I've not checked, but can you download old seasons from itunes, amazon, or 'other' sources?

And I am thrilled that MEDIUM has moved to CBS. I'm now down to only Office and Chuck on NBC.

rfid, like any genre, there are sub-categories as well as different levels of quality. While Survivor and The Amazing Race fall into the "Reality TV" genre they have much more in common with The Price is Right than they do have with Keeping up With the Kardashians.

No doubt the "reality" genre is loaded down with a ton of crap. However, you can't paint all shows with the same brush.

And JT's reason for not believing Coach's story is, obviously, that he didn't go back for revenge. "I mean, I would've reckoned with the son of a bitches. Get back with a damn .30-30 Winchester, see what them bows do then." I'm pretty sure I would watch that movie.

"They're as cheap in cost..." Cheap? You think a show with 24 or so contestants, a host, several camera crews, a contingent of advance people and logistics coordinators and other crew travelling around the world over the course of a few weeks can be done on the cheap? Or look at the behind the scenes of Survivor. It's not just the host and the 16 or so contestants and a few camera and sound people on a beach for 6 weeks. The erect an entire production facility for the 100 plus crew that it takes to make the show.

I'm guessing when you think of a show the only personnel you consider are actors, writers, and directors. Guess what, for every name you see during the opening credits there are dozens of people working behind the scenes. Reality TV does provide jobs for many people who work in the less glamourous positions in the industry.

Like scripted shows, reality shows fall into 3 categories: Good, mediocre, and bad (or shit, if you will). It is my opinion that most of the shows in the "reality" genre are shit. However, there are a few that are actually "Good". That has been my point all along. It is unfair of you to hate a show for what it is rather than how it is; to make assumptions on its quality using your bias against the genre as a whole.

Your thinking that Reality TV shows are keeping, as you put it, "quality series" off the air is naive. The Networks air whatever is popular. Look at CBS - only 3 reality shows (one airs in the Summer), the rest are scripted shows (albeit 3 CSIs and 2 NCISs). Certainly it is more cost-effective, and less of a financial risk, to make your own version of The Bachelor than to rip-off Lost. Just like it is more cost-effective, and less of a financial risk, to make you own version of Seinfeld than to rip-off ER. Reality TV is just the newest example of the "I want a piece of that pie" mentality the networks have always had. If it is popular, they all want to copy it and have one of their own. Even these days it's not restricted to Reality shows: remember Surface, Invasion, and Threshold? All attempts to recreate the success of Lost. Reality TV is not keeping the next Pushing Daisies or Battlestar Galactica or 24 off the air, the networks are. What's needed is not the eradication of an entire genre but rather intelligent executives who are able to recognize quality shows, regardless of their genre, and the balls to champion them even if their initial ratings suck. What we need is another Brandon Tartikoff at the head of each of the networks.

As for the Reality TV genre, you can rejoice. Among the major networks it is actually on the decline. The bubble burst a few years ago with the failures of such floaters as The Littlest Groom, the dumb obnoxious boss show, and the Monica Lewinsky Bachelor of the Opera program. A year ago Deal or No Deal was a big deal. Is it even on anymore?