We all have our guilty pleasures, whether it’s a weird snack combination or an interesting hobby. One guilty pleasure I know we all share is a “bad” TV show we just can’t get enough of. For me, it’s ABC’s 911. And while I love this show, even I can admit that over the last few years, Ryan Murphy, the show’s creator, has had some…creative ideas. But this doesn’t mean the show is bad; the show is entertaining and keeps audiences wanting more, which is the definition of a good TV show.
A critically acclaimed TV show has to be the best show because it won the Emmy for best drama or comedy, right? Don’t get me wrong, HBO’s The Pitt is one of my favorite shows, but it’s not because The Pitt has dominated the Emmys since its release. I like it because it is entertaining.
Good TV makes people feel something when they’re watching; it keeps people on the edge of their seat, waiting to see what happens next. The Pitt and 911 feature many similar situations (like when both their systems went down during a shift), but they executed them in ways unique to their show’s formula.
Shows like 911 don’t just introduce viewers to characters; they make their audience connect with them through specialized character arcs. For instance, when a main character was killed off in a previous season, the show explored how grief affected the other characters individually, connecting them to the audience who was grieving alongside them.Â
Sure, their recent arc of sending a random police officer into space was absurd, but nonetheless, I was enthralled. And so were so many others because the show returns to ABC this fall—and I heard there is lava in Los Angeles involved.