Television as a Self-Reflexive Medium

The reflexivity of sitcom television is a reoccurring and progressing phenomenon. Colin Tain shed light on the importance of the action of watching television within many older sitcoms, how the show made a point of the characters gathering 'round the "campfire". Not only do many sitcoms involve the characters actually watching tv, but many modern sitcoms include dialogue or even whole plot lines making references to and poking fun at other popular movies and television shows.

For example, shows such as Family Guy and South Park rely heavily on television itself for their material. Whether it's making fun of the newest and lamest reality tv show, or the most popular current news story (which often has to do with television related gossip), or even if its just the characters watching tv themselves, these shows would not be what they are without the subject and resources of television. The more television one watches, the more connections one can make while watching shows such as these. Self-reflexivity is evident even on television news programs, with the increasing amount of stories digging in to television celebrity's lives. So what exactly is television about? Well, television is about television! If television was a man, he would have the world's biggest ego!