Here are five shows considered by some to be the best:

M.A.S.H.

M.A.S.H. was developed in the 1970s following the success of a motion picture with the same title. The show features a small team of army doctors stationed in South Korea during the Korean War. Viewers were attracted to comedic characters who were able to speak honestly about war, death and morals. M.A.S.H. was considered a comedy show, but as the seasons progressed, the episodes adopted serious topics that challenged many popular notions of the time. Its finale in 1983 broke US television records by producing an audience of 125 million people.

ER

ER was an ensemble drama set in the emergency room of a fictional Chicago hospital. The show was created by the famous science-fiction novelist Michael Crichton. It has the distinct title of being the longest-running prime-time medical drama in US television history. The show featured a wide range of characters whose in-depth stories weaved in and out of the emergency setting. Unlike many other medical shows that preceded it, ER was not afraid to show real-life emergency situations that resulted in death and serious injury. The show featured Hollywood’s some of most famous actors, including George Clooney, Angela Bassett, John Stamos and Anthony Edwards.

House

House is a unique show in its ability to mix mystery, medical science and humor all at once. It accomplishes this through its main character, Gregory House, expertly played by the English actor Hugh Laurie. Viewers tuned in every week to see how Dr House discovered the cause of mystery illnesses with the help of his highly intelligent team of assistants. House possessed more than a keen eye for a diagnosis, however, he also had plenty of sarcastic and sardonic remarks for everyone in the hospital. This dynamic blend of wit and science kept viewers coming back week after week during the show’s eight season run.

Scrubs

Scrubs represented a shift in medical shows to the wacky and zany while still showcasing thought-provoking stories about life and death. Most episodes were quickly paced and featured surrealist dream sequences by the show’s main character Dr. John Michael Dorian, played by Zach Braff. The show won numerous awards and droves of adoring fans who appreciated the daring moves the writers and producers made in what seemed like a boring and stale genre.

General Hospital

With nearly 50 years of production under its belt, General Hospital is the longest running medical drama on American television. It has a record 11 wins for Outstanding Drama Series according to the Daytime Emmy Awards. The show takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York, a town controlled by a relatively small group of rich socialites whose lives often intertwine. General Hospital is adored for its ability to explore moral and ethical issues revolving around medical topics of the day.

(Aaron is fascinated by most things medical, whether it be hospital-based television shows or data companies like Medical Records Retrieval Services.)

Scrubs

The Relationship between J.D. and Turk

Scrubs placed a big emphasis on the personal relationships between all of the characters, but the friendship between J.D. and Turk was definitely the main basis for many of the show’s best jokes. The two men were portrayed as having been best friends for years, and they were so close that the show’s writers were able to have a lot of fun with double entendres. Not only did this aspect of their friendship amuse the audience, but it also highlighted the importance of having one true best friend. Although Scrubs had many other interesting relationships, J.D. and Turk provided both the comedic and emotional core of the show.

Other characters

The show had a wide range of characters, including those who were in almost every episode and those who only lasted for a season. The most important characters aside from J.D. and Turk were Carla, Dr. Cox, Dr. Kelso and Elliot. J.D.’s constant struggles with The Janitor were also a focal point, and even though the animosity between them was sometimes portrayed in a way over the top manner, it was still always entertaining to see what new tricks The Janitor had up his sleeve.

J.D. spent the majority of the show’s run trying to impress Dr Cox, and he received little affirmation in return. Carla was the love of Turk’s life, and the two of them got married, had two children and were still together at the end of the show’s run. J.D. and Elliot had a tumultuous on again off again relationship, and Dr Kelso was a thorn in everyone’s side with his penny-pinching ways.

A typical episode

Most episodes of  Scrubs featured an interesting patient, at least one or two of J.D.’s daydream sequences, some type of interpersonal issue between two or more of the characters and enough jokes to lighten the mood. Although this formula is pretty standard for a sitcom, it never felt old or rushed when it was delivered by the cast of Scrubs. One of the best parts of the show, though, was when the comedy was put on hold for a few minutes. There were many very dramatic and emotional sequences, and they enabled the audience to develop a true affinity for the characters.

