An Age when Sherlock, ponies & Time Lords rule television

So if anyone caught the series premier of the new TBS reality show King of the Nerds, then you saw an hour of the biggest egotistic nerds hand-picked by producers, competing against each other for some homespun title.  So now nerds are in the same ranks as the subhuman life forms known as Jersey scum and teen parents.  But those are reality shows, where it doesn’t take much to manipulate how egotistic and air-headed they look when they do it all by themselves.  And that’s not the focus here, oh no.  Reality shows are a thing of the early 2000’s now.  What’s actually popular to watch on television these days are campy sci-fi and fantasy dramas, along with some sitcoms.

This may be a bit late to bring it up, but in the wake of another reality show that makes people look worse than they really are (which isn’t much contrast), it’s time I talk about some good television for once.  Last month, TV Guide and TV.com have tallied votes for all around for best television shows from different genres.  Surprisingly, The Big Bang Theory is one of the best sitcoms of all time.  And it’s a show about geeky roommates and their hot neighbor going through everyday life with their social awkwardness and one character’s eternal grudge against Wil Wheaton.  Despite confusing terminologies, it actually works.  Going down the lists, best sci-fi show, with the lead character making it on the cover of TV Guide, is Doctor Who.  Best drama, Sherlock.  Best animated series, in a landslide, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  And there are other runner-ups such as Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

My point with this little spiel is that people don’t run television, it’s ratings and fandom that do.  People truthfully love a good, scripted, campy drama with some action, ingenuity, wittiness, and a little magic.  Because fans want to know how two brilliant British gentlemen will save the day one episode at a time.  Because fans want to see that gratuitous sex expected from an HBO show.  Because fans can’t get enough of watching ponies.  So in essence, it’s the fans, with their guilty pleasures and yearning to escape from reality, who rule television.  That, and good story writing and plot development that make a good show.  And this includes ponies, for odd reasons I won’t divulge just yet…


-"Demon" Matt Little

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