Television heroes in drama today

One consequence of spending time at home, for a variety of reasons, is an increased exposure to the television world. Called the "boob-tube" by some (according to one source, the name comes from the early days of television, when some folks believed the television would prove unsuccessful, and only be watched by "boobs," or idiots), the television has become a major dispenser of modern culture, for better or worse. Consequently, it seems reasonable to think that what appears on the television in some way reflects the climate of opinion (or said another way, "the spirit of the age") of our particular time and place. The following observation is based upon this understanding.

I've noticed a number of dramatic programs on television today. It is but one of a number of genres you can find throughout television-verse, yet it is in drama particularly, I believe, that you can get a sense of what current society views as its "heroes," if the word may be used. What I mean by "hero" is a person whose actions, beliefs, personality, and lifestyle in some manner reflect members of society's desires for themselves. In short, characters in popular dramas today act, believe, think, and live in ways that many in society wish that themselves might act, believe, think, and live.  Perhaps "hero" isn't the right word to describe this idea, but it seems better than an alternative, such as "role-model," because as much as television characters may act or seem appealing, they live in a world that is different from our own.

The types of heroes you find on television seem likely the result of a contemporary society's taste; an unpopular character is bound not to last long in a television world seeking profit rather than flops. Given that, what do some of television's heroes look like today? Speaking from the dramas I've seen, they are often detectives, doctors, lawyers, spys, or highly-intelligent people who find their world expanding because their intelligence is in demand.

Consider the list. What do heroes do today? They're professionals, in highly-trained professional fields, performing highly-skilled professional work. Often times they are eccentric, or have eccentric friends. They have nice places to live, and are almost certainly not averse to expressing their ideas and opinions, which can of course heighten the drama when such views or ideas conflict with long-standing social norms.

What do these characteristics express of our present society? What of current taste? My sense is that society today in many ways revere the highly-educated professional class of people who deviate sufficiently from the establishment as to seem both professional and interesting all at once. They do their job competently, have an interesting personality, look half-decent, and rarely if ever gripe about taxes and politics.  Educated, cultured, good-looking, and professional; have these  become the characteristics of our television heroes today? Something to thing about perhaps, and if you're old enough, compare with the television heroes of the past. 

A little reflection may yield some interesting results.