Illustration by Josh Hagler

Wednesday September 26, 2001

I was hoping to avoid discussing the national tragedy today in an attempt to give readers (and myself, for that matter) a break. Once again, my plans have been altered. I was all set to write about the season premiere of "The West Wing" and how excited I was about it and how it and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are good quality shows that are worth watching and how sick I am of those people out there who think that condemning television makes them sound intelligent.

But I'll have to do that another time. Arts majors get your angry-letter-writing-pens ready.

My plans changed because "The West Wing" season premiere was postponed so Aaron Sorkin, the show's creator and head writer, could write an episode confronting the issues that we as a country have been facing since Sept. 11.

My first reaction was one of aggravation. I have been waiting for months to see if President Jed Bartlett is going to run for reelection or not, and now they want me to wait two more weeks! No sir!

But then I relaxed and realized how tight this man is. And I don't throw that word around. Tight is saved for special occasions. Sorkin's desire to take on such a feat and NBC's consent to put it into production demonstrates one of the greatest qualities that television offers: the ability to generate art that reflects the feelings and attitudes that the people are feeling quickly and with great accessibility. But is television really art?

Yes. No. Sometimes. Yes. Sometimes.

Sometimes it's art and it's really, really good and sometimes it's poop and it's really, really poop. Usually the distinction is obvious. The majority of shows on television today are recycled clichˇ garbage.

"Will and Grace" is a good example of this, reusing tired stories while pretending to be groundbreaking for the homosexual community when in reality it's just perpetuating stereotypes. Other things that fall into the "bad" category are "Touched by an Angel", "Judging Amy" and anything on TGIF including the new shows starring Bob Saget and Reba McEntire. Yes, it's true. I couldn't believe it, either. One can only hope that Saget will be bringing back his character from "Half Baked". That's a show I'd watch.

But that's enough of the bad· on to the good!

Can television be art? Absolutely. Of course. Yes.

It's written like literature and filmed like· film, both of which are considered art forms. The problem is that the majority of the people behind the scenes are not pushing the medium of television to its logical and practicable ends. Most of them aren't even trying.

The ones that do though, succeed. The West Wing is a good example. Through the power of television, Sorkin uses his art to offer a reflection and a criticism of the events that are on everyone's minds, right away. The movies and books that are bound to come out are going to take more time.

But isn't that a good thing? Shouldn't art have the benefit of reflection?

For some art yes and, granted, that may be the art that lasts, but honestly, sometimes that just doesn't matter. Art that captures the moment at the moment is what people often need. People want an escape from what they're feeling right now and, quite frequently, there is no better way to that escape than an artistic interpretation of those feelings. It gives those feelings words and helps us to understand them, confront them and deal with them.

Usually it doesn't last, like a band playing the exact sounds you need to hear when you're out and feeling good, but sometimes it does. Dozens of poems and paintings and songs were written in flashes of passion. And for all you patriots and fair-weather patriots out there, even "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written in the heat of the moment.

It's even more powerful when this expression is done with characters you know. That is another wonderful thing about television. You get to know characters better than in any other art form. You get to see them over and over and how they deal with any number of situations and obstacles. You get to know them so well that you feel like they're friends of yours and to see those friends react and deal with whatever you are going through is a great comfort.

We should not kill our televisions, but nurture them and help them to grow to their full potential. So watch what you like and like what you watch but never, I repeat, never watch TGIF. Thank you.