Re: Neil & Morality
B. Oltmann (agnest@u.washington.edu)
Tue, 7 Oct 1997 22:46:39 -0700 (PDT)
Moral ambiguity is indeed the keyword, I think, in what makes SB
so intriguing, and what makes most American tv so disappointing. A US
show may present a problem, but it will have one clear correct answer,
which will inevitably be reached by the end of the hour. Those of us with
a taste for a bit more complexity have to search long and hard for
something with a problem to which there are only a series of more or less
wrong answers, with shades of gray between them.
One such show on American tv was Wiseguy, alas now long since
discontinued. Another, much more recent but also, tragically,
discontinued, was EZ Streets. This brilliant show was seemingly killed
intentionally by ABC for reasons I can't begin to fathom. I firmly
believe there IS a market for quality programming, if only they'd give us
a chance! Instead, the proliferation of cable channels has merely served
to broaden the competition to lower the lowest common denominator, to
follow the formulas with even more inanity, and to carry on building an
audience that doesn't expect anything better.
Sorry...it's a perennial soap box, and I know I'm preaching to the
choir here, but every now and then I have to vent my spleen. Thanks for
your time and attention. You will now be returned to the list, already in
progress...
/// Agnes Tomorrow /// agnest@u.washington.edu ///
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from
the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent
disinclination to do so." Douglas Adams, _Last_Chance_To_See_