Gretch-a-sketch (old)

Hi, I'm Gretchen and I'm an addict. Like most of us, there are recognizable steps in the progress of addiction. I was introduced as a child and soon began to put it ahead of other interests. Eventually, I found others who were the same and the enabling process began. I've been four months sober, but this is the week I fall off the wagon. (Or is it on the wagon?)

You see, I'm addicted to good television.

I'm thrilled to announce the First Annual TV Week here at Blog Headquarters. I'm planning a special Proselytizers of Pop for later today, as well as lists, recaps, and prizes. While it was my intention to kick things off yesterday, I happened to be out of town and vacations trump blogging. But never fear because it's gonna be legen...wait for it...

...DARY!

My love affair with television really started with Sabrina the Teenage Witch. There was this one episode where her bratty relative was going to turn her into a life-size doll and I had to miss it because of some lame family event. Needless to say, there were tears.

The second step was the summer the Lil' Bro and I borrowed the first few seasons of M*A*S*H from the library and would spend hours laughing our heads off. I think this was when I really fell in love with television. The humor of the 4077th was so timeless and you couldn't help but get attached to the characters. I may have not seen it when it first aired, but I can admit that I wept when Henry Blake died and that connects me to the millions of others who felt the same.

The final nail in my tv-loving coffin isn't hard to guess. I started obsessively watching The Office about halfway into the second season. That summer, propelled by the greatest season finale to ever grace tv, I tapped into the dangerous combination of tv fans and the internet. It was one of those joyous moments of "Wait, there are others out there like me? Let's be friends!" As my tastes and options expanded, I branched out to love so many shows.

Television connects stories and art, which happen to be my two of my very favorite things. It's only natural that I love it as much as I do. It allows for instant gratification, expansion and growth of characters, and the visual exploration of words. Even though nothing can ever replace the book, television challenges text. Television persuades, teaches, and entertains. Those can be used for evil, but just because something has the ability to be used for evil doesn't mean it always is.

Sunday was the 60th year of The Emmy Awards--the least-watched Emmys in history. It's ironic that the Academy decided to honor the hosts of reality television (who, BTW, sucked all the funny out of the room) while reality television is probably the cause of the low numbers. Not that all reality programming is bad, but every intriguing drama or comedy that gets canceled means yet another night of Deal or No Deal. Television isn't dead, but it means that those of us who appreciate it will have to fight just a little bit more. We're a rare breed, but some of us watch The Emmys with the dream that maybe one day, that will be us up there accepting the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series.

Those who criticize and malign television don't know what they're missing, because there is so much greatness already produced and so much potential to be realized.

Basically, I'm just really glad it's September.