Couch Potato Report

No question, there is such a thing as too much information. Nowadays, we’re not afraid to let someone know we’ve heard enough – all we have to do is write, speak or text the letters “TMI” and the recipient knows they’ve gone a little too far. So, in the spirit of those three liberating letters, I’d like to send out a great, big “TMI” to the media.

Yes, I know “the media” is a broad term, so I’ll be more specific: Hey, media outlets who feel it necessary to give us every little behind-the-scenes detail – put a freakin’ cork in it! You’re ruining it for me. Stop now before you go ahead and ruin it for everyone.

I’m not opposed to articles in EW that give us the inside scoop on what might happen next week on Desperate Housewives (as long as they preface it with “SPOILER ALERT”) or television shows that take us backstage and show us the green room where the performers hang out before the show (“Hey – they really do hate the brown M & Ms!”). My ire is directed at those who reveal stuff that ruins the fun, like the fact that, as I read earlier today, Tom DeLay’s broken bones may actually be 30% injury and 70% publicity stunt.

I don’t need to know what the ratings are for any given show at every given moment. Frankly, I don’t care to hear that a show I care about is falling behind others that are less important to me. That doesn’t inform me so much as make me nervous; no one wants to entertain the possibility that their favorite show might be dumped because of bad ratings. Let me just enjoy my show without worrying about how many other households are (or aren’t, as the case may be) enjoying it, too.

I unknowingly stumbled upon such information about DWTS because the article was advertised as being about Tom DeLay’s feet. I wanted to know how he was feeling and ended up reading that the producers may have played up his injury for the sake of the ratings, and when that didn’t work, they pushed him out the door. See, now, information like this just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I wish I could unknow this, but obviously I can’t, so now when I watch the show I’ll be asking myself about the validity of all of it – the voting, the drama, the little disagreements between the stars and their pro partners. Is it all a stunt? Is any of it real?

I understand the media feels the responsibility to report the truth. I admire that, especially when it comes to politics, war and the economy. But this is television – can’t the fourth wall remain intact, even in this information overloaded society? I don’t need to know the truth about everything on television. The great thing about watching a magic show is that you don’t know the secret behind the illusions, and moreover, you don’t want to know. You just want to sit back and be amazed and entertained.

So, I feel compelled to offer a solution for those of us feeling like we’ve been subjected to TMI: don’t make it so easy. I’m not opposed to the information being out there, but let us go in search of it. The internet is available to just about anyone, and it probably only takes a few keystrokes and a visit to Google to get ratings information, as well as the scoop on who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. It doesn’t need to be screamed from every roof top, the lead story of an entertainment report or the fodder for Hollywood gossip rags.

Knowing everything about everything isn’t much fun. It kills the wonder (“How did they do that?!”) and limits our interest, which may just be the reason why the ratings for some shows are suffering. Let us stay in the dark a little longer, with nothing but the warm glow of our television screens and delighted smiles on our faces.