Perhaps the reason TV is such an important part of our lives is because we can relate to the characters in our favorite shows. We even go to the extreme by trying to be just like our favorite character. Growing up, my all time favorite show was Friends. I remember every time Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) changed her hair cut on the show, all of her greatest fans would request to get the "Rachel hair cut."
This concept still applies today as we are constantly changing our appearances to keep up with the stars. Another good example is "Sex and the City" where the women in the show are obsessed with designer labels. Now in almost every fashion magazine there is a section on "finding the look for less."From TV sitcoms to reality television, we crave the humor, drama, and distraction from our everyday lives. We are constantly wanting to be entertained and television today has provided its audiences with just that. Cable TV has allowed us to find exactly what kind of distraction we are looking for. From MTV to the Food Network, ESPN to HGTV our days become a little more entertaining. Si
nce networks have done their research to define their target market, there is honestly something out there for everyone.
My question to all of you is what show is your distraction? What character do you relate the most to? What trends do you follow because of your favorite characters? Why do you think we care so much about these shows?
Just for fun, here is a list of the Top 10 TV shows today (According to TV.com) ...
1. Heros
2. House
3. One Tree Hill
4. Prison Break
5. Gossip Girl
6. Fringe
7. Smallville
8. NCIS
9. Grey's Anatomy
10. Family Guy
36 comments:
I know that Seinfeld is old school, but I love the show and the characters. We always use lines from Seinfeld and do funny stuff like Kramer or Jerry. The shows are so popular because they allow us to escape life for 20 min and have fun. They become a fun, social experience that allows us to spend time with our friends and enjoy.
Okay so every TV season (Summer, Fall or Winter) I have a favorite show that I can't stand to miss and if I do I have to go back adn watch it online. Last winter it was American Idol (I voted for David Archuleta every week) but know it is Heroes. I don't really have a favorite character in Heroes, but I guess i like it becasue I imagine to myslef how awesome it would be to live in a world where some people, maybe me have superpowers.
For me the new show Psych is my favorite. Now, I'm not a devout TV watcher in any way; I'll probably 1 episode of the show every other week.
TV is not a distraction for me in the sense that I have to plan what I do around it. However, TV is a distraction in the fact that it helps me relax and distract myself for school and work for a while. I think for a lot of people, that is the biggest pro for watching TV. It provides a chance to forget about your worries and troubles and simply be entertained.
I think it is perfectly reasonable and normal for people to enjoy watching TV as a way to relax, but I think that there is a danger when TV becomes the priority and everything else must fit to it's schedule. Especially in a world with some much TV recording technology, worry about missing a show is unnecessary.
I'm trying to get into Heroes...but jumping into a show that's a couple seasons strong already is hard. You don't know the little things that matter. It's frustrating...maybe there's a marathon in my future. The show that sucked me in when I was younger was Degrassi...or Boy Meets World. I can relate to the haircut thing, but it was Shenae Grimes on Degrassi. (look her up, her hair is gorgeous) I was way into the OC until that got cut, but now I can honestly say I don't watch TV much. The office is the only thing I'll look up a few days/weeks later, but my schedule is too hectic to be loyal to a show anymore.
Let's see I like Scrubs, House, Prison Break, Life, Full House, Saved by the Bell, Pushing Daisies, Man vs. Wild, Growing Pains and I am sure there are more but I can't think of them at the moment. I think I like those shows because, for the most part they all have a central character that I would like to be like mostly because they are smart or because they like to scheme, I'm not sure which I value more.
Seinfeld, Friends, House, The Office and 3rd Rock from the Sun are a few shows that I love. So many episodes feature zany characters that keep me entertained. I love how Seinfeld is a show about nothing; I love how "the friends" can't seem to grow up; I love how Gregory House is so broken, yet so brilliant; I love everything about The Office; and I love how random 3rd Rock is. It such a nice way to relax and throw myself into this alternate universe for a few hours where everything and anything goes.
My favorite show that I can't miss is The Office. I had never really gotten into it until this summer when I had a few episodes from previous seasons on DVD. I always found it funny but never watched it religiously.
