred. One film does not a genre make! To those people i ask, "do you watch 35 hours of television a week? do you!! oh no, ok then shut up about how 24 is the BEST SHOW EVER because really what the fuck do you have to compare it with in your grand arsenal of 3 shows you watch! tell me, what! so don't come and tell me that The Hills is stupid and you only watch good tv. You watch 1 show! 1 show!! In what world does this make you an expert on what is good and what is bad!" now i'm not saying that i know what is good or bad, but i'm saying i feel like i have watched enough television in my life to have comparisons to be able to have some sort of expert cred on these types of topics. So will i ever watch 24? i'd like to be able to say that out of principle i wont', but let's be honest, i have no principles so i most likely will end up watching it at some point in my life.

But let's just talk about waht the purpose of television is. It is there for entertaiment value, but we can also learn from it in very indirect ways. Sometimes it acts as a mirror to show us who we are and make us realize our faults, and sometimes it acts as a peep hole into a world that we know nothing about. In the end though, are we not always learnign something whether it be from learning about other countries from anthony bourdain or how to put in a cathetar from meredith gray or learning how the world of the inside elite works on the hillls. So ye who deigns to watch but one hour of "good television" a week, how dare you criticize my and others' choices!

As tory put it,
"enjoy it but cut out the attitude please. If you really needed to 'do something better with your time' you would go read Joyce"

On another note, does anyone out there watch "men in trees" or "what about brian." These shows are both kind of boring and yet, i can't wait to watch them every week. i think they have slowly crept upt to become the most enjoyable 2 hours i have. Perhaps it's that everyone is pretty and well dressed. Or perhaps it's that there is no real drama, no cliffhangers, no shafts, no bombs, no dark man in the shadows to be revealed next season. These are shows about relationships and love and finding happiness alone or with someone. Isn't that what being human is about? I mean, in the end it's just straight up simple tv like felicity and thirtysomething and my so called life, only obviously not as good. but what i'm saying is...i have no one to share my kind of sort of love for these shows. Is anyone out there watching these? have you kind of gotten over the fact that Brian used to be on 7th heaven or that anne heche used to be crazy and a lesbian? because i have. Oh tv kindred spirit, wherefore art thou??