Looking back at all the television I’ve watched throughout my life, it is really hard to pinpoint one particular genre that I like more than any other. I really think the biggest thing in attracting an audience is in the story lines presented, which can be done across a large variety of genres. I feel as though if an audience can connect or relate to a show that is the most significant piece of the puzzle. That being said, I would say I tend to watch a lot of shows merging the characteristics of drama and comedy. The biggest thing in that is how true to life many of the situations can be; at no point in life is everything fall of your seat hilarious, but at no point is everything serious. A good television show is about finding that happy medium between the serious moments and the funny, light hearted ones.
Unfortunately, it seems as though we as a public have bought into reality tv which is why it is still around. However entertaining these shows may be to some individuals, I really don’t see the value in them to the viewing audience. The value comes in the financial rewards being reaped by the networks from all the advertising money brought in by a show using pre-determined twists in a plot line to dupe people into watching. I think that if these shows were really all they are made out to be, they wouldn’t need to throw surprises into the formats to draw viewers in, rather they would be able to show a more natural situation. But that isn’t what America wants; they want to be able to benefit through their happiness by watching others suffer through ridiculous situations most will never even imagine of encountering. But then again, it is the job of the networks to exploit what is hot at a given moment, and right now that seems to be reality television, so I give props to those executives who are seeing all the benefits of our infatuation with voyeurism.

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Like many of the people who have already responded, I would name comedy as my genre of choice in television. Although I like many newer live action comedies, a potentially embarassing amount of my time is spent watching cartoon comedies such as The Simpons and Futurama (and to a lesser extent South Park and Family Guy). These shows provide an interesting twist on traditional sitcom-type comedy and storylines by eliminating the boundaries of live action production. Animation allows for expansive storylines that would be extremely expensive, or impossible to produce in a live action show. While these shows still focus on dialogue, and often do it better than live action shows, there is another element of comedy that can be derived from the freedom they have, such as the antics of a doctor who happens to be a giant crustacean on Futurama. These shows also eliminate the laugh track, which as others have mentioned, is becoming increasingly cliche. By allowing the viewer to decide for themselves what is funny, it adds an element of credibility to a format that is generally considered to be for children

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In response to Whitney's comment about the sitcom/comedy in television, I believe that the laugh track is a lazy and uninspired tactic that will hopefully fall out of practice shortly. My favorite TV genre is the comedy, most notably ones that do not have a laugh track; those that have something new to offer the genre. While newer (better) examples of the comedy genre continue to have the same signifiers - simple plots, interesting yet non-complex characters, plots that can easily be wrapped up in 30 minutes - as those in the past, I believe that the genre is moving in a good direction. Realism in comedy is important; things are funny to a subject when he or she can relate. Comedies such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, and The Office are strong examples of this trend.

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I find comedies the most entertaining. More specifically, I like comedies that provide social commentary or satirize every day life. I think that these types of shows invoke more thought than most types of programs. The narrative structure is usually used as a tool to criticize some aspect of American life or culture. Some examples of this are The Daily Show, Colbert Report, and The Office. These shows usually take an ironic stance, or critical realism to convey a message. For the most part I enjoy the shows that do this without being too over the top or offensive, because they accomplish these things intelligently, without resorting to crude jokes and cheap shots (although shows that do that can still be humorous). And on top of all of this, they make us laugh, which I feel is something everyone needs to do more.

