TV Hero in the Post 9/11 World
Post 9/11 the nation as a whole has a desire to feel safe and secure. I think that TV offers many “heroes” that help quell fear for their audience.
For me personally, it is the comedic characters, such as the 6 characters on the TV show Friends (which was still on new for about 3 years after 9/11 and is still on in re-runs on multiple channels). The reason that these characters are heroes for me, is because when you spend so much time hearing about the bad things that are going on in the world, and when you are scared and fearful, it is nice to laugh and feel good again. When people are already feeling fearful, they don’t want to watch something serious that is going to make them feel even worse. It is nice to take a break from the real world, let your guard down, and just remember what it’s like to laugh and not have a worry.
