Reality TV: It's Good For The Kiddies!

The Parents Television Council, one of the watchdog groups of people with way too much time on their hands, singled out reality TV as some of the best family programming on the air.

Singled out as "appropriate" viewing were shows like "Dancing with the Stars," "American Idol" and "Deal or No Deal." I'm guessing that no with with the Parents Television Council has caught an episode of "The Bachelor" or "Wife Swap" yet.

My problems with these parents' groups is how narrow-minded they are, and I don't just mean in their selection of television. Pretty much any show on the air can be twisted positive or negative depending on what lens its viewed through.

Take "Survivor," for example, which also made the list. What is the show good for? Teaching kids how to stab teammates in the back in order to win a prize? Or "Deal or No Deal?" Unabashed greed?

I'm not saying the above examples are bad shows. Or good shows, for that matter. All I am saying is that you can take good or bad out of any show if you look hard enough.

Since most of these parents' groups try to get what they consider to be bad shows yanked, here's my message: Why not try raising your own kids yourself instead of letting TV do it? Why not stop telling other people what you think are the proper shows to watch and let people choose for themselves?

Now that we live in the age of the V-Chip, parents policing their children's TV habits has never been easier, and therefore, made these so-called watchdog groups superfluous at best.

End of rant.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: I haven't seen "Hacking Democracy," (HBO, 9 p.m.) but it is drawing raves from critics everywhere. Considering how much we are being bombarded by political ads and with the election in a few days, it should be worth checking out.

The lovely and talented Salma Hayek makes an appearance in front of the camera on "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 8 p.m.) after spending most of the season behind the scenes as the show's producer. Hayek will be a recurring character.

Co-star Mindy Kaling wrote tonight's installment of "The Office" (NBC, 8:30 p.m.) Co-star B.J. Novak wrote the week before's episode. I honestly think it's one of the reasons why this is the best sitcom on TV, since many of the cast, including Steve Carell, have contributed to the show on so many levels. In addition to the cast members who serve as writers, Jenna Fischer and Rainn Wilson also contribute to the blogosphere.