Dr. Z wrote: I think we no longer want to be reminded of 9/11...I am suprised that it happened this fast.

My own personal feeling isn't that, in just seven years, I've reached a point where I don't want to be reminded of 9/11.

After just seven years, I'm not yet ready for 9/11 to be handled as (even high-quality, dramatic) television entertainment.

I've watched documentary shows both directly and indirectly about 9/11 example of indirect: a show...can't remember which channel...about how the WTC was constructed and how/why it failed. That was really a show about engineering in the dangerous world, presented in the context of 9/11.)

But I still can't bring myself to watch Flight 93, a made-for-tv movie.

I had not thought about it that way -- which is about 180 degrees from my take. But I think for lots of folks, you could be right. It iwll be interesting to see if others agree. Thanks.Z

How many times can you redo the same things? Threat to the U.S? 24 even had to pad things out with gimmicky and pointless personality conflicts. Writers and characters get stale and people get tired of it.
Personally I liked 24 (I recorded Fringe and haven't seen it, yet) but at times I had to fast forward through the tedious arguments/manipulations between either the wife of the Pres. or the VP trying to take charge, etc.
I have my doubts this new year of 24 will do well.
You can be obsessed over one event in life. Most people won't ever forget it due to the uniqueness of it but it isn't something they want to, or even should think about daily. Any tragic event in life you need to eventually get over otherwise you can't enjoy life.

I am with you on the hunch that 24 will not do well. I think it has burned out on the same scenarios over and over as well.Z

9/11 stirred up a lot of emotion for every American. Conspiracy theories arose and with it themes of secrecy and terror that took over TV but, in my personal opinion, i don't think that 9/11 was nearly as big a contributor as we give it credit. I think we often forget about the marketing and advertising teams that peak our interests initially. For months previous to 'Lost' and '24' I saw some pretty intriguing commercials and posters but 'Fringe' failed to have the same compelling spots. It seemed to me that the commercial producer was in a rush to pack as many insane ideas into 30 seconds as he/she could. As an ad buff I was even more disappointed to be reminded that JJ Abrams was also the producer of 'Cloverfield' which had one of the most incredible pre-premiere marketing campaigns I had ever witnessed.
So, I believe that unfortunately, like many shows do, '24' may have simply lost its flair and viewers are tiring of the plotlines. Directors and writers should realize that they can only depend on terror and tragedy for so long (as could also be argued for our current government).
As for 'Fringe', I'm afraid that we may just have a case of bad marketing that may have depended too heavily on Abram's fan base that never showed up... or maybe America is actually tired of being constantly reminded of the threats that surround us.

I am not the only person carrying the events of 9/11 in my heart.

I will NOT allow the emotions of that day to be jumped upon and poked at so that networks, producers and advertisers can line their pockets.

This situation finally gives me an understanding of my Dad, who spent WWII slogging around Europe. When it was over, he didn't talk about it, he didn't read about it and he didn't go to movies to watch John Wayne and others re-enact it. He was there. Well, I watched all of 9/11 play out on my television. I don't need for anyone to re-enact it for me.

Hi, thanks so much for this comment. It is a profound reminder that as huge a role as TV plays in telling the dominant stories of our public lives, there are places where many of us live in our private lives that are far deeper and more meaningful to us. Thanks again. Z

I was a huge '24' fan the reason I stopped watching did not have some complicated reason like it seems you guys want , it was because I got tired of basically the same story from week to week where the bad guys would always escape out the back door that the goog guys forgot to watch!

Hi, Yes, I agree that the reasons some viewers tuned out might be less cosmic -- such as, as entertainment, it simply failed to engage or hold interest. Nice point. Z

9/11 was such a watermark for our country that any portrayals in some way seem to diminish it. 9/11 should, of course, be remembered on the calendar. Growing up, my parents talked quite a bit about World War II; both the time before, during and after. These were dinner table discussions and today I believe they in part sparked my interest in history. Perhaps 9/11 would best be served in this manner also; a type of living history passed on by those who saw it.

