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BLOG: Confessions of a TV elitist
By Laura Reineke, Blogger
May 12, 2008 | noon
When it comes to television, I’m kind of a snob. I have high programming standards, and anyone who disagrees with my opinions is usually subject to eye rolling and attitude. But fans of “The Hills” take note: I watch bad TV, too.
In order for a TV show to be good, it needs to meet three or more of the following criteria: 1) believable dialogue, 2) a convincing plot, 3) nuanced characters, 4) solid acting, and 5) no laugh track. I don’t think of this as being picky. After all, there are hundreds of TV shows through which to sift, and I don’t have all the time in the world. Settling for poor programming is like window-shopping at a Dollar Tree: a waste of time.
This is why I get frustrated when people are content watching crap like “According to Jim,” “Moonlight” and, yes, “The Hills.” THERE ARE BETTER SHOWS OUT THERE, and they’re not hard to find. Sadly, I’ve realized that people will watch what they want to watch. So, to pacify those whom I may have offended with my TV superiority, it’s time for a confession.
Around this time last year, I discovered a British TV series called “Skins.” The show, which details the complicated lives of a group of British teens, is a glorified primetime soap oper – think “The O.C.” but with a little more grit, a lot more drug use and language so coarse that American networks would never think of airing it. Since the pilot episode, I’ve made many excuses for my obsessive viewing of the series, like “The acting is phenomenal!” (Translation: better than Mischa Barton), and “The storylines are so realistic!” (Example: two boys strap their friend’s coffin to their car and take it on a joy ride through London), but in reality, the show is just a step above “terrible” on the ladder of awesomeness.
Since coming to OU, my eyes have been opened, and I have legitimately come to appreciate bad TV. I caught the series finale of “Rob & Big” the other night on MTV and almost teared up at the birth of Big’s daughter, and I cheered just as much for Dani on “A Shot At Love” as its most passionate viewers. Watching Maury Povich deliver the results of paternity tests may not stand up to the epic storytelling that is “Battlestar Galactica,” but it makes some people happy. To those viewers: I salute you.
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For more from the mind of Laura Reineke, check out her other blog, OH HONESTLY, at ohonestly.blogspot.com.