Assignment 5 - Anna Baskin

Is TV good entertainment? Absolutely. My whole family loves TV. At dinner, we often lounge on the couch and binge seasons of our current obsession. Currently, The Goldbergs is our favorite casual night pastime. About a mildly dysfunctional ‘80s family, The Goldbergs is laugh-out-loud funny (featuring bad parenting, epic sibling showdowns, a ridiculous grandpa, and lots of pants-less Murray), but it’s also relatable for any family. My mom side-eyes me whenever the plot revolves around the oldest daughter getting a boyfriend or going to college. She’s subtle like that.

Maybe I’m biased as an avid TV watcher, but I never see TV programming as consumerist propaganda. Sure, shows have advertisements and not so subtle endorsements, but that doesn’t change the fact that TV is meant to entertain.  It’s not hours of advertisements flashing quickly across the screen, attempting to brainwash you until your eyes glaze over and drool slides down your chin, and all you can think about is getting that cheeseburger from McDonalds. No, it’s a production painstakingly created by a team of writer, producers, directors, and actors for you to enjoy. Labeling it as consumerist propaganda actually offends everyone involved in that process.

Now, that doesn’t mean every TV show took months to write and requires serious concentration to watch. Some TV shows are completely inane – produced for quantity over quality. And that’s ok. If all you want to do when you get home is watch an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians I won’t judge you. But not every show allows you to zone out and enjoy the drama. Just try napping for a minute during Game of Thrones and you’ll find yourself rewatching a whole episode. The point is, there’s a TV show for every person and every mood, all there for you to enjoy. Happy Netflixing.