What Makes “Good” TV Good?

What makes television important? Why do we choose to watch what we watch? If we watch something and think it’s good, why do we think it’s good? 

The shows I like, I like for mostly simple and uncomplicated reasons. I like shows that are funny, exciting, have intricate and unexpected plots, entertaining drama, and a strong sense of identity. So many of the television shows we were exposed to in class embodied these qualities. 

The show Dallas enthralled America with a classic “who done it” scenario by posing the question, “Who shot JR?” Miami Vice paired an action-driven plot with a phenomenal soundtrack, strengthening the show’s identity and tone. The Cosby Show and Cheers entertained their viewers by producing comedic content one could laugh at. Hill Street Blues and Saint Elsewhere relied on drama and storyline to create an intense and emotion-provoking viewing experience.

But I believe there is one quality in good television that is consistent across all genres and that is the ability to relate to and identify with, at least in part, the characters who occupy the screen. This phenomenon is very apparent when viewing any sort of scripted, narrative-style content, but the need to personally identify with programming is present even when one leaves the world of actors and fancy sets and enters sports broadcasting. When I was a child, my entire family would watch the Kentucky Derby each year. Instead of merely showing the race, or spending copious amounts of time delving into the racing stats and pedigrees of the horses running in the race, the network spent a good deal of time telling stories: stories of the horses, of the jockeys, of the trainers, sometimes of the owners. They focused on underdog stories, stories of perseverance and hope and overcoming adversity. When we see that the characters are driven by the same things we are driven by, that they want the same things we want, maybe that they are scared of the same things we are scared by, we identify with them. If we identify with them, we keep watching.

I believe this same principle also contributes to the polarization of news media and the “theater” it’s become. It’s satisfying and comforting to turn on your TV and see “characters” that value the same things you value, that scorn the same things that you scorn and react the same way you would react. 

Unfortunately, it is also the reason why I didn’t like Mythic Quest as much as some of my peers did. As sophisticated as the writing may have been, as talented as the acting, or brilliant as the soundtrack choice, I had a difficult time relating to the main character. C.W. Longbottom just seemed alien to me, from the way he spoke to his emotional responses in many situations throughout the show. 

Conversely, I have immensely enjoyed many “bad” shows, with sloppy writing and nonsensical plots, just because I saw something in the chcraters that I related to. 

Think of your own favorite televisions shows and the characters that occupy them. Do you relate to any of your favorite characters? What aspects of their personality do you see reflected in yourself?