Why is the show still popular?

Scrubs never failed to provide enough comedy and tears to keep viewers hooked, so it is no wonder that audiences are still connecting with it in reruns. Although the show did include some topical humor, the vast majority of the content of each episode will remain accessible to everyone far into the future. The show’s often wacky sense of humor, including full song and dance numbers, is another aspect that helped it retain its popularity. After all, it is not very often that a show’s cast will sing a song entitled Everything Comes Down to Poo, but on Scrubs, that type of sequence was not only common, but it even came to be expected.

(If you liked this, you may want to check up on cheap scrubs and other affordable medical attire.)

1. Criminal Minds: This show, originally produced by CBS and now seen daily in syndication on cable channels such as A&E and Ion, features the BAU or Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In real life, the BAU tracks serial killers and other dangerous offenders, partially through the use of psychological profiling. The show centres around six colleagues who devote their time to chasing really bad men and women and bringing them to justice. Although the show usually centers on a serial murderer, it has also featured bank robbers, bombers, and other types of violent criminals. This show remains popular because of the chemistry of the cast which, while fluid, plays on strengths of each character and adds in only enough personal detail to make each one seem human.
2. Law and Order: The L&O franchise, as it is known, includes the original Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, and Law and Order Criminal Intent, all produced by NBC and syndicated on cable. There are even international versions of this popular show. The success of the L&O franchise hinges largely on picking the right cases and keeping the personal lives of the detectives at a minimum, which avoids the soap opera feel that eventually plagues many fictional crime shows. The flexibility of the cast and writers has lent itself to examining some of the most popular crime topics of the day, so the show stays fresh.
3. The First 48: This real life crime drama premiered on A&E and now runs in mini-marathons on the channel almost daily. It has also spawned some variations such as After the First 48 that follow-up on original programme subjects. Cameras follow real detectives in several cities for the first 48 hours of a homicide investigation to see if they solve the case. Fans love this show because it is not only real crime, but it shows the inner workings of a homicide investigation from start to finish. The endings are not predictable because the detectives are working with actual cases rather than scripts. This keeps the show fresh and provides endless material for future episodes.
4. CSI: The Crime Scene Investigation series of programmes based in different cities focuses on the scientific methods used by crime scene investigators to solve crimes. While these detectives and technicians have access to equipment that many real-life police forces only dream of, the show combines the best of forensic technology and edge-of-the-seat action. The chemistry of the cast in each version of the show works well and viewers all have their favorite detective on the series.
5. The Shield:This show deserves a place in the top five if for no other reason than it broke the mould for certain taboo topics normally avoided by crime writers, such as police corruption and fabrication of evidence. However, it puts these things in the perspective of true police investigations, so the product is not preachy but instead thought-provoking. Available on DVD, The Shield focuses on a police department in Los Angeles that deals with some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city and features a motley cast of cops that are nonetheless endearing in their humanity.

Any top five list will exclude some excellent programmes, so if you have a different favorite, get out the popcorn, pull up a chair, and enjoy your show!

Here are a few of television’s worst offenders in the US when it comes to keeping it real.

