Is The Oprah Winfrey show ever a downer? I don’t think so. Even when it tackles the toughest of topics, the show manages to be optimistic. That optimism is most likely the secret to the show’s longevity. (For example, I was introduced to The Road by Michael Chabon but millions more were introduced to the post-apocalyptic novel by Oprah.)
The same could be said for The Daily Show which exudes righteous optimism. Most of its humor comes from the ridicule of faulty logic and disingenuous advocates. By ridiculing willful ignorance, it affirms that the world can be understood, that progress is not only possible but natural. It’s not a coincidence The Daily Show is how many young Americans get their news.
On the dramatic series The Wire, the plots are tragic (murder, suicide and, perhaps, worse) but the staging is so masterful it, too, evokes optimism. By making sense of a complex world, The Wire proves the most persistent problems have a knowable structure. If they can be understood, they can be solved.