Hi,

I think that, for me, it’s a combination of the things people have mentioned here. I absolutely cannot watch Flight 93 or other movies/shows that deal specifically with that day, and I’ve avoided the WTC site on my trips to NYC since then. It makes me nauseous just to think about being put back in that place again.

But I’ve been so worn out by the constant reminders that we’re in danger – reminders that I’ll confess I have found cynically and disgracefully used by some of our leaders for their own ends – that I’m just over that aspect of it.

So, separate from the 9/11 experience specifically, I’ve got terror fatigue (though I hate to use that expression, as someone will surely jump on it). I just don’t think we can go through life, day-after-day, with that kind of pressure on us. And why watch something else meant to get us all hyped up on it?

Another great comment. Yes, the way some politicians have approriated the tragedy for their own ends is not only disgraceful, but it also drives us away from the true meanings of the event. I agree. And, perhaps, it is a bad programming choice to place dramas ina time period during which millions copme to TV looking for relax or uncomplicated diversion or entertainment. Thanks. Z

Dr. Z, - I’ve given some thought to our 180-degree different take on what seven years means, in relation to 9/11.

I think that some of that difference may arise out of what we do.

I spent a short time in J-school back during the time the Watergate saga was unfolding. And I heard a great deal from my profs about role, and the nobility of purpose, of “the fourth estate”. But I didn’t become a journalist. I went an became a consumer of journalism instead of a producer of journalism.

I get the feeling from your comments that you believe high-quality dramatic entertainment presented on television can have (and, I’ll guess you believe, should have) a quasi-fourth-estate role in examining events like 9/11. Shows like The West Wing, I think, aspire to such a higher calling, if it can be described as that.

Over the last three decades, the line between television entertainment and television journalism have blurred. (They have blurred in the print media, too, but not to as great an extent, it seems to me.) See previous posts about MSNBC and FOX and the distinctions that some try to make between O’Reilly as an editorialist and Olbermann as an anchor.

I don’t reject that notion that entertainment can have a fourth estate purpose as “wrong.” I’m not going to be that judgmental. But I don’t embrace it personally. For myself, I still want a fairly bright line between entertainment and news.

And so, try to compartmentalize. I continue to get my news from sources that are clearly non-editorial in nature and I laughed and laughed and laughed at Hole In The Wall.

Hi Bucky, This is way too thoughtful for me to hipshoot an instant response. The high sheriffs at the Sun are sending me off on other duties for a while this afternoon. I will get back later. But I am going to post this right away, because I want others to see what you said as soon as they can. As always, thanks and thanks. Z

I watched United 93 other other night and I had a hard time. I don't want to see it again anytime soon. It's just too soon and too painful to relive the events of that day.

I'll have to disagree with you that 9/11 is the problem with 24 and The Fringe. Quality is the problem. 24 began well but the writing is increasingly repetitive and the overall quality is sagging. I did watch the Fringe and my problems with the show were with writing, acting, and overabundance of gore (I can't believe they showed that at 8pm.)

Good dramas, on the other hand, can deal with issues raised by 9/11 without turning off viewers. Battlestar Galactica has been referencing 9/11 by allegory since Day 1 with great success, because it's a good show. Spooks (MI-5 in the US) doesn't bother with allegory or even subtlety for that matter; it tackles these issues head on and wrestles them to the ground, and it's hugely popular across the pond, because it's a good show. Heroes and Lost are very successful because they're first and foremost good programs.

It's not a matter of being over the tragedy. I just can't yet deal with the emotions that are still so close to the surface. In addition, we live in a society where our current administration likes to use scare tactics to manipulate us. I simply cannot handle the programs about 9/11 or other programs that depict a dangerous world. A case in point is the show Jericho. I could not even watch commercials for it. There was a time when I used to love post-Apocalyptic tales. Now they seem too possible, too close to home. Give me home improvement shows, Project Runway, etc. and let me escape for a time.