For the most part, TV is in a rut, and it has been since its inception way back whenever. The biggest problem is the general lack quality programming. Programming that is intellectually stimulating as well as entertaining. The problem is not that producers cannot make good shows but rather that they will not. They kow-tow to the almighty Nielsen ratings which purport to show what America likes to watch. And we get stuck with the stuff that caters to the masses. There is nothing wrong with much of the material that caters to the masses but after a while, it gets old. Even with the newest show, it is relatively simple to predict what the plot for the episode will be and how it will be resolved.
Plots for serial drama television has not changed much since the day's of Charlie's Angels or Hawaii 5-O. And the same can be said for the sit-com's. We are still getting re-hashed Brady Bunch and Three's Company. It's too bad that shows like All in the Family and MASH are no longer on. Those shows appealed to many different people, on different levels. No one in television today can compete with the biting wit of Archie Bunker or Hawkeye Pierce, genius on a level with the Three Stooges or Richard Pryor.
Even though some of the greatest shows ever produced are no longer on the air, there are still some shows worth watching. They are worth watching for both story and commentary. The number one show has to be Babylon 5.
The parallels between this future and our own present are incredible. Each episode tends to stand alone as an isolated event but, slowly, they are tying together so that the audience begins to perceive a larger story going on in the background. You never know when or where a significant episode will occur and sometimes, the significance cannot be realized until much later. The story in Babylon 5 is supposed to evolve over five years. This puts some useful limits on the show, indicating that it will never be come another arena show. An arena show is the kind where plots are developed like this: Let's have mom become a stripper for a show, or something along those lines. Periodically this can be useful but not in a drama show, it is more appropriate for comedies such as Married With Children or The Simpsons.
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