When we say that a television show is “realistic,” what do we mean? Must the drug corners on The Wire resemble the streets of Baltimore? Do the mimetic set pieces on Mad Men engender more cinéma vérité than its sexual politics? How representative must The West Wing be of the West Wing, or Empire of hip-hop, or MASH of Korea, or The Hills of hell? And does realism even equate with quality?

Full article here–>