Things change over time.  That’s obvious enough, but change is not always wanted and the outcome of such changes can be disappointing.  For me, one of these unwanted changes happens to be MTV.  Once known for music videos but now teen moms, the channel which proclaims itself as Music Television has evolved into something unrecognizable.

I’m not a big fan of MTV’s current state but I am thankful that MTV indulges fans like me with a much needed dose of nostalgia by introducing RetroMTV.  It takes shows that have long since died and been forgotten and resurrects them in all their glory for a short time.

After watching a marathon of the first season of The Real World from seven in the morning to midnight on RetroMTV, I saw just how much MTV changed.  During the first season, it was about something more. It confronted real life situations including the struggle of overcoming racism, trying to change your path in life, the strive for success, and overall creating your own identity.  Such commentary on 20-somethings trying to find themselves and overcoming life’s challenges has since been replaced with shows like Jersey Shore.  What was once a show about growing as a person and finding a place in the world was replaced by a show in which we watch unrelatable and unlikable people party.  The season finale of The Real World was met with sadness as I felt like I’d never see these unique people ever again, while at the end of each episode of Jersey Shore, I just sigh.

Daria, another show which featured on RetroMTV, remains one of my favorites.  The character development and the total honesty of the writing makes it so relatable and realistic.  I related so much to it and I was so glad to have finally found a show that captured how I felt and  on a day to day basis.  It was a smart and quality show, and it’s upsetting that where such an intelligent show once aired now hosts shows that can only hope to have such interesting writing.  Although Teen Mom assesses real situations and warns against teen pregnancy, there’s only so much yelling I can take. Each episode follows a formulaic pattern, meaning if you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen them all.

The quality of MTV has decayed and along with it, we have watched beloved shows either die or mutate into something unrecognizable.  The quality of the old MTV was higher, showing intelligent and engaging shows.  We shouldn’t have to settle for less and the standards for quality television should be higher.  I’m not giving up hope, but until smart and unique shows return to MTV, I’ll just keep watching Daria and The Real World: Season 1 on DVD.