I agree generally and I thought it was just me. I watch the news and the odd show but rely on library and rental DVDs for entertainment. There have been some excellent TV series produced in the last decade by the likes of HBO,BBC, ITV such as:
Broadwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Life (really enjoyed this quirky LAPD detective series)
The Good Wife
Madmen
etc.
I have despised the majority of TV for over ten years now, reality TV led the line and was/is an appaling excuse for entertainment. Then we had the second coming of the talent show and Simon Cowell's manufactured domination of the Christmas No. 1. And one thing that really, truly annoys me is how everything now features celebrities. I remember watching such gameshows as Family Fortunes and the like when I was a kid, it was great watching real people giving stupid answers under pressure while trying to win stuff, now we have Celebrity Family Fortunes, Celebrity Mr and Mrs, etc, what's wrong with the common person these days? As if these celebrities are not on the TV enough as it is...
Having said that, there is some very good drama being put out that I do enjoy immensely. Over the years and still, up to today, I've loved shows such as The Shield, 24, Walking Dead, Justified, Whitchapel, Ripper Street, Doc Martin, and a number of British one-off drama series' such as Broadchurch.
The majority of TV is braindead time killer for me which is why I spend so much time on my PC either gaming or reading and learning, but if you dig deep enough there is still some excellent stuff to watch.
Well there certainly more bad TV than ever before, but more good TV also. As long as the "off" switch works I don't care.
TV programs is a two way street.
If the masses of people don't watch the trash it will go away. They will loose sponsors because not enough people are watching. As long as the viewer count is high they will continue to produce what I call junk.
Quote