A TV Addiction to Be Proud of

Face it, at one time or another you've been at home with absolutely nothing to do and you resorted to surfing through however many channels you have with your cable hook up. Random movies from fifteen years ago weren't able to tickle your fancy and neither were syndicated sitcom reruns, no matter how funny that show happened to be. There was simply, as the old saying goes, nothing on TV.

There's simply no telling how many times this has happened over the course of television's history, but I can personally attest to it happening to myself at least once a day, no matter what the day. However, some years ago, the situation presented itself and lead to my development of an addiction. One that constantly hassles me day in and day out and whenever it manages to get me, it stays for hours and hours. Once it grips you, it never lets go.

The addiction: The History Channel and The Discovery Channel.

Whether it's the life cycle of the ant or just how much of a playboy Benjamin Franklin truly was, the subject matter is so alluring that's nearly impossible to turn the channel once you've stopped on it. With the advent of both channels expanding into even more channels, the capability of losing an entire weekend to the history of France is very possible.

In a sea of unoriginal shows and mountains of supposed reality, both History and Nature prove to be the most interesting television, which is actually rather odd, as it was never as interesting as a student. However, as with most television networks, reality television managed to seep its way into both channels-yet each remained honest to its roots. Shows such as the Discovery Channel's MythBusters, Dirty Jobs, and American Chopper added a flare to channel, while maintaining its integrity as educational and at times inspiring, while the History Channel's Mail Call and other shows do the same.

With programming touching nearly every aspect of human thought (even sex, taboo and otherwise) it would be virtually impossibly to not be able to find something you'd like. Even for younger audiences, special programming helps achieve a better understanding and sometimes can surpass what is taught in the classroom. Though, certain students might have some explaining to do when they bring up what really happened leading up to the first thanksgiving and just how Christopher Columbus really was.