Days of our lives!!!???

I was just watching 'The Bill' which used to be a terrific UK police drama and now falls squarely into the category of UK soap! I found myself wondering, what is it that drives us to spend our lives watching TV about other people's lives, whether real or fictitious?

Yesterday I watched an episode of 'Super Nanny' - and being a nanny myself I was really moved to see the progress which a family made with their 3-year-old autistic son, but sometimes Super Nanny is more of a sensational 'reality' programme than an educational one (though I must say a big "thanks" to the producers for deconstructing the previous stereo type of either a matronly woman in a starched uniform, or "Miss Fine" from Flushing, Queens! Does anyone remember Phoebe Piccadilly... and her proffessor?)

Then there's the whole confrontational 'reality TV' phenomenon where people are put into far from reality-based circumstances and then systematicly demoralised, judged, criticised, degraded and finally 'voted off' (take your pick from 'Idol', 'Biggest Loser', 'Survivor' ...and all the knock offs along the way!)

My own UK relatives love the Aussie soaps - you know - 'Neighbours', 'Home and Away' etc. The best one, I think, is probably 'Blue Heelers' - the idea that one little town like Mt Thomas has that many murders (serial or otherwise) makes you wonder why anyone would live there????!!!!

I wonder what we could achieve if we spent less time watching, judging and fantacising about the 'Bold & the Beautiful' people on our small screens? Maybe we could learn not to be judgemental? Actually spend that extra time with our children (which Jo Frost is always encouraging us to do)? Read and learn with a discerning mind? Borrow library books? Visit museums? Reconnect with family and friends whom you never have the time to catch up with...???

Sorry, I'l have to leave it there, I haven't watched last nights episode of 'Cold Case' ... and it was the season final! By the way, does anyone know when 'The West Wing' is coming back on?????