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By David Burke | Thursday, July 3, 2008 2:39 PM CDT | () comments

After years of watching scripted television series, Robin Sade is now devoted to two channels: Discovery and Home & Garden Television, or HGTV.

“I love shows like ‘Dirty Jobs’ (a popular Discovery Channel program),” said Sade, a 55-year-old medical claims clerk from Davenport. “They’re a step above reality television where they’re so goofy.”

Sade is also a fan of medical reality series after being a fan of scripted hospital shows such as “House” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“I’m hooked on the whole genre of those,” she said.

But she — like about 30 million other people — has a fondness for “American Idol.”

“I am stuck on ‘American Idol.’ That is a must-see,” she said. “I like the talent. Hopefully there’s no politics involved, no secret voting. We’re not going to find out in a few months that it’s all rigged.”

Dr. Will Miller says it’s the human aspect that attracts viewers to shows such as “Idol.”

“You’re not watching celebrities, you’re watching somebody who could be me,” said Miller, a cultural analyst and lecturer at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. “People are saying, ‘I could be on “American Idol.” That could be me.’ ”

Miller, also a stand-up comedian, gained nationwide notoriety in the 1990s for his “Why We Watch,” which analyzed viewing habits during tongue-in-cheek segments on the cable channel Nick at Nite.

He can see the appeal of the reality series that have grown to be a huge part of television in the 21st century.

“Psychologically, reality shows add an element of unpredictability, a little risk and a little bit of a vicarious thrill,” he said. “There’s more interest and curiosity in looking at ‘real people’ rather than ‘fake people.’ ”

The 59-year-old said his generation would watch a series such as the original “Superman” and suspend belief as its hero — albeit with visible wires and a harness — flew through the air.

But younger generations are far more used to much more complicated effects, with computer-generated backgrounds and scenery in many films and TV series.

That’s why he said there’s an attachment to reality shows.

“They’re attracted by something that looks less fake and less predictable,” he said.

A scripted version of “reality is so ‘created’ that there is something to it psychologically. People have an appetite for something that looks more real,” he added. “We’re more voyeuristic.”

Miller said the success of the TV series “Lost,” about survivors of a plane crash living on an island, may reflect on the statistic that 45 million Americans moved to a new address last year.

“People feel like they’re stranded, they’re isolated, trying to get along,” he said. “I think that theme resonates.

“When you take how displaced we are from our families and our home of origin, combine it with the average American watching 24 hours of television a week, people have very few close relationships,” he said. “They have some frenetic, busy relationships, but they don’t have close relationships.”

Some other statistics may explain the success of “Lost,” Miller said. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 28 percent to 48 percent of Americans feel their job is “extremely stressful.”

“That means people are going through the burdens of their days with family, financial pressure, success, work, uncertainty about the economy,” he said. “They feel very rattled and very alone. They feel lost.”

Miller compares the success of “Desperate Housewives” with that of “Seinfeld” in the sense that both exaggerate real-life situations, but in the negative.

“It deals much more authentically with what family relationships feel like than ‘Full House’ or those shows. There’s edginess, there’s sarcasm, there’s meanness, there’s vacillation, there’s miscommunication. There are Georges in our life and there are Kramers in our life, and those resonate because they feel (right),” he said, referring to the male sidekick characters in “Seinfeld.”

“People feel connected to the exaggerated craziness more than they feel connected to the exaggerated Pollyanna, positive, optimistic view.”

The fast pace of a series such as “24,” “Lost” or “The Sopranos” attracts viewers as well, Miller said.

“They have a compelling element that makes you want to watch them,” he said. “They break through all the other clutter.

“Anything that transfixes you, that grabs you, is hard to get away from. It’s something you get with and stay with.”

The original “Law & Order” and “CSI” (“Crime Scene Investigation”) series have become franchises — each has three different versions in prime time — built around short scenes for short attention spans.

“They’re geniuses at doing that. They’ve found a formula,” Miller said. “You show short scenes and you’re hooked and want to stay with it.”

More than ever, Miller said, TV is providing us with a common experience and common bonds than before — even if there are more channels than ever to watch.

“We feel we’re close to very few people — and acquainted with and in contact with very few other people. But we feel like we hardly know them,” he said.

“The shrink in me tells me this is what’s driving a lot of the depression and a lot of the anxiety among the worried. We don’t have a support system that keeps us grounded or buoyant.”

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.