A Love Affair with Television

By: Alex

Graphic by Alex 

It would be wrong for me to describe myself without using the word ‘television.’ In the most non-antisocial way, I say that television is one of the most important parts of my life. What I love about TV isn’t laying on a couch and passively watching a screen; it’s actively watching, getting attached to the characters, and becoming inspired by the writers. What makes me excited to watch TV is the value of a story.

I love nothing more than relating to a character; it is so endearing and refreshing. That is why I love TV, because it’s a nice escape from a life that I don’t really know my place in yet. Whether I’m laughing or crying with a character, there is always at least one person on a show that I feel a bond with, and that is what makes me excited about it. TV makes me feel like I’m not that much alone.

Of course, I have to credit this bond that I feel with TV to the genius behind it all—the writers. Television writers inspire me because they are so precise and thorough; they’ve got an agenda. Over the years they map out where a character is going, how they will grow, and how their struggles will drive the story. The profession fascinates me.

I love to see a character grow, and television has the means to do that. The writers get a whole series (rather than 200 pages of a novel or 2 hours of a film) to create and shape these characters to drive powerful stories that hit home. We can watch them go though their times of happiness and triumph or despair and anxiety.

That’s what makes them so real—seeing characters change is just like watching the people around you grow—its life. And that’s what makes it so relatable. I can identify with the spirit of TV more than I can with most people. Watching TV fosters my creative spirit and gives me hope that one day my stories can be heard. And for about an hour of the prime time line up, I feel like anything is possible.

I would not be ashamed to leave a party on the weekend to find a room with a television to watch SNL. I will gladly put aside my homework to watch a few hours of Freaks and Geeks via Netflix. And I’m not opposed to running across campus so I can catch the premiere of this week’s episode of Glee.

Television is magical. It has the ability to create respect and love among it’s generations of viewers. One day, I hope to be satisfying my love affair with television by serving it to my greatest potential; writing my own stories for America to fall in love with all over again.