1. CSI: Who would have known that three little letters — which stand for crime scene investigation — would spawn a hit show; one that is so popular it has inspired many spin-offs and knock-offs. Even though CSI is a huge hit, it is far from realistic in portrayal of forensic investigators. While some of the methods used for collecting and analysing evidence are similar to ones used in the real world, the show definitely takes liberties in terms of how quickly evidence is processed. Also, things always seem to wrap up nicely and come together easily for these television investigators; that’s certainly not the case for real forensic professionals, who typically have many unsolvable cases in their careers and who wait for weeks or even months on end to complete an investigation.
2. Law & Order: I went back and forth on whether or not to put Law & Order on my list. After all, the show — which focuses on both cops and lawyers — does have its realistic attributes. However, the crimes that take place on this show just aren’t based in reality. Sure, crazy, outrageous crimes requiring massive investigations do happen. However, they don’t happen nearly as often as this show would have you believe. Most of the time, these professionals are working on little things like traffic tickets or drug possession. Life isn’t a big exciting drama for cops and lawyers as it is within the world of the show.
3. New Girl: Like just about everybody else these days, we are in love with Zooey Deschanel’s new sitcom New Girl. Do you know what Zooey’s character Jess does for a living? We would be surprised if you did. She is a teacher, but you rarely hear it mentioned on the show. There is one episode in which Jess has the kids over to her house (something that is a big no-no in real life!), but other than that, she never talks about her work. She stays up late during the week, and the girl is never lesson-planning or rushing off to staff meetings. She makes teaching look like just some fun hobby she can do whenever she feels like it rather than the full-time, work-when-you’re-home-never-stop job in real time.
4. Bunheads: ABC Family has trouble churning out major television players, but the new series Bunheads is doing surprisingly well. The show features an older woman who owns a dance studio. That isn’t too far-fetched, but upon closer look, you will find she is like no dance teacher you have ever seen before. Most dance teachers don’t own studios right in the middle of their houses, especially those in Podunk towns, don’t have the Joffrey School of Ballet holding auditions in their backyard! It’s okay — this show is funny enough that we can overlook the errors.
5. Sports Night: This cult classic favorite centres around life in the newsroom at a sports news show. The news anchors, though, are way too involved to make this show believable. They write their own stories, plan out what they are going to say on-air, and then broadcast all their hard work to the world. In real life, there’s a whole team of people working on a sports show. One person writes the story; another turns it into bad dialogue. And broadcasters, well, they just sit and look pretty, much like the actors on the show.
6. Monk: Who doesn’t love an obsessive-compulsive private investigator who uses his neuroses to help solve crimes? While Monk arguably makes for fine entertainment, it doesn’t possess even a grain of truth. There’s just no way crimes get solved the way Monk solves them, or as quickly. They take work, commitment, and ethics… none of which this character possesses.
7. House: Just suffice it to say that any real-life doctor who did the unconventional, rule-breaking things that Dr. House does would have long been kicked out of the medical profession. This is a fun show, but we certainly don’t want any med-school hopefuls thinking this is what life as a doctor is really like.
8. King of Queens: This cutesy sitcom features a big-company delivery driver named Doug. Even though Doug drives through crazy New York traffic all day long, he is always home on time for dinner. He never seems stressed or aggravated about his job either, and he finds it perfectly acceptable to have a beer with lunch and then drive the company truck all over town. Oh, and he lives in a nice, big house on his delivery-man salary.
9. The Cosby Show: We love what the Cosby show did for African-Americans. We are thrilled that the show’s parents, Cliff and Clare, are a doctor and a dentist respectively. That sets a great example for kids everywhere. However, anyone who has watched it will get the impression that these are simple jobs that don’t take up much time at all and that allow you to be home pretty much all the time.
10. Sex and the City: Last but certainly not least, we have got Sex and the City. Our main character, Carrie Bradshaw, lives in a massive apartment by New York standards, can afford to jet around in expensive cabs, and is always drinking at the hottest hot spots. Yet she only writes one column a week! Either she’s doing something naughty on the side, or this show is full of hot air!

With the new series on the horizon, now is the time to get on board and watch Ben 10 Ultimate Alien. Ben 10 has been around, with rapidly growing viewers, since 2005. Cartoon Network has produced an animated, action-packed, television programme revolving around the superhero Ben 10 and his friends. From fighting aliens to being aliens, Ben 10 is on a mission to battle the evil aliens and protect the universe.

Ever since Ben went on that summer trip with his grandfather, his life has been turned upside down. From the discovery of the Omnitrix, the world of alien species has become a familiar one to Ben and his friends. Ben can morph into 10 different aliens with the use of the Omnitrix, making it a very powerful tool. The Omnitrix was created to bring peace and understanding between species across the universe and because of its power; there are some evil aliens out there trying to get their hands on it too. Ben battles; using the abilities that come from these 10 aliens, to fend off evil and save the rest of the universe from them at the same time.

