After a long and hard day, sitting down to watch these dumb shows can be the relaxation you need. Photo courtesy of rawpixel.com.
MADDIE WOOD | OPINION EDITOR | mawood1@butler.edu
Sitcoms and reality television have been some of the most beloved genres of TV for years and years. They’re so digestible and can be watched leisurely; what’s not to love?
After a long day of work, school and dealing with the outside world, sometimes all you want is to sit down and watch something that doesn’t require you to use your critical thinking skills. In comes what I deem “dumb TV.”
I don’t mean that the shows themselves are stupid. I mean they are so mindless that when you describe them to the so-called intellectuals who consume shows like “The Sopranos,” they most likely would respond with, “That show is so dumb.”
I will defend dumb TV until the end of time. These shows provide you with a level of entertainment that can’t be beat — there’s something for everyone.
Do you want to watch a dysfunctional family be honest and raw about their dysfunctional lives? “Modern Family” is the perfect show for you. What about a reality show where hot people with disturbingly high sex drives literally cannot touch each other? “Too Hot To Handle” can be your escape from reality.
These shows know that they aren’t S-tier television, but they aren’t made to be that way. They are self-aware and made to be binged and made fun of; sometimes they’re even designed to be debated over.
“How I Met Your Mother” was a sitcom that ran for nearly 10 years and had viewers experience years of build-up and intense waiting to know who the mother was. When the reveal finally came and the show wrapped up, they were met with utter disappointment.
Junior P1 pharmacy major Ally Barath considers “How I Met Your Mother” to be her favorite sitcom because of the storylines that the show creates.
“Most of [these sitcoms] have [many] seasons and it feels like they never end,” Barath said. “I like to [see] the same cast of characters and see them develop over the seasons, like [in ‘How I Met Your Mother’].”
It’s that room for character development combined with the emotional attachment viewers develop that makes sitcom shows so addicting. We watch these shows to relax and unwind, but we get so wrapped up in these characters’ lives that we start to feel like we’re a part of their world and experience what they do.
Marissa Klingler, assistant manager of the Clowes Memorial Hall box office, leans more toward television sitcoms rather than reality shows.
“After work and [getting chores] done, I don’t know if I can always commit to hour-long episodes [like reality television],” Klingler said. “[Shows like] ‘Parks and Recreation’ are quick and you can have those kinds of shows on in the background … [Reality shows] lose my interest if I’m not emotionally invested in them. I feel some [of these shows] are overhyped.”
Klingler is part of the population that prefers those shorter forms of television. On the other hand, many love the longer reality TV shows. Typically, viewers don’t watch reality TV for background noise type viewing, but rather to intently watch someone else’s drama unfold.
Junior criminology-psychology major Ireland Crabtree is an enjoyer of reality television and will sit weekly to watch these longer episodes.
“I would defend [reality TV] as good for entertainment purposes,” Crabtree said. “They aren’t [made] to be taken seriously, I’m here to watch and enjoy myself and not have to think. Yes, they might be dumb … but it’s nice to turn my brain off and get invested in somebody else’s life instead of sitting and thinking about my own.”
Now any normal, sane person would know that shows like these are almost always scripted. There is no way that this amount of drama can be caused on its own — someone pulls the puppet strings from behind the curtain. However, that rationale gets thrown out the window because the absolute trainwreck that we are able to witness when drama erupts is so addicting that we can’t look away.
“[Those dramatics] are what draws people in,” Crabtree said. “You see people [posting on X], you see people clipping TikToks about it, that is what keeps people around for the next episode. This season of ‘Love Island’, [they] were always yelling at each other and somebody was always crying, and that kept [me] invested for the next episode.”
“Love Island” is an infamous reality show that has taken the world by storm. Originally coming from the Brits, “Love Island” now has its own U.S. version which many people have taken a liking to, just like Crabtree.
I will always be a fan of all types of dumb television. People who claim that it is not “good TV” just want to believe they are superior for having shows like “Breaking Bad” in their rotation.
I will stick with my “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Big Brother” until my last breath — and I will feel nothing but satisfaction while mindlessly watching.
