Two Aggravating Things

Two things on my mind tonight: Driving and Television. Really this isn't out of the ordinary for me, but I figured, why not share my thoughts? Enjoy:

I realize that I have discussed (some would say ranted about) driving before, but today I was overwhelmed with the desire to follow my own advice and do some life endangering while driving. I was driving down a relatively busy street when the car in front of me gradually began to slow down. While I do actually exercise patience occasionally, I have never been able to do so while driving a car. So naturally, I was quite upset when I suddenly found myself driving twenty mph in a 30 mph zone. I may or may not have been yelling some obscenities at the driver in front of me at this point, but don't worry, my windows were safely rolled up. I was about to lose my mind as we came to a stop at an obviously green light when, to my absolute bewilderment, the driver in front of me flipped on their turn signal. At the moment, I can think of nothing more annoying than being stopped for no obvious reason and then slowly coming to realize that it's because the person in front of you is an inconsiderate jacka** who doesn't understand proper turn signal etiquette. In case you are confused, let me tell you exactly the use of a turn signal. It's to let the person driving behind you know that you plan on turning!!! Is it really that complicated? It's an automatic switch! It does the work for you! It's not as though you have to repeatedly click it yourself, all you have to do is click it on one time. It even turns off by itself! The auto industry has done everything possible to make it simple enough for us to understand, but still, in my experience, a great deal of people find it impossible to figure out. This baffles me. If you happen to be someone who understands what exactly is so difficult about using a turn signal, feel free to let me know.

Alright, on to a new topic that's equally as aggravating: Under appreciated television shows. I admittedly watch too much TV, but I see this as a strength not a weakness. See, this way I know how to spot a quality show when one finally comes along. We can call out the obvious rarities: Friends, Beverly Hills 90210, Lassie, M*A*S*H, Happy Days, The Jeffersons, Saturday Night Live, Dallas, Cheers, The Simpsons, Law & Order, Frasier, ER, 7th Heaven, South Park, etc. What do these shows all have in common? They are/were all great and all lasted ten seasons or more. These were all shows that were appreciated by the general television viewing audience and critics alike. But what about shows that only last one, two, or maybe three seasons and go unnoticed by the general public? What am I talking about? I'm talking about critically acclaimed, witty comedies that win all sorts of awards and then get cancelled due to lack of viewership. Need some examples? Arrested Development (watch it here. Seriously, watch it!), Veronica Mars, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Miss Guided, and most recently: Better Off Ted. I think we could reasonably include The OC in this category, but the sharp cliff that that show fell off of in the fourth season was 100% and without question the fault of the writers and creator, so I won't even get into that issue right now. I cannot understand why these shows never catch on. Is it because we are so obsessed with the Grey's Anatomy type dramas that we no longer have time for well written, lighthearted comedy? Take Freaks and Geeks for example, it's possibly one of the best shows ever to grace prime time television. Only 12 episodes originally aired before the show was cancelled and in total there were 18 completed episodes that were later released on DVD. Still, it managed to make Time magazines "100 Greatest Shows of All Time" list. Arrested Development was cancelled in 2006 after two full seasons and a shortened third season. However, fans of the show are devoted followers to this day, and have stayed so involved with show that now, three years later, the creator has agreed to write a feature film to satisfy fans. The same goes for Veronica Mars, ever since the show did not return for a fourth season, fans have begged for a film to wrap-up the series. This brings me to my main point. It is so frustrating for those of us who actually appreciate these shows while they are airing to see them cancelled for lack of ratings, only to have them gain a Rocky Horror Picture Show-like following later. I'm too upset to continue writing right now (actually I'm just tired), but I think we should all take a moment to reflect on what we are doing to the future of television series if we refuse to watch the true treasures that rarely come along. Will we be stuck with a never ending series of dramedies and crime dramas? (see: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, NCIS). I seriously hope not, because I still can't stop laughing about the "Lindsay Lopez" episode of Miss Guided (who could possibly pull off those lines better than Judy Greer? When will we finally learn to appreciate her for the wonderful actress that she is?). Am I the only one who needs a little weekly comic relief? I think not.

Stone