Mind it he can’t do it alone and that’s where his friends come in. His cousin Gwen has a knack for magic and spells; her magical aura descended from her grandmother and has proved vital in the team’s quest against evil. Ken, a bad boy through and though with the benefit of being streetwise, also offers a bit of a handy ability. He can absorb energy and matter and use it to transform and fight alongside the team. Kevin and Ben haven’t always seen eye to eye but the former is an essential team member.

Not to give anything away, but the end of the Ultimate Alien series leaves a bit of a cliff hanger as to what is going to happen with Ben and his friends moving forward. At least if you are new to Ben 10, you can catch up now on Cartoon Network and not have to wait as long to see what happens next!

Watch Ben 10 Ultimate Alien and get up to date before the new series begins. Watch clips online or find out when the full episodes are being shown on Cartoon Network with their online TV guide so you don’t miss a trick. Fans and viewers cannot wait for the next lot of thrilling adventures.

If you just can’t wait to get your next Ben 10 fix; enjoy and watch Ben 10 Ultimate Alien again and become a knowledgeable fan! Or, to get a real taste of what life as Ben 10 is like, Cartoon Network has produced loads of free Ben 10 games online. With plenty to choose from, you can fight battles as the superhero and try out the 10 aliens morphing him through thrilling battles and amazing scenes. Gamers rate as they play with a ‘starring system’ so you can get straight on to the game’s best loved by Ben 10 fans and gamers alike.

The pre- launch advertisements were gripping. His thoughts on how his maid Farzana and his mother or in-laws should be able to watch the programme together was novel. His idea of sleep till 10 because then “I am coming to wake you up” totally grabbed our attention. So, on Sunday my 11 am slot was given to Aamir. So were a lot of others’. The first episode and all of them after that were great. If Aamir cries every Sunday, so does the nation. Me and my family cry, we are disturbed by the “realities shown in the show”.

That being said, come 8 pm in the evening and the IPL matches take over the nation. After the IPL, some block buster hits being aired on. By evening the issues and tears are forgotten. Monday brings forth the plethora of regressive TV serials , where the protagonist is too good to be true. A wronged person forgives the one who has wronged her, and better still starts trusting her completely. Not possible in real life. If a daughter-in-law is spoken badly off or to, the victim dismisses it as elder’s respect. In reality people would be enraged. Husbands and wives do not talk to each other. And then we have serials like Balika Vadhu. Child marriages? Seriously? (Read: Indian TV viewing: All About Pati, Sasural and Sindoor, Big Boss: The Big Daddy of Idiocy)

Maybe this practice is prevalent in some parts of India but the rest of India also watches these serials. And they have really high TRPs.

Question is why? Why on the one hand India watches pallu-clad bahus and submissive daughters-in-law and on the other applauds a great effort by Aamir Khan who is trying to make a difference and trying to make us aware of the various issues our country has been engulfed in?

We are a deeply emotional nation. We are easily enraged, easily happy and clichéd as it may sound we have an awfully short memory. One day we hold candle light protests for bomb blast victims, next day life goes on as if nothing happened.

In August of 2011, when Anna Hazare started the anti-corruption campaign, the whole nation joined. Yes, it was refreshing to see that someone actually wanted to clean the system by bringing about some rules, rather than just try and give politically correct answers. All of us joined in; people took leave from work, stood in the sun and shouted slogans for Anna Hazare and the Lokpal Bill.

But, an anti-climax that I experienced was that a friend of mine who was an ardent supporter of Anna, was caught taking a wrong U-turn on the road and the traffic police caught her. She admits she gave him her sweetest smile and 100 bucks and was off the hook.

Now that Anna and his team are passive, so is the nation. Now Aamir has picked up the arms, so the nation is at it again. On Sundays we cry, we become crusaders on other days we go back to watching those regressive serials or useless reality shows where people are busy screaming and cussing each other.

