I Like My TV Bad
We all have a guilty pleasure when it comes to what we like to watch: that show that makes our skin crawl, but we can’t stop coming back to. Why do we do that?
Leighton Meester and Blake Lively on the set of Gossip Girl (2007). Photo by Eric Lieowitz. Available via Glamour © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
I’m currently in the midst of rewatching Gossip Girl and while I absolutely love this show, I can't help but notice that it’s not the most high-quality one out there. And yet, aren’t the bad acting, questionable outfit choices, and crazy storylines part of the reason why everyone watches this show and others like it?
There are so many examples of ‘bad’ TV shows that are insanely popular: Emily in Paris, Pretty Little Liars, Glee; even ‘trashy’ reality shows like Love Island—and people can’t seem to get enough of them. The paradox is obvious: people love hate-watching shows. The more I think about this, the more amusing it becomes. Why would people invest time in something they know they will complain about? Where does the satisfaction one gets from this derive from?
Whether we’re talking about a nostalgic rewatch or a guilty pleasure, perhaps what makes these shows so appealing is the fact that they are easy to watch. Think about it: sometimes there's nothing better than wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket and unwinding with a show that you know for a fact will not pose any deep questions—a show that will simply help take your mind off things. These types of shows are meant purely for entertainment, which is what makes them so popular. You can laugh at their absurdity, mock the characters, and therefore release some tension. Watching a straightforward show that does not require you to use critical thinking is sometimes the best cure after a long, stressful day.
Another thing that makes these shows easy to watch is their predictability. Perhaps the most accessible example in this case is the genre of detective shows. For all their adrenaline and mystery, all shows belonging to this genre follow a very clear formula: the episode starts with a crime; the detective embarks on a journey to uncover the criminal; there are two or three setbacks, a couple of false leads, but in the end, the criminal is discovered due to the detective’s ingenuity. Sitcoms and rom-coms have their own formulas. Following this train of thought, even some movies could fall within the category of bad television. Romantic Christmas movies are perfect to exemplify this: the successful (female) protagonist leaves the big city to celebrate Christmas and finds love. These formulas make them comforting to watch and determine their status as bingeable. And sometimes, recognizing the lack of originality and knowing what is going to happen is half the fun.
This ease they inspire, combined with a certain amount of silliness, is what makes them addictive, but it’s also what makes them ‘bad’. In the end, the truth is some of them are just so bad that they're good, and you'll soon find yourself rolling your eyes, all the while clicking on ‘next episode’. Such shows revel in their status and embrace the trashiness. They don’t set out to subvert expectations; on the contrary, they want to satisfy them. And after all, how bad are they really if people enjoy them?
Lack of depth can be invigorating. The problem is that we associate this with “low-brow” entertainment and, especially in certain circles, such as academia, enjoying such content comes with a stigma. As much as the postmodernists might have tried, the distinction between high and low art still stands. Despite the inherent elitism, content that is made for easy consumption and light-hearted amusement is looked down on. But these shows, with their removal of realism and of the need to employ critical thinking skills, deliberately resist this binary. They don’t pretend to be more than they are; there are no complex subtexts, just fun for its own sake. And after all, a little cliché never hurt anybody.
