How Many Dramas Do We Need?

Why are so many new dramas lately? First it was the crime shows-- CSI (which I am a fan of) and the spinoffs, Without a Trace, NCIS, etc. and then all of the paranormal investigations-- Surface, Invasion, Medium, Ghost Whisperer, and so many more. Is it really simply that because the world is so unsure, we need some sort of drama where we can be assured of some sort of closure after and hour, or if not closure then at least the illusion of closure that is given by dramatic music and a hero striding purposely down a darkened hallway, or bowing their heads in contemplation as they think about their position in the world fighting against the forces of evil for truth, justice, and the Amer- wait thats another type of show.

Or is it? Comic books and shows based off of them are more popular now that ever because they feature the same struggle of good against evil, albeit in a more blatantly abvious way than these shows, and mysterious lighting and criminals that have secret identities as normal citizens but really have hearts as black as night are common themes in both. We like to belive that there really are people like them, and that we could be them ourselves. Our heros are never simply that, instead they are fallible, tortured, vulnerable, sensetive and vain. Often before the begin their heroic quest they are the weakest of society and in modern incarnations are usually geeks who seek to be something more but are unable to break free of the trap of their own intelligence. However, they rise above these humble beginnings and become something above the average mortal. We all on some subconscious level view ourselves as the underdog, which is why this storyline so appeals to us. We fear being bamboozled by government, ostracized by society, and powerless to defend the ones we love or right past wrongs, and in these stories and heros we see ourselves as having the capability of achieving this goal.