Television is a pretty bizarro filter through which to view America, but the schizophrenic nature of TV land feels perfectly in sync with the divided state of the country itself. At one extreme, we have the cheap and nasty glare of reality TV, which continues to exert a stranglehold, although the number of derivative and recombinant shows each season suggests that the formula may finally be burning itself out. Moralists feign outrage about wardrobe malfunctions and swearing Irish rock stars (but Bono's a Christian!), yet barely bat an eyelash at the overbearing greed and ethical sleaziness (like deliberately lying to contestants) that is now at the core of so many popular reality series. At the other end of the spectrum are... More >>>