tv. is awesome

People will look back on this era of popular culture, and they will see HBO as the harbinger of a new age of gutbusting art. This will be seen as the television Renaisance, when the dramatic series became a vehicle of truth and beauty to rival anything ever produced for popular consumption. I guess there are hints of this phenomenon before the advent of the Sopranos. The Twilight Zone and MASH come to mind. The Simpsons too in the half-hour format. Star Trek perhaps, or Northern Exposure. But because it can avoid the sensors and commercials, HBO can bring the pain pretty hard. The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, and The Wire are all masterpieces, composed of smaller episodic masterpieces. These are just the shows that I've watched a lot of.

Other networks have contributed, too. The Shield on FX is amazing, especially considering its need to accomadate commericals. West Wing, especially the early seasons, was brilliant (and educational!) And these are just the top-shelf fare. There are also plenty of very good, very entertaining shows, which don't quite reach the epic level of the others, even though individual episodes might. Weeds on Showtime, Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which I would put on the top shelf, but that's only because of my geek streak).

And in the half-hour format, little masterpieces abound. South Park, Family Guy, Seinfeld...probably lots more.

So, if you meet anybody who tells you to kill your television, tell them to get their heads out of their asses and suck in some good art.