Assignment 5 Ian Harrison (first prompt)

Why do I watch TV? Is it because I crave entertainment like some sort of junkie? Do I see value in what I see on TV? Or am I simply too bored or too lazy to be bothered to do anything else? All three are probably true to a certain extent. I think the phrase "to each his own" applies perfectly to the concept of television. Some watch for fun, some watch for meaning, some have no reason to watch at all. I personally like to think everything on TV has some cultural significance or value, though I understand that this is quite a stretch for some shows. I mostly watch comedies because I simply don't have the time or willpower to emotionally invest myself in a good drama. I use TV as a quick entertainment fix to relieve boredom or stress, but I fully appreciate and respect the power of shows that use the time allotted (or not allotted) to their advantage as far as a story is concerned. I currently am really enjoying Brooklyn Nine-Nine and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. While I realize I could be watching slow burning and long winded dramas, I simply don't want to invest so much time when the payoff can perhaps only be some sort of emotional toll, negative or positive, and even then, what if it decreases in quality and loses its luster? I am a huge movie fan, which is probably another reason I don't like to watch serious TV shows; why wait weeks or watch hours of footage to hear a story, when I can hear one, though not the same, perhaps just as interesting, entertaining, or thought-provoking, in less than three hours? Full disclosure, I really just don't have the attention span for a full season of a show that isn't nearly perfect, let alone five to eight. I'm happy to laugh at the same crazy characters getting into equally crazy shenanigans many a time, but I struggle to pay attention when a monstrous and intricate ten-season epic rears its head at me. In short, I watch TV mostly for entertainment. I appreciate the value of episodic storytelling, but it's just not my cup of tea.