TV Eye

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

I recently had one of those challenging conversations I have from time to time about my TV viewing habits. As the conversation progressed, it was clear to me that I was heading for trouble, because I was not going to say what the other person wanted to hear, namely that Law & Order was the finest show on TV.

"You write about television. Don't you see that it's the most culturally relevant show on TV? People watch it!" (If by "culturally relevant," you mean "ripped from the headlines," then, yes, it's culturally relevant. Yes, I know people watch it. People do lots of things, like engage hapless TV writers into no-win conversations.)

"You've watched it, haven't you?" (How can you miss it? With the original, two spin-offs, and a third on the way – see below – not to mention reruns in syndication, try and not find it.)

"Did you see the one where ...?"

There really is no arguing with someone with such a vested interest in selling you on his or her TV show. I thought I could end the tiresome conversation when I took a deep breath and said, "Yes, it's a strong franchise. I believe it has a broad audience because the storylines aren't very challenging."

Nonplussed, the TV watcher I was speaking with said that that was fine for her. She likes to watch a show where the good guys are honorable, the bad guys are punished, and justice is served. So, there.

So, why do you need me to agree with you? Who made me the TV watchers' police?

I guess I did, since I've been attaching my name, week after week, to a column on the subject. Approaching the six-year anniversary of writing "TV Eye" (March 12, 1999, is the anniversary date), I think it makes sense to stop, take stock, and ask the question I implicitly ask my readers: Why watch?

I think the answer might surprise you. You don't need to watch TV. Honestly, will your life end if you don't see the next episode of Desperate Housewives? Will the quality of your life diminish if you skip Law & Order?

As a news and information source, TV provides precious little. Who, I want to know, is home in time to watch the evening news? And at 30 minutes a pop, just how much real news and information are you getting? Locally, the best reason to watch the news is to get the weather report. So, why watch?

There's been quite a bit of buzz about the CBS president Leslie Moonves' plans for CBS Evening News once Dan Rather departs in March. Some of the trade publications express fear that the old format will be gussied up for a younger, hipper audience. If I ran the networks for a day, I would get rid of the evening news altogether, return that period to local programmers or start dreaming up some high-quality programming for children and youth. But that's just me.

It's not unusual for me to hear from TV viewers who like their TV cut in narratively simple shapes that they like their news that way as well. And for those people, I have a simple answer to the question why watch? You don't need to watch TV, but the culture surrounding TV should be watched, which in turn, makes TV watching all the more necessary from a critical standpoint. Support public and access TV. Find other sources of information. In other words, demand more from yourself and your TV programming.

There. The TV watching police has spoken. Now leave me alone and go watch your precious Law & Order.

Speaking of which, the newest incarnation of the franchise, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, previews March 3 at 9pm and premieres Friday, March 4, at 9pm on NBC.

TV @ UT

Explore UT, Saturday, March 5, the yearly open house that invites you to check out what UT has to offer, has several TV-related events:

Live at 10: You Deliver the News!: A hands-on demonstration in the School of Journalism's TV studio and control room. Bring a VHS tape to record your on-camera appearance. Jesse H. Jones Communications Center, Bldg. B, Studio 4F, noon to 3:40pm.

Learn to Edit!: Learn basic digital video-editing principles and techniques. Participants should be present for the entire workshop. Observers are welcome. Jesse H. Jones Communications Center, Bldg. A, 4.204, 11am to 12:40pm.

Jeopardy, Texas-Style!: Contestants of all ages play using a TV-remote-like computer response system to answer UT trivia questions. Graduate School of Business Bldg., 2.130, noon to 3:40pm (there will be four 40-minute sessions).

Explore UT is free and open to the public. For more information, go to www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut.