In recent years, the production quality of television has increased tremendously. More attention is paid to the way television is shot, written, and put together. As the differences between creating television and cinema blur into a single film-based medium, there are benefits and there are pitfalls. Shows have become less dependent on the actors. Great performances can still make or break a show, but production and directing have become more integral pieces of a show. The creators can appeal to audiences with elements besides a show's characters and plot. Producers now have the power to sell their products based on factors that do not necessarily correlate to the show's humor or drama. Is this a good thing?Take, for example, special effects. Many of the film industry's biggest successes are popcorn flicks that require a low quality of acting, writing or cinematography because they rely on big explosions, magic or digitally designed creatures from space. Now, as TV budgets grow, a similar genre of meaningless filler are menaces to television. That is not to say that there is no place for explosions and lasers on shows that use those effects to enhance an engaging story. Even now, we can see positive and negative examples of this trend.

Bionic Woman might be the most neutral show I've ever seen. There is a moderate amount of action, a minimal amount of character development and plenty of mystery that would allow for contingency plots based on how the viewers feel. In short, the show has no spine at all. I watched the first three episodes of the show, and I just stared at the screen. I know, I know, I'm always staring at the goddamn screen; but normally when I'm staring I'm at least reacting to the show. A good show will literally drag your emotions through your eyes-when there's drama, you're excited, and when someone is sad, you feel for the person onscreen. There was literally not a single point when I was even a little bit moved. And this is supposed to be a dramatic show! Not to give anything away, but if I found out that someone killed my man, I would shoot first and ask questions later. Despite having a familiar supporting cast and a Hollywood budget, the show reeks of mediocrity. So where does all of that money go? Certainly not towards a quality cast. It's all digital effects: Every episode has at least one martial arts montage and one scene where the bionic woman uses her bionic abilities (In the first episode she keeps up with a car as a blur in the background.). The show really is a television-sized action movie. In another episode, the bionic woman kicks someone into a wall-a process that probably required all kinds of wires and safety mats and whatnot. One would think that, as NBC's new flagship show (NBC's Wednesday nights are actually called "bionic Wednesdays"), Bionic Woman would have a much better base in terms of the plot and the writing. This just makes it glaringly obvious that the show is trying to buy viewership by taking a retro name and slapping a shiny new paint job on it. Unfortunately, the car won't run if you don't fix the engine, too.

On the other hand, Heroes, which also happen to be on NBC, is using as many special effects as it can, but manages to remain engaging. Last season the show grabbed high honors in the rating race and broke the bank on special effects. However, the reason that Heroes is great is that the special effects and the quality of the show are not directly connected. Heroes is, first and foremost, a character-driven show. While flying, telekinesis and freezing time are all very cool, they aren't what's keeping me invested. It's the struggles of the men behind the magic that give the show its emotional core. The special effects enhance the show because they work with the writing and the characters to develop the story. For example, there is a critical scene from last season in which Hiro (Masi Oka) comes from the future and tells Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) to "save the cheerleader." It is an intense emotional moment; it is a validation of their hopes and fears. The effect of having time stand still while this happens intensifies the moment because it isolates Peter in his revelation; no one is going to pat him on the back and tell him that he's right, but at the same time he has been given this knowledge and he has to be firm in his resolve.

If the characters had been speaking in real-time, other people would have been staring and likely questioning the validity of what was said. It wouldn't have been nearly as powerful. Now it's true that Heroes probably couldn't exist without these effects; people talking about having superpowers without ever using them would be extremely annoying.

The bottom line is there is no way to buy success. Television, like all media, is ultimately a form of storytelling. There is no way to get around the fact that your story must be compelling enough to grab people's attention. In fact, in today's fickle market, not only must you be compelling, but you also need to have all the bells and whistles too. So if special effects are your gimmick, that's a fine way to keep viewers watching.