I was inspired to write this blog because of the new HBO campaign I just saw. They are using my song, “This Could Be the Year,” in their end of the year promo. Me, Seinfeld, Larry David and Anna Paquin–all in the same montage!! I can die happy now for sure.
According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours per week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). This means that in a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years staring at a television. There was a time when I completely stopped watching TV in my life. I thought it was the drug to make us all passive and easily brainwashed. I still feel that way, but like any good high, I couldn’t stay away from its romance forever. So instead of bowing out in shame, let’s talk about the good side of it all.
I firmly believe that entertainment is the key to world peace. I used to think the solution was in education, but I have realized a generation’s hate just breeds more hate, so what we get is just more of the same. It takes a third party to come in and shake everything up. Enter TV.
I remember hearing how TV stars have a harder time walking around in public because people feel like they know them. Unlike movie stars, TV actors are right in our living rooms once a week or every day. We feel like we know them–after all, they are in our house on a regular basis, so why wouldn’t we? As much as this might be a headache for Ross and Chandler, it is the secret weapon of mass destruction when it comes to hate. From the Cosby show, to Will and Grace, to Glee, we have invited people with different backgrounds and beliefs into our homes and have embraced them. This is the time when the younger generation can stand up for what they believe and actually educate those before them.
On another note (but in the same vein), I am sure, like many others, we have fallen victim to a new kind of TV. HBO created it with more of a cinematic feel. With shows like 24, House, Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, Lie To Me, and my favorite LOST, we have been saved from the age old saying of “nothing is on.” Its all on—you’ve just got to choose one or two series and stick with them, or that scary 9 year statistic is going to turn into 50!
See our linked 5 Most Interesting HBO characters piece here
My Favorite shows this year
Lost – I got into Lost 2 years in and I couldn’t believe how incredible it was. Now, as it is about to wrap up, I don’t know what I will do with all of my free time–where I am not trying to understand exactly what is going on.
Curb Your Enthusiasm – I take every word of this show like it is The Bible. Simply brilliant.
Family Guy – True art in Randomness.
Glee – I got turned onto this show by ten year old girls. Shocked that their parents let them watch it, I am so impressed with its content. The way it is edited is definitely for the Ritalin generation, but there is something so incredible with all the character development. I love when film or TV can create a heightened version of our reality. In Glee it is done with song.
Lie To Me – Not just for the obvious reason that I wrote the theme song, but this show is awesome. Tim Roth is pulling from his Reservoir Dogs bad ass days. You really can learn how to tell when people are lying with this one. Check it out.
Twitter Updates
I hope I don’t spend 28 hours a week watching tv (now the computer is another thing;) Out of your list, Lie to Me is my favorite, as I like to try to guess who is lying as each case unravels. I guess I need to rent the dvds for the shows on HBO since I don’t get that channel.
Comment by Stephanie ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 09:12 am
Ryan, I am amazed that you have time to watch TV. I try not to watch too much, mostly because I spend all of my time on twitter and facebook. Of course lately it has been the Mr. Twitter December page try to get you to #1, but alas, My favorite show of all time without a doubt would have to be “Six Feet Under” one of HBO’s finest. Thank you again for these blogs. They really are fun to read.
Comment by Emily ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 10:12 am
Great blog, I LOVE Lost too, not sure what I will watch once that is over… ugh.
Comment by Nickey ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 10:12 am
hey my entire post did not come through…let me try and recall…oh Lie to me is just simply engaging the way it just sucks u in and u cant help but watch in amazement and yes tim roth is brilliant is his portrayal…i also enjoy other shows like smallville, heroes, prison break, monk, supernatural..thats all i can recall now
Comment by NAFISA14 ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 11:12 am
i totally agree with the whole pick a couple shows and stick to it. for me it is Dexter, Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make it or Break it. i watch those shows like it was my religion and occasionally i try to get in a lie to me, mainly for the theme song, but it really is a good show. anywho i think i do spend too much time in front of the tv, but entertainment is a good thing like you said. seriously ryan your blogs freakin rock my face off, just like your music.
i hope to see more. 
Comment by Hannah ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 01:12 pm
Great blog and great list! I for one cannot wait for the new season of Lost. The video you posted just made me that much more excited and impatient for it.
Comment by Miel ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 02:12 pm
Another great blog, Ryan! You’re such an inspiration. Enough said.
With that said, I think I should re-subscribe HBO =)
Comment by Dee ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 02:12 pm
Thank you for being able to see the positive in television. It is not all evil and it is only mindless if you let it be. If you choose shows that engage your mind (this is different for everyone) and take time to really think about the things we see, it can be quite intellectually stimulating. Even the ever-dreaded “reality tv”. I was not introduced to rock music as a child or teen. My musical world consisted of mostly bubblegum top 40. Watching Rock Star and seeing hearing the rock songs covered caused me to go to iTunes to experience the original which then showed me to other works by the same artists and others like them, opening a floodgate of musical expression for me. My favorite show is The Daily Show. No, I don’t get all my news from Jon, but I certainly get a different perspective from him. A guest of the show once pointed out that in ancient England, the court jester was the only one who was really allowed to speak the truth about the Monarchy, as it could be written off as jokes. A valable service, even today.
Then again, there’s nothing wrong with a little brain-break a la Jersey Shore either! C’mon Ryan, you know The Situation.
