In terms of cinematherapy, television is important not only for it's original films and innovative series, but for the manner in which it reflects society's tastes. In cinematherapy, we discuss what this says about our culture.

Genre is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time as new genres are invented and the use of old ones are discontinued. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. There are many television genres, including the following:

1. Action
2. Adult
3. Adventure
4. Animated
5. Anthology
6. Art films
7. Children's television
8. Dramatic programming, including documentary, docudrama, dramality, courtroom drama, legal drama, medical drama, mockumentary
9. Educational
10. Factual
11. Fantasy
12. Game Show
13. Instructional
14. Music
15. News, including current affairs and tabloid
16. Police procedural
17. Public affairs
18. Reality television
19. Religious broadcasting
20. Science fiction
21. Serial
22. Comedy
23. Soap opera
24. Sports:
25. Telenovela
26. Variety
27. Western

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded. Sometimes the prize is merely fame

The genre, which has existed in some form or another since the early years of television programming, exploded as a phenomenon around 1999-2000 with the success of such television series such as Big Brother and Survivor. Programs in the reality television genre are commonly called reality shows and often are produced in a television series. Documentaries, television news and sports television are usually not classified as reality shows.

Best of 2011

The best new TV shows of the year tell only part of the story of 2011. Returning shows have been equally powerful: "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead" on AMC, "The Good Wife" on CBS, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" on FX and "Raising Hope" on Fox, just to name a few. But here is my list of the best new shows of 2011:

• Homeland, Showtime: Best of the fall and best of the year. Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis should clear some shelf space for their Emmys.
• Boss, Starz: Kelsey Grammer is Lear as a lion-in-winter mayor of Chicago.
• Shameless, Showtime: William H. Macy stars as the drunken head of a family of loving survivors who've learned to live by their wits. Believe it or not, this is a show about strong family values and ties. And it's both funny and poignant.
• Downton Abbey, PBS: It may seem like "Upstairs Downstairs," but it has its own unique identity and great performances by Dan Stevens, Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern.
• Cinema Verité, HBO: A feature film re-creation of the making of the first reality TV show, "An American Family." Reality, then as now, is a matter of debate when it's manipulated by a crafty director. Very smart and underappreciated film.
• The Hour, BBC America: It's 1956 and the Suez Crisis is bubbling up, but the young journalists at the BBC are battling the British government to report the truth of the story. And there's sex, too. Wow, people had sex in the '50s?
• Mildred Pierce, HBO: Todd Haynes makes melodrama legitimate with his version of the James M. Cain potboiler. Superb performances by Kate Winslet and Guy Pearce, among others, elevated the show even further.
• Revenge, ABC: Some call this a guilty pleasure, but the show is so much fun and so well made, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Madeleine Stowe: Who knew?
• Wilfred, FX: Frodo hangs out with a bong-sucking, foul-mouthed Australian dude in a dog suit. Who says you can't find something new to laugh at? Well, a lot of people find it tasteless. Others find it tasteless and hysterical.
• Game of Thrones, HBO: Based on the doorstops by George R.R. Martin, it's a fantasy blood-and-sex epic you can like even if you aren't a fantasy fiction geek. Superb performance by Emmy winner Peter Dinklage.

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