Who is to Blame for Bad TV

It's clear that broadcast networks are losing viewers to cable.

It's clear TV is losing viewers to video game players and the hyper-educated who snub it as bourgeois.

So, what to do?

Salon.com has surveyed a rag-tag group of entertainment personalities--none of whom are charged with the responsibility of advertising, programming or budgeting in a broadcast TV world--or have good knowledge about historical trends in TV in the context of business. Still, here they are.

In TV, actors are not to blame. Unfortunately for them, most are as disposable as a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce.

In TV, directors are not to blame. (See reason for "actors", above.)

Who is the blame? Drum roll...

The buck stops with...Writers and TV Executives.

The latter must make a pronouncement--a jihad, if you will--against Common Denominator TV.

And writers must resist from creating CDTV, despite the temptation.

It's hard to make non-CDTV. Only a few talents can make non-CDTV. But for TV to get better, it will take TV executives smart enough and courageous enough to reject CDTV; writers must rise to the occasion to develop excellent, scripted shows. (Or semi-scripted in the case of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.)

This is show business. Plenty of blame to go around. But we need to make a better product soon to make money once again. We may not have another chance.