I have always heard writing for television is easier in its own way than writing books. I always thought this was an interesting concept because with characters in books they just kind of appear and my personal take has always been that I am just along for the ride for my characters’ stories. My characters let me see it, and I write down what I see. The challenge with tv to me has always seemed like there is an extra challenge because you have another person’s perspective on the mannerisms and choices of the character. I feel like with television only a small group of people remember the person who actually wrote the episode. I have started to take advantage of the fact that I cannot venture out of my apartment due to COVID-19 to start some cult classics that I’ve heard about over the years.

Currently, I am watching ER, A Different World, and I’m rewatching Golden Girls with my roommate.  I’ve noticed a common theme that shows back in the day always talked about current events or covered a wide variety of topics that everyone could relate to even if they never faced that situation. 

I know all shows try to do that if they have any sort of drama aspect to them. Grey’s Anatomy has done a few episodes about the immigration debate in the U.S. Every medical drama I watch either has done or will do an episode about COVID-19. The shows listed above still have episodes with messages that still apply to viewers today even though they were filmed almost 20 years ago. I don’t think any of the messages will age well over the next few decades. It makes me wonder if I’m watching the wrong type of television, or if the writing of television has declined over the years. A good story is important regardless of the medium, so why don’t we still need good stories? I will keep searching for good stories that can stand the test of time.