WHY I'M NOT A NETWORK PROGRAMMING EXECUTIVE

I usually scoff at those “Fall of Western Civilization” stories about our cultural decay, and yet I occasionally flip through TV shows and cringe at how revolting the dialog has become. I see people trying too hard to be gross, and yes, I realize that’s not even a word anymore. Don’t get me wrong: I think Bill O’Reilly is a much greater example of our moral decay than anything from the sitcoms, but I’ve listened to a little dialog lately - dialog that could be used in a debate to prove that our society is finished, and we are through.
Plus there’s my general uneasiness at not being able to tell what’s going to be a hit. I mean I’m not even close. I thought “Dancing with the Stars” was as lame a concept as I’ve ever heard of, and it’s a smash. And then word came that the new Heather Graham show was yanked after one episode. I mean you had Heather Graham in cute outfits throwing herself at men. There was all the trendy hip dialog with her ridiculous friends, including the regulation gay guy who sizes up her prospective dates for her. I sensed this show was exactly what the American viewing audience wanted, which is to say it made me cringe. Yet, it lasted one episode. Heather, darling, I don’t get it, but we’ll always have “Boogie Nights” to remind us of what might have been.