Is TV better than it used to be?

[mrbaseball]

TV is way better now. The production values are way higher than they used to be. Competition demands it. There is a lot of competition for leisure time entertainment now both from all the additional channels available now as well as DVDs, the internet, video games etc.

I have a pretty nice home theater setup (60" high def dlp w/surround) and the for new shows, almost all are spectacular on it. As hi def becomes more prevalent the production qualities will have to keep pace or be buried by the competition.

Then again the networks do less quality for sake of trying to save money with a bunch of crappy reality shows and game shows which I wouldn't watch if paid. But the decent weekly dramas and comedies all look great. If the writing can stay fresh it's better than ever.

A couple of shows that got the axe early this season (Smith, Kidnapped, The Nine etc.) where specatular looking shows with a lot of star power that never grabbed that early audience. I'm sure they cost much more than the networks were willing to gamble when they could be replaced by some crappy Wife Swap, Nanny show or Deal or No Deal at a fraction of the cost. I just hope the networks (and HBOs and Showtimes) continue to try and produce high quality drama.