Comment by mangomelon ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 02:12 pm
It’s always interesting to know what TV shows people watch. I probably come closer to watching 28 hours per year instead of per month but, like you, I tend to pick my shows and keep up with just those (or maybe just the one). I do take some offense that you claim that young people are teaching older people by the shows that are on. I think those lessons have no age boundaries.
In any case, thanks for another well thought out and well written blog.
Comment by Carol Burnett ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 02:12 pm
TV (or entertainment) as the key to world peace? Well, Ryan, if it makes you feel better about your viewing habits. Although the world is neither black nor white, I’d come down more heavily on the TV as drug side. The vast, vast, vast majority of stuff on the tube serves as an escape and also a numbing to the suffering going on all around us, including in our own lives. I’m more convinced that we don’t have a more engaged citizenry because of TV. It’s like a nice treat to suckle on after a long days work – work that for most of us uses little of our being, so we fill our spaces with TV or computer air time.
We even expect the news to be entertaining now, thus drastically limiting its ability to educate and inform. Titillate is more like it. Yeah, I usually watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report as they attempt to expose that game. And that, at least, is satisfying, most of the time. Thankfully there are other shows still on the air that do seek to uncover the truth and do their job with a minimum of corporate interference.
I can’t really same the same for the majority of TV air time. Its either selling the latest corporate hoohah, be it fashion, scandal, ideology, stuff, or cultural allegiance of one form or another. Even the TV shows, a quickly dying breed, are usually just rehashed, replayed stories with different faces. Most times, I think we’re still at ‘57 Channels and Nothing On’.
I do enjoy some reality shows that really showcase emerging talent, like AI, SYTYCD and the like. Even though they’re manipulated to emphasize a story arc and to sell product, I still appreciate the democratizing force that TV can be.
Every once in a blue moon, a TV show comes along that changes the paradigm and blows everything else out of the water. That show for me was ‘John from Cincinanati’. It suffered from horrible timing coming right after the end of ‘the Sopranos’, as well as HBO office shake-ups, but that was a show that definitely went well beyond where most TV shows tread. Exploring human relationships and the mysteries and miracles that abound without resorting to trite cliches and romantic revelries, was itself a miracle. Rich character development, incredible dialogue, challenging storylines that make us work for understanding instead of giving it to us in various stages of pre-digestion, that is what I hope to see more of in the future. From the response, I think many were not ready, but then again, many were. That show gave me hope for humanity, that enough of us would be interested in and capable of an deep inquiry into the nature of reality and human relationships. I still hope for this.
Comment by ayla ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 03:12 pm
I resisted watching Lost for so long because I didn’t want to get into another show. Back in August we cancelled cable and watched it from the beginning, and loved every second of it! I can’t wait for the new season!
Other favorite shows: Dexter, Glee, House, and How I Met Your Mother
Comment by Brooke ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 03:12 pm
Family guy! Yes Ryan, you are so awesome. Soooo true
Comment by Kat ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 05:12 pm
Yay Glee and Lie to ME! I watch both and I have to admit that i started watching Lie to Me to hear Brand New Day, but I really have gotten into the show and like it a LOT.
Comment by SarahBeth ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 06:12 pm
I KNEW THAT WAS YOU!! I’m house/critter sitting for friends and they’ve got the fancy cable/digital TV stuff and I caught the clip while waiting for “Mama Mia” to come on. I’m soooo happy for you!!!
Comment by Susan See ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 08:12 pm
I’ve always felt TV allowed you to escape into another world, to leave this reality for awhile. TV and music have always been escapes from the bad. Lie to Me and BONES are my 2 favorite shows. Love hearing your song lead into that show every monday! Glad Family guy made your list, it’s funny and an example of one of those escapes. I heard your song on the promo for HBO and almost fell off the couch. I’m so happy your songs are being used on TV, that is just the coolest thing in the world. Love the blogs, i’ve commented on all of them! thanks for taking time out of your vacation to do these!
Comment by Meg ///// Sunday, December 27th, 2009 @ 08:12 pm
The HBO video says it is private…can you fix the link? I never miss an epi of all the shows you listed. Just damn good. I’d add 30 Rock to the list though
Comment by aheadofstraight ///// Monday, December 28th, 2009 @ 07:12 am
Well… I don’t think that entertainment is the key to world peace. And I think TV probably keeps a lot of people from really living their lives and having true experiences. Not to mention the commercials that are pretty much the foundation of the whole unhealthy consumerism of our society.
And I recognize that there are some great quality shows. As long as people don’t watch it TOO much and actually live their own lives instead of watching others’ fictional lives all day.
Having said that…. I do love Glee.
Comment by Sarah ///// Monday, December 28th, 2009 @ 09:12 am
Why are 10 year olds listening your music, sir? Some of your content is far more adult than the stuff on Glee.
Comment by Kerri ///// Monday, December 28th, 2009 @ 10:12 am
I love the way you think. Thanks for taking this opportunity to share yourself with us. These blogs have sure been fun and thought provoking.
Comment by hoaloha ///// Monday, December 28th, 2009 @ 12:12 pm
A fellow LOST lover
I really enjoy reading your blogs, and your take on the everyday. Is it time for 11:59 to be released yet?!
Comment by traceymc ///// Monday, December 28th, 2009 @ 01:12 pm