Today, author Christopher Golden asked the question "What's the worst TV series you just couldn't stop watching?" and I had to answer "Manimal" ... and that's largely because that was what was on back then. We got two TV channels at my house when I was a kid, and that's it. My parents didn't believe in spending money for cable, and our town didn't have any video rental stores yet. Services like iTunes and Netflix were just a dream.
But now we live in an era of entertainment riches; the writing, acting, and production values of the movies and series available to us are better than ever, and most of us can select from thousands of titles spanning a century of creative effort at any moment.
And yet people willingly choose to watch "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" ....