cops and lawyers and medical professionals, oh my!

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As this new tv season dawns (yay!), we are inundated with the yipping of the advertising for new pups of shows. And while TV execs are occasionally thinking outside the box (the box is becoming very Office and LOST shaped in recent years), they largely still look in the same areas for inspiration. That inspiration comes from the same lines of work: cops, lawyers, and medical professionals. Think about the shows you watch on tv and the shows you know are on tv, how many of them are based around folks in these three professions? It’s too many. I just rough counted 23 shows with law enforcement or medical professionals as the central characters. That’s 23 out of 62 scripted shows on television. Combined, these areas of occupation (according to the National Employment Matrix) comprise less than 2% of the U.S. population. So what gives?

I honestly don’t know. I mean there are plenty of other professions out there, one of the better dramas of the last 10 years, Boston Public focused on educators, which was great because it’s something EVERYONE can relate to, I mean we’ve all had teachers, right? Don’t get me wrong, I watch as many cop shows as anyone. BUT I also think that they could do a little better of a job of showing us some different areas of occupation. Kitchen Confidential was a workplace comedy set in a restaurant and was hilarious, but failed almost immediately. The current two-time reigning Emmy champ is about Ad Men. I mean there have to be more outlets here people. I know personally my office life is like a sitcom more often than not.

I don’t want the cop shows to disappear, I want them to not comprise such a ridiculous proportion of our viewing menu. I like steak, but I also like meatball subs and bbq pork. I don’t want to eat steak all the time. Ok, I would totally eat steak all the time. Bad example, steak rules. You get the idea though, right?

Ideas for future professions on scripted shows:

• Teachers (again!)
• TV folk (Sports Night, 30 Rock, etc.)
• Big Business (if not now, when, I mean we have to be able to laugh at them, it’s our only hope)
• Pro Athletes (anyone remember Playmakers?)
• Blue Collar workers, i.e. custodians, electricians, etc.
• Hotel staff
• Govt. Contractors (who are they? what do they do? i don’t know and half of my friends work for them)
• Pro gamers (immediate geek cred)
• Public Transport Workers (i’ve witnessed personally the bonds they have with frequent riders, it’s incredible!)
• Realtors

Honestly, the list can obviously go on, do you have any bright ideas? I just can’t fathom that we’re not smart enough to accept new jobs as deserving of a television show. Ok, gonna go eat some steak.