elanya

I am taking a few minutes away from my last paper to write down some thoughts before they escape me completely.

Television is going to be interesting over the next few months, as the writers' strike progresses. I support them - I think they should get their due in all of this, but that's not really what i wanted to write about.

I'll start with the fact that they're bringing back American Gladiator. I suspect that a lot of shows tried to end their seasons early, much as Heroes did, but that leaves a lot of timeslots to fill, and reruns alone aren't going to cut it. There are a dozen new (lame) reality television shows popping up to fill the gap left.

I wonder what this will mean for TV in the long run. Now, I don't really watch a lot of television. There are maybe 2-3 shows that I watch as they air, and even then I don't always catch them when they are on. I don't ever turn on the tv out of boredom - that's what the internet is for! I probably wouldn't have cable, except that it is free. My tv was also free - I'd never had bought one on my own. That's just so you know where I'm coming from - it isn't really relevant, but this is at last somewhat stream of consciousness, so bear with me.

I really don't like reality television, for a number of reasons hat i don't have time to get in to. But that's what's going to be on. There aren't a lot of other options for new programming - It would be cool to see a whole slew of documentaries! But I have my doubts -_- So, are people going to watch this crap? Are they really?

What if they are? What will that mean for television? What if they don't? What will *that* mean for television? This interests me from a sort of media studies/social studies point of view. I'm an anthropologist, I can't help it!

If the networks can continue to get viewers and not lose money during the strike.... what kind of message is that going to give them? What kind of investments are hey going to make when it comes to new programming, even after the strike gets resolved? I don't have any answers, and I don't have any real hypotheses (I'm saving my brain power for the Ndebele), but I am curious to see how it all plays out.

I *hope*, though, that the inundation of bad reality tv, and game shows, and whatever other tripe the networks slap up on the boobtube for the duration of the strike will open a few eyes as to the importance of quality writing in television....

...Also, wow, I wonder what the strike will do to Soap Operas :o Some of them have been going continuously for *decades*. What are they going to do? :o

ETA: I wonder if this will drive people away from TV in general? I wasn't originally thinking it, but then I read this article... And what'll that mean for the tv industry?