As a fan of television and what it has to offer, I often hear people advocating for the death of TV and advising people to throw their TV away.  When asked, these people often state that they watched a steady stream of reality TV, vocal and dancing contests and ultimately decided that TV in general is a waste of time.  Well…yeah!

On the other hand, when you ask a science fiction fan about TV they will immediately begin advocating for their favorite shows and characters and provide you a list of the benefits of a particular show.  Benefits listed often include great storytelling, characters who use wit and intelligence over guns and violence, kindness as it is applied to all races, breeds, origins, etc.  In fact, this is one of the main trademarks of the original Star Trek series.  Kindness to and acceptance of beings across the universe.  Science fiction fans think deeply about what they watch on TV and their reasons for watching often go far beyond mere entertainment.

I’m a firm believer in the educational benefits of television.  If one looks just a bit beyond the fluff and the crap that some stations provide you can find several amazing shows on the outlining channels such as the SCIENCE channel, BBC, PBS and Discovery.  Shows such as “Through the Wormhole” with Morgan Freeman provide a great overview of incredibly complex topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics.  The BBC offers intelligence and witty shows such as SHERLOCK and DOCTOR WHO.  If in depth conversation is what you are looking for then it’s hard to beat CHARLIE ROSE.

Take a minute and re-evaluate your viewing habits and your attitude towards television.  It’s not difficult to find something out there that will you inspire you, teach you and make you laugh at the same time.