-Zach

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The most valued in American culture is probably reality television. I do not agree that this should be our main focus but if we took a poll I am sure this would come out on top. I feel that this is the most popular because as Americans we thrive on seeing how others live and the mistakes they make in their lives. I know many people that watch shows like MTV's the Real World and their competition shows like Road Rules vs Real World and the new one that are out just because they want to see what the new drama is for the week. Also I think a lot of watching these reality shows are watched out of pure jealousy and what we wish our lives were like. An example, even though it is not a reality show for the most part, is MTV's Cribs! Many people tune into this show to see how the "celebrities" are living, it makes people want that life style because obviously is it possible. A few other shows that I know people are obsessed with may not be watched for the same reason, but shows such as Viva La Bam and Rob & Big are typically watched because of the humor. I have nothing against these shows because this is just showing the reality of someones life that has fun, they may be millionares but they are still having fun just as we would. I believe people like to watch shows that they can relate to as well as dream about doing. I believe that a few sings and codes in these shows are just the simple ones like the big houses and all of the expensive material goods these people have, it shows that if you work hard and follow your dreams anything is possible.

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I would have to say news by a long-shot. People in this country base many of their decisions about politics, foreign policy, as well as decisions about everyday life in their local community on what they see on the news. I am not sure that this is such a good thing because I don't believe the news is always honest about what they show. As long it is newsworthy it gets aired whether it is truthful or not. I think it is best to look for all of the sides to a story if it interests you enough to make a decision based on its content. Many people take what these national news anchors say as gospel and fail to look further into it, get both or all sides of the story and then make an informed decision on what they believe to be true or false.

-Chris

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The television genre that I find myself watching most often is that of sports. My favorite sport to watch on television is football. Football is filmed at many different camera angles to capture the action from the best vantage point. After the plays are over instant replays are often shown to analyze what just happened. Commentators that call the games are always dishing out facts and stats. Lots of times they will go into story lines of the players’ life off of the field. I like watching this genre because it is fun to track scores and stats about my favorite players and teams from around the league. The games are action packed and it is fun to watch their story lines unfold.
In my opinion, I think reality television is the most valued genre in American culture today. This is a broad genre and an ever-changing one with the blurring of the boundaries between varieties of other genres. Some common shows that are in this genre are Real World, Big Brother, and Survivor. In all of these shows, viewers are allowed to look in on the lives of the cast members as they try to overcome and complete tasks. Americans love this because it gives them a chance to view something that they are not used to. Also, people on these shows are often portrayed in a less than desirable way that gives the viewer the confidence that they are superior.

~Dan Breha

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1.) One television genre that I personally can’t stand is the soap opera. While I am no where an expert on this genre, I’ve seen enough to know that it is by far, not my favorite genre. One reason that I can respect the genre, or at least the writers, is because each soap opera has to be a serial, meaning the story develops based on events from the previous episode. Soap operas like General Hospital and Guiding Light have been on the air for the last forty years. Just the fact that a show can be on the air that long is amazing, then once you factor in that there are no reruns, and the plots have had to gradually evolve from episode to episode, it really is unbelievable. Another admirable feature of soap operas is the camera usage. It adds extra drama and suspense to the scenes with a strategic blend of close-ups with back-lighting, slow pans, quick cuts and special effects for flash backs, dreams and coma sequences. However, my grief comes from the over dramatic repetitive plots. As I said earlier the writers should be commended for keeping them up to date, but it is still usually the same story, there is a love triangle, someone who is jealous, some who is about to be betrayed, and some going after someone else’s fortune. Then these points are usually dramatized to the point where they become predictable and uninteresting. However, in reality it doesn’t matter if I don’t enjoy this genre because by definition, the target viewers are housewives, so they are not created for my interest and I will usually have alternatives.

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A popular American genre is cop dramas. The useage of a bad cop and a good cop never seen to go out of fashion in these shows, they are used to show both ends of the cop spectrum as well as allow viewers to identify with them. The usage of gritty almost documentary style shooting is common in shows like NYPD Blue, Homicide Life on the Streets, and The Shield. The Shield by far is going against the norms of cop shows where the actors are balancing a line of being a cop and also dispensing justice that are illegal or frowned upon with being a cop, examples roughing up a suspect, loosing paper work to make them spend more time in jail, etc. The Shield shows a cop who steps over that line and becomes a criminal himself and must balance the line of committing illegal activities and not getting caught by fellow cops.

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