Thanks for the Memories, Bob, 'Cuz 2008 TV Stunk

The golden age of TV may have died this year
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 28, 2008 12:32 PM CST
Thanks for the Memories, Bob, 'Cuz 2008 TV Stunk
The golden age of television may be over just a few short years after it began, Heather Havrilesky writes for Salon.   (AP Photo/Julien's Auctions, Shaan Kokin)

Today's golden age of TV lost a little shine this year, Heather Havrilesky writes on Salon. Twelve quick months gobbled up all of the momentum and promise from years past, leaving “a haze of crappy, unoriginal new programming, lackluster sophomore shows, flaccid sitcoms and pointless cable comedies.” Old standbys like Heroes and Weeds wilted, while rookies like My Own Worst Enemy and Easy Money collapsed.

The cancellation of shows like Dirty Sexy Money foreboded trouble for the soap serial, while TV’s implosion revealed a starling pattern: Visionary show creators jilting their projects for lucrative development deals, leaving overwhelmed writers to mimic their work. Concludes Havrilesky: “Times are tough but the golden age could return someday, if the TV industry figures out how to reinvent itself.”
(More television stories.)

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