Television as Art: The Steepening Line

[duck2ducks]

This past Spring - I'd guess March or April, looking back at the calendar - I was going to write a journal entry titled "The Continuing Lessons of Time". I never did, of course, precisely because of those selfsame lessons; i.e., when you're so overcommitted and so overextended that you've lost all your free time for a significant and lasting

Comments

[mathuaerknedam]

Maybe you're just beginning to become a cantankerous old codger. :)

[llamachameleon]

I typed a long reply to this and LJ ate it. :(

I don't have time to rewrite it right now, so here's the gist:
I think it has a lot more to do with your time and energy constraints than the quality of television. You have a television comfort zone, and going outside that means risking spending time on something that may not turn out to be awesome. (Of course, that means you miss out on things that are awesome...)

[duck2ducks]

Hmm. That *might* be fuzzy language at the end, or I might have completely failed at making my point. Which is:

Yes, it's true that I have far less time these days than I used to, with the result that my time is much more valuable to me. But one thing that hasn't changed is the need for Great Art in my life; it really is one of the things that nurtures and fulfills me.

What has changed is what makes the cut. Whereas before I would make time for shows that were "pretty alright", any new shows I now add must have indications of being friggin' stellar - whether from online reviews, friend raves, or something else.

I don't want to miss out on Awesome, and if I'm paying attention then I shouldn't. But I also no longer wish to spend my time on shows that might eventually be good - or might, honestly, kinda suck.

If it turns out that the show is worth watching, I'll hear about it. After all, as they say, quality will out.

FYI...

[insideizzy]

I watched the first season of True Blood, and half of the second season. The first season rocked my socks off. No kidding, I had ants in my pants weekly waiting for the next episode. The second season I was really disappointed with, especially because the first season was so awesome.