This summer I worked in an office and I now understand all of the little quirks that happen in office life. I also had coworkers that had characteristics of different characters in the show.
My apartment has recently gotten really into Desperate Housewives. The characters in this show are a little far off of who I am but I do find myself identifying with certian apsects of the characters in the show.
The biggest distraction that I have though is probably modeling shows like Americas Next Top Model or Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency. Both of these shows have a tendency to be on when I get home from work and just want to relax (and they play in marathon sessions) and I have a tendency to forget that time even exists when they are on.
Art Imitates Reality Imitates Art. The writers got the idea to make fashion conscious characters that people could relate to, but they based it on something in reality. In turn, the people who relate to the character can follow him/her down that road.
I can't say that I follow any character's fashion sense or lifestyle choices, but that may be because I prefer satire when I'm watching comedies. "Seinfeld" is a brilliant show, and it is the perfect satire to its contemporaries like "Friends" or "Sex in the City."
All three shows follow people leading deeply selfish and shallow lifestyles, and only on "Seinfeld" is it ever portrayed as destructive.
I agree with the fact that TV can be a nice escape, but I don't know many people that watch The Office or whatever else is popular because they feel like they relate to a character or whatever. I think we just do it because life is so bloody stressed and its nice to chill out.
Oddly enough, I relate most to Stephen Colbert of "The Colbert Report.” The show is hilarious, but plays an important role in correcting our perspective.
The "character" that Stephen Colbert plays (a closed-minded, conservative know-it-all) is a satisfying satire on the sickening arrogance of Bill O'Reilly and the like.
Opinionated news commentators seem to be shaping our reality in a way that is much more significant than the way sitcoms do. Lucky for us, Stephen Colbert is here to show us how idiotic it is to blindly follow today’s news commentators. Reality is rescued.
Embarrassing as it may be, I am a hugely devoted fan of Gossip Girl. It's my guilty pleasure, I watch it with my girl friends and we have so much fun talking about the fashion, the drama, and the characters on the show. We get together every Tuesday to watch the Monday episode because it usually comes on when we are at FHE. I love Blair and the juicy problems she gets herself into. I say it's my guilty pleasure because honestly it's not the most wholesome show out there, but it's fun to watch other people get into high drama situations with boys and high school and the element of wealth that is included in Gossip Girl really pulls the viewer into the show.
Oh boy.... I must admit- It has to be, "The bachelor" That show just really interests me. I think it is the fact that you can be a "fly on the wall" and see relationships develop, and be involved to a point you could never be involved in real-life. I have also become an avuid "Office" fan, I don't know how it is humanly possible not to "can yourself." with that show!~
I am obsessed with "Lost." I have seen every single episode of this show, which is a little embarrassing now that I think about how much time I have wasted watching this show. I found myself crying for quite a while during the last season finale when something quite important happened with the characters that I have grown so attached to. I think I like this show because it makes the viewers think...you have to pay such close attention when watching it because there are always hidden details, and then my friends and I theorize about what is going on, what will happen next, etc. I don't feel that there is a central character I relate to, or a trend I follow because of viewing "Lost"...but I think the sense of adventure and suspense in the show is so fun to watch.
I'm not a TV watcher. I don't stop everything I'm doing to watch a TV show. Watching General Conference was the most TV I had watched all semester. So I don't follow any trends or anything like that. I DO like The Office though, but even last season I didn't watch it every week.
There are shows I am a big fan of like Three's Company, Saved By The Bell and of course, Friends. I may quote certain characters from these shows when I'm in a similar situation, but that's about it.
I don't watch enough TV to be sucked into its culture.
i love most shows on that list: the office, greys anatomy, CSI: miami, etc... but my favorite show is "the game". airs on the CW and i can just relate to it cos the relationship that melanie and derwin have (now i'm going on and on) but it makes me feel like someone out there is just like me...it's nice to know. plus, it's funny. it's times changed so i guess i'll have to work my friday nights around that show ... :-)
Okay... so I don't watch TV religiously... and you guys are probably going to think that I'm completely lame when I say that I love Japanese TV shows. True, being of Japanese decent and being a returned missionary from Japan, I love them. I highly doubt that they wouldn't work here in the states because most of them are just completely ridiculous.