All the issues brought up in Satyameva Jayate have stemmed from the past. Our culture has been patriarchal and so female foeticide is high. Showing off wealth in marriages is part of the dowry system, and sexual abuse was probably always swept under carpet to protect the family from shame, we did not think about the victims. So, are we afraid of facing the realities of our past? Or watching TV is like drinking, just a habit, and a mindless exercise. As much as entertainment is important, the right entertainment is important. Those days of pallu-clad or submissive bahus are gone. Women have better things to do. Scheming mothers-in-law or daughters-in-law are also becoming non-existent in nuclear family set-ups. Both sides are realising the value of live and let-live.

It’s high time that the producers of serials change their storylines. We as people provide TRPs for serials and based on that these serials are aired.

Let us choose wisely.

Well, thank your grandmother’s lucky stars that no anchor/panelist/reporter/expert/viewer actually asked, nay shouted, a question like that at the ‘yuvraaj‘ who got run over by Samajwadi Party’s cycle raaj on Tuesday. But they were barely short of that. If it was Terrible Tuesday for the Congress, though it was anything but, as the spin-doctors tried to emphasise throughout the day, it was a terrific day for ‘Talk TV’.

Now that I have established I am no paid attractor or detractor of TV news, the question before the nation tonight is: Who won the day? Let’s take them one by one.

Gloomy sets, bad graphics and a sad, sad performance by Prannoy Roy made NDTV 24x7 a yawning experience for the viewers.

NDTV 24×7: With a gloomy set that’s straight out of a depressing ’70s ‘realistic’ film, Prannoy Roy and Dorab Supariwala tried their best to strike that (missing) chord in your heart, harping back to those good ol’ days when an election-result day was better entertainment than a humdinger of a one-day cricket match. But alas! Sounding aged, jaded and quite literally faded, Pronnoy managed to sound more like your retired uncle who has started losing his marbles just that teeny-weeny bit.

His questions somewhat inane and his famed analyses somewhat clichéd, the man who arrived with a bang for all those growing up in the late ’80s with a refreshing The World This Week, and took over a nation’s conscience in the next decade, Pronnoy, sharp-suited as usual, looked a shadow of his former self.

The choice of guests/panelists leaving much to be desired — let’s face it, their attention-grabbing faculty was as high as The Hindu’s in making you laugh every morning — the channel’s coverage got a shot in the arm, for momentum if nothing else, as Barkha Dutt took over. The good Lord above and the Devil below know I am no fan of Barkha, but at least the poor viewer was saved from going off to sleep.

As for its graphics, that team in NDTV needs a desperate overhaul and pull up its socks, pants, dirty underwear and everything — they looked, well, old, and you couldn’t but feel a sense of deja vu as they rolled down with the latest news, one at a time, even as many channels (Star News, for instance, which covered the whole screen for minutes at a time with graphics but voices coming like ghosts’ from the background.)

Sagarika Ghosh was acerbic, vain, now giggling and now fighting like a teenager.

CNN-IBN: This is one channel that leaves me a little confounded. I believe Rajdeep Sardesai, despite the irritant in the pitch of his slightly nasal voice, is most astute journalist on Talk TV today. His interviewing skills are the best. The conversation with Digvijay Singh in the evening was a case in point. While everyone was gunning for any Congressman/woman available to get him or her to confess that the party came a cropper in UP largely due to Rahul Gandhi’s ineptness, Rajdeep got Piggy to admit that Rahul being a Gandhi, he is not meant for small jobs (my words, not Diggy’s), “work on the shop floor” in states. He is PM material straightaway.

Very, very impressive, especially at a time when Sagarika Ghosh was making a hash of it all while anchoring the show at that very moment. She was acerbic, vain and fighting as if she was trying equally vainly, like a heartbroken teenager whose boyfriend has walked off to make a point with the opposite woman. And that precisely is the problem with the channel: Sagarika gets too much time for the channel’s own good/sanity.

