What Makes A TV Show A Worthy Distraction?

Television's got a bad rap that it's slowly recovering from, helped mostly by the premium cable boom in the late 90's. With that freedom came artists taking full advantage of the format of a weekly series. No longer beholden to short attention spans and network standards, serialized dramas and innovative comedies are beating the proverbial dung out of what passes for movies these days.

The old criticism of television was bad writing and cheap stories; see HBO's glory years of 1999 - 2008. Or that TV wasn't a visual medium?Watch Breaking Bad and it's stunning use of New Mexico landscapes. Now, cast and crew straddle both worlds and many series are shot akin to independent features. Films have one to three main characters and ninety minutes to tell a tale, while series have ensembles and hundreds of hours. And now with all of our media slowly amassing into one singularity, I see them not as movies and TV, but novels and short stories.

So what makes a good TV show?

1. Respecting and rewarding it's audience.

• Thou shall not treat the viewers like they're children, even if they're watching a show geared towards adults. Have faith that we've been watching week to week and spare us the unnecessary flashbacks, voice-over and the awkward expository dialogue. And reward the loyal followers with a callback to past events or a premonition to the future that makes more sense if we decide to rewatch the series.

2. Also starring...The Location

• A mark of a good show is one that acknowledges and respects the town it's supposed to take place in. There's nothing more awkward than characters in Anytown, USA talking about the big game at Central High School. The Sopranos immortalized New Jersey, The Wire wrote a scorned love letter to Baltimore, and even The Office managed to make pointed references to Scranton culture. But while the majority of shows are shot in Los Angeles and New York for logistical purposes, I respect the hell out of a program that goes the extra mile to shoot on location in the city they're portraying. It just shows a level of authenticity and admiration for the zip code that can't be recreated on a Hollywood sound stage.

3. Knows When The Music's Over

• All shows aspire to reach at least one hundred episodes, because that's when the series is eligible for syndication. But while there's endless stories for lawyer/cop/doctor shows, the majority of programs have a finite shelf life when it comes to exploring their characters and the amount of plots they can put through the ringer. Early seasons of Lost were bloated and full of episodes just marking time, because the writers/producers didn't know if they had one more season or ten to dispense the mythology and character beats. Once they made a previously unheard of deal to end the show, the quality and pacing of the show skyrocketed and it really shows that less is more. Even Seinfeld knew there were only so many stories about nothing.

4. Is Willing to Play Mad Scientist

• The series Community is a prime example of trying something new every week. They go through genres like a pack of cigarettes, one week it's a hilarious sitcom, the next is entirely in claymation, and the next a spoof on zombie movies. It might not always be laugh out loud hilarious but if it's true to the characters and makes you feel something, it's worth it. Breaking Bad is getting recognition for it's unique “bottle episodes”, a story that takes place primarily in one location with minimal cast, no on-location shooting or guest stars. Traditionally, it's a way to save money by keeping everyone indoors, but when done right it can be a powerful but cheap character study. Shows that are willing to test audience expectations, even if the experiment doesn't work, get mad props in my book. Say what you want about The Sopranos' infamous dream sequences, but they were a welcome respite from run-of-the-mill gangster whackings and managed to be visually engaging while delving deeper into Tony Soprano's tortured psyche.

Sometimes you get enough talented people in one room with a killer premise and a decent sized audience just happens to watch it. And others, the same dribble keeps repeating over and over again while the world pays to applaud. Similar to how many film buffs can be loyal to directors, I'm loyal to showrunners. While different people may write the episodes, the showrunner puts his/her stamp of approval on every frame and whatever they're doing. If they have a vision and a story to tell, I'm in it to the end as long as they've created compelling characters and willingness to explore a variety of themes. There's no science to it. But you know it when you see it.