The content of today's TV shows ranges from the likely to the bizarre. The characters are often placed in extremely realistic or totally far-fetched scenarios. But whatever the content, there is something for everyone and the audience continues to watch it. These days, a viewer can instantly go from watching an hour-long quasi-reality show that examines the lives of promiscuous twenty-somethings on the Jersey Shore to a 30-minute mockumentary that focuses on the not-so-monotonous office life for an hour-long tale of plane crash survivors and an island full of mystery. With so many choices, it's easy to worry about the type of content you're feeding your brain. On the surface, television serves as entertainment. It is a diversion from everyday life, a form of relaxation and a source of entertainment. Although many television shows can be scrutinized for their unrealistic plots and apparent lack of moral value, many can and do end up being food for thought with the potential to bring more to the viewer than they would otherwise. it doesn't seem so. Numerous studies show that despite the negative content of some publicly available television shows, the viewer is most often affected in a positive way cognitively, emotionally, and intellectually. Jersey Shore, an MTV television show gaining popularity for its notorious promiscuity, could (although this is somewhat unsurprising) offer its viewers more than just a no-holds-barred glimpse of the drinking and fighting in the bars. Jersey Shore seeks, above all, to entertain its audience, and in doing so, engages in MTV's usual level of silliness (case in point: it attracted widespread controversy for its images of physical assault). Even though this film appears on television, the viewer can sometimes relate it to situations in their own life. Characters can often serve as role models, and as such, when their actions have positive consequences, it can inspire the viewer to do the same. Although there are many so-called "trash" television shows available for entertainment purposes, the viewer's most important task is to think more critically about what they are watching. In reality, a viewer can watch almost anything and get some sort of cognitive stimulation from it. There's nothing wrong with observing the promiscuity of the young (or even the old, as exemplified by ABC's Desperate Housewives) as long as the viewer listens to the underlying plight of the characters and thinks more critically about the plots. This will make any show, regardless of its content, more enriching and ultimately more entertaining for the viewer..