The poll expert/psephologist, Yogendra Yadav, is another weak link. He tries to come across as more of an expert than purported experts sitting on the panel. He should focus on the trends, and leave on the likes of Ajoy Bose, Sharat Pradhan and Swapan Dasgupta. Those gentlemen were brought in for their expertise (and gift of the gab).

On the field, Bhupendra Chaubey stands head and shoulders above most other reporters across channels, and should have been given more airtime

And that, in effect, is the problem with that channel — uncertain how to pitch its pitch.

Arnab was sharp, smart and entertainment personified. His panelists were well-chosen, the show never lacking pace -- love him or hate him, you just couldn't ignore him.

TIMES NOW: A former colleague, understandably completely fed up with the channel’s star face, commented on Facebook midway through the day: despite eight panelists, why do I hear your voice for most of the time, Arnab?

Well, that’s the fun with Arnab Goswami: he is entertainment personified. Never shy of telling (yelling, actually) the world that everything humanity is learning is, thanks to his “your channel Times Now”, never afraid of admitting that he was left with a bit of egg on his face on a line of argument going wrong, and never self-conscious enough to let the panel throw questions at guests (in fact, more panelists questioned the guests from different political parties on his show than perhaps all the others put together). He is pure entertainment.

Knowing that the anchor is the real hero on such days, Arnab was also smart enough to get a perfect foil in Navika Kumar, who intervened in just the right moments, and making his poll analyst/psephologist to act like a handyman, not an expert.

Arnab was smart enough to understand that it is entertainment, pure and simple, and no amount of haranguing would have fetched him the eyeballs on Talk TV on such a TRP-needed day.

The panelists on the show, too, were good choices: smart, savvy and the young crop, there was little flaunting of punditry, more come-to-the-point-straight questions or wrapping up. Even the ‘oldies’ like Vinod Mehta and Indra Sinha were entertaining.

HEADLINES TODAY: Frankly, I didn’t watch it for long enough to draw a conclusion. Rahul Kanwal alone is enough to deter me, unless I am paid, of course. The likes of Akash Banerjee and Kartikeya Sharma with their all-knowing grins and questions just add to the problem.

HINDI CHANNELS: While NDTV India was smooth and on the ball as usual, and Aaj Tak looking and sounding more like Pronnoy Roy’s NDTV 24×7 — more ‘has-been’ than ‘is’ — I found News 24 quite cutting with their questions. Not curt but not soft either; not bad.

Star News, with its weird idea of making people sit in the studio as if they are on a railway station platform, was dim. And like NDTV 24×7, guys, please pull up your pants so far as graphics is concerned, your dirty underwear is showing. For a channel that purportedly takes graphics so seriously that it was content to fill up the whole screen with them at times, at the cost of the speakers, it was ridiculous. No one switches on the telly to look at a screen full of graphics; one can do that on the Internet.

PS: Renuka Chowdhary of the Congress takes the cake for being the biggest irritant among the guests. Her screechy “hello!” to interject and also start each reply/rebuttal gives you the creeps. We left that lingo back in college, Ms Chowdhury, it’s not cool any more. Certainly not for a 50ish political leader of some stature. Less said the better about coy permanent coy smirk — wipe that off, Ms Chowdhury, before you come on the screen next time, because unfortunately you would never know how exasperating that looks. It would have been different had you had any acumen and smart Aleck comments to make, but for someone whose only claim to TV fame is being a Gandhi family devotee, it is anything but good television.

You may say that it’s not with every one of us, but generally speaking, hasn’t our society become more violence prone, addicted to blood and gore and always hunting for some opportunity to tear each other apart? Later that evening as I was watching my favourite soap Balika Vadhu on Colors, I saw the promos of Big Boss Season V which will begin on the channel on Saturday, flashing on screen. The two big boys of Bollywood — their disproportionately bulky bodies and distressing humor — talked some nonsense as I sat disgusted.

