Guilty Pleasure of Watching Music Television

Music channels haven't been solely about the music in decades, but these days, they are more entertaining than ever. Here are 7 guilty pleasures that can be addictive. Warning - you might not want to watch anything else.

Guilty Pleasure #1 - Five hour Top 100 Countdowns that splice just about everything can entertain you longer than you wish.

It might start innocently enough. You are flipping through the channels and notice that your favorite music channel has a Top 100 countdown on. You watch a couple of items on the list, and then you are hooked. You might do something else while you are watching, but you are tuned in for the rest of the afternoon.

Guilty Pleasure #2 - Old sitcoms you can't find anywhere else.

This is especially true of CMT. Where else can you find two of the 1980s cheesiest sitcoms - The Dukes of Hazard and Mama's Family? You can secretly indulge every night if you wish.

Guilty Pleasure #3 - Some of the craziest reality TV shows that are absolute train wrecks.

Shows such as the Surreal Life, like the Real World before it, continue to be popular simply due to the shock factor. It is the same reason people watched the Anna Nicole Show back in 2002 and the reason why they are so fascinated by her death today. It is simply a train wreck. Even CMT has popular reality TV shows that have their own brand of shock value. One example is Cowboy U.

Guilty Pleasure #4 - You know that you love useless trivia.

There are also several trivia shows that continue to keep people fascinated. Both the Pop-Up Video and I Love the 70s, 80, and 90s series are still on the air. It is a testament to people's thirst for useless knowledge

Guilty Pleasure #5 - As much as you might hate the cult of celebrity, you know that you can't look away.

Celebrity Fit Club, The Surreal Life, and various biography shows play on our fascination with the whole idea of celebrity. It doesn't matter how long a celebrity has been out of the spotlight, they can make a comeback if they are lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate in a reality TV show.

Guilty Pleasure #6 - There are some shows that actually still deal with music, and even promote the crossing of genres.

TV shows such as Crossroads on CMT promotes the cross-pollination of the rock, pop, and country genres. It is too bad that VH1 and MTV haven't returned the favor.

Guilty Pleasure #7 - Nostalgia rules the tube.

The networks mentioned above play off the general public's obsession with the era in which they grew up. The continued popularity of aging musicians of all genres, music videos that were released 20 years ago, specials reliving the birth of rock and roll, and any show that is tied to a decade is testament to this obsession. It also ensures that the history of rock and roll, country music, and pop music won't be forgotten any time soon.

No matter why you decide to watch CMT, MTV, or VH1, you are sure not to be disappointed. With the addition of channels of VH1 Classic, you might actually find some music on these channels once again. On weekly shows such as CMT's Top 20 Countdown, you might actually be able to keep with up with what's going on in your favorite genre. One thing is for sure, if you decide to tune into CMT, MTV, or VH1, you'll end up with a guilty pleasure or two.