TV Guide: Monday

The Fall TV season is upon us. This week marks the premiers of perennial favorites “Heroes,” “House,” “CSI,” and “The Office,” not to mention the full lineup of new shows. There’s a great article about television in yesterday’s New York Times. It discusses how the role of TV has changed since the recent boom in programming options. The author argues that it has transformed from a perceived “idiot box” with a few programs that everyone watched (Dallas, Roots, The Ed Sullivan Show, etc.), to a quality form of entertainment with “plentiful, fragmented, and good” offerings that provide heated debate and genuine personal insight.

The “DVR generation,” as the author calls us, takes great pride in its TV schedules. Unhindered by the creative and logistical constraints of yesteryear, we have free reign over an incredible array of programming. The natural consequences of this explosion of culture are the snobberies, alliances, and antipathies associated with any great art form. The author writes that the topic of television is “as intimate, revealing, and potentially off-putting as discussing how much money you make.”

I’ve decided to make like Larry David and throw tact to the curb, revealing here my full, shameless, weekly TV schedule, and what each show says about the personalities of its viewers. I’ll start with my Monday schedule today, and continue with the following section of the guide each day.

Monday:

Heroes (NBC) – “Heroes” is a show for people who need an hour a week of suspended disbelief. Brimming with evil government conspiracies (see: 9/11 truth), fantastical ideas about evolution (see: Intelligent Design), and a simplistic view of good vs. evil (see: Bush), it contains elements of everything an informed, self-respecting person wishes they could believe in, but couldn’t live with themselves if they did for more than an hour.

Brian Wilson - Heroes and Villains

Newton Faulkner - Ageing Superhero

moe. - Happy Hour Hero

The Hills (MTV) – The first of my several guilty pleasures, “The Hills” offers a highly edited but nonetheless “real” portrayal of how the other side lives. The fan base is composed of the more sophisticated viewers of the show’s predecessor, “Laguna Beach.” These are the people who really care about the fate of the characters, and weren’t just in it for the shallow, high school drama. Plus, Heidi is the most conniving bitch on TV – there’s something about it that’s captivating (omg how was LC evar bff w.her??).

Mother Hips - White Hills

-Danny