I don't watch a lot of current television shows, so for this blog post I am going to use a show that has been off of the air since I was in middle school: Friends.
There are just as many realistic aspects of the show as there are unrealistic. For example, it is quite likely that a group of friends become as close to one another as the characters in the television show are. It is quite unlikely, however, that the group of six would be able to just decide to fly to Las Vegas for a weekend without having to worry about the cost of plane tickets, hotel rooms, entertainment, etc while there.
Along with that, it is plausible that an actor looking for work would live in New York City, but it is not even possible that an actor who has been out of work for months, would be able to afford a two bedroom apartment with a full living room and kitchen in downtown Manhattan.
Despite all of the realistic flaws that the show Friends presents to the audience, it is still a genuinely good show, with an interesting spin on reality.
For the most part, the issues that the characters of the show face are issues that everyone faces, and they are relevant issues for the age group that the characters are portraying (adults in their early thirties). The characters struggle with real-life issues such as dating and holding a relationship, looking for that right person to marry, maintaining friendships, paying the bills, finding and keeping a job, etc. These are all issues that everyone deals with, and therefore the show is relate able to an audience.
It would be wise to adopt the characters' views and values about friendship. Throughout the course of the show, the characters would fight, but they would never let an argument get in the way of their friendship with the other person or the group as a whole. To me, this is a very important quality to have and to look for when finding friends.
However, it is easy to get caught up in the illusion of grandeur that the show puts forth in the form of the characters' living arrangements and jobs. Those are not realistic things, and it would be wise to set lower goals for oneself.
Perhaps not lower goals -- but perhaps one might consider goals that are not entirely material. Katie, let's dig deeper: why would the producers create such a show? What parts of the show are "emotionally" real -- and what parts are designed just to keep us glued to the set? What are the broader social implications of shows like Friends? Incorporate as many vocabulary words and concepts as you can into your essays to demonstrate what you are learning.
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