Homicide, Obscure Diagnosis, Suicide, Rarely-peformed Brain Surgery, Unexpected Jury Nullifation...

Things that are upsetting?

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Things that are unknown?

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Things that take a long time?

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Things that express the sole subject matter of present day television dramas: crime, hospitals, and court rooms?

Correct!

Every non-soap opera drama that's adult-oriented in today's television programming attempts to peer into the life of a fireman, a lawyer, a law-enforcement agent, a forensic specialist, a doctor, a politician, or the like: ER, NYPD Blue, CSI to the Nth power, West Wing, Without a Trace, and so on.

Why is America hooked on the drama of professionals and officials performing the duties of their jobs, which consist of upholding the rights and well-being of America?

Whether it be a forensic scientist insightfully extracting the DNA sample from the unlikely material, and the inevitable resolution of the conflict in that justice is rightfully reached; a doctor takes an unorthadox route to save a critical patient's life due to the pressing circumstances of the patient's hemorrhaging; a perceptive government agent's discerning of obscure clues leads to a serial killer's demise. America is spending large amounts of time investing in the narrative of disorganization of social order followed by a reorganization of social order.

Is this America's ideal world: do we fantasize about a reality in which every case is solved and every adorable, dying 7-year-old girl is unexpectedly saved? Instead, do we wish to elude ourselves into believing that our own world, too, is a consistently just world? Are we fascinated by the dramatics associated with death and violation of social order? Do we want to reassure ourselves that homeland security is successfully dealing with terrorism?

Beats me.