When MTV launched *”The Real World,”* the ground it broke became a sinkhole sucking American TV into a glut of reality shows and programming designed for passive absorption over active engagement.
Let’s establish one point now to help you decide if you want to read any further. I have **never** seen a single reality show. *”The Real World,”* *”Survivor,”* and *”American Idol”* hold **zero** appeal to me. If you enjoy those shows, then we disagree and the rest of this will probably just hack you off.
Honey Boo Boo Child? [Seriously](https://www.google.com/search?q=honey+boo+boo+child)?!
While a few gems lurk in the muck of American television–House MD (RIP), Fringe, and Touch immediately come to mind–the BBC has been cranking out cerebral hits for decades. I thank Netflix for opening me up to a whole new world of smart television programming with shows including *”Dr. Who,”* *”Eleventh Hour,”* and *”Sherlock.”* These shows push my intellect and entertaining with interesting, complex plots that make me think.
From my humid perch here in the Southeast U.S., I cannot claim to watch a steady stream of British broadcasting. Lacking that research, I can’t claim that producers across the Atlantic have been able to resist the siren call of reality TV. That would be unrealistic. I can say I enjoy the challenging BBC shows I choose to watch.