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Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 02/02/22

More is less. The media would have us believe this era of Peak TV (when more television shows are being produced across more platforms) than ever before) is also a new Golden Age of Television in which the the abundance of programming is being matched by quality. The numbers tell a different story.

A survey commissioned by YouTube finds that a whopping 7% of the 2000 adults responding think that we are currently living the best era of television with the vast majority generally preferring series before the year 2000 to most of what’s being presented to the public as entertainment now.

Out of a list of 35 iconic TV shows over the decades to choose from, the two shows most often cited as favorites are nineties hits Friends (43%) and Seinfeld (40%). Other chart toppers include Three’s Company (36%) and M*A*S*H (35%) from the seventies, Frasier (36%) also from nineties and the post-2000 hits Game of Thrones (37%) and  The Office (36%). You can check out the top 20 finishers here.
The survey also got into why people prefer some shows over others – finding that 60% care more about a show’s cast and writing than they do the aesthetic (46%) or plot (46%). 65% of the respondents say the shows they enjoy most feature characters that tend to remind them of people they know, including family members (62%), close friends (59%), or their significant others (52%). Nearly three-quarters (72%) associate their favorite shows with good memories.
Connecting the dots, I think the data can be translated to suggest that most people enjoy shows with characters who are relatable and, perhaps flawed – but, like their own loved ones, are ultimately likable, good and (whatever their flaws) redeemable.
People also want writing that delivers perceptive insights about the human condition that also leans toward promoting kindness, tolerance, celebrating historic heroes who have overcome evil (rather than focusing on the evil itself), hope for the future and other timeless values. Why else would they say their favorite shows have provided them with good memories? In essence, people are drawn to storytelling that nurtures what is good in all of us. They don’t want to be left angry, bitter or shamed – which is why there’s unlikely to be much nostalgia for most of what’s being broadcast or streamed today.
The poll actually inspired me to construct my own list of my 25 All-Time Favorite TV Shows (below), unconstrained by the survey’s 35 options. The list is slightly longer than YouTube’s Top 20 because, well, it’s my list. Of the survey’s top finishers only Frasier and M*A*S*H make it onto mine. Of the other chart toppers, I enjoyed Friends and Seinfeld in their early seasons when I found the scripts sharper and the characters more likable. I actually started my career working for the production company that produced Three’s Company (though after the show had wrapped). While it is a funny show with likable characters and can legitimately be called a classic of its genre, it doesn’t quite make my list. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones is too violent and dark for my taste and, while The Office can be funny, I’ve grown tired of the mockumentary format in general.

Overall though, as a fairly average person who actually loves a good well-constructed TV show, I have found that my personal taste is generally a pretty good reflection of the broad audience. With some updating (i.e. more diversity), I think these shows represent a goodhearted non-angry/non-shaming tone of quality programming that networks and streamers would be wise to draw some inspiration from.

The bottom line is this. Too much modern TV has become depressing. People are burned out on the disheartening gloom. They want to want to be entertained and uplifted, not scolded and lectured to by smug self-righteous virtue signalers.

My 25 All-Time Favorite TV Shows
  1. All in the Family (CBS, 1971-79)
  2. Batman (ABC, 1966-68)
  3. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 2007-19)
  4. Columbo (NBC, 1971-78/ABC, 1989-2003)
  5. The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS, 1961-66)
  6. Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS, 1996-2005)
  7. Frasier (NBC, 1993-2004)
  8. The Fugitive (ABC, 1963-67)
  9. Get Smart (NBC/CBS – 1965-70)
  10. Green Acres (CBS, 1965-71)
  11. The Honeymooners (CBS, 1955-56)
  12. I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951-57)
  13. JAG (NBC/CBS, 1995-2005)
  14. Kojak (CBS, 1973-78)
  15. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (ABC, 1993-97)
  16. M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-83)
  17. Mom (CBS, 2013-2021)
  18. NYPD Blue (ABC, 1993-2005)
  19. Quantum Leap (NBC, 1989-93)
  20. The Rockford Files (NBC, 1974-80)
  21. Star Trek (NBC, 1966-69)
  22. Taxi (ABC/NBC, 1978-83)
  23. Touched by an Angel (1994-2003)
  24. The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959-64)
  25. Young Sheldon (2017-present)
Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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