Lasts

I'm sad. I just found out that my favorite show just filmed its last episode today. If I'm being 100% honest, I cried about it. On September 24, 2007, I watched for the first time, unknowingly, my favorite show. I saw the previews. It was a geeky guy in a spy life. What's not to love? Little did I know that this show would become so much to me. On some of my worst days, I could put in a Chuck DVD and feel so much better. I've been to where Chuck was filmed and seen some of their sets.

I even drink tea out of a Nerd Herd mug to make me feel even better. If that's not dedication, then I don't know what is.

Even though I've had some complaints with NBC about how they are finishing their last season, Chuck has never failed me. And this  is a wonderful example of good television. A wonderful indication of the quality of a show is through it's fanbase. Chuck has been threatened with cancellation year after year, but because of popular demand, it has stayed on air up until the very end.

So, while bitterly awaiting the finale on January 27, 2012, I celebrate the four and a half years that Chuck has given to television. As dumb as it sounds... it really has shaped how I view television and has a wonderful contribution to what I want to do with my life. . . but more on that later :)

Episode One Syndrome

One show I've been struggling with is Glee. As a Christian, should this show be on that side bar to the right of my favorite television shows? Lately, Glee has been making some choices that may be hurting or may be growing their audience. Let me explain.

Glee has been choosing to develop very sexual plots. In their first season, they had a very strict plot where they wanted to go. But, after taking a break and returning in the late winter/ early spring, they had what I'd like to call "Episode One Syndrome." What's Episode One Syndrome? Well, when starting up a show, whether for the first time after a break, a season premire, and especially the pilot episode (very first episode of the show) there is going to be a lot of material that draws a general audience into the show. This includes several things like alcohol, drugs, and sex. Now, this draws a general audience, but as a Christian, this makes it difficult to discern between "Episode One Syndrome" and it being a show contaminated and only filled with this kind of material.

At the beginning of Glee, there was some "E.O.S" in it's pilot episode, but it improved. However, come season two, the "E.O.S" never went away. Sexual references made and acted upon, and a lot of them have been homosexually related. It's something I'm not comfortable watching. I don't feel comfortable having that show on the screen when my seven year old sister is walking around the room.

"E.O.S." may be considered "good business." There are people out there who don't usually watch the show who are drawn in because of some of the more raunchy things, but they're not full time viewers. So, here's my suggestion....

My anecdote for E.O.S. is to express all views on the show. If E.O.S works to draw in viewer like that, I think that going into depth in things like religion would also draw in more viewers. If they could express multiple viewers, they would find, in fact, that their viewership would then be multiplied as well.

Communications

As of now, my monthly major is "communications." With a degree in communications, I'd like to get into advertising. Looking at my life, right now what I know most about is music and television shows. I can pretty much tell you why any television show is on at what time, why it is or isn't successful, and how it's trying to make money. What I'd like to do with degree in communications is work with advertising. I'd like to be able to match up ads with the correct audience using things like time slots, background music, and catching imagery to bring in an audience to a product. When I hear a song on the radio, I think "This would be great in a chick-flick movie trailer!" or "I can really see this going in an iPod song," or "I can picture this going into a very sad scene on a TV show." I can really see things when I listen to music.When I watch advertisements, I think about what I would have done differently to make it more catchy to the viewer. It's just my thing. It's something I've been doing for a while and very recently discovered that I could make a career out of it!

What is "Monthly Major?"

Ah... the timeless question: "What do you want to do with your life?" This honestly changes for me all the time. Education, social work, music, communications... it seems to change with the month- hence, "Monthly Major." This blog is a bit different than my other blog. I'm using this blog to monkey around with what I'd like to do with my life. I'd like to talk to you about what I'm noticing in the media and advertising. I hope you'll enjoy!