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Consuming media filled with negativity may normalize bad behavior.

Viewers could benefit from watching more positive TV characters on the screen.

Aspirational fictional characters may drive viewers to strive for the optimal prosocial behaviors.

We have gotten pretty used to seeing bad behavior on our screens. There is the scripted Breaking Bad and the less scripted “reality TV.” While there has been reality TV since the late 1940s (Candid Camera), the volume of these shows ballooned in the 2000s, now with competition, nastiness, and backbiting. Spoiler alert—they do not represent reality. There are multiple books written by producers of these shows, including one called Creating Reality: An Insider's Guide to Working in Reality TV (Tartaglia, 2020). That title speaks volumes.

Watching bad behavior regularly and considering it entertainment allows us to get used to it, become inured to it, and even be amused by it. There is plenty of challenging and upsetting behavior apparent in our world right now. As a clinical psychologist, I (JS) work with people struggling with depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety, among other concerns. I submit that for many people, not only folks who are grappling with mental health issues, watching bad behavior as our downtime pastime is not helpful. We know that we tend to reflect the mood and behavior of those around us (Neumann & Strack, 2000; Cartrand & Bargh, 1999; Rissolatti & Craighero, 2004). Would it not, then,........

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