First Rant of 2010

I have this great idea for a television show....

Let's take this massive cast--I don't know, around 50 or so--and fly them across an ocean to some coastal location.  Then, out of nowhere, something happens.  Maybe it's a flock of birds, maybe mechanical error, maybe snakes, maybe zombies, but the plane goes down.  It's a full plane, but miraculously, and without the aid of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, those 50 (more or less) survive.  Sounds exciting so far!  Could be the coolest reality show EVER.

But wait, this is not some new reality show.  The show will drag on but the cast will slowly dwindle to a small core of characters.  Over time there will be flashbacks, future scenes, and alternate realities.  Still interested?

It gets better.  Each episode will leave you asking lots of questions with the ultimate goal of keeping viewers coming back for answers.  Now here's where it gets tricky.  While the show will answer one or two of your many questions, it will also leave you with about a half a dozen more questions.

So now I'll ask you...does this sound like something you might be interested in?

The show I so eloquently described is "Lost," which premiered for its sixth and final season last night on ABC.  DISCLAIMER: [Editor's note:  that's legal-speak for "here comes a lame excuse to explain some condition of ignorance"] I have not seen a single episode of the show and my knowledge is based on TV promos, tweets, and Facebook statuses.

Why do people watch this?  I get that everyone has different tastes but why do people OBSESS over this show?  Yesterday, about 15 "friends" changed their status to something lost related (including one who posted a countdown every hour), plus a handful of tweets.  Today, more posts and tweets, most of whom were confused.  [Editor's note: my law school training gave me the deductive skills to understand "What just happened" to mean confusion.] 

C'mon people!  This is only a television show.  Television is supposed to be simple.  It's an activity for entertainment purposes.  It's not supposed to make you think, wonder, suppose, question, or any other feeling/emotion other than relaxation.  Okay, I watch Jeopardy sometimes  because I do like to think while watching TV every so often.  Television's role is to entertain, like a sporting event, or numb the brain, a la Jersey Shore.   It's an escape! 

It you want frustration and confusion, allow me to introduce you to a new medium of entertainment.  It's called reality.  It also comes in a generic form, life.