And then it hit me. Shows like Big Boss epitomise everything that is bad in our society. It started as a framework resembling the jungle called the modern society — survival of the fittest being the mantra there — and now it has elevated into a model simulating almost with perfection, the meanness and crassness of human society.

Year after year, these shows come up with the same concoction of hatred, conspiracy and conceit sprinkled with heavy doses of titillating sex and scandal. Last year, two insignificant worthless mortals — Veena Malik and Ashmit Patel — shot to fame because this show gave them a platform to show off their ample bosom and brawns, respectively, (and sometimes a glimpse of the two in unison, if you know what I mean).

They basically took full advantage of the closed system of Big Boss to ignore the concept of minimum physical separation that is warranted to maintain societal decency and something called PDA. Day after day, week after week they were the talk of the town. TV channels unashamedly dedicating their prime time bandwidth only to weave the net of love (or whatever you want to term it!) around these two supposed love birds. It came as no surprise to anyone that the ‘love story’ ended with their eviction from the house.

Then of course there was a smirking Rahul Mahajan romancing Monika Bedi on TV — if there was a low point on Indian television, I say, this was it. A gangster’s moll and a drug addict turned poster boy (who apparently beats up his wife) get crores to cuddle on live TV with the entire country watching! Whatever did the Indian masses do to deserve this nonsense?

Everyone knows that more than half of what goes on in the show was scripted, with Big Boss intervening mid-way whenever the spice factor of the show went down and the TRP rating fall.

My point is here is simple: TV is a strong medium. It is a mirror to our society as it were. There are love stories and there are ‘love stories’ — what do you call these, scripted love affairs and pre planned PDA?

Are women so easy that they can be had after two months in a closeted house? Are friendships so weak that such relationships can’t sustain a couple of months strain? Are men such idiots that they can be pulled on strings at whim?

The fact is that these shows give out the wrong message. It shows that relationships are skin deep. It shows that men and women turn into animals when they start living in close contact without any other social interactions. This is not true. If this was true then the men and women who are our parents who lived with no discotheques, Pizza Hut or Barista would have been wild animals.

People may contest that it is a reality show where the participants are actually treated as guinea pigs who are subjected to regular treatments for some particular psychological study. No, let’s not fool ourselves. Nothing is real in that show. And even if it was real, it is like the Devil’s show where only the dark sides of the human nature are exposed.

It’s sad that people get entertained by these shows. The media may claim that they produce it only because viewers want it. But is that not another chicken-and-egg problem? People see it because you show it. And don’t fool yourself saying that it is a viewer’s market.

As the Fourth Estate, the media cannot shy away from responsibility of social guardianship. You do not bend to each one of your child’s wish just because she wants it. Right? Same rule applies here. And it’s not only about Big Boss. The overdose of reality shows in form of Roadies, Splitsvilla etc. cannot serve us any good. They are only there for cheap entertainment and fast bucks, and in the process they set certain deploring examples which I believe is making some unrecoverable damage to our society.

Do we need to copy everything that the West does? Don’t we have our brains and eyes to judge for ourselves what’s good for us? We already have lots of societal issues to counter and seriously don’t need this extra baggage.

So I would request all you readers to soul search and think why you are watching these shows. I guess all of you have better things to do. Spend time with your family, may be work for an extra to earn that extra good penny or simply watch some better shows which at least tell you that human being are not vile and it still pays in this society to be honest, sincere and caring.

Castle is back, and how: A more mature, serious Castle, with his best friend the target of a gigantic group of assassins.

Castle is back.

That’s right, Episode 1 of the fourth Season of Castle aired on September 19th. Now all you Castle aficionados must know that Castle is in a very critical juncture right now. Montgomery died. Beckett got shot. Let me repeat that. Beckett got shot.

And Season 4 picked off beautifully with a battle to save Beckett’s life that even had me cringing in fear.