Take for example the newest show I just completed (by the way in Japan most tv shows only last one season and complete their plots with in 10-12 episodes... becoming just a really long movie), My Boss, My Hero. Despite the english title, it is very much Japanese. It takes place in Tokyo, and the main character is a 28 year old who is the heir to the Kanto Eigkikai: the most feared branch of the Japanese mafia. After blowing a huge negotiation in Hong Kong, his father sends him back to the local high school, and tells him if he can pass his senior year, then he would be forgiven and he could take over the gang... if not, his younger brother would become the heir to this multi-million dollar gang.
The story shows the main character, who struggles with his homework, deals with becoming the school bully's underling, and deals with his feelings for another classmate.
Does this sound like this reflects society at all...? No way... not even a Japanese one. But i do think that a lot of shows like "My Boss, My Hero" help us escape our everyday lives of homework, deadlines, papers, failed relationships, and bad tips (sorry again I just came home from work), and gives us a chance to live in such a ridiculous reality! And I love it!
Every Thursday we have an Office party at my house. We make sure that our DVR is set to record so we can fast forward through the channels and then we wait with anticipation for the new episode. It has become so much more than just a t.v. show. It is a social event.
In the 80's I was completely into "thirtysomething." I guess mostly because I was "thirtysomething" and I owned a design firm in California. I could totally relate the the characters.
With the proliferation of cable and satellites, the amount of tv consumed has dramatically risen. With a few exceptions though, I feel the overall quality of sitcoms has deteriorated. The market may be over saturated. I do like watching the Office, but other than that I don't enjoy many sitcoms but stick to a healthy mix of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS and ESPN Classic
Some of my very favorite shows are 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Gilmore Girls and of course The Office. And my guilty pleasure is America's Next TOp Model. I like these shows because they are fun to watch. Watching all these shows are also a social activity because I rarely watch TV alone. I also have a soft spot for the original Law and Order. It's one of my all time favorite shows and during the summer I watch it on break from work nearly every day. Because of that show I seriously considered becoming a lawyer at one point in my life.
I love Arrested Development, Seinfeld, PTI, and then I also like The Hills, Project Runway, and Gossip Girl. The show that I have modeled myself after is The OC. Even though I am from Utah, I really liked Seth's (Adam Brody) style. He always wore Original Penguin, Paul Frank, Ben Sherman, and Modern Amusement clothing. Now that's all I wear. I didn't go as far as reading comics like him, but I liked his fashion and the music he liked, like Death Cab, Interpol, and Modest Mouse.
We don't have a remote to the tv in our apartment, (it's a D.I. tv, and we haven't gotten around to buying a universal remote). It is interesting to see how it has changed everyone's tv viewing habits. We don't watch nearly as much tv as we used to. I think we have become too lazy to watch tv!
So far this semester I'm not into any specific show, but in the past I've been a fan of American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance.
My show...anything with professional athletes. I am always amazed at the athleticism and specimens that they are. Take for instance the craze about the amount of calories that Michal Phelps eats in a day. For me, I love to find out their "little secrets" that get published in national magazines and broadcast on television shows.
There are very few shows I "plan" on watching and plan around: Prison Break and The Office. There are the two shows that can distract me from anything. Last week at my ward FHE I told them I was bailing out at 8 so I could go watch Prison Break, they decided to watch it after FHE since I HAD to see it and now it's going to be an FHE tradition to hang around and watch this TV show. For some like me it is to watch the show, but for others, those who have never seen an episode and don't know the story line, stick around to socialize and be with the group. I'm not even sure why I like these shows! The Office is so great to me because the stuff that happens in that show have really gone on in my office so I can associate with it. Prison Break isn't something I can really relate to, it's just so exciting. Both shows are ways to step away from homework and relax while being entertained! That is one of the main reasons I watch TV, sometimes I'm not really watching/paying attention to the show, I just do it to procrastinate the others things I should be putting my attention to.
