People loved watching reality TV shows about people singing and dancing their way to fame.

Then we got Glee.

People loved books and movies about vampires, werewolves, and a chick.

Then we got True Blood. 

TV isn’t always creative, but at the same time, it can still be very successful. I don’t watch any of these shows, but what made these shows successful after copying the general theme, was that they copied the emotional pull of what made their predecessor successful, then they cranked it emotionally.

Glee isn’t a show that reflects the experience of learning to sing and dance, it’s a show that makes an emotional connection between the audience with the unexpected stars who cover almost all the high school archetypes. After that, everything is a sensory overload of sight, sound, emotion, and sex.

If you’ve read Brave New World, maybe you’ll recognize how this is similar to the Feelies from that story,

“…an entertainment form with an incredible level of sensation but with minimal substance.” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feelie

Sounds a lot like junk food. And you know what the problem with junk food is? It’s designed to be addictive.

After you do get addicted, you lose your appetite for anything else.