Mostly I watch cable shows once they hit netflix and I can inhale a season in one gulp over a couple weeks. It’s too bad none of the truly great shows are comedies, even though they are often hilariously funny. All the brilliant ones, the ones I wish the networks were making, are dramas. “Dexter”, “Breaking Bad”, “Big Love”, “The Wire”, “The Shield”, “Rescue Me”, “Mad Men”, “6 Feet Under”… The last network show on par with those that I can remember was “Northern Exposure”, and that was what? Two decades ago! No wonder viewers these days spend more than twice as much time on the net as watching TV. How many times have I seen a pilot where I think, “sheesh, why are they even looking at this mediocre drivel, much less buying it?” Pathetic.

But running a network is tough, maybe not as tough as producing a really funny comedy, but it’s a high-wire balancing act nonetheless and involves juggling lots of factors; advertisers needs, the mass public’s appetites, corporate overlords, mercurial and erratic talent, established relationships that require sustenance, internal politics, oversized egos, quid pro quo, betting on the odds, whistling in the dark, and of course plenty of as you say, “back room butt smooching”. All this in the hands of a few flawed, fallible and often not exceptionally smart or prescient individuals; much like you and I and most of the people we know. So I don’t blame em. I just support the real thing with my eyeballs and my wallet and my big mouth, which is about all any of us can do to get better shows made.

I also remember having a dream recently as I was sweating making another payment for Operation Rise and in my dream, very clearly heard the words “Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.” I’ve come to believe that feeling productive is essential to morale and that there are no bad jobs, only jobs you feel bad about.