In small circles with my friends on more than one occasion television and specifically television shows have come up lately. CBS hits you with The Big Bang Theory, The Amazing Race, Criminal Minds and multiple  NCIS series. ABC brings you Dancing With The Stars, Castle, The Middle, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. NBC brings you The Voice, Chicago Fire, The Mysterious of Laura and Law & Order SVU. Fox brings up the rear providing the audience with Sleepy Hollow, Minority Report, Worlds Funniest Home Videos and Empire.

In looking at the vast number of shows mentioned some have or will stand the test of time but, most want. My focus of this blog is too highlight the shows that we consciously or subconsciously gravitate towards that have come to saturate our fall line ups. The more stereotypical, the more exaggerated and or scandalized the better. The more microwaved  story plots and instant coffee characters the better. Just take a second and think of some of your favorite shows for a second. What do most of them have? I would venture to say overly simplified characters and or story-lines is number one if not close. In a close second I venture to say they also have this element of “predictable unpredictability”.

I know your probably asking yourself “what did he just say”. When you watch Scandal, NCIS, Law & Oder, Empire Housewives of Atlanta…i digress..the story lines give you the feeling that everything is solved but, you never really believe it is. Some will say that’s  television and or writers have done that forever and maybe they have .I just want you to think about your favorite show as a child or teenager for a second.

I think about the story lines and the familiarity with the characters of my youth. I knew Cosmo Kramer was going to bust into Jerry’s door and always give you a story referencing  his friend Bob Sacamano. I knew Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor was going to destroy something and by episodes end visit his neighbor Wilson whom we only knew by his eyes . I knew  that Martin’s dynamic with Pam created the funniest dialogue ever and  contrary to what Tommy said “he ain’t have no job man”. The writers wrote familiarity and consistency into the characters giving them depth thus bringing them to life.

I got to know the characters of my childhood and teenagers years so well I felt for them. I remember being happy for Corey when Topanga from Boy Meets World kissed him for the first time. I can remember wanting to be Stefan Urquelle when Laura flocked to him and wanting to be  anybody but, Steve Urkel when everyone shunned him. In watching The Cosby’s it showed me and mainstream America that a black family could live the American dream. A Different World brought college into my living room at a time when I did not have a conscious understanding what college was and who went. How could I sum up a blog about returning to positive engaging characters without pure unadulterated fun which summed up Will Smith as  The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

I heard Jermaine Cole once say and I’m paraphrasing….We have the genius and ingenuity to make the greatest things but, take the I phone for example which changed the world…we didn’t say yes that’s great let that  motivated me to change the world …we said I’m going to take that same concept and try to make that a little better..hence the Galaxy…Have we the consumers allowed that concept to make the television the idiot box?

When your the only sane person, you look like the only insane person

– Criss Jami