Well, I won’t be writing at length about the entire episode. I’ll just jot down a couple of bullet points – which I’m pretty sure you’ll be agreeing with when you watch the episode. Here goes:

• Beckett has officially started losing it. I wouldn’t blame her. Now one can be the same after getting sniped millimetres from the heart. She’s now obsessed with solving her own attempted murder. Obviously, Montgomery’s replacement “Iron” Gates doesn’t like that. And with reason. Becky’s convinced that every accident that occurred around the time of her mother’s murders were linked to her mother’s murder.
• Castle has bulked up. You can see the lines on his face, the strain of going through all the mental torture of watching your best friend — no, make that your better half — almost die in front of your eyes.
• You’ll also know one thing. Watch Season 1 Episode 1 once. Then watch Season 4 Episode 1. See it? Castle is not fun and games anymore. It’s not about banter between one handsome, cool gentleman and one spunky girl-cop anymore. Castle is now serious. It’s very mature. It’s not kiddie stuff anymore. It’s finally got the depth. It has graduated. Welcome to the big time, Castle.
• But even with all this upheaval of emotions — sometimes stronger than quite a number of emotionally heavy films, I must say — Castle still manages to leave a smile on your face when the episode finishes. Its 40 minutes well spent.

Now for the questions.

1. Who shot Beckett?
2. Didn’t Montgomery end all the trouble? Then why did someone shoot Beckett?
3. Why did Beckett lie about not remembering anything?
4. Who was that guy, who received the package from Montgomery, and called Castle?
5. Was the fire at the warehouse really accidental?
6. And what earth-shattering thing did Beckett’s mother uncover, that led to an operation of such gigantic proportions, to kill anybody who knew anything?
7. And and how old is Molly Quinn now? She looks pretty dateable, for me… heh heh heh ;-)

Watch it. And comment below. That’s an order.

However, there are three contestants in these two shows who stand out as clear winners and literally blow you away in every act that they perform every week.

Seema Jha on X Factor, along with Abhash Sengupta and Ankan Sen on Just Dance — all of 17 years of age — set the stage on fire as they performed to popular numbers on these two shows that run parallel on prime time.

Unlike most teenagers who are conscious of their voice, body and looks, these three were the most uninhibited of the more senior lot — confident and very, very aware of their talents. While Seeema actually reminds one of Lata Mangeshkar, Ankan’s moves on Just Dance are unlike anyone I have seen on any dance show on the Indian small screen. Abhash, who did Hrithik Roshan’s Main Aisa Kyun Hun with a Michael Jackson twist, had judge Farah Khan reminiscing about her days when she used to copy the pop icon.

On Sunday, both Abhash and Ankan, who performed on Ye Hosla…  from the film Dor, danced like professionals. Their expressions were bang on and so were their moves — clean and uncluttered, their body language oozing rhythm from every pore.

Seema performed Mehmood’s epic song Hum Kaalen Hai Toh — she not only got the South Indian twang right, but even managed to look the part. Throughout the song, she kept the judges entertained with her antics, without even a hint of a hiccup with the lyrics or the melody.

As I saw them on screen, I couldn’t but wonder at their levels of confidence; their body language belied any stage fear even though all the three come from middle class backgrounds, with none of the baggage that comes with being rich. They have a lust for success as I have never seen before.

I had to keep switching between the two channels as I watched these shows, but in the end it was worth the effort. Truly, what makes these shows stand out as compared to the other reality shows like Sony’s Indian Idol is the fact that as a viewer I can see the hunger in their eyes — the determination to do well and the hard work that that is needed to make their dreams a reality.

To be fair, both these shows aren’t just a platform for the young to showcase their talent. Gone are the days when we had reality shows where the top 10 were youngsters and all unmarried. Both in Just Dance and X Factor, the age of contestants is varied and so is their marital status. This is a great change on Indian TV and it means that not just the makers of these shows, but we viewers too have matured.

These two shows stand out because they encompass what is truly the spirit of a class among the youth — immensely passionate about what they want and the will and nerve to survive even the toughest tests.

Image courtsey Startv.in and Setindia.com