This column was about television shows that raised important questions. On my search for those treasures, I found trash that makes shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Gossip Girl” look like critical darlings. My favorites include: “King of Arms,” a reality series that follows the “raw and highly competitive world of American arm wrestling,” “Pomona Kings,” described as a “Romeo and Juliet drag-racing Drama,” and “Fat Girl Revenge,” a reality series that follows formerly fat women who take revenge on those who made them miserable when they were fat. For every critical darling, there are 10 shows that aim to please the lowest denominator, to copy what has already been done, and generate petty schadenfreude.

Networks produce television with an audience in mind, which means that all of this content was produced with beliefs about what viewers want. But that doesn’t mean that these beliefs are correct or should be rewarded with our attention. Fewer people each year pay for cable, myself included, but what we watch does influence which shows become advertiser favorites and make it beyond their premieres. The easiest way to support television that not only resembles art but also reflects us is to be selective with our time.

—Staff writer Hayley C. Cuccinello can be reached at hayley.cuccinello@thecrimson.com.