I liked the first season of Heroes, but I hear the rest is rubbish. I liked Peter Petrelli's character because, yeah, I feel I can relate to him a lot. But I don't think I follow certain trends because of any television character. I kind of watch television as an escape from reality. I don't try to make television my reality by mimicking it wherever I go. I like TV shows that are clever and meaningful (or in some cases seemingly meaningless, like The Simpsons), otherwise I can just open a book to escape. I don't really see the point in dressing like TV or film stars - they're not real.
My favorite shows today are:
1. Heroes
2. The Office
and that's it. I'm planning on beginning to 30 Rock. But when i was growing up, I was seriously a TV fiend. After watching so much TV, i cannot begin to list the shows i faithfully watched unless their was an appropiate time or space. and at this point, we don't have either.
I think it’s so much fun to have a show to look forward to. For me and my wife it is the Office and Lost. I think they are so great, we change out schedule, request off work and do everything possible to see them. We have parties and invite over friends and everything you can image. However my wife and I do not follow the fashion trends that the new shows put out. We have our own styles and try to avoid trendy items.
i really don't watch tv, but i guess my fiance and i like to watch project runway and can't miss an episode. if we know we won't be able to watch it, we will tivo it. so i guess that could still be a distraction in the fact that we make time for it.
I think it is funny how a lot of people mimick or copy a character. I remember the huge craze from Friends and how a lot of girls got "The Rachel Cut". So I guess if you were a hair stylist back then you had better known how to cut and style hair to look like Rachel's. I don't think is the case too much anymore today. There are just too many popular shows as you pointed out thanks to Cable TV. Everyone can find their own niche and watch away. I do enjoy watching Lost and feel that I do relate with Jack and some of the other characters. I think when you become a die-hard fan (not of Die Hard haha) but when you become obsessed with a show, you do relate with characters more and try to copy their lifestyles even down to your haircut!
I don't really watch television that much. I loved the office, but I don't really relate to any of them. On the other hand, I do mimic their humor or at least bring up certain scenes I saw on the last episode. So, yes, the television has influenced my culture. It has snuck up to me throw the camouflage of humor.
my distractions...the office, gossip girl, bones, brothers and sisters and lost when it finally comes back on! oh and i will always watch reruns of friends if i find them on, even if i've seen the episode a bunch of times.
while i wish i could be blair waldorf from gossip girl because i love her clothes and her attitude, i'd say i relate most to either rachel or monica on friends, just because of their relationships with their other friends.
i think we care about these shows because they give us something to look forward to, an escape from our daily lives.
I confess that I think I relate to Jim on The Office. We have a very similar sense of humor, and when I first started watching the show, I was the hopeless romantic hoping to land the dream girl. Blah, blah, blah. The Office is my escape, and Jim is my alias. Any other brain busters?
i don't have any strong distractions, since i don't subscribe to any television provider. But i do enjoy watching Prisonbreak, Sienfeld, the Office, and Flight of the Conchords. Unfortunately my real distractions are video games. If i had to relate to any one character, it would probably be Tim in the british version of the Office, because he seems normal and extremely bored with work and amuses himself with things oblivious to others.
i don't have any strong distractions, since i don't subscribe to any television provider. But i do enjoy watching Prisonbreak, Sienfeld, the Office, and Flight of the Conchords. Unfortunately my real distractions are video games. If i had to relate to any one character, it would probably be Tim in the british version of the Office, because he seems normal and extremely bored with work and amuses himself with things oblivious to others.
I use tv as an escape, and see myself like Jerry from Seinfeld, I love finding connections with characters in shows, comparing it to my life. I think we like to find similarities. Like jerry, I find funny flaws in people (she has big hands!) and like observational humor about the little things.
Friends, Heroes, That 70s show, this is lame but Hannah Montana too. I agree that TV Shows now have become culture rather than the other way around. A joke in Friends is pulled out once in a while in conversations with friend. A scene in The Office could be found as a presentation in middle of an employee meeting, at least that's the case for me. If you don't watch TV, sometimes you'll feel lost in the conversation when other people talk about it.
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