Why We Love TV - By Sam Mariotti

We all love TV. I say this with generalization of course; I mean, I know there’re a few pariahs out there who claim they don’t have time for the tube. There are those who say they’d rather spend their time amid “real” literature with their noses buried in a book. Some might even say that television is a lost art— that the shows of today could never compare to the nostalgic comfort of "Lassie" or "I Dream of Jeannie."

The way I see it, and the way an overwhelming portion of the population sees it, television is no lost art at all. It’s in fact adapted, changed, and molded to our fast-paced lives to become just as important to us as real literature, just as nostalgic as "M*A*S*H," and cookie-cutter cropped into half-hour segments to fit any lifestyle.

For the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about why we love serial television. I’ll explain a couple major differences between a television serial (ex. "Lost," "Weeds," "Sex and the City") and a television series (ex. "The Simpsons," "30 Rock," "CSI"), just so we’re all on th

e same page.

1) In general, a serial calls for you to watch each episode in succession so you know what’s going on. You can’t just pop in and out like you would in a series and expect the same results (edge-of-your seat nail biting, emotional attachment, long talks at the water cooler, etc).

2) A serial uses a linear timeline to

build story and character while a series relies on a varied assortment of moments to do the same. They’re simply different types of storytelling, each with their own intent. Basically: serial=anthology of novels, series=collection of short stories.

So why do we love the serial? We all want, nay need, drama. I don’t just mean your typical dramatic thriller where boy and girl meet constant obstacles but still maintain a mad love for each other.

Whether it’s through drama, comedy, sci-fi or thriller, today’s television serials know our desires.

We desire the thick, juicy stuff that has us up at 3 in the morning with the “just one more episode” flu. We’ve grown tired of mythic storytelling so we’re given pragmatic testimonies. We yearn for relatable characters so we’re graced with anti-heroes.

Above all, we need a break from our own busy, tiring, tragic lives. Luckily, these characters that we know and love live lives that constantly spin more out of control than our own lives do. It’s a healthy version of Schadenfreude – we don’t have to derive pleasure from real people’s misfortunes, just the fake characters who embody them.

Finally, our beloved serials convince us that love bears substance, patience fosters virtue, and the courage to face the day pays off in the end. I promise it’ll only take seven seasons of learning from others’ mistakes to understand what we’ve always been taught.

I love TV, and I want to know why. I hope you want to know too. Over the n

ext few weeks, we’ll analyze different elements of the television serial that provoke our affection. So keep reading, keep loving, and above all, keep watching TV.