Let's get one thing straight, kid. The only reason you're still conscious is because I don't want to carry you. -Jack Bauer

As I sit here watching the original Jack Bauer, John McClane in Die Hard, I came across an article on msnbc.com comparing television and movie quality. I don't consider myself to be an avid tv watcher, and my movie theater going has been dwindling over the past years. This has a lot to do with not having a job, but it also has a lot to do with the decreased quality of the movies being produced by the mainstream studios. My last really enjoyable movie outings were The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine. But before that I can't really remember a GREAT movie that I saw. Then I thought about the television shows that I watch, 24, Rescue Me, Scrubs, South Park. No movie of late can compare to the levels of drama, suspense, or comedy, respectively, that these shows produce. This hadn't really occurred to me until reading this article.

One really good point that was brought up, is that both the television and movie industries are deathly afraid of the Internet, but they are both battling the problem differently. Television is giving any idea that's new and unique a chance, and Hollywood has delved more and more into sequels and special effects.

The Internet age has put both industries into a state of high anxiety, with everyone scrambling to figure out how money will be made in a digital future where people watch movies on their phones and surf the Web on their TVs. But while the major film studios have responded by taking shelter beneath big-tent franchises, the TV industry has gone the opposite route, welcoming anyone with an original idea. The roster of channels has ballooned into the hundreds, creating a niche universe where shows don't need to be dumbed down in order to survive (because the dummies have their own channels). DVDs, meanwhile, have upended how we watch television, transforming shows from disposable weekly units into 8-, 12-, sometimes 22-hour movies.

Before, many channels were afraid to give shows like 24 or Lost a chance because they were afraid viewers wouldn't stick with it. Now with DVDs, you can catch up on whole seasons of shows in a couple of days, with no commercials. With a whole season, you can do a lot more than with a two-hour movie.

There are a lot of really bad television shows (Grey's Anatomy) but more creative shows are being given an opportunity to thrive. It seems that the movie industry is afraid to try anything too different, and the same types of movies keep getting made. It's not mentioned in this article, but many people also feel the price of going to the movies has gone up too much. I personally don't mind paying $10 to see a movie, if I feel like it will be really good. I will not pay $10 to see a mediocre movie. However, I can sit home and watch a mediocre television show courtesy of Northeastern University.

Shows like 24, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck are willing to make viewers think and "push the envelope" more than many movies I've seen coming out lately. There are plot twists upon plot twists, character development, controversy, and more entertainment packed into one hour than most movies have been delivering.