Editor’s Take; In television, writing often takes a backseat to premise

By Rose Graner
Entertainment Editor

There exists a fascinating brand of elitism within the realm of television criticism.

Despite consistently high ratings and critical acclaim, shows with “lighter” subject matter are often seen as superficial. They are rarely given any of the traditional awards for achievement in writing or directing. Other, much less deserving shows are often given undeserved awards because it is assumed that “dark” or “heavy” subject matter can automatically be equated with quality.

Take, for instance, “Mad Men.” This critically acclaimed television show has won the Golden Globe for best drama for the past three years despite its obvious failings. Its talented cast and high production values make it aesthetically appealing and its general plot (advertising executives coping with the changes brought to 1960s America) certainly hints at depth, quality and intelligence.

In reality, though, “Mad Men” is superficial to the extreme, a poorly-paced and pretentious musing on how nonconformist and free-thinking our society is in comparison to that of the late ‘50s. Shows like “Mad Men” (others include “Breaking Bad,” which chronicles the life of a meth dealer, and “The Good Wife”) continue to win awards based on subject matter alone. It is assumed that if a show is “deep” or “dark,” then it is automatically also well-written, directed and produced.

Conversely, there is a copious amount of television shows that are of astonishingly high quality that never receive the praise that they deserve (and that shows like “Mad Men” do not).

These are lumped in with other shows of lesser quality due to subject matter— for example, it is assumed that fantasy series “The Vampire Diaries” and “Supernatural” are of the same quality, but where the latter is indeed absurd and superficial the former is full of complex characterization and intelligent plotlines.

Shows with “lighthearted” or “simplistic” subject matter have been relegated time and time again to a lesser level of prestige by major awards shows. Despite creating one of the first female role models on television who was a fully realized character, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” was only nominated once for writing and never won a single award.

Writing is not the only aspect of these television shows that is neglected when awards season rolls around. Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls” delivered a nuanced and relate-able performance for seven straight years as Lorelai Gilmore but was only nominated for a Golden Globe once.

Sitcoms ranging from “Family Guy” to “How I Met Your Mother” are written off as sometimes-crude half-hour comedies when in fact they often contain more clever writing and convey more meaningful messages than most hour-long dramas.

The aforementioned television shows are only a few amongst many that have been deprived of the praise they deserve simply because of their subject matter. This system implies to creators that they should focus solely on a show’s premise.

Because visual cues obviously take top priority where television show design is concerned, this forces actual writing quality to third priority at best. Using such slim criteria as subject matter alone to assess quality only serves to discourage creators from being innovative.