Having grown up without cable in a reception area where TV Guide could have as listed the stations as “Snow”, “Static” and “Don’t Get Used to This”, television was almost a guilty pleasure.  At friends’ houses, I’d see tired re-runs and just revel at the clarity of the picture and sound. 

Like meeting a childhood crush years later, I had a second romance with television when shows like “24” came out.  I was much more mature and had developed other interests in its absence.  My news came from NPR.  My entertainment was from movies or books.  My pastime was writing.

Television itself had grown, too.  Firstly, its complexion had cleaned up  meaning, I had gotten cable.  And I was surprised to see we had more in common.  As I became disappointed with what was offered at the movies, television produced shows of higher caliber, with taut writing and high production values.  So I that hooked me.  But that branching off brought with it so much non-reality reality television that I started to wonder if this relationship had a future.

(… read the rest of the column in The Cape Cod Chronicle here and visit my YouTube channel here)